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Greetings, Julia’s Gardeners!
Garden Day, March 31st 10:00 - 12:00 🌱 Garden Day is next weekend! Bring yourself, bring your family, bring a shovel… this is the day we set up our garden for the next 6 months and it’s an amazing community-filled day of fun and wonder. The garden is what our school is centered on and it guides us everyday. Just as we follow the child’s lead, we also follow the lessons nature offers us. This is traditionally our most well-attended community event and we are looking forward to our best turnout yet! 2019/2020 Returning Contracts Due March 25th 📃 If you are planning a return to the garden next fall be sure we have your contract in hand by March 25th. Please include all required attachments for processing. We cannot guarantee contracts received after March 25th — or incomplete contracts — will have classroom placement for fall 2019. *** If you have not enrolled for the 2019/2020 school year click here or visit the Parent Portal and select "Fall/Spring Enrollment" and reserve your child’s space by March 25th *** PTA Updates 🏫 The next PTA Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 10th and the minutes from our last meeting are on the Parent Portal There are still plenty of opportunities to get involved and this is a great time to do it — there are only 2 meetings left in the school year! At the April meeting, we will be voting in the final draft of the bylaws, as well as finalizing committee memberships. Remember to take a look and comment if you have feedback on the google doc Oliver Caruso set up for us (thank you, Oliver!) Looking ahead to May, elections for the 9 month 2019/2020 school year will take place and all current office terms will end. We still need Committee Heads for Fundraising and Hospitality, email our parent representative, Wency Martinez, at wencymartinez@gmail.com if you are interested in taking the lead on one of these committees. Thank you for your involvement! Book Fair, April 1st - 30th 📕 Our Book Fair kicks off April 1st and three communities, Hay/YCC, Main and Casa, will compete for the prize to see who can collect the most books for their classroom. Each lead will provide a wish list for her class and families have 30 days to donate as many on the list as possible. Last year, the YCC/Hay House were the winners and the prize was an awesome catered tacos n' rita party at El Mercado! This year, we will be putting something equally as fun together to be announced April 1st. Woohoo!! Parent Portal & Reminders 👩👩👦 Just a reminder that our Parent Portal is the go-to spot for all announcements, classroom events, calendar, enrollment information, documents, PTA information and more! In short, defer to the port .. . port-al, that is, for all your JG needs! It was suggested by a parent that a schedule of when you can expect information updates would be helpful. See below for a list of when you can expect information to be coming your way and where you can find it! Curriculum Calendars: on the first Thursday of the month guides turn in their curriculum calendars to administration and they are live on the Parent Portal by Sunday night Garden Calendar: the Garden Calendar is updated weekly and new garden photos are posted to the online album on the Parent Portal Community Newsletter: A newsletter from administration goes out via email to enrolled families bi-monthly; school holidays may affect this schedule Community Facebook Page: Updated daily by staff, parents and administration Community Announcements 📆
We hope everyone is enjoying their Spring Break and look forward to seeing you all back at school on Monday, March 25th! Sincerely, Julia’s Garden Montessori 🌸 admin@juliasgardenmontessori.com 512-790-4094
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What does “high ratio” mean? Parents at our coffee on Monday had questions about our program moving to “high ratio” inside the classrooms. It was suggested by Ali Ronder, a respected alternative education leader in the Austin community and one of the ICARE representatives present at our talk (JG’s accreditation with ICARE is currently pending), that we should first define what “high ratio” means from a broader context. 15 children aged 3 to 6 years to one adult and 1 adult to every 5/6 toddlers — our plans for the 2019/2020 school year — is considered well within the norm of childcare ratios in Texas. So, although our ratios are projected to be higher than they are now (currently 10 to 1 in primary and 4 to 1 in toddler) it is more accurate to refer to the move as being to larger classroom sizes than to high ratio.  When speaking in the context of a primary Montessori program specifically, 30 children with a seasoned Guide and an assistant is common. The classroom functions best when there is a balanced population of children with 6-12 representatives at each age/level. In a smaller classroom, there is less modeling from older children so the younger students rely more on the teacher’s instruction, or default to younger child modeling, which can hinder functional independence and refinement of other soft skills that are a large and important part of the Montessori curriculum. A handout explaining the value of a large classroom experience and why it works was provided at the information session on Monday. “But I thought JG was all about low ratios. Why the change, Katherine?” Up to now, Julia’s Garden has blossomed by following the evolution of properties acquired and by serving a need within the community. From this very fluid growth emerged 4 small, young classrooms with 4 trained Montessori guides and 4 assistants (8 teachers total serving 47 children, a very low 6 to 1 ratio, not including support guides). Now that our student body has aged, we are purposefully relocating the children, the environments and the staff so that all can serve and be served optimally. A normalized group of of 3, 4 and 5 year old children who have previously attended our program do not need the support that they did when they first began. They are ready for a greater challenge and greater socialization opportunities; they deserve this time to show us what they are capable of. By placing too many adults in a community we risk doing them a disservice. Our youngest community members are growing, too, and by fall semester will be ready to show their younger friends the ropes. A 12-14 member toddler environment with elder, returning members offers more balance and stability than a new classroom does. The merging of classrooms will also allow our staffing resources to