The Brickton Weekly, January 10, 2013

Welcome back and best wishes for a happy new year.  We hope you had a relaxing winter break.

A BIG THANK YOU to all of our Annual Fund donors!  With your generous support, we are well on the way to meeting our goal.  If you have yet to make a donation to the Annual Fund Campaign, please do so by January 18th and still receive the 2012 tax deduction.  Questions?  Contact Molly.

Volunteer Spotlight

The Brickton faculty and Staff wish to extend a very big thank you to the Parent Alliance – Dora Messina, Ivana Drazic-Cunningham, Tara Leinenweber, and Susan Urbanski – and the room parents for collecting and distributing the generous faculty and staff holiday gifts.  Thank you!

A special thank you to Louise Borre and Olina Dolly for helping with Operation Child Find, the early childhood screening for our Toddler and Children’s House students.  We greatly appreciate your help to provide this valuable opportunity for our children.

Getting to Know You: Each week this section will highlight one staff member and what inspired them to pursue working in a Montessori environment.

Megan White, Children’s House Intern

I stumbled upon Montessori by accident when looking for a summer job in 2004, and began working with Brickton's Summer Camp that year.  I ended up returning for a few summers and realized this was exactly the kind of education I wanted to be a part of.  I was lucky enough to assist with Lower Elementary before working with Children's House.  Working with various age groups, I was able to see the wonderful ways Montessori education worked at all levels.  Last April, I started the training to become certified in the 3-6 program.  This year I am interning and learning so much each and every day!

Open House

Sunday, January 13^th, 12:30pm – 3:00pm.  Tell your friends, family, and neighbors. Brickton will be hosting an Open House for prospective families. It’s a chance to meet faculty, tour the school, and learn more about the Montessori philosophy.

Parent Alliance Meeting: Monday, January 14^th, 5:45pm – 7:15pm

Annual Benefit Meeting: Monday, January 14^th, 7:15pm – 8:15pm

Join us for the Parent Alliance Meeting followed by the Annual Benefit Meeting.  Care and pizza are available.  Please RSVP with Kelly.

Transition Nights

Meet the teachers and parents of current students.  Learn about the curriculum, assessment, goals and what a typical day looks like.  Meet & alumni parents to hear their perspective on the transition to the next program.

6-9 for parents of rising 1^st graders: Thursday, January 17^th, 5:30pm – 7:30pm

9-12 for parents of rising 4^th graders: Tuesday, January 29^th, 5:30pm – 7:30pm

Middle School for parents of rising 7^th graders: Tuesday, February 5^th, 5:30pm – 7:30pm

In-School Celebration

Friday, January 18^th, the Upper Elementary classroom will host an In-School Celebration.  We hope parents of Upper Elementary students can join us in the Great Room at 8:30 am for 15 minutes of skits and an all school sing-along accompanied by John Huber on guitar and Beth Peachey on piano.

Club Day

Monday, January 21^st is Martin Luther King Day and a Club Day at Brickton. All full day students and those pre-registered and pre-paid in the amount of $50 are welcome to attend.  If your child needs care on that day and is not pre-registered, please stop in the office and let us know, or contact Kelly.

Parent Development Nights

Tuesday, January 22^nd, 5:30pm – 7:00pm

Please join us as we explore such ideas as why we call the materials “work”, what a cycle of activity looks like in the Children’s House, and how a 3, 4, or 5 year old might use the same material differently.  The program is targeted for parents of Toddler and Children’s House students, though anyone is welcome to attend.  Care is available.  Please RSVP to Kelly.

Thursday, January 31^st, 6:00pm – 7:00pm in Room 106

Please join us for a wonderful parent development opportunity.  AMS Living Legacy, Dr. Betsy Coe, will talk with parents about Adolescent Development highlighting tips and strategies for raising your teenage child.  Care for students and dinner for all will be provided at no cost.  Please RSVP to Sara so we can plan accordingly.

Save The Date!

The Annual Brickton Benefit is just around the corner.  Do not forget to RSVP for 2013’s Big Leap, Saturday, March 2^nd.  Dinner, drinks, fabulous auction items, and new this year…TEAM TRIVIA!