WELCOME BACK FROM THE DIRECTOR

Dear Parents, Teachers, and Students

We are so excited to begin a new school year and journey with you! We hope you had a great summer. Those who stayed for our summer program explored Dinosaurs, Oceans, Music, Sports, and Transportation themes. We invited guests to bring Dinosaur and Ocean exhibits to our campus and ended the summer with an all-school trip to Guasti Park. We also were visited by Marco Hernandez from the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes/Los Angeles Dodgers organization who came to our school to demonstrate and talk about baseball. This past week, during our staff in-service, we worked to refresh the classrooms as well as do some planning and training for the new term. This year’s training included CPR and first aid recertification. We also took the opportunity to do a little team building by going to Bowlero here in Upland where we ran into several current and former students. It was a great week, and we are prepared and refreshed for the new school year.

There have been some changes in our staff this year. Ms. Stephanie C. in our Infant class is not returning and has taken an opportunity in another field. Ms. Anita will be taking on the role of lead teacher in the Infant Class as we look for a long-term replacement. Ms. Heather, who has been with us for almost 10 years, will be leaving at the end of the week and will be moving to Nashville. We wish Ms. Heather and Ms. Stephanie all the best and thank them for their service to the MAU families. We have welcomed additional staff and want to introduce Michelle as our receptionist, Katelynn in our Infant program and Kellene is returning to our team in the Children’s House program. Stephanie O. has moved into her own office. Please contact her regarding any account and billing issues. Her direct email is now steph.ortega@montessoriupland.com. You can continue to contact me about any school or program related questions or concerns.

This school year we are so excited to embark on the process of accreditation through the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). The Purpose of the WASC Commission is to foster excellence in elementary, secondary, adult and postsecondary institutions, and supplementary education programs. The Commission encourages school improvement through a process of continuing evaluation and recognizes institutions through granting accreditation to the schools that meet an acceptable level of quality in accordance with the established criteria. We look forward to continuing to strive to provide the best learning environment we can. This process will help us further develop and constantly reevaluate to reach our own high expectations and standards.

We will also be emphasizing cursive handwriting. Cursive has been shown to increase the ability to form words, improve motor development and neural connections, and increase writing speed and spelling accuracy. It has also been shown to help children with learning disabilities such as dyslexia by preventing the flipping of letters that can commonly occur. We will also be correcting and emphasizing the proper pencil grip. In our Montessori in the Home workshop, we will be going over things you can do to reinforce this at home as well. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

I hope to see you at our many community and educational events this year. These will include workshops on the Montessori Philosophy and curriculum, community meetings with the Director, field trips, as well as various festivals, parties and performances throughout the year. With my 25 years of experience in education and working with children and their families, I am more than willing to extend my advice, support, or provide resources when needed. My office is always open for your questions and concerns. We look forward to another wonderful school year!

Kind Regards,

Adam Thewes, Director