The Portland Montessori Collaborative values parents/families as invaluable partners in their child’s experience at school. We believe that we learn from each other – and that children are best served when school and home work in partnership in service to a child. As with many systems in our culture, our school has rules and guidelines to ensure a consistent experience for all the children in our community.
The Parents’ Handbook is a resource and guide for keeping our school community in balance. Please note a few important limits in our school community.
- All children in class by 9 a.m. – if you find yourself running late, please drop your child off in the office.
- Respect – for self and others and our environment
We invite communication and dialogue between school and home. We communicate with parents formally in the following ways:
- Parent & Teacher conferences
- By appointment between 3:30 – 5:30 p.m. or at another mutually agreeable time
- Through documentation such as photos, blogs, essays, notes
It is important for parents to keep school advised of changes in their child’s life. Drop off and pick up times are not ideal for this type of communication. Each teacher has a file folder with slips of paper, please feel free to leave a note or send a note with your child. You may also call the School Director and leave a message. Your teacher will be notified immediately. It is important for teachers to maintain a level of trust with your child. This trust is compromised when they are asked to talk about a child in front of them.
There are many ways that parents can be active in our school community. We welcome parents to join our Parent Bridge, which serves as a resource to the administration of the program and bridge to the parent community. Parents can learn more about their child’s experience at school, and are encouraged to observe in their child’s classroom twice a year. We encourage parents to attend Parent Resource and Enrichment talks, community building events, or to work in our garden.
While our routines are structured to balance the needs of all children, we value parents as partners in their child’s education. There are ways to support learning in the classroom, please contact us directly for more details.
