PARENT PARTICIPATION

Parents are a
Vital Part of our Montessori School 

As part of our goal to work with parents for the education of their children, parents are a vital part of our Montessori school. 

In keeping with the purpose and spirit of the Montessori approach to education, we encourage parents to become actively involved in the activities of the school and read school newsletters, attend conferences, meetings and school functions.

Parents are reminded that through their volunteer participation, the child sees and understands that the parents sincerely and deeply cares about the school and a sense of value and pride is fostered.

The Parent’ Association meets to discuss upcoming activities, fundraising events, and other opportunities to help support the growth and development of the students and school on a monthly basis.

The Parents’ Association of Montessori School of Lemont exists to support the school’s philosophy, programs, and activities for the benefit of all students, staff and families. 

If you are interested in joining the Parents’ Association, please send an email to info@lemontmontessori.com.

Parents/guardians have the opportunity to become involved in their child’s classroom by becoming a Room Parent. A Room Parent is selected by the classroom teacher in conjunction with school administration. When feasible, the Room Parent will be someone whose child has been in the current classroom for at least a year. Room Parents should not be an MSOL staff member. Each Room Parent will serve the classroom for a one-year period. The one-year period allows for inclusion of other parents in the classroom activities and demonstrates non-preferential treatment. The teacher reserves the right to request a Co-Room parent to assist in larger classrooms or training of the new Room Parent.

It is the responsibility of the Room Parent to volunteer to assist the classroom with activities as requested by the teacher. The Room Parent will be the liaison between the PA and classroom families. Room Parents will be responsible for email distribution regarding PA events and collections. Room Parents are also responsible for contacting families that are new to the classroom within two weeks of the child beginning classes, to offer support, answer questions and help the family feel welcome at the school. The names and contact information for classroom families will be provided to the Room Parent by the Room Parent coordinator.

The Montessori School of Lemont relies on the involvement of all parents for the prosperity of the school. Parent meetings are held three times throughout the school year to keep parents up to date with the curriculum, school management, and policies and feature staff and guest speakers.  Attendance by at least one parent is required at these meetings. Due to the large number of students enrolled in our programs, child care is offered by reservation only. 

Past speakers include child development experts, educational professionals and author of Montessori Madness! Trevor Eissler, who discussed the Prepared Environment and how the aviation industry; intelligence agencies and field of medicine have benefited from applying Montessori philosophy to their safety protocols. 

Parent-Student Evenings
Parent-Student Evenings are held in October and February and are an opportunity for children to show their parents the school from their very personal perspective. The child is the focus on this evening as he or she is during the school day, therefore no formal meeting will be structured and parents will be guided by their child.  Conferences to discuss your child’s progress are scheduled for another time.

Conferences and Reports
Formal parent conferences are scheduled with all parents in November and May. New parents also have an informal conference that will be scheduled after the first six weeks of school at a mutually agreeable time. Children at the Primary and Lower Elementary levels do not participate in conferences. Upper Elementary students participate in the conference and Adolescent students lead their conference, reporting out to parents in the company of their teacher.  

Parents’ Association
The Parents’ Association meets regularly to plan social and fundraising events to support our school community including our favorite annual traditions:  Movie Night, Color Run, Book Fair, Fall Fest, Thanks4Giving, Care & Carol, Grandparents’ Day, Pajama Day, Teacher Appreciation, the annual auction and school picnics.

The Montessori School of Lemont encourages all parents to become involved in their child’s education both in the classroom and outside of the classroom. If you are looking for a rewarding way to spend your free time, please email us at info@lemontmontessori.com .

Childcare is provided at no cost for parents volunteering during regularly scheduled After School Care hours (3:00-6:00 pm).

A VITAL SOURCE OF INCOME FOR OUR SCHOOL

FUNDRAISING

The Montessori School of Lemont receives revenue from tuition, fees and donations. As in all non-profit organizations, fundraising is a very important source of income to our school. We solicit charitable, tax deductible gifts from parents, past parents, alumni and friends of the school to expand and improve our campus and to update classroom materials as needed. Fundraising revenue is not used for operations but may be used for special projects.

An annual development commitment is due from each family by August 1 each year. This fee becomes part of the building fund for future construction and building maintenance.

Log in to Amazon through, smile.amazon.com, select Montessori School of Lemont as your nonprofit of choice, and shop as normal! Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to the school.

An auction is held annually to raise funds for the development of the school grounds and to provide additional classroom materials. Parents are the sole resource of the school for soliciting, organizing and hosting the auction. All parents are strongly encouraged to participate by committing your time, talents and attendance to the auction for the continue growth of our school community.

Bid on items, buy raffle tickets, and become a sponsor for this year’s auction at http://www.charityauction.bid/msolgoldengala

Based on information gained from parents, the child’s individual needs and their own experience and training, teachers have a daily routine to guide them in the specific work for which each child indicates readiness. Records are updated daily and an overview is provided to the parents at conferences in November and March. In October, there is an Informal Conference for parents of new students. 

Teachers keep a complete record of every child’s progress in each area of the curriculum: Practical Life, Sensorial, Math, Language, Science, Geography, Art, Music, and Movement. 

There are three levels of progress indicated on the written conference reports for each activity:
1) Introduced
2) Practicing
3) Mastered.

No formal report is prepared for the Informal Conference. Instead, this initial meeting is an opportunity for the teacher and parents to share insights and establish rapport.

 

 

STAY UPDATED

STUDENT PROGRESS

STUDENT

TESTInG

Based on information gained from parents, the child’s individual needs and their own experience and training, teachers have a daily routine to guide them in the specific work for which each child indicates readiness. Records are updated daily and an overview is provided to the parents at conferences in November and March. In October, there is an Informal Conference for parents of new students. 

Teachers keep a complete record of every child’s progress in each area of the curriculum: Practical Life, Sensorial, Math, Language, Science, Geography, Art, Music, and Movement. 

Questions/Concerns

Questions and concerns about your child should be addressed to his or her teacher. Policy questions should be addressed to administration. Parents are strongly encouraged to report to school any situations that make you uncomfortable. Every effort will be made to address your concerns. We value the reputation of our school for being a safe, secure, and welcoming environment.