Summer Newsletter
April 30th, 2024
“Play Is The Work of the Child” - Maria Montessori
Thank You To Our Awesome Summer Camp Guides!
Summer camp at Athena is bustling with activity!
We extend our heartfelt appreciation to our dedicated summer camp teachers and staff for creating a joyful and imaginative environment where children can explore new adventures. Your commitment makes the Athena community warm and unforgettable!
We're excited to welcome a few new team members who are currently undergoing comprehensive Athena training and engaging with our summer campers. For more details about the additions to our community, please visit the Faculty and Staff Page on our website.
Thank You Summer Camp Extracurriculars
A HUGE shout out to our fantastic Summer Camp Extracurricular programs that helped make summer camp at Athena an exciting one!
- Yoga with Jenn
Things to Note
Updates
-The last day of summer camp is Thursday July 18th and will be a full day. There is no camp on Friday July 19th.
-Campus will be closed July 19th-26th. Our Athena Admin team will be available beginning July 26th via phone and email.
-In preparation for the upcoming school year, school is closed for students July 26th through August 16th, while our team undergoes trainings, team building, and prepares the campus for the new year. Please check your email from Admission@AthenaMontessoriAcademy.com for back to school details and information.
-This school year all children will continue to bring snacks and lunch from home. All children, even those enrolled for Half-Day, need to bring a lunch and one snack. If your child is enrolled in our After School Program, they will need to bring lunch and two snacks; one for the school day and one for after school.
Austin Baby Co. Discount for Athena Families
Locally Crafted, Athena Mom-Owned, environmentally conscious, reusable lunch and snack containers, and MORE!
As many of you know Austin Baby Co, where eco-friendliness meets flavor, is an Athena mom-owned business dedicated to crafting stylish, reusable snack containers that are as good for the planet as they are for your snacks. Made from eco-friendly materials and designed with love, each container is a small step towards reducing waste and embracing sustainability.
As the new school year approaches the founder, Kelly Buller, has generously created a discount code for our Athena Community! Visit Austin Baby Co. to receive 20% off your next purchase.
Discount Code: ATHENA20
Summer Fun at Athena
All across campus the Athena children have been enjoying summer fun in (and out!) of the sun.
Many and varied art projects, lots of water play, mornings on the porches in the shade with friends, and afternoon story times relaxed on the rug in the cool classrooms are among the activities that our Athena campers have enjoyed these past weeks. Thank you for choosing Athena to be your child’s summer fun spot. We always look forward to this time of year with our growing little ones.
Ms. Lina, who has been teaching in the T1 Longhorn camp this summer, shared that the children’s favorite offerings have been creating frozen paint and then using it to paint as it melts, doing lots of soapy fun on the porch, especially toy truck scrubbing! Ms. Lorena also said the children have loved excavating models of animals frozen in ice.
Over in T4, also known this summer as Las Mariposas, Ms. Eli and Ms. Ana shared that the children have been enjoying the variety of songs in Spanish! A crowd favorite, was combining for a field day with the T1 campers.
In Movers & Shakers, Ms. Jayda and Ms. Mily expressed how our littlest ones have learned to love participating in arts and crafts! They’re now able to point and ask for “paint”! Watching them grow throughout the summer has been an absolute joy!
Mr. Ben and Ms. Becca from Primary 2 and Primary 1, respectively, have been leading the children in working with artists’ clay and air dry clay and the children are so proud of their sculptures! You can see the P1 fruit and veggies and the P2 wide-mouth frogs in the pictures below
Julie W., a Primary camper, had this to say about summer camp; “I like to do all the art and look for treasure in the sandbox!”
All sorts of creative crafts have been made this summer! Mr. John and Ms. Karina from Primary After-School mentioned the children really loved “making fireworks” (a paper and paint craft!) along with Ms. Lynda’s styrofoam block print beach houses that have also been a real favorite for the children to work on.
In P5, our Jellyfishes have continued the learning from the school year and many have received crowns from Ms. Ryann to signify the successful completion of a waseca drawer! Such a proud feeling for the children to experience, and who doesn’t love a crown?
Ms. Tess, in the P1 Dragon Fruits Camp, had a chance to make hibiscus tea for the children to drink using our very own grown hibiscus flowers! It was served with freshly grown cucumbers, and crackers topped with butter that the children made. Watching the children shake the jar of cream while dancing to “Shake it Off” was absolutely adorable!
Perhaps you have seen the climbing vines outside the breezeway, be sure to look closely when you pass by… Ms. Jazmin shared that the most excitement she has seen is coming from the children who discover a fat cucumber hanging from the vine. They are watching the flower to fruit cycle in real time this summer!
We are so grateful to our Facilities Manager, Shaun, for keeping the campus filled with beautiful plants and flowers, and growing fresh vegetables to allow the children to participate in these harvesting activities.
Happy Summer of 2024, everyone!
Admissions and Enrollment
Current Families
Sibling enrollment for the 2024-25 school year is complete at this point. If you have any younger children you hope to enroll at Athena at any point in the future, please be sure to complete an application for them if you haven't already.
Waiting Pool Families
Our Movers & Shakers (3-18 month olds) and Tots (18 month-2.5 year olds) programs are fully enrolled for the 2024-25 school year at this time. We will be in touch with eligible families in our waiting pool, should space become available between now and August.
We have a handful of spots available in our Primary program for the 2024-25 school year. If you have a child that will be between 2.5-5 years old come September 1, and is independent with potty (in underwear during the day and using the restroom with minimal help from adults), please email Admissions@AthenaMontessoriAcademy.com if you are interested in enrollment.
Our continued goal in the admissions process is to be as transparent as possible, and we strive to give you the most accurate information we can during each step of the deliberate process of enrollment. We respect that decisions related to your child's education are important and timely ones, and we will continue to send you general enrollment updates via this monthly newsletter. Thank you for your continued interest, and we encourage you to reach out with specific questions related to your child's enrollment at any time.
Please direct admissions & enrollment questions to our Admissions Director, Joy Jacobson. You can email her directly at Admissions@AthenaMontessoriAcademy.com.