Chesapeake Montessori School
Volume 29, Issue 3
 October 1, 2007
Head's Corner


CMS BuildingAs I look out my window I see the first signs of Fall, soon we will be surrounded by beautiful leaves.  Fall at CMS will have several out of the ordinary events.  Beginning Sunday, October 21, through lunch on Wednesday, October 14, five teachers from schools around the State of Maryland will be here to perform our AIMS accreditation.  Our napping program will be impacted during their visit.  The visiting team will be using the cabana which means napping space will be at a premium on Monday and Tuesday, October 22-23.  If your child is a CMS napper, it would be a great help if you can utilize an alternative napping plan.

 

October begins the opportunity for parents to come and observe their child's classroom.  Please call Judy McCarthy to schedule your half hour appointment.

 

Toddler and Lower Elementary parents will have an opportunity to learn more about the Montessori Method through the parent education meeting this Thursday evening, October 4, beginning at 6:30 p.m. for Toddler parents and 7:00 p.m. for Lower Elementary parents.  Lower Elementary is defined as everyone in Mrs. Wirts' classroom and the first three years in Mrs. Charapp's classroom.  Child care will be available that evening for 12 current or former CMS children.   Jeri Van Dyke-Soutiere has volunteered her time to care for the children during the parent's meetings as a donation to the CMS community.

 

Jeri's example is but one of the many ways to give to CMS.  There is a variety of what I call "easy fundraisers," ways to give without writing a check.  CLICK HERE to see the various ways CMS can benefit from your shopping at Giant, Safeway, Amazon, or on-line shopping.

 

The parent ambassador program is about to begin.   CLICK HERE to view the list.  Each classroom parent ambassador's main function will be to assist the teachers and myself with issues specific to their particular classroom.  They will also facilitate helping new families meet other CMS parents.

 

Get out that eraser!  Anne Arundel Community College was not available for our Winter Program on the evening listed on the calendar.  The Winter Program has been rescheduled for Tuesday, December 11, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

 

Please do not assume that since the staff cannot dispense medication your child can safely keep custody of the drug and administer it to himself/herself.  Please notify your physician of our policy when receiving a prescription.  Often the prescription can be adjusted to accommodate your child's not needing the drug during school hours.  If you have questions about the policy please contact me. 

 

Lastly, on Friday, October 5, those who look closely will notice that our teachers will not be on campus.  No, I am not predicting a strike!  They will all be attending a NAMTA Montessori Conference that day.  Extra staffing will be brought in to ensure that everything runs smoothly.

 

 Bob Mattingly
Head of School
Classroom News
 
    
 Please make plans to attend Parent Education !
Building Update & Development
CMS Building

We want to remind you again to SAVE THE DATE for our two up coming Development events:   

 

  • Saturday October 27th: Fall Development Event
  • Saturday February 23rd: Winter Escape: Annual Development Fund Raiser

You will be receiving your invitation shortly for Saturday's October 27th "Fall Gathering Event." The Development team is currently finalizing the details. As a reminder, these are adult only events, so reserve your baby sitter now!

 

We are well on our way in creating our committees for Winter Escape. We plan on having a social/planning meeting sometime in October. We are still looking for volunteers for the following areas.  Volunteers are needed for the following areas: 

  • Assist with Decoration & Theme
  • Assist with Live & Silent Auction
  • Contacting possible Sponsors
  • Ticket and Raffle Sales
  • Food and Beverage

While we have started looking for new locations beyond the Ulmstead Barn, we could still use your suggestions.  If anyone has access to a new and cost effective location, please let us know about it.   Winter Escape is a wonderful way to get involved with the community, meet new people, and raise funds for CMS. Contact Kristin Slavin to learn more. kristin.slavin@wolterskluwer.com

 

We have created a brokerage account for deposited donated securities. This means that families can donate stock to CMS. In the next couple of weeks we will send a formal announcement out as to how you donate stocks to CMS.  

PTO News

Innisbrook catalogues have gone home and the sale is in full swing! Don't hesitate to get the word out to family and friends about this wonderful fundraising opportunity! We get 50% of all sales! Please register your child at www.innisbrook.com (school code 102069) so they can get the credit for online orders. Pass along the website information to your friends and family so everyone will have an opportunity to participate! Please return the order forms to CMS by Oct 12th.
Thanks to everyone who came to the Fall PTO Meeting and Social! We had a great turn out and it was nice to see people having the opportunity to meet new CMS families and reconnect with returning families! We still need more volunteers!! Please contact Kim Wendkos at kwendkos@comcast.net if you are interested in helping with PTO events this year. Thanks for your support!
In This Issue
Head's Corner
Classroom News
Building Update & Development
PTO News
From the Boardroom
Montessori Minute

Gail Guthry

by Gail Guthery
 

At Chesapeake Montessori School the development of social skills in the child is as important as the development of academic skills. Learning to be a positive, supportive member of a community is valued.  CMS students are treated with respect and are expected to treat others with (1) respect for the feelings and rights of individuals; (2) respect for public and private property, and (3) respect for the rules and guidelines of the school community.   What a gift this is for all the children in our community!

 

2007 Calendar

10/3
Individual School Pictures
10/4
6:30 Toddler Parent Ed
7:00 Lower Elem Parent Ed
10/8-10
Sheridan Mountain Trip
10/17
6:30 Primary Parent Ed
7:00 Upper Elem Parent Ed
10/21-24
AIMS Accreditation Visit

 
Quick Links
Join Our Mailing List
From the Boardroom
chair

BUILDING UPDATE

The Building Committee was informed by the County, about a week ago, that we may now be required to connect sewer to our existing school building. Discussions were held with County officials last week with more expected as we seek clarification.  Until we have a full understanding from the County on when that would need to occur, it would be premature to speculate.  As we indicated in the last newsletter, initial bids were in and now a 2nd round of bids are being reviewed, much analysis has taken place and meetings are being planned for explicit and detailed bid walk-throughs with each bidder. However, because we are in a negotiations phase, we cannot go into more detail at this time.  We will continue to update the community as we progress on the decisions regarding this project.

SEARCH UPDATE:

You may recall that as we embarked upon a search for a Head of School for this current school year to replace Curt Chamberlain, who was returning to California, we had indicated that our search was for an interim Head of School and that we would continue working with the Head Search Consultant firm, The Education Group, in a search for a permanent Head of School.  We have continued that effort and are currently interviewing candidates, through October 15, who have expressed an interest in our Permanent Head of School position and look forward to making an announcement with regards to the position before the end of the year.