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| JMS October Newsletter Oct 1, 2009 |
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1600 Root Street
Crest Hill, IL 60403
(815) 741-4180
fax (815) 741-9753 |
| All Club meetings are annotated on our monthly school calendar.
Due to space constrictions, class dates are disseminated on the original registration forms only. Please annotate your personal calendars accordingly.
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| Extended Care
Invoices
The first Extended Care invoice of the school year is enclosed, if applicable.
Please review page 10 of your Parent Handbook for payment policies concerning all invoices. Due dates are clearly indicated. We do not issue reminders, nor is there a 'grace period' in place.
Please contact our Business Manager,
if you have any questions.
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| Outdoor Environment
Work Day
has been scheduled for Thu, Oct 29.
The shed will be open and tools will be available for you to come and go, according to your own schedules.
Please see the enclosed Outdoor Work Ideas flier for an idea of what needs to be done in order to prepare our grounds for winter.
Can't make it that day? You can still help out. We are looking for donations of mulch. Please drop off bags at the front bench by the fence.
Thanks for your support! |
Extra-curricular
Music Classes
Paulette Velazquez
pvelazquez3@att.net
(708)927-2233
After school music registration will be on Mon, Oct 5, from 6:30-8:30 pm at JMS.
Classes meet twice a week for the entire school year:
Strings: Mon & Wed
Winds: Tue & Thu
The class will cost $250 for the school year, payable in full, 1/2, or monthly, with the payment arrangements due that evening.
For those who do not own an instrument, a music rep. from Quinlin and Fabish will be there to fit your child with the instrument and to make payment arrangements.
Registration packets are enclosed in the brown envelope.
Any questions? Please call Paulette Velazquez @ 708-927-2233. |
| Bad News
from the ISBE
Funding for the Parent Guardian Transportation Reimbursements for the 2008 - 2009 school year has not been authorized.
In the event that these funds are restored, claims will be paid.
Please see enclosed memorandum. |
| JMS "Book of the Month"
"Children of the Universe: Cosmic Education in the Montessori Elementary Classroom" by Michael and D'Neil Duffy
'Cosmic Education' is the foundation for the entire Montessori Elementary Curriculum.
This book explores in depth the Great Lessons, the Scope and Sequence of presentations and additional class and parental resources.
We encourage our families to take advantage of our substantial lending library.
Not sure where to begin? Give us a call! We'll be happy to show you the library and offer some suggestions. | |
 A Word from Ms. Jan
On a crisp day like today, we know that fall is really here! September just flew by. Our new students are becoming comfortable with their new environment, and life at JMS is good!
We are grateful to our Home and School Association for hosting the fall picnic at Inwood Park. Everyone seemed to have a great time. This was a great opportunity for new and old families to get to know each other better. Thanks to all who volunteered for this event!
We hope you have an opportunity to attend our parent education nights. So far, we've met our 'B-Ring' and become familiar with some of our administrative processes. Next, we followed Mrs. Fisher and Ms. Viscovic as they walked us through Montessori Math at the primary and elementary levels. We had a great turn-out, and I know we all learned a lot! Later this month, on Oct. 22, Mrs. Renzi and Ms. Suzannah Walter will tag-team a similar presentation on language arts through the years. You will not want to miss this.
October is Parent Observation Month. We hope that, during the course of the month, all of our primary parents will be able to observe their child at work in the classroom. Observations are conducted at 9:30, 10 or 10:30 daily; please submit your form or phone the office to schedule your visit. Primary observations during the course of the year are a stipulation of the JMS Parent Agreement. Parents of elementary children are also invited to visit their child's classroom.
Seeing your child at work will help prepare you for the Parent Conferences which take place in early November. Watch your newsbriefs for information concerning scheduling your conference.
Hopefully, these parent education opportunities will give you a greater understanding of what your child encounters each day at JMS. We encourage you to attend as many events as you can.
Ms. Jan |
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October Parent Education Evening
Thu, Oct 22, presented by Mrs. Renzi and Ms. Suzannah
"Reading...or Not! A Guided Tour Through the Language Area of the Montessori Classroom."
Join us for an informative and interesting evening as we explore the language materials of the primary and elementary environments.
All Parent Ed nights begin at 7 pm. Childcare is provided. |
Campus Expansion Update
The JMS Campus Expansion Campaign is entering year 2! Due to the very generous nature of our parents, faculty, staff, board, grandparents and alumni, we are at over $200,000 raised toward our $300,000 goal. Appeals to our board and to our faculty and staff just went out, and we will be sending Annual Appeals to the entire school community, grandparents and alums in November.
