Handbook (2010-2011)

Toddler Program (Full Day Only)

5 full days Aug. 27, 2008 - June 3, 2009
$600 per month

Preprimary Program (ages 3-6)

5 full days Aug. 27, 2008 - June 3, 2009
$585 per month

5 half days Aug. 27, 2008 - June 3, 2009
$485 per month

There is a 20% discount on the lowest tuition if you have two or more children enrolled.

All tuition is due on the first of each month. If tuition is not paid by the 10th of each month (unless prior arrangements have been made with the Director), a $25.00 late fee will be assessed. Questions regarding tuition should be addressed to the Director or Assistant Director. Tuition is subject to change per Board resolution and notification of parents.

Academic Year 2008-2009 Calendar

Our school is open year round. Changes to the following school calendar will be posted on the front door.

• June 9th, 2008- Summer Program Starts
• July 4th, 2008- CLOSED for Independence Day
• July 23rd, 2008- CLOSED at NOON for Cheyenne Day
• August 25th and 26th, 2008- CLOSED (Teacher Work Days)
• August 27th, 2008- First Day of School
• September 1st, 2008- CLOSED for Labor Day
• November 27th, 28th, 2008 CLOSED for Thanksgiving
• December 24th, 25th, 26th 2008 -CLOSED for Christmas
• December 31st, Jan. 1st, 2nd 2009 -CLOSED for New Year's
• April 6th-10th 2009 Spring Break- Open-alternate activities available
• May 25th, 2009- CLOSED for Memorial Day
• June 3rd, 2009- Last day of classes
• June 4th and 5th, 2009- CLOSED (teacher work days)
• June 8th, 2009- First Day of Summer Program

School Hours

MSC hours are 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Half-day sessions are 6:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. or 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Children attending in the morning are requested to be at school by 8:30 a.m. This ensures that they will be in class for any group lessons presented and quality time spent with the Montessori materials.

A $10.00 late pickup fee will be charged for every fifteen (15) minute interval after 5:30 p.m. that a parent has not picked up their child.

Parents are always welcome to visit the school to observe their children. There are two way mirrors looking into each classroom so that you can observe without your child seeing you.

Attendance

Attendance records are kept on all children. There is no refund for children who are ill, for absences, or for vacations. Please notify MSC if your child will be absent, late arriving, or needs to be picked up for an appointment.

Philosophy/Mission Statement

Our philosophy follows the teachings of Maria Montessori. The child is an independent spirit that is to be nurtured and respected. Each child should be allowed to develop in his or her own way using the Montessori materials. The teacher's job is to guide and encourage; to present lessons, but leave the child free to explore and experience life. The teacher provides a safe, beautiful, and stimulating environment.

Montessori School of Cheyenne is an early learning program which seeks to help each child reach their full potential through the Montessori philosophy.

The school nurtures the child through a safe environment which includes love, respect, independent choices, self-discipline, creativity, and the freedom for exploration.

The staff is highly qualified, well-trained, and dedicated to teaching the whole child in a loving, caring, and enriched environment.

Montessori School of Cheyenne is a community of children, parents, and staff united by open communication, trust and support.

Requirements and Rules

A supply fee of $30 will be charged every Sept. 1 and Jan. 1.

Fundraising Policy

The school is funded by tuition and fundraising only. The school has a requirement of fundraising per child and is part of the enrollment agreement.

• $25 per month up to $250 per school year for the first child
• Each additional child is $75 per year
• Alumni/Summer children are $75

This requirement runs the school year, September 1 through August 31. Goal amount is based on money raised for school; not retail sold. There will be a minimum of four fundraisers per year, one being held in each quarter. The annual spring fundraiser (Silent Auction) does not count towards each family's requirement.

If your child is enrolled after Jan. 1st, your fundraising requirement will be pro-rated at $25 a month.

MSC also participates in the following fundraisers:

• Box Tops for Education
• Albertson's Community Partner's Card
• Office Depot School Support
• Recycle for the Rainforest (Computer Ink cartridges)
• Domino's Pizza Nights

Parent Work Day

To maintain a quality program, parents are asked to do volunteer work at the school. Parents work jobs will be posted on the front door. Each family is asked to do 4 hours of work per school year. If you have special abilities or talents, please notify the Director. This requirement runs for the school year, September 1 through August 31.

If you are unable to donate 4 hours of work time, a $200.00 fee will be assessed in August (due in May for those children out for the summer). Please remember that your time and talents are more valuable to us!

Parent Help in the Classroom

Classroom teachers can always use help with their class. We encourage parents to become involved as volunteers. This also counts towards your parent work day hours. Please check with your child's head teacher.

