Weekly Update to Families

Goodwater Families,

As we approach our fall break, I want to express my gratitude for your ongoing support. I hope you have some enjoyable activities planned with your family during this special time together. It’s important for our students to rest and recharge, so they return to school ready for learning and engagement.

A Few Reminders:

• Orchard Operations Clean-Up: (9/28): Please come out to the Orchard for operations clean up this Saturday (8am - 11am). We could use your help in ensuring that our Orchard is well maintained for our students. We appreciate you.

• Progress Reports (10/4): All progress reports will be mailed to parents by October 4th.

• Hispanic Heritage Month Dress (10/4):

  Students are encouraged to wear something that represents Hispanic Heritage. Whether it’s colors, patterns, or symbols, let’s show our pride and diversity!
  

  Looking forward to a fun and meaningful gathering.

• Parent Conferences (10/14): Keep an eye out for sign-up details for your child's conference with their guide. Conferences will be available in person, virtually, or by phone. Please reach out to your child's guide for more information.

• Learning Resources: We’ve compiled a list of 40 free and easy-to-reference learning resources for all grade levels to help support your child's learning and well-being at home. You can find it here: [Educational Resources for Parents]

Remember, it takes a village, and we’re so grateful to have you as part of ours.

Thank you once again for your support, and have a wonderful weekend!

Beverly

Families,

Please access this link here to find out the favorite things of the amazing staff at Goodwater. Thank you in advance for being so kind to our staff.💖

🎬 Movie Night at Goodwater! 🎬

Join us on October 18th, 2024, from 6pm to 8pm for a fun-filled Movie Night at Goodwater!

🚗 Entry Fee: $5.00 per car 🎟️ Concessions: Pizza, popcorn, snow cones, and more (Tickets will be used for purchases)

What to Bring: Lawn chairs, blankets, and anything comfy to enjoy the evening.

For the Little Ones: We’ll have a special area for those who might not want to watch the movie.

Movie! Inside Out 2

We’re excited for this opportunity for our community to come together. If you’d like to help with the event or have any questions, please reach out to Mr. and Mrs. Jimenez at jimenez3844@gmail.com.

Let’s make this a night to remember!

Go Dolphins!

All monies raised will go towards our teacher retention fund.

We wanted to share a great way to maximize the impact of your donations to our school! Many employers offer matching gift or grant programs, where they will match your charitable contributions dollar for dollar.

By signing up for your company's matching gift program, your future donations could go twice as far. For example, if you donate $25, your employer could match that amount, turning your $25 into $50 for our school!

We encourage you to check with your HR department or employer's benefits portal to see if this option is available. It’s an easy way to make a big difference, and it only takes a few minutes to sign up. You can click the link below to check an alphabetical list of employers who participate in the matching program.

Thank you for your continued support in making our school a great place for our children to learn and grow.

Here is the list of participating employees in alphabetical order.

This year our classroom is participating in the BOOK IT! Program to encourage your child to find the joy in reading. The mission of the program is to turn “have to read” into “want to read” and the only way to get better at reading is to take the time to do it! Below is how the program works, along with ideas on how you can get involved at home. Please be sure to confirm your approval using the code from the parent approval letter I will be sending to you.

Dear Goodwater Families,

Hope this note finds you and your family well. We have now completed the first six weeks of school for the 2024-2025 school year. The students have settled into their routines. I have visited communities this week to observe instruction and the interactions of the guides, assistants, and the students. It is awesome to see students and staff collaborating and providing feedback to one another.

I have been shown videos from communities of student activity and it is just incredible how the Montessori environment helps to build confidence in our students. I have seen students collaborating with each other, several students providing support for other students, and our guides and assistants, working with students one on one and in small groups. I do want to thank all of our volunteers who are working with students in the communities as well. Anyone that has time to volunteer to assist a student in Reading, or help a student talk through a topic to learn more that topic so they can convey their thoughts in writing, please join us.

We had our first School Improvement Committee Meeting this week. We appreciate the parents who attended our meeting. We discussed the strategies and protocols and the goals for this group. If you would like to participate please contact Kindra (Kindra.mitchell-dorsey@goodwatermontessori.org). This is a committee that will be meeting throughout the year to seek out strategies and provide feedback regarding our school.

I want to thank all of the parents that have volunteered to come for the Fall, Orchard clean up that is going to occur tomorrow morning, here at Goodwater Montessori Public Charter School. This orchard is one our cornerstones and we are working diligently to hire an Outdoor Education Teacher. If you know someone that might be retired teacher, or has experience in this area please send me an email.

