Arborland Montessori Reminders:

• Thursday, 4/5/12: International Cultural Day (Hughes Campus)
• Friday, 4/6/12: International Cultural Day (Valencia Campus)
• Monday - Friday, 4/9/12 - 4/13/12: Spring Recess
• Monday - Friday, 4/23/12-4/27/12: 6th Grade Science Camp
• Monday - Friday, 4/30/12-5/11/12: Parent Teacher Conference
• Thursday, 5/17/12: Children's Night/Science Fair (Valencia Campus)
• Saturday - Sunday, 5/19/12-5/20/12: Elementary Camping
• Thursday, 5/24/12: Children's Night/Science Fair (Hughes Campus)
• Monday, 5/28/12: Memorial Day (school closed)
• Thursday, 6/7/12: Spring Recital: Elementary & Valencia Dance
• Wednesday, 6/13/12: Students' Last Day of Instruction
• Thursday, 6/14/12: Graduation & Potluck

November 8, 2011

RE: Parent-Teacher Conferences

Dear Parents:

Meeting face to face is still, by far, the best avenue of communication today. By attending your child’s parent-teacher conference, you are showing your child and the teacher your care and respect for them.

At Arborland, we believe that communication between parents and the teacher is critical to your child’s learning experiences; thus, we would like to request BOTH PARENTS to attend the parent-teacher conference. By acting as a team, your investment in your child’s education is greatly enhanced. Please make a list of questions and plan what you want to tell the teacher. Share your educational goals, observations, questions, and concerns with us during the conference.

The parent-teacher conferences will be spread over two weeks and held after school. Since our teachers still teach all day and are willing to stay late for conferences, please respect the 30-minute time slot. If more discussion time is needed, please arrange with the teacher for another meeting.

Please check your schedule and sign your child’s name on the conference sign-up sheet in the office by Wednesday, November 16, 2011. Please be sure to mark your calendar and refer to the bulletin board for the conference locations. We are committed to offer you a high quality educational program and we thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Dr. Sueling Chen

Principal

September 27, 2011

RE: Earthquake Preparedness & An Extra Set of Clothes

Dear Parents:

We would like to inform you of the procedures, which will take place at Arborland Montessori Children’s Academy in the event of a major earthquake/disaster. Since we do live in an earthquake prone area, it is imperative for us to be prepared in the event of a major earthquake or other disaster. Your child and the teachers practice fire and earthquake drills at school on the regular basis.

Regarding the earthquake drills, at the first indication of the ground shaking, the children will hide under a table if they are inside the classroom. We will follow the “DUCK, COVER, AND HOLD” procedure so that the children learn to duck under the tables, cover their head and neck to avoid falling debris, and hold on to the sturdy tables so that they don’t get shaken out of the table perimeters. We will stay underneath the table until the shaking stops and stay away from the windows and doors. Teachers will evacuate the buildings when it is safe, and regroup the children in the open area.

If the children are on the playground, they will be gathered immediately away from buildings, trees, and power lines. We will drop to the ground to have a smaller body surface to avoid debris. Your child will be supervised on the school premises until a parent or an authorized person arrives to pick him/her up. In the event that the disaster is very severe to the degree that we need to relocate, we will take the Valencia Children to the Hunt’s Park (by the Hunt Branch Library) and the Hughes Children to the Central Park, which is on the east side of the Hughes Campus.

Please be reminded that your child will only be released to parents and authorized adults whom you have listed on the Identification and Emergency Information Form, which you filled out at the beginning of the school year. It is crucial that you update the information with the administration office at all times.

In order to be well prepared, each child needs to bring an emergency kit to his/her teacher. Please do not bring bulky bags and materials since our spaces are limited. It is ideal to put your belongings in the gallon size Zip-Loc bag. The following items are listed for your reference:

• Two cans of only one of the following items: tuna, meat spread, chicken, or unsalted nuts.       (Cans should be pop-top, or a can opener should be included.)
• Two cans of fruit or dried fruit
• Two juice cans
• Family photo with an out of state relative’s name, relationship, and phone number on the back of the photo.

If you brought an earthquake kit and extra clothes for your child last school year and have not take them home yet, your child’s teacher will send them home within a week.

Primary and toddler children should have an extra set of clothes in the classroom for accident or weather change, such as tee shirt, underwear, trousers, and socks. As the weather gets cooler, please also bring a jacket to school for your child to wear during early morning or late afternoon as the weather changes drastically throughout the day.

Please be sure you label every item and put them in a one gallon size Ziploc bag and write your child’s name on the Ziploc bag too. Please bring your child’s emergency kit to his/her classroom teacher by Friday, October 7, 2011 so that we are well prepared for a disaster. Your cooperation and support for the earthquake preparedness is very much appreciated.

Sincerely yours,

Dr. Sueling Chen

Principal

February 7, 2011

Re: Birthday Celebration Guideline

Dear Parents,

We know you enjoy doing something extra special for your child’s birthday and would like to share our birthday celebration routine and guideline with you. In a Montessori environment, every child holds a special and unique place. Our approach is recognizing your child’s birthdays as part of an educational process.

We not only recognize the birthday child but also introduce his/her timeline/history to their classmates. This develops a sense of responsibility and enlightens them with the process of growth. Please send one picture per year for your child to compose the time line of his/her life.

The birthday child is welcomed to bring a book or a plant to share with his/her friends. If you wish, you may donate the book or plant to the class library in your child’s name for special remembrance. The children take great pride in this specific contribution.

The most important part is to recognize your child and make him/her feel special on their birthday. Since some children have severe allergic food reactions to cupcakes or other treats, it is perfectly all right for all of us to celebrate your child’s birthday without food. However, if you want to provide cookies, cupcakes, individually wrapped juice boxes for the celebration, please be sensitive and courteous to those children with allergies. You must also supply napkins, cups, plates and forks. Please remember it is birthday recognition, not a birthday party. We will recognize your child with or without your presence. No party hats or party favors at school. Please refer to our Parent handbook page 24 for birthdays.

In order to help everyone to keep track of birthdays, we will put all the weekend birthdays on the week days as there is no school on the weekends. Therefore, Sunday birthdays will be celebrated on the following Mondays and Saturday birthdays will be celebrated the Fridays before. It will be printed on our monthly lunch menus.

We celebrate birthdays at 2:30 p.m. Please communicate with your child’s teacher in case any special arrangements are to be made before hand. Please be reminded that your child’s teacher needs to have a 24 hour notice in order to fit the birthday celebration in the class schedule.

Your cooperation in this matter is greatly appreciated. Let’s make birthdays special not only for the birthday child but also for the peers celebrating with them. Thank you!

Sincerely,

Dr. Sueling Chen
Principal