Dear Montessori Timberwolves Families and Friends,
This was a great four-day learning week! Our Lead Teaching staff participated in the regional staff development day on Thursday with the National Reading League. This is a TCAPS-wide initiative to empower/train our educators with the Science of Reading to improve their reading instructional skills.
On Thursday, we had a special visit from the TCAPS All-City Choir! This is a wonderful opportunity for TCAPS's 5th graders. Several 5th-grade students represented TCAPS Montessori. We are proud of them for their musical efforts.
Our Lower and Upper Elementary students enjoyed our first greenhouse activity of the year: Basil Pesto Harvesting, Making, and Tasting. Shout out to all the parent volunteers who helped students and to Luette Frost for organizing this event! We are excited for more to come with our greenhouse projects for all our students.
Enjoy this fall weekend,
Tracy
Parents often ask educators what they can do to support their child’s academic success. At our school, parental involvement and modeling grace and courtesy are integral parts of our parent stream and our school's overall vision stream.
Parental Involvement to Support Student Needs: Attending parent-teacher conferences and open houses and actively asking your child about her/his experiences at school are all important ways of parental involvement in your child’s success. Incorporate Order, Concentration, Coordination, and Independence at home at your child’s level. For example, teach children to pack/unpack backpacks, lunch boxes, and folders, put things away in their place, make them “beautiful” for the next person, and help with household chores. Other home supports include reading with your child and asking questions about the text, practicing math facts, supporting your child in completing homework, attending school activities (PTO, sports, STEAM Night, Greenhouse activities, Lunch Buddies Mentor Program, etc.), and asking them to share their learning with you. Parents interested in volunteering can contact their child’s teacher directly for information on opportunities to become involved in our school community. Volunteers who work within the building are welcome after November 1st, as we allow time for “normalization” to occur before bringing in helpers. Normalization is learning how to concentrate and work freely in a Montessori classroom.
Grace and Courtesy: We expect that parents will model the same behaviors we expect from our students and staff, including using manners, not interrupting others when they are speaking, listening in a conversation, greeting others, having kind and respectful interactions with staff and students, bringing concerns to teachers and administrators rather than posting them on social media, following district rules and procedures, peace-keeping, and being polite while working together to problem solve, even when the conversations are difficult.
It takes all of us working together to help support our students. The staff at TCAPS Montessori is grateful for you and all the work you do for your children.
- Wonderful Wednesday Volunteer Opportunities: We still have some places for mentors to come and join our Wonderful Wednesdays Lunch Buddies Program. Shout out to our PTO for helping us organize this endeavor. If you are interested in volunteering please use this SignUp.
- Native American Heritage Month SPIRIT WEEK! Nov. 11 - 15 Click here to learn how to participate!
- Seussical, presented by the Traverse City Central High School Music Department. Click here for more information and here to purchase tickets.
- Equity Arts Club: This club is now meeting every Thursday from the bell to 5:00. This club introduces kids to different types of art while talking about important things we want to change about the world, especially supporting marginalized groups. We offer snacks and support of all kinds. Please note that at this time we do have an age restriction, your kid has to be in 6th grade or above. Read more about us and sign up at our website! Parent Volunteers: Ingrid Pylvainen and Bear Howe.
From the Library Media Center: BRILLIANT BOOK FAIR IS COMING BACK! TCAPS Montessori is excited to host another Brilliant Books Book Fair on November 20, 21, and 22 from 8 am-4:30 pm daily in the TCAPS MONTESSORI FRONT ENTRANCE. Brilliant Books has been successfully running book fairs across the TCAPS school district for some time now. We receive 25% of the sales from our book fair to purchase new books for our library and classroom book sets. Last year, TCAPS Montessori raised over $1500 for books for our students from our Brilliant book sales. Brilliant Books says, “Each book fair is personalized for each individual school to consider age range, club and class reading lists, and more, and curated with a range of publishers and prices in mind, including all the high-interest titles that kids love.” Along with books, quality, educational, and creative non-book items will also be available. Book fair shopping is available online at: https://www.brilliant-books.net/thank-you-supporting-tcaps-montessori-glenn-loomis
HAPPY READING TIMBERWOLVES!
