Communications
Mission Viejo Montessori School issues monthly newsletters. This important resource has valuable reminders, announcements, and information on special events. Please read it and mark your personal calendars with the dates you need to remember. There is also a parent bulletin board visible in the main entrance for notices of timely interest.
You may write messages for teachers and staff members on notes and leave them in the teacher’s mailboxes in office. Teachers are often unable to take phone calls because it interferes with their classroom duties. We gladly take telephone messages and leave them in the teacher’s mailbox, or convey important information to them as soon as possible. You can also get in touch with your child’s teacher or the office via email. Staff and teachers may be emailed via our online contact form. We will get back to you in a timely manner.
Montessori classroom activities are process oriented, not product oriented. Your child is learning by “doing” throughout the day; however, there may not always be a piece of paper at the end of the task. Each child has a personal folder in the classroom. These folders should be used to collect periodic artwork, special projects and papers created during the week. Please take this work home weekly. Notices, calendars, and newsletters from the teacher will be placed in the child’s information pocket, which is also located in the classroom. Please check this each day for important information. Our elementary students keep much of their work in cumulative folders inside the classroom.
Please check with your child’s teacher for individual class schedules and routines. Since our school day extends from 8:30 am - 3:00 pm (a half hour longer than traditional school), this allows children to finish the majority of their work under the supervision of their teacher. Daily homework is a smaller part of our program than traditional school, although pleasure reading and research for projects is always encouraged.
Children who are new to the program will receive a preliminary classroom survey, which denotes the child’s demonstrated interests and skills and is not a graded evaluation of ability. At the preschool level, students records in the classroom consist of skill related checklists of initial presentation, degree of practice, and mastery along with observations and anecdotal records. Elementary student records are more specific as to tracking work. We issue progress reports at parent conference time. These occur twice a year, once in the fall and once in the spring. Primary grades will receive a more traditional report card type evaluation. You are encouraged to request meetings whenever you want one. Our teachers may request additional conferences whenever they believe it to be appropriate for the child’s needs.
Mission Viejo Montessori School asks that parents fill out a school evaluation form annually. This helps us make sure we are providing the services and maintaining the quality you expect. The information is kept on file for our school accreditation procedures and is available for your review.
All information in your child’s file is confidential and available to staff for school purposes only. State licensing agents have the authority to inspect and audit child or facility records and to interview children or staff without prior consent. You are responsible for informing the school in writing of persons whom you authorize to review your child’s file, to take your child from school, and of any changes in your address or telephone number. Children’s files are available to parents or guardians at any time.
Additionally, if we receive a written request, authorized by the parent or guardian, from another school, we will send a copy of the child’s report card, immunization record and cumulative review for the new school's records and files.