Trent Montessori Manual

We are excited to have your child attend our school and we look forward to the integral part your child will play in shaping the personality of the classroom this year. In order for everything to run as smoothly as possible, we have provided this Information Manual that covers many of the day to day issues that are a part of our program. Please read through this manual and feel free to contact anyone on staff if you have any questions or suggestions. Thank You.

EXTRA CLOTHES
A well-marked complete change of clothing: socks, underwear, shorts, or pants, and top. These will be kept at school for the entire school year. If your child is enrolled in the Extended Care Program (7:30 to 5:30) they will need to bring 2 complete sets. It does not matter if the clothes match. An old set is perfectly fine. Every child must have a set at school at all times. Please replace clothes when needed.

FORMS
All forms including the Immunization form should be sent to school by the first day of class. The Immunization form MUST be in the school office by September 15th or your child will not be allowed to return to school.

TUITION
If you pay with cash, the money must be in an envelope marked - tuition and your child's name on the outside.

COAT
The children will be going outside almost everyday unless it is raining or very cold. All children should bring a jacket on days when it is needed. Please put your child's name on coats and jackets.

Kindergarten students will begin the year with a special week long session that will include in-depth classroom time, as well as, nature walks, special crafts, and possible field trips. All Kindergarten children should bring their lunch for this week. The class will begin each morning at 9am and end at 3pm. After this week, they should return to school at the regular class schedule listed on the school calendar. Kindergarten children may also take part in our Extended Day program. This is held twice a week from 11:30 to 1:00. Information is available from the Administrator/Directress.

All new children are required to come during the phase-in period. Times are noted on the calendar on back of the manual.
Stay in your car and we will come out to greet your child.
Introduce us to your child as we open the car door so that we can begin a personal conversation with your child.
Explain to your child that you will pick them up in a short time.
The children come to school to do their "work". Use this term rather than "play".
Call the school between 8:00am and 8:30am if your child is not coming to school. Please leave a message on the recorder if no one answers. We are very busy in the morning and will not be able to talk with you before school. We will return calls during a time when we are free.
Arrive on time and pick up your child on time. It is very important to show your child that you feel their school is important by seeing that they arrive on time.
Extended Care will not be available during the Phase in period.

All returning students should come on the scheduled first full day of school.
The A.M. class begins promptly at 9am and ends at 11:45am.
The P.M. class begins promptly at 12:45pm and ends at 3:30pm.
Students enrolled in the Extended Care program may arrive at anytime after 7:30am and before 9:00am and may be picked up anytime after 3:30pm and before 5:30pm. (Other times for drop off or pick up need to be cleared through the school first.)

The procedure for drop-off and pick-up for the Montessori classes involves entering the drive off 3rd street and pulling all the way around and up to the sidewalk. The staff will come to your car to get your child at this location. Please keep your child in the car until you have come up to the first spot and a staff person is ready for your child. This procedure works very well in helping the child make the transition from the home environment to the school environment. If your child is resisting, crying, etc., we will take your child into the school and call you if it remains a problem. You would be surprised at how quickly they calm down and get involved in activities once they get into the school and see all the other children. We ask that you do not come into the school at this time, as it usually creates disruption of the class. You are welcome and urged to come in for an observation.

If you arrive at any times other than the beginning or ending times of either class, you will need to follow the Extended Care procedure. The children are dropped off and picked up at the back door and taken by the parent into the school. Please see page 10 for the description of this process. Please refrain from pick up during the afternoon rest time between 1:00 pm and 2:30 pm, if at all possible.

TARDY - We will place a sign stating that class has begun. Please walk your child to the back door. Your child will join their class after the beginning "circle time" is complete.

In order to provide for the safety of your child we must abide by certain policies and procedures. We will provide an Emergency Contact Card for you to fill out at the first Parent meeting. This card lists the names of people who have your permission to pick-up your child, their phone numbers, and a place to write in a password. This password will help our staff if an unfamiliar face shows up to take your child.

Also, children entering and exiting through the Extended Care area must be signed in and out with staff. Never leave your child without checking with a staff member. Again, this only applies when your child is arriving or being picked up at times other than the beginning or ending times of either class.

In order to plan our class sizes and staff requirements, it is important for us to know exactly who will be coming in September. In the past, we have had a few families decide at the last minute, for one reason or another, not to send their child. This not only created a financial and staffing problem for us, but also kept us from opening those spots for families on the waiting list, who had to make other arrangements for their children. In order to circumvent this problem, we have the following payment schedule.

