Welcome Back Chantilly 2023-24

I hope you all had an amazing summer! I would like to extend a warm welcome to all of our new families and a welcome back to all of our amazing returning families! I am so excited for our new school year! My staff has been working hard to plan and prepare for another incredible year. Chantilly has a long tradition of excellence and this year, we will continue in that tradition by building on our strengths and working towards continuous improvement. I believe that excellence is a journey and not a destination. As such, we will continue this journey by partnering with you this year to ensure that all of our students have an amazing Montessori experience!

- Mrs. Sandra

• August 28: First Day of School for Kindergarden - 6th Grade (No Pre-K this week):
• PTO Sponsored Yahoo! Breakfast: (During Arrival) Please join us to celebrate the first day of school!
• August 31: Maria Montessori's Birthday
• Help us celebrate the amazing contributions to education that Maria made by sending in a fresh flower(s) with your students.
• September 4: NO SCHOOL - HOLIDAY
• September 5: First Day of School for Pre-Ks: ; Kindergarteners will not attend this week.
• All Pre-K Parents are invited to join us for the Boo Hoo Breakfast (During Arrival)
• September 7, 4:45pm: Pre-K Information Night
• All Pre-K Parents, Please plan to join us for a short information session.
• September 11: All Primary (Kindergarten & Pre-K) will begin attending together

As the normalization period begins the first day of school, parents will drop students off by going through the car pool line. Staff & Peacekeepers will greet students upon arrival and escort/guide them into the building and to their classes. This will begin the path of independence for our students. Parents/Guardians may park in the field and attend the Boo Hoo or Yahoo breakfast on the dates above after dropping off their children. Thank you for your help with this important first step towards independence!

Main Office Hours of Operation: 8:15am - 4:45pm

School Bell Schedule: 9:15 AM - 4:15 PM

Student Arrival: 8:45am (Breakfast is free and served from 8:45 - 9:10am.)

• *Late students must be brought in to the front office and signed in.

Student Dismissal: Car riders will begin dismissing at 4:10pm; Bus riders will begin loading buses at 4:15pm; All students must be picked up no later than 4:30pm.

Violations including multiple late arrivals or late pickups may result in losing your place in the magnet program. Please be on time.

• *Transportation Changes - If you need to change the mode of transportation for your student on a given afternoon, please notify the office no later than 1:00pm.
• *Early Dismissals - No early dismissals are allowed after 3:00pm.

We request that all families attend our Back to School/Open House for important information and forms for the school year. You may drop in anytime between 4:00 and 6:00pm. This will be a casual drop-in visit where you may visit your student's class as well as our specials classes. There will also be tables set up in the cafeteria with information regarding PTO, transportation, clubs, cafeteria, Before and After School Enrichment Programs, etc.

*Student Packets will be available for families to pick up. Anyone that cannot attend will get a packet sent home by their student the first day.

We Look Forward To Seeing You There!

Parents/Guardians will receive a phone call from their child's classroom teacher on or after August 24. Please allow staff time to prepare for the school year. They will be involved with professional development and meetings once they return and may not be available for phone calls.

Pre-K Parents: Make sure that you have paid your tuition and transportation (if needed) by the deadlines. Not doing so can result in you losing your seat in the magnet program. Click here for information (https://cmschoice.org/your-choices/montessori/).

If you have not done so, you may apply for bus transportation here (https://wearecms.iad1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cCig61mfSyNEJkG). You may use this link to request alternate stops (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeqe5TqSjLgc1KkzipGAWW412Fs3_a19AM49SKGihnKCkiQ1w/viewform) if needed. Pre-K parents must pay the transportation fee prior to being assigned a bus. Please note that it may take 7-10 days before a request is processed and a bus assigned by CMS Transportation (980-343-6715). For the beginning of school, please know that there is a 30 minute window for pick up and drop off due to drivers learning their routes. All Pre-K students must have a parent/guardian at the bus stop for pick up and drop off. Drivers will not drop off students and will return them to the school if a parent/guardian is not there at the stop.

Arrival: Drop off will begin at 8:45am. Students may not be dropped off earlier as staff will not be ready to receive them. Please be sure that students have all belongings and have said their goodbyes prior to pulling up as to not hold up the line. Anyone arriving after 9:15am must come to the front of the buildng and bring their student in and sign them in. Students should never be dropped off unattended.

Dismissal: Staff will begin calling car riders at 4:10pm. Drivers please be attentive at all times to keep our students safe! (No use of mobile phones while driving.) Please have car rider sign visible in the windshield at all times to assist staff with a quick dismissal. Anyone arriving after 4:30pm may need to come in the front office to pick up their child. All students must be picked up by 4:45pm as our office closes at this time.

What is Normalization?

In an effort to begin the normalization process with our students, we require no family visits until the week of October 23 . Successful Montessori students need to develop independence and aim for normalization in order to develop the ability to focus on learning and make independent educational choices. We find it easier for children to develop this independence at school when family members are not there to be depended upon. We will notify you of opportunities to visit once this period is over. Thank you for supporting us in this manner.

Please come out and join your Chantilly Family in beautifying the school grounds on Saturday, August 19 from 8:30am - 11:30am. We need all hands on deck to make sure that our school looks its best!

Our school will host the first PTO Meeting at 5:15pm followed by Normalization and Share A Lesson Night at 5:45pm. Please join us to learn more about what your student is learning and how you can best support them at home. We look forward to seeing you there!

If you are interested in signing up for our ASEP or BSEP, please click here (https://www.cmsk12.org/Page/41) for more information. Thank you!

Our PTO is one of the reasons Chantilly is so successful and such a special place. We cannot do this work without our parent volunteers. You can join our PTO or sign up to volunteer by emailing our PTO president, Ms. Austin Applefield, at chantillyptopresident@gmail.com. Thank you!