by Tamara Mount, August 6, 2014
Well, I thought things might slow down in the summer, but they haven’t . . . It has remained extremely busy and productive up here on top of the hill!
The Arts Barn: The Barn is nearing completion. The community has pulled together and we have the resources to move forward on getting most of the furnishings. We aim to have the equipment and furniture necessary to have it up and running when we get our “Certificate of Occupancy”. The current projected date is just before school opens! We plan to have a ribbon cutting ceremony at the All School Community Picnic on September 5th!
AfterCare Program Expansion: We are expanding our AfterCare program to include Lower and Upper Elementary students in a separate group with a new staff person excited to bring outdoor exploration, gardening, and games to the older students. In bad weather, they will use the space in the Arts Barn. We will also be offering more After School Programs, from 3:30-4:30 after a group snack time in the new Barn space.
Playground: We have had many generous donations towards new additions to the Children’s House and Elementary playgrounds. We are working hard to get things in place for the start of school.
Toddler Program: We are setting up the toddler program. We have full enrollment (with a waiting list) and need to get everything in place for these youngest students. A grant from the Henderson Foundation is supporting our Toddler Program start-up costs.
Program Improvements: There are several program improvements in the works – new nap bags for Children’s House, more math facts for Lower El, a new writing program for Lower and Upper El, math restructuring for Middle School, etc.
New Street Address: We’ve been informed by the Town that because we now have 4 buildings on our property (the pump house counts as a building for emergency responders), we need to have our own distinct road.
The Middle School house was built in 1905. It was known as the Stafford Family Farm. We have chosen “Stafford Farm Hill” as the new name for the driveway/road leading to the school.
The name reflects both the land’s history and our own teachings of farm to table, growing food for MS endeavors (and future farming dreams) and is in keeping with the Arts Barn, which clearly every farm should have! So, by the time everyone returns in the Fall, Hilltop Montessori School is likely to have a new street sign and a new address: 99 Stafford Farm Hill.
SummerFun: All the while, SummerFun has been robust and exciting. We have had an eye to next summer and how to continue to further develop our summer camp.
We are working to get these programs and facilities in place by September 3rd. Please come help us get ready at the Community Work Party on August 25th at 4 p.m.
Orientation day is Tuesday, September 2nd, with a regular school day starting for all programs on September 3rd. On those days, each family will receive a full packet of forms and information including, health forms, Student and Family Handbook, After School Programs information, etc.
Please look in the regular mail for the annual summer letter from your child(s) teachers that includes program specific news and information, including how orientation will be done for your child(s) program. If you are interested in other calendar dates for the school year, please visit the school calendar on the website – hilltopmontessori.org.
We look forward to seeing returning families and welcoming new families!
See you soon,
Tamara