Hello Red-tailed Families and Welcome to the 2023/24 school year! I hope you have all had a fun, restful and interesting summer. I can't wait to hear of all of the adventures our students have had over the last couple of months.
I am very excited to begin my 20th year at Keystone with the Hawks. We have an awesome group of returning 2nd and 3rd graders, and I'm having a wonderful time meeting our incoming first years. This year we have a full class of 26 students. There are 11 boys and 15 girls, comprised of 10 first years, 6 second years, and 10 third years. I will make you aware of any food allergies in the classroom community soon.
As we enter into this new school year, there are a few housekeeping items and reminders to mention. More specifics and details, such as events and dates, will be provided at our first classroom meeting on Thursday, August 3rd.
Communication is best done through email, or through a "gold note" through SchoolCues. Phone calls to the office are fine, however, as I am in class with the children all day, and often have afterschool meetings, it may take me a few days to return your call. I check my email daily, and will respond as soon as possible.
This year I am hoping to facilitate more "going outs", including regular library trips. Please bring your child's library card so they he/she may participate. We will also be distributing permission forms for the year during our classroom meeting for various other off-campus opportunities. In order to build up a strong, regular going-out program, we are in need of volunteer drivers and chaperones. Keystone's Volunteer meeting will be at 6:00pm on Tuesday, August 22nd. All volunteers must go through the volunteer process before chaperoning students. Please consider helping our classroom this year by attending this meeting.
Keystone has a "formal lunch" in the classroom, which means we will have lunch inside, using plates, silverware, and cups. We will also be using table cloths, so there is no need to bring placemats. We have a water cooler in the classroom filled with purified water. We will be providing the students individual mugs to use in class, so they do not need to bring in their own. Please do not bring in water bottles, unless your student participates in aftercare, as they take up considerable space in the classroom, and are not used during class time.
As a reminder, lunches should be healthy, precooked food. We have a microwave in the classroom for reheating meals as needed. Sometimes the line for the microwave can get quite long, so we have a one-minute limit for reheating food. Please include an ice pack in your child's lunch bag, as they are stored inside the room, but not refrigerated. Related to this, please be mindful of the size of your student's bag. We have limited space for storage, and must make room for 26 bags, please choose a standard size bag. As we serve chilled water at lunch time, please do not send in any other beverages. Juices, milk, etc. often spill, and because we eat inside the classroom, this poses a problem with ants and other critters. Serving chilled water is also part of the Grace and Curtesy we practice in the classroom.
Please ensure snacks are a fresh fruit, vegetable, or lean protein. The purpose of snack is a quick "refuel" for the students during the morning work cycle. Some suggestions for snack include apples, bananas, string cheese, rolled turkey, nuts etc. Please do not include trail mix which contain chocolate or candies.
Expanding a bit on our limited space, because students do not need to bring books and supplies back and forth, there is no need for a backpack on a regular basis. Please only send a backpack with your child if there is a specific need (i.e. they have an afterschool activity, they go back and forth between households, etc.).
If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at amie@keystonemontessori.com. I look forward to seeing your students next Tuesday, and hope you can join us for our classroom meeting on August 3rd.
In peace and appreciation,
Mrs. Amie