Important dates and reminders for FCMA families. No Images? Click here ![]() "The child is both a hope and a promise for mankind." - Maria Montessori Please scroll down for the list of important dates. ![]() Current Families & Any Siblings (Preschool-8th) Preschool Lottery: Who Will My Child’s Teacher Be? As our re-enrollment period ends and open enrollment begins, many parents are requesting classrooms for their children for the 2018-19 school year. We are grateful for requests and we record all of them in preparation for our classroom configuration meetings that we do after the conclusion of this school year. As we sit down to do our classroom configurations, we consider many things:
Parent requests are one other factor that we consider as we place children into classrooms. As we weigh all of these considerations, it is simply not possible to fulfill every request, nor is it beneficial to the classrooms to do so. Furthermore, because we are focused on creating these balanced, diverse classrooms, we cannot simply work on a “first come, first served” basis. Safety Update 3/11/18 We continue to monitor safety and our procedures. This last week we met with officials from the church to review and coordinate our procedures. The church is equally concerned and focused on improving safety and is changing the locking system on the doors that connect the church to what is our gym and cafeteria. They are also very supportive of our procedures and are committed to making sure doors are closed and that all visitors check in at the office. Traffic is always a concern and we are thankful for your caution in our parking lot as well as the neighborhood. Please be careful not to block the flow of traffic, especially near Rosie’s Park at the curve there where there is a no parking sign. The streets are narrow as it is, and idling on the side streets outside of the normal flow is not only an annoyance for the neighbors, but a safety hazard if children are crossing streets in non-designated, unsupervised areas. Student Walkouts As you may be aware, many students across the nation are planning to stage a walkout in response to the tragic school shooting in Florida. As educators, we respect and encourage the right of free speech and will honor the rights of students who choose to participate in this demonstration. Above all though, the safety of our students is of primary importance. We do not take a position on this event, rather, we seek to make sure that the 17-minute walkout is safe and respectful for all students. As a school, we will plan our staffing to provide coverage and supervision inside and out should students choose to participate. Teachers will be prepared to discuss the event in the context of American values, rights and civil discourse should students have questions. Naturally, any conversation will be geared to student’s age and be developmentally appropriate and consider the emotional safety of students. Please let us know if you have questions, or would like more information. If we become aware of a more organized event here, we will certainly keep you apprised.
![]() School Spirit Signs Show your school spirit by ordering a yard sign and placing it on your lawn during open enrollment in March. Send your $10 payment via Paypal (use friends & family option) to: fcmaparentguild@gmail.com. Include your child's name and classroom. An FCMA Parent Guild volunteer will then contact you to make arrangements for sign pick up. This is a Parent Guild Fundraiser. Please note that the menu has been slightly changed. On March 21st, students will be served Chicken Burrito Bowls w/ brown rice, a banana, fritos and milk instead of Lentil Sloppy Joes w/ corn, yogurt, an apple and milk. ![]() The Ned Show: Character Ed Assembly ![]() ![]()
Whole School Open House (for new, prospective and current families) March 20th, 5-7pm CHRIS CAKES OF MICHIGAN ![]() Monday, March 26th Students will enjoy watching as pancakes are flipped from the grill and onto their plates! Never heard of Chris Cakes? Known for their "Flying Pancakes," watch this video from the Food Network to learn about this catering company that's coming back to FCMA soon. ![]() ![]() ![]() The Uninterrupted Work Period "Children as young as three-years-old, after several months in a Montessori classroom, are able to choose their own work and focus on and finish their tasks. Through observation and experimentation, Montessori discovered the importance of a two-and-a-half to three-hour uninterrupted work period. The last hour of a lengthy work period is usually when children are most likely to choose challenging work and concentrate deeply."
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Parent Guild Meeting: Parent-Teacher Conferences: The Ned Show: Chris Cakes/Pajama Day/Book Swap: Family Skate Night: SAVE THE DATES:
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