Julia's Garden Newsletter ?: Garden Day Committee, Mosquito Awareness, Review of Arrival and Tote Bag Systems, Little Yogi Enrichment Program, Fundraising Updates and More!

Good day, Garden Parents!
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In the Garden
Bug Bite Blues 😣
What a fantastic start to our year we have had! The weather started out a bit wet but cleared up so the children were able to enjoy lots of outside time together.  Along with this wetness, we have had an influx of mosquitos on our campus and are feeling the itch! Please treat your children with insect repellent before they arrive at school and we will re-apply as needed. Our grounds are professionally treated with organic spray every 3 weeks - we also spot treat each morning during mosquito season - but with more rain in the forecast we may not see relief from these pests until fall weather officially hits.  Some brands that have worked well in the past are Citronella Essential Oil, Lavender Essential Oil, Bert’s Bees All Natural Insect Repellant and Babyganics.

Compost Duty 🍁
Parents, don’t forget to check the online September calendar for your Compost Care Week.  This month, Main House families are on duty.  Click here for an instructional video on how to care for our — thanks to the efforts of our Grounds Team — now-very-awesome-looking compost pile!

Garden Day 🌾
Fall Garden Day is just around the corner.  Garden Committee Head Megan Kendrick will be hosting the first Garden meeting at 11:00 AM next Thursday in Casetta.  All garden committee members should plan to attend so we can get this project up and running!  Email mekendrick@gmail.com to get more information on participating in our biggest on-campus community event of the year: Garden Day is for everyone!  The Gardens at Julia’s are the heart and soul of our program, plan to be there with (garden) gloves on 🧤! 

Fall Garden Day
September 30th, 2018
10:00 - 12:00 PM
Garden Committee Head: Megan Kendrick
mekendrick@gmail.com

In the Classroom  
Lunch-Packing Tips for Success🥪
Lunchtime is a beautiful experience in our classrooms and one of the quintessential elements of a Montessori child’s day.  Independence, community, grace and courtesy, language, fine motor skills and socialization are all practiced during this daily ritual.  With this in mind, please be aware of not only the food going into the lunchboxes, but also of the type of containers in which the lunch is packed. Glass containers are too heavy for small children to carry; instead opt for stainless steel or PBA-free plastics that are easy to open and separate food items into these containers.  Every meal needs to arrive at school inside of a labeled lunchbox with a handle for easy grasping.  Additionally, each child should bring an insulated, labeled stainless steel leak-proof water bottle, and a labeled afternoon snack if staying for Naphouse or Clubhouse.

Your child's JG tote should contain just his/her water bottle and any clothes/communication carried on a shoulder, while the lunchbox is simultaneously carried in a hand.  Our youngest members will work up to this challenge and accommodations have been made inside of the classrooms to allow them to be successful using this system as they grow.

** Thank you for supporting our tote bag/lunchbox system which allows for uniformity and independence within our student body **

Notes on Arrival 🕗
Please respect our arrival and departure protocol of saying good-bye to your child at the gate.  No matter which community your child attends, he/she will benefit from walking onto school grounds independently. Say your good-byes, then allow your child to begin his/her day of learning by walking in by him/herself at your designated drop-off location.  Note we are no longer utilizing 1612 S. 3rd as a pick-up or drop-off location. This consistency will ease transitions and eliminate confusion, making for a smoother morning all around.  If you are running late, instead of walking your child inside, please text or call the House Phone at 512-468-6053 and one of our staff members will happily greet you at the gate.  Thank you!

Birthdays 🎈
Happy birthday this month to Ms. Ashley McBride, our newest staff member, and to Mrs. Meagan Welch.  Sam Pitylak turned 3 on the first day of school, Ella Miars turns 5 on the 20th and Aspen Urias will turn 4 years old on the 27th of September. Happy birthday to our all of our vivacious Virgos and one lovely Libra. We hope you have a fantastic day!

