Happy Friday! 

This week was full of parent observations and we heard some great feedback.  Overall, everyone was surprised to see how focused and calm (mostly) the students were.  Thank you, families, for taking your morning to come see just what your little ones do each day.  

REMEMBER: NO SCHOOL MONDAY

Monday is Parent Conferences.  We are looking forward to a meaningful conversation with each of you about your child's progress and future.  Please bring your questions and observations from home.  We're looking forward to it!

Amazon Smile

Do you ever shop online?  Probably, since nearly 80% of Americans do!  Well, now you can turn each Amazon.com transaction into a donation to help our school cover costs.  As a non-profit, we qualify for Amazon's giving back program - Smile - and once you sign up Salado Montessori will receive .5% of every purchase you make. 

To get started click this link: smile.amazon.com/ch/81-4551078

and each time you log in to Amazon make sure you're at Smile.Amazon.com

THANK YOU!

Bike Donation/Sale

The incredible and supportive folks over at Lone Star eBikes have generously donated a Cannondale Tandem bike for us to use as a fundraiser!  If you are looking to purchase a two-seater for you and your sweetie, have we got the bike for you!  Check out the photos below, and let us know if you're interested.

This week has again been packed full of new lessons for everyone - what a joy it must be to be consistently presented with something new and interesting!  

Our oldest learner was introduced to the Fabric Box.  There are several purposes to this learning material, the most direct is to "help awaken and refine the child’s tactile sense, ... while the indirect purpose is to "aid the child’s fine motor by cultivating a lightness of touch, (t)o prepare the child for writing," develop their ability to concentrate, discriminate, and judge without the use of their eyes.   

montessorihelper.com/montessori-touch-fabrics-presentation

On the other end of the age spectrum, our youngest learner was introduced to the Geometric Cabinet, something Ms. Webb is quite excited about! 

This work brings the child an awareness of the tremendous number of shapes in their environment and also helps them observe their own environment with intelligence. 

To see all the shapes (there are 30 - can you name that many?), click here:  montessoriworld.org/sensory/sgeocab.html

Our group time has dwindled down to just about 20 minutes or so each morning, so we aim to get the biggest bang for our buck during that time.  This week has seen an introduction to boiled eggs (Thanks, Mrs. Carney!), more group singing at the piano with Ms. Alissa, and a daily commitment to knowing the date.  Click below to watch (an old) clip of learning the days, months, and date.  Enjoy!

Picture Day!

On May 3 we will invite local photographer Stefanie Thomas to observe behind the lens!  She'll be capturing images of our kiddos during a morning work cycle. 

Stefanie has kindly offered to give us 50% off her regular rate and is DONATING the images for us to use!  

If anyone is willing to volunteer to compile the best photos into an 'untraditional yearbook' on mpix.com or another online photobook platform, we'd be grateful for the help!  

SPONSOR RECOGNITION

Before school opened, we received many generous and thoughtful donations from a core group of supporters.  We are so grateful for each gift, no matter the size.  

Thank you to Janice Means, Ginny Lamphear, Ryan & Jen Gombeski, Rachel Sibley, Pete Gautier, Charmaine Barker, Shirley Stephenson, Jan Rasmussen, Susan Terry, Amanda Schmidt, Alicia Thompson Dowell, Aubrie Redhawk, Maria Garza-Muñoz, Maria Rios-Polumordvinova, Angie Baker, Todd Main, Adam Dials, Tammy Baxter, Geremy & Elisabeth McClure, Andi Gentile, Talitha Green, Juan Wah, Rebecca LaBlanca, ZyKurah Krostag, Rachel Humphries, Jenn Golech, Pansy & Brian Cornett, Brad & Susan Buckley, Susan Douglass & Megan Henderson. 

Your contributions combined helped us reach our opening day goals. 

Thank you so much!

Enjoy your weekend!

Ms. Webb, Mrs. Carney & Ms. Alissa