The AIA Community Connection
After-school registration opens, a guide meets her former student, and the outdoor gathering space comes into use.
The first days of school are about arriving. The first full week is about settling in.
This week, children found their shelves, chose their work, and began building the rhythms that will carry them through the year.
Dear AIA Families,
We have reached our seventh day of school, and the year is off to a busy and very positive start.
Thank you to all of our families for making every effort to be timely during morning carpool. Because of your efforts, our school days have been able to begin in a calm, quiet manner, and it is wonderful to see how eager the students are to settle into their work and establish their classroom routines.
Speaking of routines, if you have not already, I invite you to visit our new blog in the Parent Education Center. This month’s article, Finding Our Rhythm: Preparing the Environment for More Peaceful Mornings, offers some thoughts on how the prepared environment can support children, and families, as we transition back into the rhythm of school.
I have also enjoyed having several opportunities to get to know parents this week. On Tuesday, I met with parents who are currently substitute teachers or are interested in becoming substitutes at AIA. If you missed the meeting but would like to learn more, please email our Front Office at admin@aiamontessori.com and we will share the details.
I also had the pleasure of spending time with our rock star Room Parents, welcoming those who are new to the role and expressing my appreciation to those who have served our community for some time. We began brainstorming ideas for our Fall Festival on Friday, October 30, with more information coming soon. A special thank-you to new AIA parent Shelby Bader, who has volunteered to chair this year’s Fall Festival, with returning parent Brittany Dimassi serving as co-chair. We’re grateful to have them helping lead one of AIA’s favorite community traditions.
Perhaps my favorite moment of the week, though, was a very small one. I have been made to feel so welcome by our children, and this week I received my first spontaneous hug from a Lower Elementary student. It was such a genuine, open greeting that it made my day.
There is something rather wonderful about becoming part of a community through moments like these.
Kind regards,
Look closely and you may spot your own child in the middle of something wonderful.
We asked, and you delivered: balloons, chalkboards, front-lawn poses, and plenty of first-day smiles. Thank you to every family who shared a little piece of their morning with us.
Keep them coming. Send your favorite AIA moments to photos@aiamontessori.com, and you may see them featured in a future edition of the Community Connection.
AIA’s after-school activities give children more ways to create, move, explore new interests, and spend time with friends beyond the regular school day.
Fall offerings span Primary through Grade 8 and include 10 class meetings. Most meet from 3:30–4:30 p.m. Primary Yoga meets from 1:00–2:00 p.m. Register by Monday, August 24.
Our Parent Education Center brings together articles on the questions families ask most, from practical guidance on routines at home to the thinking behind what happens in the classroom. A new featured article appears each month.
for every family who enrolls
Offered to currently enrolled families and employees who introduce a new family to AIA when that family completes enrollment.
To qualify, the referred family must be new to AIA, identify the referring person before enrollment is finalized, and the student must complete enrollment and begin attending.
Referral gifts do not apply to siblings of currently enrolled students and cannot be applied retroactively.
Thank you for helping introduce more families to the AIA community.
Each AIA family contributes eight volunteer hours during the school year.
1. Open the FACTS Family Portal and select Family.
2. Choose the family member who volunteered and click Add.
3. Enter the date, hours, and description of your service.
4. Enter LM in the Verified field and click Save.
Enter time in decimal format: 15 minutes = .25 · 30 minutes = .50 · 45 minutes = .75
Thank you for sharing your time and talents with AIA.
Please place your family’s pick-up card on the passenger side of your dashboard during both arrival and dismissal. It helps our staff learn family names, identify approved pick-ups, and keep afternoon carpool moving safely and efficiently.
Even if our team already knows you, please continue displaying your card each day. Thank you for helping us keep carpool consistent for everyone.
Pizza Fridays: details and registration on the AIA website
Extended Day: hours, pricing, and registration in the Family Hub
After-School Activities: registration open now, each activity limited to 16 children
Update your family information: confirm contact, emergency, pickup, and photo permissions in FACTS/RenWeb
Volunteer hours: eight per family, sign up for the opportunities that interest you most
“How did someone help you?”
Two simple questions that can open the door to wonderful conversations about kindness, community, and the many ways we take care of one another.
See you at school,
Sarah Prosser
Head of School, AIA Montessori
(770) 475-0558 · aiamontessori.com