Lunch Guidelines

Each family will provide lunch for their own child(ren). We will provide an A.M. & P.M. snack and milk at lunch. Please follow these guidelines:

• Provide a lunch box or bag with child’s name written on it.
• Include a frozen cold pack in the lunch. (we will not be storing lunches in the school refrigerator).
• As we are encouraging healthy, nutritious lunches, we ask that no candy, no sweets, and no drinks be sent in lunches. We will provide milk or water at lunch.
• Please send small servings of a variety of foods. Can use small plastic containers or baggies and thermos bottles for warm food. Example: ½ sandwich, fresh fruit, fresh veggies, and yogurt. Occasionally, leftovers from last night’s supper, such as a small piece of meat or mac & cheese, a small salad and fruit cup.

***We will microwave food as needed. Pyrex glass is the best choice for microwaving.

Donations

A list of needed items will be posted. Before getting rid of items, please check with our staff to see if it might be a treasure for our school.

Suggested Donations

On a regular basis, we will post items which are in particular demand at the school, in hopes that parents will donate these items and help our budget a bit.

The following items are ALWAYS in demand and we would appreciate them at any time!

• Paper towels
• Toilet paper
• Kleenex
• Dish soap
• White washcloths
• Band-aids
• Copy paper

Discrimination

In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.)

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC, 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice or TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity employer.

Staff/Board of Directors

Our staff is well trained and has been selected because of the Board of Director’s belief that they can provide a quality learning environment for our children. If you are concerned by the actions or behavior of a staff member, the Director should be notified. A list of current staff members, Director, and Board of Directors is available at the school. The members of the Board of Directors are parents and are elected by the parents of children attending MSC.

Sunscreen

Parents should apply an appropriate waterproof sunscreen to their children before school. The staff will reapply throughout the day as needed. We use Rocky Mountain Sunscreen.

Extra Clothes

Please keep an extra change of clothes, labeled with your child’s name, at school at all times. Accidents do happen and the child will feel more comfortable if he/she has his/her own clothes to change into.

*We ask that girls wear shorts under dresses so they are covered and modest while sitting cross-legged and playing on the playground.

Field Trips

The school attempts to offer out-of-school field trips. These trips expand your child’s experiences and provide a welcome addition to in-school learning. Since we realize that children mature at different rates, the staff will determine which children are of an appropriate behavior level to attend field trips. Parents of other children are invited to attend field trips with and provide supervision for their children. Occasionally, there may be an admission charge or other cost for a field trip not included in your child’s tuition.

Admission

The Director or Board of Directors reserve the right to deny admission of any child to the Montessori School of Cheyenne.

Termination of Enrollment

The Director or Board of Directors reserves the right to withdraw a child’s placement in the school. In the event a child’s placement is terminated prior to the end of the month, the balance of the month’s tuition shall be returned. In the event the family decides to leave the school, we request a two week notice.

Should tuition payment become over due into the next month, your child will forfeit their enrollment spot. Your account will then be turned over to a Collection Agency and the parent or guardian whose signature appears on the contract will be responsible for all collection and/or attorney fees.

Release of Children

Please note that we can only release children to authorized parties on your child’s record form. We require notice in advance if an unauthorized party is to pick up your child. Please remember that we also require seeing identification if someone new is allowed to pick up your child.

Parent Education

We offer a variety of parent education workshops, trainings, and materials. We highly recommend that you attend any workshops we offer. Child care is usually provided. Please check the front door for dates and times.

There is always an Orientation meeting for new families at the beginning of the Fall semester. We require all new parents to attend! There is also a Kindergarten meeting in early Spring for those considering what to do for their child’s Kindergarten year.

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Parent-Teacher conferences will be held once a year. During these conferences, the child’s progress will be discussed. Parents and teachers should remain in contact at other times as concerns and questions arise. Kindergarten children will also have an additional conference in the fall.

Parent-Teacher Communication

Our school does not take the place of the parent, but continues the work done by the parent. The goal of both the parent and the staff is to give our children the ability to be happy, useful human beings. Our staff strives to guide the children in as gentle a manner as possible, hoping that our children will mimic this gentle behavior. Our staff is available to suggest parent follow through at home to continue this more gentle form of discipline. When used consistently at home and school, this often can lead to a child who wishes to be well-behaved and who responds to non-violent guidance. Respect for all is so vitally important.