A Word from Our Morning Communities ☀️ 
YCC "As you might imagine, we have had a busy week in the YCC! Despite some tears, we have been active with the big work of learning the routines of the environment and places where personal items are stored. Many children have already assisted in setting and clearing the table at meal times, learned how to serve oneself a drink of water, wipe one's nose, clean water spills off of the floor, place wet or soiled cloths in the hamper, and sweep with a push broom. The ball tracker and puzzles were in continual use. Self-expression, particularly chalking at the easel and scribbling with crayons, were repeated often. Hand washing at the sink was certainly the most popular activity! We also engaged in many language lessons, books, and songs. Favorites for the children were the spoken form of "Itsy-Bitsy Spider" with sign language accompaniment, and the song "Mr. Sun." Here are the lyrics to the latter:

Oh Mr. Sun, Sun
Mr. Golden Sun
Please shine down on me
Oh Mr. Sun, Sun
Mr. Golden Sun
Hiding behind a tree
These little children are asking you
To please come out so we can play with you
Oh Mr. Sun, Sun
Mr. Golden Sun
Please shine down on me
Outside, watering plants and feeding the chickens and rabbits were fascinating experiences for all. Next week, we plan to harvest okra and herbs from the garden, begin sprouting seeds, and enjoy music with Ms. Natalie.  Looking forward to increasingly easy morning transitions in the weeks to come!" - Carissa

Henry receives a language lesson from Ms. Carissa on the first day of school while Boze and Juniper explore books; Will works with the tractor during Outside Time and Jai enjoys the porch swing. 

Lyla, Henry & Jai delight in discovering the chicken coop (and the newly maintained compost pile!) then, later, Calder helps with feeding our feathered friends; Boze waters the herb garden.

Hay House "What a wonderful first week back to school. We observed the benefit of having a multi-age group as returning students re-entered the classroom, focused and ready to work, leading the way for our newer and younger students. There has been a lot of exploration this week so Savanna and I have been working to help the children connect to the environment by following their natural curiosity and showing them how to use the materials.  We have also been working on setting limits of having one lesson out at time then restoring the work to the shelf when finished.  This is also something you can work on at home!

This week, we harvested fresh okra from the garden and made herbed biscuits. The children have been very excited to help prepare our communal snack and to also to prepare the harvest for our snack. 

Next week, you may notice that your child has a luggage tag with their photo on their Julia’s Garden bag: this is to help the child identify their bag when they need it. 

Thank you to everyone for helping us become a waste-free environment. All lunches that were brought this week looked tasty and healthy. You may notice that if there is food leftover we send it home so you can see what your child is and is not eating for lunch. 

Thank you again for a great first week, I look forward to many more."- Ms. Phoebe

Orion & Harvey harvest herbs for biscuits then Orion scoops up coated okra for baking; afterwards, Stefano pitches in during clean up time.

Senna participates in seed germination work and Penelope does cloth washing.  Friends are made during playtime when Penelope assists her new pal, Brooklyn, on the swing.  Vivian rejoices in pouring her own water at Snack Time.

Casa "Casa parents, please refer to your email inbox for a classroom newsletter with info from our first week together." - Ms. Danielle

Practical life activities keep Casa kids engaged: above, we see Jakson carpet sweeping and Dylan getting a lesson on rug-rolling. Junali is refining her motor skills with isolated transfer work.

Dylan & Kaylan engage in conversation at the art table and, later, we see Kaylan getting a lesson on the number rods while Felix focuses on language work.