- November 12, & 14, Parent Teacher Conferences (3:30-6:30)
- November 15, 5th Grade to NMC for Munson's Professional Day
- November 19, TBA Student Run Credit Union Deposit Day
- November 21, AC Parent Meeting for Chicago trip (3:30 - 4:00 in the Cafe)
- November 26, PTO Meeting (3:30-4:30)
- November 27, 28, & 29 - No School, Thanksgiving Recess
- December 2, Picture Retakes
- December 4, Early Release Day, Dismissal at 1:12 pm
- December 5 & 6, CASA Music Informances
- December 6, PTO Movie Night
- December 12, Lower El. Music Informances
- December 17, TBA Student Run CU Deposit Day
- December 18, 5 - 8 Band & Orchestra Holiday Concert @ 1:30 pm
- December 23 - January 3 - Winter Recess
- January 6 - School Resumes
- Superintendent Monthly Office Hours: Dr. John VanWagoner's next monthly open office hours for community members will be held virtually on Tuesday, November 12, 2024 at 5:00 pm. Community members may access the virtual meeting here or by calling +1 475-549-0438 PIN: 961 104 679#.
- TCAPS Board of Education Monthly Office Hours: The Traverse City Area Public Schools (TCAPS) Board of Education will host its next monthly “office hours” in person on Thursday, November 21, 2024, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Horizon Books, 243 E. Front Street, Traverse City, MI 49684. The meeting will be located on the mezzanine level (second floor) of the bookstore. TCAPS Board office hours provide community members with the opportunity to talk to a school board trustee. This month, Trustee Ballenger is scheduled to attend.
Highlights:
-Next Meeting is on Tuesday, November 26, 2024 @ 3:30 in the front hall of the school.
Details about upcoming events and volunteer opportunities can always be found in the PTO Update: https://secure.smore.com/n/3ct649
Our Adolescents are planning their spring Urban Trip to Chicago and we are working with Higher Grounds Trading Co. for our first fundraiser! Higher Grounds Coffee is Organic, Sustainable, and gives back to both the communities where they grow and the community they serve. Coffee is $15 a bag (less than retail!) and $5 per bag of coffee sold will be donated to our community. You can order in-person from any member of our adolescent community until November 13, or order online.
highergroundstrading.com/FUNDSHOP Select from the available coffees. Please only select coffees
from this page; not all Higher Grounds coffees are available for fundraising purchases.
1. On the Cart page, find the Special Instructions box and type the student’s/participant’s name. (If you don't know an adolescent student, please use: Red Cedar Student)
2. Advance to Checkout page, and find the Discount Code box.
Enter Code TCAPS2024
3. The student’s name and the code must be entered for our organization to receive credit.
Dear AC Families,
Please use this link to access news and events from the AC community. The drive will be updated on a monthly basis.
Does your family love to Ski or Snowboard? We have an afterschool program with Crystal Mountain! Please click this link to learn more. Regisration is due by November 22, 2024
- CASA students learning colors in Spanish and working on a flag from Bolivia. They have been learning a song about countries where Spanish is spoken that can be found on my Google classroom website.
- Lower El applying knowledge of feelings in Spanish to respond to books and sorting them out into the SEL Zones of Regulation
TCAPS Montessori School
Email: ruckertr@tcaps.net
Website: https://www.tcaps.net/schools/elementary-schools/montessori/
Location: TCAPS Montessori School, Franke Road, Traverse City, MI, USA
Phone: 231-933-6420
Facebook: facebook.com/TCAPSMontessori
YouTube: TCAPS Montessori YouTube Channel
X: @TRuckerTCAPSmo