Tuition can be paid in full, by semester, or by the month. We offer prompt payment discounts to those who pay on or before the first of the month. Also, we offer a further discount for those who pay once for the entire year or twice a year by semester-(August 1st and January 1st). The monthly tuition is divided into 10 equal payments due on or before the 1st of the month. The first payment will be due by August 1. Each succeeding month must be paid on or before the 1st to receive the discount: Aug. 1st, Sept. 1st, Oct. 1st, Nov. 1st, Dec. 1st, Jan. 1st, Feb. 1st, March 1st, April 1st and May 1st. With the first payment due on or before August 1st, this gives us enough time to open spots for families on the waiting list.

No discounts may be taken for those payments not received by the 1st of the month. Payments not received by the 10th of the month will be considered delinquent. Your child will not be allowed to return to school until payment has been made. Delinquent Tuition will need to be paid by cash, money order, or cashierís check.

There is a $25 returned check charge. Returned checks will need to be paid by cash, money order, or cashierís check.

No tuition adjustments will be made for days missed due to illness, vacations, or unavoidable school closings.

Late Fees
10 minute grace period after each class
and at school closing (5:30pm).

Extra Hours Fee
This applies to Montessori only students for early drop off between 7:30am and the start of the morning class or after the
Afternoon class from 3:30pm to 5:30pm

Due to the fact that we have 2 classes you will need to take it upon yourself to stay in touch with the school through our means of communication. A newsletter will be sent home with your child approximately 4 times a year. More frequent reminder notes will be sent home as they are needed. Each Friday, your childís canvas bag will be sent home with their work for you to see. Please return these Monday. (These bags are for your childís use. If they are lost or abused, there will be a $5 replacement charge.) In the Extended Care area we will post items on the bulletin board and may also put notes in the childís cubby which you are to clear out each day. Our phone committee may call with information when necessary. Communication to your childís Directress or to the Administrator should be done in writing or by phone call, please call and leave a time when we can return your call.

If a child becomes ill during class, they will be removed from the classroom and the parents will be notified immediately. We MUST know where you are at all times! Do not send a child to school when any of the following symptoms are present or have occurred within the past 24 hours. FEVER, SORE THROAT, DIARRHEA, RASH, VOMITING, EXCESSIVE COUGHING AND/OR NASAL DISCHARGE. If your child becomes sick at school one day or has been sick during the night they should NOT be sent to school on the following day. A 24-hour isolation period should be observed. The child may return to school when the symptoms have completely disappeared. Only physician prescribed medication is allowed and it must be properly labeled and the Medication Consent Form filled out before it can be administered.

In the event that we must close due to bad weather Trent Montessori Preschool will be announced in the list of schools on radio station 550 WCKY & 700 WLW and TV-Channel 5 News. If we need to contact you for any other reason concerning school closing, you will be called by the phone committee.

If a staff member hears a child disclose abuse/neglect, they are required by law to make this disclosure reported to the proper authorities. The Administrator of Trent Montessori will make the report and keep copies of the report in the childís file.

We request that each parent observe their child during the school year. You may call the office to set up an observation spot. Our observation times are Monday through Thursday: 9:30 to 10:30 for the A.M. Montessori class and 1:15 to 2:15 for the P.M. Montessori class. Parents will have 1 formal conference and more if the Directress deems this necessary. These conferences are required and held in November for returning students and in January for new students. We hope that both parents can attend both the observation and conference. Parents who come to observe the class may schedule a second conference. Phone conferences may also take place during the year.

We encourage as much parent involvement as possible during the school year. We have a few parent meetings, Parent Share Month, field trip volunteers, party helpers, school picnic, etc. to see that you become involved in your childís first school adventure. During the last month of school we have an outdoor mini-carnival which we call Play Day. Parents help set up the game booths and then assist the children in the various activities.

We believe that we have an excellent program and we believe in a continuous improvement process. We want your ideas and comments throughout the year. Also, at some point during the school year we will ask you to complete an evaluation form.

We do plan a few field trips during the school year. These field trips are for the 4, 5, and 6 year old children. Some may be scheduled for all children. We also use a variety of outside resources to accompany the topic that we are studying. We encourage parents to invite community leaders to visit our school. Parents are asked to volunteer their time in assisting on all field trips. All children and adults are required to wear seat belts. Children are not permitted to sit in the front seat when an airbag is included.

Over the years, parents have asked for ways that they can help during the school year. You can become actively involved with your child's school experience. I hope that you will find something in the following list that interests you.

VOLUNTEER COORDINATORS: 1 or 2 people from each class to help contact volunteers for various activities.

SOCIAL COMMITTEE: This group would plan activities to get the families together after school hours.

CLASSROOM PHOTOGRAPHERS: These people would take pictures of their class and activities for our scrapbook.

PLAYGROUND ASSISTANTS: These people would help supervise the children during time in the playground.

PARENT SHARE MONTH: In March, parents are invited to come to class and share a special interest, occupation, hobby, or talent.

MATERIALS ASSISTANT: This person would be asked to do simple material making tasks.

