Director's Desk 4/30/2009Dear Parents, Please scroll down the page for full recommendation about the Swine Flu. Last day for camp early bird special Pay in full by May 1, 2009 for all three sessions and save $25 for one child or $40 per family Please make sure to complete the appropriate forms and return it to Janel. Our Summer Program is on. It will include 2 days of pool, drama classes, arts and crafts and lots more. Sharmaleen will lead the toddlers, and Adi and Efi will lead the 3 - 6 years old. Forms are available online here or click the summer camp icon on the home page. Staff Phone-a-Thone This Monday As we are reaching the end of the year, we would like to make our final push in our Annual Giving Campaign. As of May 1st, we have 77% participation from school families, and have collected 55% of monies pledged. Our goal is to reach 100% participation of school families, and $10,000. The money donated through this campaign is used to supply our classes with essential materials that we use throughout the year, such as art projects and Montessori wooden materials. This year, for example, we replaced broken bells and purchased furniture for the Rimon classroom; the Dvash class received a new Pink Tower and other wooden elements at the cost of $100 each, and the Gefen class received a new baking oven for their food-preparation projects. These are just few of the items we purchased thanks to the donations of School's families. As part of this campaign, the staff will be holding a Phone-a-thon starting Monday, May 4. Staff volunteers will be calling you to request a pledge; please do not let them go empty handed. In comparison to other area Montessori schools (see table below) our school's tuition rates are very reasonable. However, while the Alef Bet tuition provides a sufficient budget to maintain our school, we do not have the funds for extra resources without your help. Tuition for Primary program full day 9 - 3 p.m.
Thank you for helping us reaching our goals, and adhering a great level of education. Important dates on May
Ayelet 'Ellie' Lichtash Director's Desk 4/23/2009Dear Parents, Welcome back to a busy week after a long spring break.This week we marked Yom Hashoah, the Holocaust Day. This day is remembered around the world and in Israel. Next week we will commemorate Yom Hazikaron (Memorial Day) (4/28) and Independence Day (4/29) of Israel. PICTURE DAY AT SCHOOL, April 28 Tuesday, April 28, is Picture Day. The photographer will be here and available from 9:00 – 10:30 a.m. There is no upfront cost for the pictures. Payment is done at the time of ordering. Parents who wish to have sibling pictures should come earlier. Sibling pictures will be charged a $5 sitting fee. Class for Parents on Freedom and Discipline, May 7 In this meeting we will discuss the topics of Free Choice and Discipline. We will suggest strategies for how to talk to your child, so that he can listen, and how to listen, so that your child can talk. Please join us for the discussion from 9 am - 10 a.m. on Thursday, May 7 (rescheduled from 4/28). Parents of Toddlers and Primary are welcome. Lag B'Omer Bonfire Party on May 12 at 5:30 p.m. Please join us for a Lag B' Omer Bonfire party at Cabin John camp grounds. A hard copy flyer will be sent home on Friday 4/24. If you do not receive one, please call the office. Vegetable Garden Before the spring break, Efi Maroani, the Assistant of the Dvash class, worked with the primary children (ages 3 -6) and created a little vegetable garden. The children planted seeds of onions, radish and other vegetables. The vegetables started to grow and the children will follow their growth. They also planted some pansies for the spring in our spring buckets. We all welcome Efi's green thumb! Bread & Challah All
challah and bread purchased for school use needs the same approved
kosher symbols as other store bought items. Many supermarkets and
bakeries bake and sell challah, but many do not meet the kosher
criteria of the school. Challah purchased at a kosher market such as
Kosher Mart or Shalom does not need to have a kosher symbol, but should
have a wrapper that indicates the store name. Bread or challah
purchased at stores such as Shoppers or Trader Joe, which do sell a
brand of kosher challah, must have an approved kosher symbol on it's
wrapper. If you have a question on how to identify approved kosher
symbols, please contact Miriam or Chava and they will be happy to
assist you. Choppers and Juice Squeezers We have ordered some more choppers (these are vegetable cutters) and juice squeezers for little hands. Parents who are interested in purchasing them are welcome to contact Janel. Choppers are $4 each, and juicers are $12. These items can be used by toddlers and older children with parental supervision. Montgomery County Parents' Workshop- April 30 Parents from the MCPS Parent Advisory Council (PAC) will lead an April 30 workshop, "Can We Talk? Speaking Up for Your Child to Help Them Succeed." The workshop will offer information on how to communicate effectively with teachers to help children be successful in school. Parents will have the opportunity to share tips with other parents and take home helpful resources. This
parent advocacy workshop, which will be conducted through the Parent
Academy, will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the
Carver Educational Services Center, 850 Hungerford Drive in Rockville.
Register for the workshop at www.mcpsparentacademy.org, by phone at 301-517-5940, or at the door. Free childcare will be provided for children aged 4-12. More information about the Parent Advisory Council is available at www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/familycommunity/parents/advisorycouncil.aspx Ellie
Director's Desk 4/20/2009Welcome back! We hope you had a wonderful vacation. Please mark your calendars that picture day is Tuesday, April 28. Alef Bet Staff
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