May Newsletter

We are so grateful to our supporters, donors, and community members for making our annual fundraiser a success! Please take a moment to visit the News & Events page of our website to read the Thank You Letter from our founder and see our complete list of donors.

So far we have have raised $16,274 towards our goal. We still need to raise an additional $25,996 to help us pay for our two year training commitment with Embracing Equity that includes both individual and group audits, education, coaching, support, and guidance, in our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice training, and antiracist, anti bias education for all members of our community.

Our hope is that over the course of the next year, and with next year’s fundraiser, that we can raise the entire $42,270 to pay for this important training that is central to our core values as educators of the next generation.

We thank you for your participation and support!

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPI Heritage Month) is an annual celebration that recognizes the historical and cultural contributions of individuals and groups of Asian and Pacific Islander descent to the United States. The AAPI term celebrates multiple cultures from the entire Asian continent—including East, Southeast and South Asia—and the Pacific Islands of Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia, Hawai'i, and others.

The Federal Asian Pacific American Council (FAPAC), the premier organization representing Asian American, Native Hawai’ian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) employees in the Federal and District of Columbia governments, is proud to announce the 2024 National AANHPI Heritage Month Theme: "Advancing Leaders Through Innovation''. This year's theme is a continuation of the "Advancing Leaders'' series that began in 2021.

"Advancing Leaders Through Innovation," pays homage to the visionaries and trailblazers who have shaped our AANHPI history and continue to influence our collective future. Innovation, resilience, and a pioneering spirit are cornerstones of American leadership. AANHPI leaders have made lasting contributions to our Nation’s economic prosperity, technological advancements, and social/political change through their ingenuity and creativity while navigating significant cultural and systemic barriers

For the Children:
According to one of our favorites, The Conscious Kid, out of all racial groups, API’s and indigenous peoples receive the least attention in school curriculum and textbooks. Here are some great picks to add to your home library!

The Gates of Life dates are here! If you haven’t been to a Gates of Life ceremony at Athena, you are in for a treat! Gates of Life is our graduation ceremony. We honor each transition a child makes, whether it be from our Movers and Shakers program into the Tots program, Tots into Primary, or moving on from Primary to what is next for your child. We honor the work and growth each child has done, along with their special relationships with their classmates and guides. We love to have families (and extended family members) attend these joyful (and sometimes teary) celebrations.

Following are the dates and times for each ceremony:

Movers and Shakers – Fri 5/17 2:30pm

T1– Fri 5/24 11am

T2– Fri 5/17 2:30pm

T3– Fri 5/24 11am

T4– Fri 5/24 11am

P1– Tue 5/21 9am

P2– Fri 5/24 10am

P3– Fri 5/24 9:15am

P4– Wed 5/22 10:30am

P5– Fri 5/24 9:15am

A time honored tradition at Athena Montessori Academy is that of the kindergarten research project. Children in their third Primary year are invited and encouraged to participate in choosing a topic and going on a fact-finding mission. This type of deep dive into a topic that is of interest to the child deepens their understanding, and builds confidence in their emerging skill sets such as writing, reading, comprehending, artistic rendering, and speaking to a group. The guides share in the children’s excitement as new facts are discovered and spark wonder.

Over the years we have seen many subjects brought to life through the Kindergarten Research Project from tsunamis to the big bang. This year we have learned about grass, spiders, royalty, fashion, salmon, famous athletes, cats, Taylor Swift, whales, and more! The children’s interest really grows throughout the process of creating the project. Using library books, our young scholars pick out points they wish to share with their audience, and they write them down, creating an illustration for each talking point. At home, families contribute to the project by helping their child create a visual aid for the presentation.

Family members are invited to the presentation along with the members of the class and the guides. The child’s Lead Guide sits within easy reach of the child, should they need support or prompting when sharing their findings with the audience. The child reads their facts and shares their illustrations with the class and adults. After the facts are shared, the visual aid is explained and enjoyed. The audience then gets an opportunity to practice making comments and asking questions. The presenter gets to practice how to respond to questions and gracefully receive compliments from their peers. We believe that these projects should be an attainable goal for our third year Primary learners. All of our guides infuse this activity with fun and model the joy of learning as they simultaneously keep the researchers on track and motivated to see their project through to completion. The best part? The pride in accomplishment that shines forth from the children as they shake hands and receive hugs and high fives for a job well done.

May 13th- 17th

At Athena, we celebrate our entire community and will be celebrating love and individuality the second week of May! Along with our friends at Barton Hills, we have chosen these four

statements as the core to our Pride Week, in which all ages can participate and understand.

• All are welcome.

• Everyone should be able to be who they are.

• Differences are awesome!

• Love makes a family.
  
  

  Friday May 17th:
  Pride Colors Day: Wear Rainbow!

Wednesday May 15th

Teamwork makes the dream work! Field Day is an opportunity for our Primary students to come together to use their problem-solving skills to complete tasks and for them to have some old school F-U-N in the sun! We will be hosting ours on May 15th so be on the look out for those pictures on Transparent Classroom!

Thursday May 16th

We will be hosting a Spirit Day for our toddlers! They will be enjoying dance parties with bubbles and scarves so be on the look out for the cute content on Transparent Classroom.

These events are for students only.

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
We are fully enrolled for the 2023-24 school year.

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.

Students:

5/3- Parker S.

5/4- Story K.

5/7- Josephine K., Shail K.

5/9- Paxton U.

5/11- Duke M.

5/12- Mila R.

5/14- Bonnie B.

5/16- Elliot C.

5/17- Grace R.

5/22- Daphne E., Alicia A.

Staff:

5/4- Lorena A. (Floater)

5/19- Rocio L. (Admin)