Our attendance continues to be stable and we appreciate your support. We are starting to see a number of families that have excessive tardies. Just a reminder that there tardies represent one unexcused absence. The state requires 90% attendance by all students. At 7:56 am we close the gate, and put our sign up requiring parents to park, bring their student to the front office, and sign them in.

In the near future we will be sending out surveys to obtain more information regarding thoughts about Goodwater Montessori Public Charter School. We are initiating a Marketing Plan that consists of the following components:

1. To increase our enrollment for this year,
2. to begin building back our Waitlist for the future, and
3. to improve Brand recognition.

When you receive requests for information please take a few minutes to complete the survey so we can formulate our plans throughout 2024-2025.

We appreciate our families. We are all in this together. If you have comments, concerns, suggestions, ideas, please send me an email at bruce.tabor@goodwatermontessori.org. Feedback promotes improvement.

Have a good weekend.

Kindest Regards

Dr. Bruce

Setting up a one-time or recurring online donation is the best way to support Goodwater Montessori. Charter schools in Texas receive significantly less funding than public schools. For more information on these topics, see how we are funded and the different giving options available for families to support our school.

Click on the link below if you would like to make a donation:

https://goodwatermontessori.org/donations/donation-form/

We are currently organizing a fundraiser to support our teachers, and as part of these efforts, we’re designing custom t-shirts that our students, staff, and supporters will proudly wear.

We’d be thrilled to feature your business as a sponsor on these t-shirts. This is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate your commitment to education and the local community while gaining valuable visibility for your brand. The shirts will be worn by approximately 320 Students and 50 staff individuals, offering significant exposure for your business.

Your sponsorship will directly contribute to our teacher retention fund, and as a token of our appreciation, we’ll proudly display your logo on the shirts.

We believe this partnership would be mutually beneficial, and we’re excited about working together. Please let us know if you’re interested in supporting our school and making a meaningful impact on our students.

Thank you for considering this opportunity.

Please reach out to Ms. Beverly at beverly.al-tabatabaie@goodwatermontessori.org if you would like to be a sponsor.

Montessori education is a highly structured, child-centered approach to learning, developed by Dr. Maria Montessori in the early 20th century. Through careful observation of children, she identified four planes of development that all children pass through on their way to adulthood. Using the data from her observations, she created a learning environment and curriculum that respected the children and their stages of development.

The first plane of development, called Infancy, occurs between 0-6 years old. Children in this stage are undergoing huge transformations, both physically and intellectually. They have great concentration and are drawn to order. They are observers of their environment and have no filter; all they see becomes part of the fabric of their being. They work alongside their peers but have no drive toward social interaction. Children in the first plane of development are grounded in the here and now and are striving toward physical independence.

The second plane of development, or Childhood, occurs between the ages of 6-12 years old. It is in this stage that social connections become critical. There is a great sense of justice among this group of children; concerned not only with what is right and what is wrong, but most importantly, with what is fair. Children in the second stage have a concept of history and can imagine the possibility of the future. They are less concerned with order in their physical environment, but instead are seeking order within, while striving for mental independence.

The third plane of development, called Adolescence, occurs between the ages of 12-18 years old. Due to the physical transformations that occur during this stage, the third-plane child is often compared to the first plane child. There is great fragility in this stage, with a need for reassurance and belonging. Adolescents are doing the hard work of moving from childhood to adulthood. They are seeking social and economic independence, through noble and meaningful work.

The fourth, and final, plane of development, or Maturity, occurs between the ages of 18-24 years old and culminates in a sense of moral independence.

Through careful consideration of the child and their developmental plane, Montessori education is designed to serve the child where they are at, in the best way possible.

Do any of these belong to you?

September 16 - October 15

• Hispanic Heritage Month

September 23, 2024

• Professional Development Day All Staff - no students

September 24, 2024

• Board Meeting

Friday, September 27, 2024

• End of 6 weeks

September 27, 2024

• Fire Drill

October 4th

• Deadline to send out Progress Reports

October 4th

• Hispanic Heritage Month dress

October 7 - October 11

• FALL BREAK!!!!!!!

October 14, 2024

• Parent Conferences

Friday, October 18, 2024

• Movie Night

October 23 - October 31

• Red Ribbon Week

October 25

• Red Ribbon Pep Rally

Friday, November 1, 2024

• Fall Festival/Riddle Day

Goodwater Montessori Charter School

Website: www.goodwatermontessori.org
Location: 710 Stadium Dr, Georgetown, TX, USA
Phone: (512) 931-3560