Phase 1 of the outdoor environment has been completed, and we can all shout... it looks BEAUTIFUL! Construction on the house next door is scheduled to begin in early October. We apologize, in advance, for any inconvenience this may cause.
The Expansion Committee has been working very hard to dot all the i's and cross all the t's. We are confident that the results will show once the renovation is complete. Thank you all for your excitement and your belief in this project.
Sue Bebar
Director, Development and Marketing
cell 815.347.8329 |
October is Parent Observation Month
Parent Observations will be held in October and then again in March. Observations are scheduled Monday - Friday at 9:30 a.m., 10:00 a.m., and 10:30 a.m. Due to scheduling issues, not every appointment on every day will be available.
Families new to the school, please schedule your appointment at least six full weeks after your child's start date.
The JMS Observation Guidelines will be sent home with your appointment confirmation. In order to make your visit as productive and informative as possible, please read and follow them carefully.
Primary parents are expected to observe their child's class at work at least once during the school year. Primary Observation Guidelines are available here.
Adolescent parents, please discuss observation scheduling opportunities with your children.
Please contact the office if you have any questions or you would like to schedule your observation over the phone.
Observation scheduling form is available here. |
Coffee and Conversation
Our first Coffee and Conversation of the year will be next Thu, Oct 8, after morning carpool, at Panera Bread at Caton Farm and Route 59. All parents and siblings are invited to attend. Through the year we will be meeting at various locations throughout the area.
If you are willing to host a Coffee and Conversation at your home, please indicate your interest on the October Reply Form or contact Jean Venegas. |
| Picture Day is Wed, Oct 21.
Order Forms are enclosed. Please use one form per child. Forms are due on Fri, Oct 16.
Please contact the office if you have any questions, or need additional package order forms. |
HSA 
Due to an inclement weather forecast, we have reluctantly cancelled the Playdates scheduled for this Fri, Oct 2, from 5-7 pm. However, we do encourage all of our families to join us at our Fall Family outing:
Annual Fall Family Outing to Dollinger's Pumpkin Farm
Our annual family outing to Dollinger's Pumpkin Farm will be Sun, Oct 25. Admission and parking are free; some activities do require a fee. You can check out their website at www.dollingersfarms.com for directions and more information.
We encourage you to wear your JMS T-shirts or Halloween costumes and join other JMS families at the Machine Shed at 1:30 pm. Watch your newsbriefs for further details.
T-shirts are available in all sizes for $10 each. Halloween Classroom CelebrationsClick here for the classroom celebration lists for the primary and elementary class Halloween celebrations. If you are interested in donating, please contact the homeroom parent listed. |
Merchant Support
Do you have a Dominick's Fresh Value card? Each time you swipe your card, you could be earning money for JMS simply by registering your Fresh Value card number at eScrip.com.
Simply follow this link:
and follow the simple steps. (You can bypass steps 5 & 6 simply by hitting next.)
If you shop at Food4Less, ask the customer service department for an eScrip card and you can enter that card as well.
Here's How it Works
· You register any one or all of your existing grocery loyalty, debit and credit cards for use in the program.
· Participating merchants will make contributions to your chosen group, based on purchases made by you, just by using the cards you have registered.
· Your purchases are tracked and available to you online, allowing you to see just how much you are earning on your child's behalf!
About ESI
Electronic Scrip Incorporated (ESI) is a California-based corporation dedicated to establishing relationships between commerce and community -- to provide resources to organizations and projects that support children. ESI introduced the eScrip program in 1999 and has distributed over $120 million to schools and youth organizations across the country.
BoxTops for Education
Don't forget to turn in your Boxtops with your Communication Envelope. |
 Thank You
Mr. Ric Gonzalez for sharing his expertise, and many hours of time, in order to get our tech gremlins resolved.
Thanks, Ric! You're our favorite technoguru :)
Shefali Baltz, Lisa Gleason, Stephanie Morris, and Heather Peck for helping with our preschool screening team.
Marina Kostyra for her consistent help with the 'brown envelope' newsletter. | |
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Sincerely,
The Faculty and Staff of JMS |
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| Handbook
Corner |
Communication
JMS is committed to providing timely and effective communication to the members of our community. Valuable information is conveyed via the Parent Handbook, parent education evenings, our website, newsletters and news briefs, notes sent by classroom directors and letters mailed through the U.S. Postal Service.
We ask our families to assist us in this effort by familiarizing themselves with the policies and procedures necessary to operate the school, to stay informed by reading all written communication provided by JMS and to address any concerns immediately using the appropriate channels.
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