2021 September

​It's Fall at Montessori Children's House!

The MCH Parent Association would like to welcome you to the 2021-2022 school year! Did you know that as a parent of an MCH student, you are automatically a member of the Parent Association? 

I'm Susan Smith, the newly elected president of the Parent Association Board, and I work with a group of experienced individuals to find ways to help you, our parent community, feel supported by and integrated with the school. We are excited to build our community this year and find new ways to encourage our parents, students, staff, and teachers to bond during these unique times. The board is here for you if you have any questions about being a parent of an MCH student and how best to acknowledge our staff and teachers throughout the school year. 

The Parent Association is a non-profit organization that hosts staff appreciation week, holds community enrichment events, and helps fund scholarships for our students. These programs are all possible through the generous gifts we have received through our SEED campaign, a fundraising campaign you will see more information on later this fall. 

We value your input in our community and will be reaching out to you throughout the year via this newsletter, word of mouth, and the occasional email to ask for feedback and volunteers to assist at various events. 

Please feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions. I look forward to meeting you all and, again, welcome to the MCH community!
Sincerely,
Susan Smith
President, MCH Parent Association

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New Family Meet and Greets

During the week of August 23rd, the Parent Association New Parent Outreach Committee conducted a series of virtual meet-and-greet sessions to welcome new families to MCH.

Nearly 40 families attended to meet other parents in their class level. Parents of returning families joined the sessions to answer questions about what to expect during the school year. We want to give a special thank you to Camelia Clinciu in UpperEl, Nathan Butters in Toddler, and Nicole Zinn in EC for taking the time to do so.

Several parents from the Toddler and EC programs have connected following these sessions to continue to build relationships and support each other. If you are interested in joining either the Toddler or EC program parent groups, please contact us.

​Care for a Coffee?

The Parent Association will be holding a series of parent meetups in the coming months, and we'd like to invite you to the first one on September 17th at Evans Creek Preserve.

BYO coffee (or the beverage of your choice) and join us at the picnic table at the Lower Trailhead at 9:15 am to spend an hour or so getting to know your fellow parents. It's only minutes from MCH! Take Hwy 202 eastbound, turn right on 224th Ave., and the trailhead parking area is 500 feet to the south.

This event is hosted by the Parent Association and not affiliated with the school. Please bring a mask or other facial covering. Bringing a portable or camp chair is also recommended.

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​Laptop Donations Needed

Over the past year, MCH had provided loaner laptops to some students when they needed to school at home. Many of those laptops are quickly coming to the end of their useful life.

The Parent Association is soliciting laptops from the community to have a small stock ready to go should students need to school at home again this year. If you have a laptop that meets the following criteria and are interested in donating it, please contact us.

• No more than 5-7 years old
• Windows operating system (we cannot support Macs or Chromebooks)
• The battery holds a charge for at least 2 hours
• Has a power cable

Thank you in advance! We appreciate your consideration and any donations you can make.

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​Tell Us What You Think

The Parent Association will be sending out a short survey to all MCH families in early September to learn more about you and better understand how you'd prefer to work with and hear from us. The survey is completely voluntary, but your responses will help us to shape our outreach this school year and into the future.

Look for the survey to hit your email inbox soon, and thank you in advance for your participation!

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