APM Update

Dear APM Families,

I hope the first two weeks of school have been smooth and enjoyable for your family. As we embark on this new school year, there are many exciting events and important updates to share with you.

One key event to mark on your calendar is our Back to School Montessori Orientation scheduled for Thursday, September 12th. We look forward to seeing you there and will provide further details below.

Additionally, this week we are sending home information about our Anti-Bullying Program. We ask that you review this important material and complete the family and parent anti-bullying pledge. Your support in fostering a safe and positive environment for all our students is greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your continued partnership. We look forward to a fantastic year ahead!

Warm regards,

Cassie

Greetings from APM Performing Arts class! My name is Corrina Albright, and I teach Performing Arts (music) classes and Orchestra. APM musicians are drummers, dancers, singers, composers and lyricists. We study music literacy and make a joyful exploration of the ways that humans celebrate community and self-expression through music around the world. I look forward to making music with E1, E2 and full day Children’s House students on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons this year, to working with our E2 orchestra students on Fridays, and to ending each Friday together with a schoolwide song.

SAVE THE DATE! This year’s Spring Music & Art in the Park celebration will be held Friday afternoon, May 16 with a rain date of Thursday, May 22. The woodland art gallery will open at 1:30pm. and the concert will begin at 2:00.

APM ORCHESTRA is seeking new musicians! E2 students are invited and encouraged to learn to play violin, viola or cello in APM Orchestra. No prior experience needed. Questions or interested in registering for orchestra? Contact Mrs. Albright at albrightcorrin@aasd.k12.wi.us for more details.

MUSIC CAN BE NOISY sometimes, and some students benefit from the option to wear noise reduction headphones when playing drums (or glockenspiels or boomwhackers) in Performing Arts classes. Please ask your child whether noise reduction headphones might be helpful for them when the volume is high in music classes. If so, please consider sending a pair to be kept at school for your child to use when needed.

Please join us for Back to School Montessori orientation and our Paint a Plank event next Thursday, September 12th, starting right after school.

Attending these meetings is important as teachers will be going over valuable material to help your children be successful this year.

Please plan to attend our Paint a Plank fundraiser before or after your orientation meetings. This is a favorite event for students to add their piece to APM community’s beautiful work of art. Here is the link for more information and the signup.

You will be able to buy planks the day of the event, but it is helpful for us if you sign up ahead of time, if possible.

This is the sign up for Kids Club, which will be available at no cost during the times parents are attending the orientations.

Here is the link to the volunteer signup for the event. Events like this are not possible without help from our community. Please help in any way you can. There are opportunities to volunteer your time as well as donate needed items. We thank you so much for all your support!

Upcoming Events

Appleton Public Montessori Association Inc. (APMA) is the governing board that is responsible for supporting APM in ensuring a Montessori education. APMA currently has 3 open positions - E&E Chair, DEI Chair and Endowment Director. Learn more about the committees and applications here: E&E - https://sites.google.com/view/apmhappenings/apma-board/ee-committee

DEI Chair -

https://sites.google.com/view/apmhappenings/apma-board/dei-committee

Endowment Coordinator - https://sites.google.com/view/apmhappenings/apma-board/resource-committee

Don’t forget to check out the APM Site! It’s got all the newsletters, key school dates, a link to the lunch menu and more all in one place.

https://sites.google.com/view/apmhappenings/home

Welcome back, APM families! We want to say thank you to all who participated in fundraisers during the 2023-2024 school year. This year, we have some new fundraising opportunities

that we are excited to share with you!

Please note that monthly Resources Committee meetings will be held on the second Friday of each month at Coffee Wizardz in Appleton. These meetings will take place from 8:30am-9:30am and all are welcome.

Keep an eye out in your child’s backpacks for information on these upcoming events and volunteer opportunities; we are hoping to see everyone involved:

• Simple Simon

• Pumpkin Painting

• Holiday Photoshoot

The next Resources Committee meeting will occur September 6th at 8:30am at Coffee Wizardz of Appleton. Please reach out to Kate Polka at (920) 841-6545 or fundraisingapma@gmail.com with any questions or concerns.

We’re excited to offer a variety of clubs this year and would love your input! Please take a moment to fill out our interest survey to help us understand which clubs your child is most interested in.

We are also seeking enthusiastic volunteers to help run our school clubs this year! If you have a passion or skill you’d like to share, consider leading a club. We also need volunteers to support those leading clubs. Your involvement can make a big difference in our students’ experiences. If you’re interested or have questions, please reach out to us at EEAPMAboard@gmail.com

Thank you for your support!

Did you know APM is celebrating 20 years?! We are going to need many hands to volunteer next year including: licensed bartenders, business owners to sponsor the event and donate to the silent auction/raffle or provide food or beverage service, volunteer to set up/clean up/decorate and more, linen/dishes/tent rental companies who can provide rental services.

We can’t do this without each and every one of you. If you or a family member fits the description of one of the things we are seeking, please reach out to us at EventAPMA@gmail.com

When using the playground during school events (whether your children are using the playground or you have volunteered to supervise the playground), we ask that you please adhere to/enforce the rules below to keep things consistent with the school day. Thank you!

APM Playground Rules Snapshot

• Slides

• Go down feet first, one at a time

• No ice, woodchips, or other things down the slide

• Metal Bars

• No standing on bars

• Sandbox

• Keep shoes on

• Keep sand in box

• Don’t throw sand

• Playsets

• Don’t jump from the playset to the ground

• Don’t climb on blue roof

• Monkey Bars

• Swinging only - don’t sit or stand on bars

• Swings

• Wait your turn in line

• Turns last two minutes

• Gaga Ball

• Follow the posted rules

• Fence

• Use the gates rather than climbing over

• Snow

• Can only add to snow creations

• Can not take anything down even if you made it

• Don’t throw snow or ice

• Devices

• Electronic devices are not allowed at school, including phones, tablets, and smart watches

• Listen to what adults tell you

• Be kind and respectful to all!

Please see this link for the September Lunch Menu

September 5th: Steering Committee Meeting (5:30-7:00 pm)

September 6th: Resources Committee Meeting at Coffee Wizardz (8:30-9:30 am)

September 9th: Community Committee Meeting at Copper Rock on Edgewood Drive (8:30-9:30 am)

September 12th: Back to School Montessori Orientation and Paint-A-Plank (3:30-6:30 pm)

September 12th: DEI Committee Meeting (7:00 pm)

September 19th: APMA Meeting (4:00-5:30 pm)