Dear MVMPCS Students & Families,
Greetings and well wishes to you all! As we enter into the third week of school there are notable updates to share and to celebrate.
First, thank you to all the volunteers and staff members who worked to prepare Montessori materials for our first distribution. Students will be able to use them to practice and complete follow-up work from lessons that they have received during class, such as during asynchronous times in their schedule. Materials distribution will become a regular part of our routine as teachers continue planning instruction throughout the year. “Many hands make light work” -- which is to say there will be lots of opportunities for you to pitch in and help with cutting, laminating, sorting, distribution, and so on. Thank you in advance!
This week students in 2nd through 8th grades will take the Performance Series assessment and students in 1st and 2nd grade will take the DIBELS reading assessment. Both of these assessments are used by teachers to help make instructional decisions for students. We also use this data to inform decisions that will be made by our School Improvement Plan (SIP) team. For this reason, it is important that students do not receive any assistance while taking it. You may help them do their best by ensuring their work time and space are ideal for concentration and comfort. Thank you for assisting with this task.
Student schedules are in the last of the tweaking and fine-tuning stages. We were able to take your feedback and work in opportunities for flexibility with specials. We have added “open” spaces (open gym, open studio, and open music) to the schedule. Students are assigned all specials one time per week for the year, which meets the requirement for a well-rounded curriculum. In addition, on Wednesdays, students can opt into an open class by level. Wednesdays will also be our early dismissal day (instead of Fridays). On other days of the week you will notice additional opportunities for students to opt in to an open studio. This will allow them to make up any missed classes or a time to check in to receive extra help with assignments, or even simply an opportunity to take an extra class. Open studios may not take the place of regularly scheduled synchronous learning.
Small group instruction will begin on September 21 for some students. Ms. Green, our guidance counselor, will be reaching out to families this week.
IEP meetings have resumed, and 504 Plan and Student Support Team (SST) meetings will be scheduled in the coming weeks. 504 Plans are overseen by Cindy Green, and you may reach out to her with any questions or concerns regarding this process or your child’s plan. SST meetings typically begin in mid-October and may be initiated by the teacher or parents.
Finally, a parent/guardian outreach calendar is being constructed and will be shared with you soon. This will provide an opportunity to get together regularly with the Montessori teacher specialist and/or additional staff, answer questions you may have, and address concerns as they arise. This will also be an opportunity to share information on Montessori practices. I am looking forward to getting this started and to seeing many of you!
Best wishes for a fabulous week. Take care!
http://education.fcps.org/mvmpcs/ 217 Dill Avenue Frederick, MD 21701 240-236-6100 Fax: 240-236-6101 Principal: Amy Dorman