Main "We are off to a great start this year! Thank you to all the parents and children who brought me birthday gifts on the first day of school. It feels so good to be in community with all of you again. Thank you for making me feel appreciated right off the bat!
When the weather is still hot and summer memories are fresh on all of our minds, I love to play language classifications games about the season with the children. I connect summer themes of swimming and beach vacations to biology, culture, geography, and language lessons in our environment. This year children have the opportunity to study the 5 vertebrate classes: fish, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds. Fish will be our focus for the next few weeks.
Please give your child every ounce of extra patience you have in your heart over the next few weeks. Every child in my class has put everything they have into the demanding work of growth and self-construction this week. I know when they get home they must be noodles. Tears and meltdowns during these times of transition are very common. The cascade of new sensory input is taxing on the nervous system. It takes time to adjust, process, and acclimate to the new world that they will come to adore. I promise all the hardwork will pay off very soon. If you have not received a first week of school courtesy phone call from me yet be on the lookout over the next couple of days for my call." - Mrs. Meagan


Quinn engages in grinding work while Ella and Ellis work on animal puzzles; Ruairidh does the Snake Game and Emma observes. Spelling work is on display during the afternoon Work Period and Aiden focuses on writing.

  
Lana and Emma enjoy the reading table while the brothers Mackay have a snack together; William diligently practices his script while brother, James, works on the screw and cog tray. Juno explores the counting beads during the Work Period.


Happy birthday to Anders, and many more!

Administration
Medical Form Reminder 📋
Please give attention to the email from administration regarding updated Health Forms and medical records for your child.  We reserve the right to withhold any student from class with an incomplete file.  Please turn in missing items as soon as possible and thank you for your cooperation!

Little Yogi Fridays Enrichment Program - Now Enrolling 🧘‍♀️ 
Friday yoga with Ms. Elisabeth begins next week: this series is offered as part of a community give-back project offering scholarships, low-cost program fees and/or sliding scale tuition to qualifying families.  This month, SYLY gives back by offering scholarships to 20% of participating children.  Please support our efforts to welcome a child into our community that would otherwise not be able to participate in a quality program by enrolling your child in these super-fun and enriching mornings of yoga with SYLY! Email shineyourlightyoga@gmail.com for more information.

Parent-Toddler Fall Series Starts Next Week 👶🏻 
If you have not attended our Parent-Toddler Class Series, we encourage you to participate.  Our next series starts September 14th and you can find enrollment information on our website.   If you have already taken the class, you may want to consider taking it again!  As your child grows, this series can become beneficial to you in new ways and your child's experience will also change.  As a response to parent feedback, we are also including an evening information session that will be held mid-way through the series.  This is an opportunity for you to come to campus and converse with adults only — your burning questions answered sans interruption!

Fundraising News and Announcements 
We wrapped up our Summer Scholarship Drive last week and now have a grand total of $4,700.00 in funds to be awarded to a deserving candidate.  Amazing work, community!! If you would like to nominate a family that could benefit from one of our scholarships, please email administration directly and/or advise them to apply online. 

Our first Parent & Staff Fundraising Committee Meeting was quite productive, a big thank you to everyone who participated.  The event is set for November 10th with theme and location TBD.   Our committee is planning an upscale evening of local eats, a silent auction, pop-up Etsy boutiques, as well as live music and dancing - this one is not to be missed!  The event will be for adults-only, stay tuned for ticket sale information coming your way soon.

If you are interested in becoming a part of the Parent Fundraising Committee, we’d love to have you as a part of the team!  Email Amina Garrison, Parent Committee Head, at aminagarrison16@gmail.com.

Upcoming Dates to Note:
September 28th 11:00 AM Curriculum for Excellence Lower Elementary Program Information Session
September 13th 11:00 AM Garden Committee Meeting
September 30th 10:00 - 12:00 Garden Day!
October 1st - Fall Fund Drive Begins
October 3rd 10:00 - 11:15 AM Toileting & Your Toddler Talk
October 8th Columbus Day, School Closed

Have an enjoyable weekend, we look forward to seeing you on Monday!

Katherine

Katherine Parlette
Founder, Director
Julia's Garden Montessori 🌸
(512) 790-4094
juliasgarden@me.com
www.juliasgardenmontessori.com
“I did not invent a method of education.  I simply gave some little children a chance to live.” - Maria Montessori