September 2022

Kicking off the School Year at Montessori Children's House!
The MCH Parent Association would like to welcome you to the 2022-2023 school year! As a parent of an MCH student, you are automatically a member of the Parent Association. With your support and involvement, we hope to make this an awesome school year for our community!

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 this fall. To find out more about board sponsored events or to learn more about the board members, visit the Parent Association website.

I'm Jessica Lin, the newly elected president of the Parent Association Board. I’ve been a parent at the school since 2018 and I currently have one child in the toddler program and another in the early childhood program. These past couple of years have been tough and isolating, and despite all that is happening in the world, it is my hope that the MCH community is one where you can find joy, friendship, and inclusion, and where we share the common goal of helping our children thrive.

This year, we have 10 members on the board working to help you, our parent community, feel supported and integrated with the school. We are planning lots of activities to build community between parents, students, staff, and teachers, and appreciate your participation and suggestions. Members of the board are parents of students in different classrooms, so feel free to reach out to any member of the board if you have questions about being a parent of a MCH student, or about the parent association. 

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. Welcome again to the MCH community! 

Sincerely,
Jessica Lin
President, MCH Parent Association

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We Want to Hear From You!
Throughout the year, the Parent Association's Community Development Committee brings you opportunities to gather and get to know one another informally. Some of our most popular offerings have been hikes and walks, the book/podcast circle, parent education speakers, and casual meetups.  This year we are thrilled to bring back our end of year camping event, to be held in June. 
 
Our committee wants to tailor our offerings based on your interest. Please take a moment to complete this year’s (very brief) Parent Survey to let us know what to offer. We appreciate your feedback! 
 
Take the 2022 Parents Survey

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September Meetup
Our first event of the year will be a casual BYOCT? (Bring Your Own Coffee, Tea or ?) meetup at Perrigo Park on 9/27 at 9:30 am at 9011 196th Ave NE in Redmond. Join us after drop off or when you can, and stay as long as you like.  Come to meet some committee members and other parents.  Rain or shine. We look forward to meeting you!

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SEED Campaign Kick Off
The annual SEED campaign will kick off on October 17th this year! The money that is raised over two weeks funds all our Sponsorship, Extracurricular, Enrichment, and Development (SEED) activities during the year. For example, thanks to your generous donations in 2021, we were able to fund a four-week Positive Discipline course on practices to raise caring, collaborative, and capable kids.  
 
As we plan for PA activities this school year, please make sure to take the Parents Survey and tell us how you would like to see the PA spend the funds this year. In addition, if you have been hesitant to give in years past, feel free to contact us at [email protected] with any feedback.

Thank you for your support. We look forward to getting together throughout the year!  

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Smooth(er) Transitions
As the school year gets underway, it is easy to drift into to-dos and a sense of urgency and busyness. Our children sense this shift as they, too, are also adjusting to a new routines, people, input, and excitement. Sometimes this results in a strained sense of connection with one another.  

Fortunately, when we set aside just a few moments each day to recenter and prioritize connecting with our children – we can calm and nourish everyone involved. The energy between caregiver and child is shared!  

Simple strategies such as intentional breath work, asking our children what they would like to play (and following their lead) for 10 minutes, or building reuniting rituals after school, pave the way for staying focused on what really matters – connected relationships.  

CLICK HERE for some quick, playful ideas for inviting peace into the minds of parents and children alike as we welcome new adventures!

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