From the Director`s Desk: 2/26/2009

We hope everyone can join us for two wonderful family events that are coming up. Please mark your calendars and make sure to RSVP.

Family Shabbaton

On Friday, March 6th is our school's Family Shabbaton. We will have a special family service at 5:30 p.m. at the Aish Center with lots of singing, followed by a delicious Shabbat dinner. Please send in your form or RSVP to Adi tomorrow (Friday), so our wonderful PTO committee knows how many to expect. They also still need volunteers for cooking, set up and clean up. I hope everyone can participate in this special and meaningful event.

Purim

Purim begins at sundown on Monday, March 9. We will celebrate beginning at 10:30 a.m. with a party and Adloyada - a street parade with full costumes. We will also have a special school performance. We hope everyone can attend Monday with cameras and video cameras. Please come with your costumes.  Children will be dismissed at noon.

The following day, Tuesday, March 10, the Aish Community and Alef Bet will be holding a Purim Carnival at Rabbi Palatnik's home. Festivities begin at noon and include lunch, costume parade, moon bounce, arts and crafts, face painting and other fun family activities. Everyone is encouraged to dress up and Best Adult costume will win a $500 prize off next year's tuition! Every child in a costume will receive a prize. Please click here to RSVP.

Indoor/outdoor shoes

Because the children love to play outside and because our playground can get very wet and muddy, we request that you send in a pair of indoor shoes and boots for outdoor play. It will keep both our shoes and the classroom much cleaner.

3/5 TODDLER CLASS ONLY – no school. Professional Day for Toddler Staff.

3/6 School Shabbaton.

3/9 Purim Parade at our School at 10:30

3/10 Purim, school is closed. Activities for family at the Aish Center.

Shabbat Shalom

From the Director`s Desk: 2/19/2009

Great News!

Our school has been certified by AMI USA as an approved Montessori School. This means that we have met the most stringent requirement of Montessori Schools in the United States and the world. AMI is an international and a national organization. We posted the certification on the indoor bulletin board. Check out our new page explaining our accreditation.

We also have the added bonus that I sit on the Board of MAA, the Montessori Administrators Association, which is working to promote excellent training of AMI in the USA and the world.

On President Day weekend, I had the opportunity to attend the National Annual Conference of Montessori educators in Houston, Texas.  Many teachers, assistants, parents heads of schools and board members gathered in Houston for this conference. In conjunction with the conference, Houston Public Radio did an interesting piece Montessori Education in Houston that I encourage all Montessori parents to read.

 Purim Party

On Monday, March 9 our school will celebrate Purim with a party and Adloyada - a street parade with full costumes. We will also have a special school performance. This year, Robyn Paley, Ethan’s mom and a drama teacher, has volunteered to work on the Purim Show. We hope everyone can attend Monday with cameras and video cameras. Please come with your costumes.  We will send out more information as to the exact time next week.

Staff Changes:

Jonathan, our Dvash assistant teacher, will be leaving tomorrow.  He is pursuing his graduate degree and will be working hard to complete it in the next few months.  To insure a smooth transition for the students, we have introduced to the class his replacement, Efi. 

Efi has spent two days already with the children as an extra teacher and additional hours with the Dvash teachers so that the change in staff will be seamless. 

Efi has excellent experience with children and is fluent in Hebrew. He will be in on Monday morning. We wish Jonathan well in his studies, and welcome Efi to our school.

Parents are invited to come and meet with me to discuss the changes in the Dvash class on Tuesday, February 24 at 8:45 a.m. in the upstairs library

Parents Class

We will be holding a "Montessori At Home" class for Toddler and Primary class parents led by Ellie and a teacher on Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 9 a.m. in the upstairs library. This is one of our more popular classes and one you won't want to miss.

Important March dates:

Tuesday 3/3 noon dismissal – professional day

Thursday 3/5  - only Toddler – no school – professional day

Friday 3/6 – School Shabaton

Monday 3/9 – Purim Show and Party, noon dismissal.

Tuesday 3/10 – no school Purim day.

 Ellie

From the Director`s Desk: 2/12/2009

Dear Parents,

In your child’s paper work that we sent home this week you will be able to see how we celebrated Tu B’shvat in our school: we prepared a booklet, baked a banana cake, prepared a fruit salad and fruit sticks. Our classes planted seeds and watched them grow and sprout. We brought the pots of new seeds home with us this week.

We also sang some songs in Hebrew, such as HaShkedia Porachat (the Almond Tree is Blooming), we marched to the lyrics of Kach Holchim Hashotlim (This is How the People Who Plant Trees March) and danced some swing to the cords of Tu B’Shvat (The Holiday of the Trees), while I played my guitar in our classroom.

This week Gayna Kieval said goodbye to our Toddler class as she is preparing to take care of some personal matters. Chava and Morah Ety will be assisting in the Toddler class. Toddler class parents are invited to join us for a discussion on the recent changes in the classroom. Thursday morning Feb. 19 at 8:45 a.m. to 10 a.m. with Ellie. We will have coffee and some refreshments.

Mishloch Manot orders due

The PTO Mishloch Manot form for Purim is due this Friday. Please send in your orders of Mishloch Manot so that you can have them for Purim.

Newsletter

A copy of our February newsletter was sent home this week – please take a look at it. The newsletter can also be viewed and downloaded from our website.

Family Shabbaton

On March 6 the PTO will be hosting the Annual Alef Bet Family Shabbaton at the Aish Center. This is a school tradition that all parents are encouraged to participate in.

We invite the parents to cook together and prepare a Friday Night Meal under the supervision of Rebbetzin Ruth Baars. On Friday at 5:30 p.m., the school's parents and staff join together for a sing-a-long and Shabatt service for the family at the school lead by Rabbi Palatnik and Lori Palatnik. After the family-friendly service we will all enjoy a Shabbat meal together and schmooze.

Families that would like to stay in the community for Saturday services and lunch can contact Amanda Boltax to arrange for lodging within the community.

Important upcoming dates

Friday– Noon dismissal for the school, Professional Day.

Wednesday – Elementary Talk and Open House at KMMS. 

Monday – School closed for President's Day

3/3 Noon Dismissal – Professional Day

3/5 Toddler Class only – no school. Professional Day for Toddler Staff.

3/6 School Shabbaton.

3/9 Purim Parade at our School at 11:30

3/10 Purim, school is closed. Activities for family at the Aish Center.

From the Director`s Desk: 2/06/2009

We had a very exciting day Friday. In the morning, our fire alarms suddenly went off. Our staff quickly evacuated the children to the parking lot and a couple of minutes later, two large fire trucks arrived. The firemen went inside and found that the source of the smoke was a piece of leftover food in the kitchen oven.

Once the firemen determined the building was safe they stayed and led the children in songs for Zahara's birthday! Then they let  the children climb and look inside the fire trucks.

We were pleased that the alarms all worked, that the staff and children did an excellent job of calmly evacuating the building, and we were all rewarded with a special visit from our local fire department.

Tu B'Shvat:  A celebration of the trees is coming up this Monday. Our school is getting ready for this festival with songs, stories, artworks and dancing.

Family Shabbaton: The PTO has a new date for our school Shabbaton. It will be Friday, March 6. We will have a special family-friendly Friday night service at the Aish Center, followed by a delicious Shabbat meal. Please save the date.

Elementary Talk: Mark your calendar for an outstanding Elementary Montessori presentation with esteemed educator Lila Carusillo on Wednesday, February 18 at 7:30 p.m. at the Kemp Mill Montessori School, 519 Lamberton Dr. in Silver Spring. All parents are invited to attend.