In turn, we ask that the parents be respectful to the children and the staff during class time. Please observe that if the Head Teacher is giving a lesson to a child when you bring your child into the classroom, please do not interrupt. Please refer to the Assistant or leave a message with the Director.We request that parents limit calls to staff during class hours to a minimum so our staff may be available in the classroom. Our staff will be happy to set up time for phone or in-person consultations during non-class time. Please also note that our children’s resting/nap time is from 1:00-3:00 and we ask that visitations be limited during this time.

Gum/Pop/Candy and Guns

Children may not bring toy guns, pop, candy, or gum to the school. We discourage your child bringing other toys to the school because we can not be responsible for loss or damage to these treasures.

Rest and Good Diet

Rest and proper diet are very important for your child. Our staff can provide suggestions in these areas, if necessary. Children need a good breakfast to do their best work.

Nappers

We ask that nappers bring a blanket, pillow, or nap roll that your child may like to sleep on. Please put your child’s name on each item. These items will be in each child’s classroom on Friday to be taken home for washing. It is important that weekly washing be done in hot water with liquid bleach.

Your child will nap in the early afternoon until the staff determines that the child can maintain in our program without a nap. This is a very individual matter and, therefore, we do not determine the need to nap just by the child’s age.

Snow Days

Inclement weather/ “Snow Days” are those days when Laramie County schools and/or government offices are closed. The final decision to open or close the school will rest with the Board of Directors and/or the Director and will be based on the ability of staff to safely get to the school. Parents should be aware that even if the school is open, staffing and programming will be seriously limited and, therefore, we request that parents who are home from work voluntarily keep their children home, if possible.

Additionally, the opening of the school may be delayed if roads are such as to delay the staff arrival. Closures of the school will be announced on CBS channel 5. No refunds will be given for days or portion of days when the school is closed due to inclement weather. If schools and offices close early due to weather, parents are asked to pick up their children as soon as possible so that our staff and children can get home safely.

Tornado/Emergency Shelter

In the event of a tornado, the staff will take emergency precautions and the children will be safely placed in our middle room which is the safest area of our building. We will be constantly informed using the weather radios.

We also practice monthly fire drills. In the event of a fire, the children will know what to do, and parents will be notified.

Birthdays

We celebrate birthdays with a simple Montessori ceremony. The month of your child’s birthday we will send a letter to you about treats,

While we make every effort to keep the children safe through supervision, minor injuries are inevitable. Minor boo-boos will be taken care of at school and an accident report filled out. Please sign the form, and then we keep them for a year.

If an injury requires immediate attention, we will use 911 and the parents will be notified immediately. If necessary, the child will be taken to the nearest hospital. If the parent can’t be reached, we will contact the emergency contact person listed on the child’s information form. Please note that all of the staff is certified in CPR and First Aid.

We provide a well-child program! For the safety and protection of all the children in our care, we follow recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics. We request that you not place your child in our care if they display any of the following symptoms:

1. Fever in the last 24 hours
2. Diarrhea or vomiting in the last 24 hours
3. Pink Eye or other Eye Infections
4. Severe Sore throat (other than allergy related)
5. Colored nasal discharge
6. Skin rashes other than diaper rash
7. Lice
8. Any communicable diseases

Children are required to remain out of school for the standard suggested time for all contagious illnesses (24 hours from beginning an antibiotic, or 24 hours without a fever). Additionally, we are not medically staffed and, therefore, do not have staff to clean up small children with severe diarrhea or vomiting, even if of non-contagious origins, or to care for convalescing children.

If you suspect your child to have strep throat, contact your physician or the City/County Health Unit for a throat culture. Please see the Sick Child Policy section.

Sick Child Policy

The following are excluded from care:

• Any child who cannot participate in a regular child care program due to discomfort, injury, or other symptoms of illness may be refused care by the provider.
• A facility serving well children may not admit a child who has the illness/symptoms specified below:
• Diarrhea, when it is:
• Due to disease spread by fecal contamination or when the child is under the care of a physician
• Accompanied by evidence of dehydration or fluid loss, identified by sunken eyes or poor skin elasticity
• Accompanied by abnormal stools with blood or mucous
• Accompanied by a history of poor intake or unusual drowsiness
• Continued beyond three or four days unless the child is under the supervision of a physician with written documentation that it is safe to readmit the child for care
• Severe pain or discomfort
• One or more episodes of acute vomiting within a period of 24 hours
• Difficult or rapid breathing
• Yellowish eyes or skin
• Sore throat with a fever or severe coughing
• Untreated head lice
• Untreated scabies
• Children suspected of being in contagious stages of chicken pox, pertussis, measles, mumps, rubella, or diphtheria
• Skin rashes, excluding diaper rash, lasting more than one day