Our First Full Week The routines are taking hold. 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. A Message From Our Head of School The small moments matter most. 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. Please note Late arrival tracking begins Monday, August 17. Now that we are settling back into our routines, thank you for continuing to help us give our children a peaceful and purposeful beginning to their day. |
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,  | Sarah Prosser Head of School |
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Aug 19 Wednesday | Upcoming Event Coffee & Chat with Mrs. Prosser 9:00–10:00 a.m. Classroom 5 · Lower Campus Our first Coffee & Chat of the school year. An informal hour to spend time together, ask questions, share ideas, and continue getting to know one another. I hope you can join me. |
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Look closely and you may spot your own child in the middle of something wonderful.  Already in use. Middle School students enjoy time together in the new outdoor gathering space on the Upper Campus, now nearing completion.  A guide and her former student. Ms. Cook taught him as a toddler in Pre-Primary. Now, years later, he’s beginning sixth grade, a beautiful glimpse of AIA’s one continuous Montessori journey. | |  Concentration on the work rug. A Pre-Primary student returns to the same building work again and again. Each repetition strengthens coordination, order, concentration, and the confidence to stay with a task. |
 Preparing the hand. A Pre-Primary student replaces each piece of the Parts of a Bird Puzzle, naming what she sees while strengthening the pincer grip that will one day hold a pencil. | |  Object to picture matching. Pairing each figure with its card is early language work, building vocabulary through the hand as much as the eye. |
 One quality at a time. Matching each lid to its place is visual discrimination work, and the material itself shows him when a piece does not belong, so the correction is his own. |
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From Our Families Thank you for sharing your first-day photos. 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. |
After-School Activities Registration is now open. 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. This Fall’s Activities | | | Monday · 3:30–4:30 p.m. | Registration Open |
Coding Camp Begins Monday, August 31 Hands-on computer science through age-appropriate projects. With Code Ninjas · Spanish Room, Upper Campus (4773) | $350 | | 10 classes | | 2nd Grade and up |
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| | | Tuesday · 3:30–4:30 p.m. | Registration Open |
Chess Begins Tuesday, September 1 Strategic thinking, patience, and focus. With Reece Thompson · Meeting Room, Lower Campus (4772) | $380 | | 10 classes | | Kindergarten and up |
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| | | Wednesday · 1:00–2:00 p.m. | Registration Open |
Yoga for Primary Begins Wednesday, September 2 Movement, breath, and a calm transition after the half-day Primary dismissal. With Joan Phillips · Spanish Room, Lower Campus (4772) | $220 | | 10 classes | | Primary, half-day |
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| | | Wednesday · 3:30–4:30 p.m. | Registration Open |
Art Begins Wednesday, September 2 A whole extra hour with paint, clay, and mixed media. With Becky Wilson · Art Room, Lower Campus (4772) | $380 | | 10 classes | | Kindergarten and up |
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| | | Thursday · 3:30–4:30 p.m. | Registration Open |
Debate Begins Thursday, September 3 Public speaking, confidence, and persuasive reasoning. With Ivy Bridge Academy · Spanish Room, Upper Campus (4773) | $360 | | 10 classes | | 3rd to 6th Grade |
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| | | Friday · 3:30–4:30 p.m. | Registration Open |
Cross Country Begins Friday, August 28 Distance running that builds toward our annual 5K race. With Porter Hite · Upper Campus (4773) | $250 | | 10 classes | | 1st Grade and up |
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Before You Register Each activity is limited to 16 children and requires minimum enrollment to run. Registration is first come, first served, and the office will confirm your child’s spot. Children are encouraged to bring a snack to enjoy before the activity begins. Food will not be provided by AIA. Please register by Monday, August 24. Registration is billed through your FACTS account, and an activity may fill before then. Once a session has started, fees are nonrefundable. Questions are welcome at finance@aiamontessori.com. |
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Extended Day Before- and after-school care is available through Extended Day, with hours, pricing, and registration in the Family Hub. | | Extended Day details |
| | Pizza Fridays A weekly AIA tradition. Families order once for the school year, with cheese, gluten-free, vegan, and gluten-free/dairy-free options available. | | Pizza Friday ordering |
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Parent Education Center Montessori ideas, written for families. 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. This Month’s Article Finding Our Rhythm: Preparing the Environment for More Peaceful Mornings “In Montessori, when a routine is not working smoothly, we do not simply ask how to get the child to do it. We also look at the environment and ask what we can change to help the child be successful.” Sarah Prosser, Head of School This month’s article explores the prepared environment, and how small changes at home can encourage independence and reduce morning stress. |
Browse all articles in the Parent Education Center |
Community Referral Appreciation Program Our best ambassadors are the families already here. | $100 | referral appreciation gift,
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. |
Logging Your Service Hours Please record your volunteer hours in FACTS. 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. |
Carpool Reminder Please display your pick-up card. 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. |
Looking Ahead 17 Mon | Tracking for late arrivals begins |
19 Wed | Coffee & Chat with Mrs. Prosser, 9:00–10:00 a.m., Classroom 5, Lower Campus |
24 Mon | After-school activities registration deadline |
28 Fri | Fall after-school activities begin, each on its scheduled weekday |
7 Mon | AIA closed, Labor Day |
11 Fri | AIA Family Picnic at Webb Bridge Park |
30 Fri | Fall Festival, more information coming soon |
Subscribe once, and stay current all year. Choose Subscribe on the calendar page and school events, closures, early releases, and conferences appear in your own calendar, updating on their own. You can also filter by category or download a printable version. |
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Ask Your Child About... “How did you help someone today?”
“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 |