CLASSROOM ASSISTANT: This person would be asked to help in the classroom for particular projects or when a staff person is absent.

ANIMAL SUPPORT PERSON: This animal lover would help the staff by providing extra care for our animals when needed.

PHONE TREE: These people would be asked to phone other parents when a need arises.

TEACHER APPRECIATION COMMITTEE: These parents help plan Teacher Appreciation Week and the teacher's birthdays.

PARTY COMMITTEES FIELD TRIP HELPERS
Halloween Fire House
Thanksgiving Dentist
Christmas Pumpkin Farm
Valentine's Day Krohn Conservatory
Easter
Aquarium
Play Day/Picnic Library
Spring Program/Graduation Natural History Museum

This section contains information on the operation and procedures for the Extended Care area.

You have enrolled your child in a Montessori Preschool. This is NOT A DAY CARE CENTER. We use the term Extended Care because we are providing a service that is an extension of our Montessori program for the benefit of parents who need full-time care for their children. You will need to mark your calendars with the days our school is closed. The school calendar is listed on the back cover of this manual.

Children must be picked up by 5:30pm. The center closes at this time. Please do not abuse the grace period (until 5:40). This time is allowed for emergencies only. There is a strict late charge that is required when you are late. If you have questions concerning the operation of our school or late charges please contact me or leave a message when I can return your call.

Parents and children are asked not to open the door for other parents. A staff member will do this, for the protection of all the children.

Pull in the drive-around and park in one of the available spaces. Please do not block the drive. Bring your child to the back door and ring the bell. You MUST bring your child to the door and sign in with a staff person before leaving. The same for pick-up. add Only Trent staff are to open the door. Children and parents are asked NOT to open the door. Please follow this safety rule. You must sign out with staff and clear out your child's cubby. If everyone is in the playground, collect your child's things, and sign out with staff before leaving.

Please refrain from pick up during the afternoon rest time between 1:00 pm and 2:30 pm, if at all possible.

If you drop off or pick up your child at the beginning or ending times of the Montessori class, please follow the procedure described above.

An important part of the Montessori Philosophy is the care of others and the environment. To help the children in this awareness, we have the ìsharing basket." It is a way for the children to share with others and beautify the environment. We ask that each child take ONE DAY of the school year to fill the sharing basket. Your child will bring the basket home on a Thursday or Friday and should return it to school the following Monday.

1. Snack for your child's class for one day. (The School will provide snack for the remaining days) Please make this something simple and individualized. We encourage you to enlist your child's help in preparing or selecting it. In addition to this snack you are welcome to send in a birthday treat on your child's birthday or 1/2 birthday. Please limit birthday treats to cookies, muffins, trail mix, popsicles, etc. No cupcakes and no peanuts, please.

2. A bouquet of fresh flowers that the children will arrange and place in the classroom. Kindergarten children may choose to bring a plant instead of flowers.

3. A specialty item to be used in a class project or in food preparation exercises. This will be specified when you receive the basket.

4. A book to share with the class. This can be one of your child's books or one to be given to the school. The book will be placed in the ìbook corner" for the week and then either returned or donated to the school library. Please make sure that your child's name is on the inside cover regardless of your intention for returning.

All Extended Care children need to bring a packed lunch each day. Please place a freezer pack in the lunch box if the food needs to be kept cold. The lunch should include food that is nutritious for a growing child. Please use a variety of foods, as the children become tired of eating the same sandwich day after day. The children have 30 minutes for lunch so you should see that you do not over pack. The lunch boxes should be placed in your child's cubby. We also have a microwave available for staff to heat your child's food if necessary.

Your child will be assigned one week of the school year to provide snack for Extended Care. Snacks for this Program should be packaged individually. (Examples: crackers in a baggie, fruit roll-ups, raisin boxes, etc.) These are placed in the Snack Sharing Box and will be given to the child during their Extended Care times: 9:00 for the morning and 3:15 for the afternoon. No food is allowed to be eaten after 4:00. No candy or peanuts is allowed for snack!

Each child enrolled in the Extended Care program should bring a small child-sized sleeping bag and pillow, with the child's name marked on each. These are to be left at school. All bedding materials are sent home at Christmas break and Spring break for cleaning. You are welcome to take the bedding for laundering more often, if you desire. A stuffed animal or doll will be permitted for those children staying for Extended Care. These are to be kept in the child's basket and not taken home. If a problem arises, we will contact you.

We have each child brush their teeth after lunch. We ask that you provide a toothbrush and toothbrush holder, with the child's name marked on each. You are welcome to change these as often as you wish. We have provided toothbrushes in the past, but found that many parents have a preference on a particular type and frequency of replacement.

Congratulations, you made it through the manual!
By the way, if you have any suggestions or additions for this manual, please let us know. Thank you.