be put to better use. Placing more than one talented, trained guide in front a of population that only requires one, especially when other departments are lacking, does not serve the greater good of the school. “What is an ‘education specialist’ and what will her role be?” The education specialist plays a key role in accountability next year. The addition of this department allows us to ensure without fault that each child enrolled is being looked after both socially and academically every step of the way. The specialist will make preliminary assessments as needed and hold parent conferences to make behavior and learning plans. She will float both on schedule and as needed between classes, offering tutoring, therapy, gross and fine motor enhancement — anyone who requires support, her job will be to make sure it is provided. She will also serve as our school’s parent liaison and plan parent education sessions, advocating for the essential need of the parent-teacher partnership which best supports student successes at school. “Why can’t we know who our child’s teacher is going to be next year before we enroll?” This was another question that came up for parents. Ali Ronder explained during our talk that the process a school undergoes to assign children to classrooms — be it public or private -- is quite similar: first, the parents are asked to provide a deposit in February which will allow for admissions to know which families are planning to return. From there, the school can look to their wait list fill spots, allowing incoming families to plan. As classrooms are beginning to take shape, contracts and/or letters of intent are accepted from the teaching staff, letting administration know their situation for the upcoming semester (aka, “I am planning to return but we are growing our family over summer and need maternity leave; or “I would love to come back but in a different role” etc). From there, negotiations are made, meetings held and interviews are conducted to fill any spots that may be open. This process is completed no earlier than May. As a result, parents do not typically know their child’s class assignment until the summer months. It would be unfair, Ali noted, for some parents to know their child’s class assignment in advance and others not. This system of notification would inevitably cause controversy within a community. In short, the process all begins with a parent commitment. “When will we know the prices and program offerings for next year?” Prices and programs are on the enrollment forms located on the Parent Portal. Prices are also publicly posted on our website under Tuition & Pricing. Current prices can always be found on our website and are updated the spring semester prior to the start of the new school year.  Dear Julia’s Garden Community,
Dear Julia’s Garden Community,
We are looking forward to a fun week before Spring Break. Looks to be beautiful weather for SXSW week, too. I hope everyone is able to enjoy the festivities! Firefly Session II 🧚🏽♀️ For those of who have yet to try our community give-back project, we still have spots left in Session II of Firefly Enrichment Fridays at the same low-cost as before. Sign up today for Sessions II and III of Firefly Enrichment Fridays here. Also, if you have a talent you would like to donate for 30 to 45 minutes on a Friday, just let us know! This program is made enriching by generous folks like you who are volunteering their time to be with our children each week. Lesson ideas: 1) Foreign Language Lesson 2) Book Reading or Literature Lesson 3) Garden or Art Lesson 4) Music Lesson 5) Handwork Lesson Let us know what you want you are interested in contributing, we’d love to hear from you! Summer School ☀️ Summer school enrollment is now open to the general community, but we still have space available for JG kids! Enroll now on the Parent Portal to reserve your spot for summer fun. PTA Meeting Wednesday, March 13th 📆 Don’t forget our PTA Meeting is scheduled for this Wednesday at 6:30 PM. We will be finalizing our sub-committees and reviewing the new bylaws. Plan to attend and get involved! Garden Day, March 31st 🌱 Mark you calendar for Garden Day, March 31st from 10 - NOON, when we re-plant our fabulous beds with summer produce. One day of gardening not enough for you? Join Megan Kendrick on the Garden Committee and help us get organized for the best community day of the season! Staffing Changes 👩🏻🏫 We have two staff members to welcome aboard this month: Caroline Lindley and Lindsay Luongo. Caroline will be assisting Mrs. Meagan for the duration of the school year in the Main House and the beloved Ms. Lindsay Luongo has returned to campus to support the Hay House team. Please join me in welcoming these wonderful teachers. Ms. Phoebe has an attached letter announcing her medical leave. We all wish Ms. Phoebe rest and well-being during her absence. Parent Portal for March 🍀 The classroom calendars for March are up! Please refer here for insight, pictures and weekly garden updates. Fall 2019/Spring 2020 Enrollment & A Coffee Talk 📃 ☕️ Remember, re-enrollment contracts are online this year, just select the button "Spring/Fall Enrollment” to start the process. If you have any issues accessing the portal let administration know. **Please note, your family has until March 25th to submit your child’s contract online and reserve his/her space. After March 25th, we will begin inviting children from our wait-list pool. If you have intentions of returning, be sure to submit your paperwork before the deadline. Contracts received after the deadline may not be considered for re-enrollment.** Meagan Welch, the Primary Main House Guide, and Yours Truly will be hosting a parent coffee on Monday, March 11th in Casetta from 11:30 - 12:45. If you have questions surrounding the upcoming school year, plan to join us! Teri Sperry and Ali Ronder, our ICARE accreditation representatives, will also be in attendance to offer their insight and expertise. March Birthdays 🎈 Happy birthday this month to Jette Walthall on March 6th, Ellis Hunter and Kian Danley on March 15th, Juno Chan on the 23rd, Poppy on the 27th and Andres Mery on the 30th. We hope you all have a wonderful day! SYLY Spring Break Yoga Camp 🧘🏻♀️ Spring Break is just around the corner! Julia’s Garden will be closed from March 18 - 21st but SYLY has got you covered. Contact Ms. Elisabeth to enroll in her super-fun yoga camp M-Th. AND Firefly WILL hold class on Friday, March 22nd, so your child can join both programs for a full week of fun on campus! Community Announcements + Reminders
Happy SXSW! 🎶 |