CPG Sun Room Class Page For Parents: Oneness-Family School (OFS)

What to Bring to School

What Your Child Should Bring to School

Blanket, Sheet, and Small Pillow (Preschool)

If your child is a preschooler, please have them bring a crib mattress sheet for their sleeping mat. Also, bring a child-sized (airline-size) pillow and a small blanket – no bigger than a backpack; we will let you know if they are too large so you can replace them. PLEASE LABEL ALL PERSONAL ITEMS and bring them in a reusable grocery or tote bag. Items will be taken to the nap room on Mondays and sent home on Fridays for washing.

Slippers and Shoes

In the classroom, footwear is mandatory. Shoes must be fully secured to the foot, suitable for outside running, climbing and playing (i.e. sneakers or sandals with full heel and toe coverage). Children should bring slippers, spare shoes, or sandals to wear indoors. Please keep footwear simple and non-commercial character oriented. 

Spare Clothing

Please send a complete change of seasonal clothes – including socks and underwear (two pairs for younger students). We send any soiled clothing home in a plastic bag. These items need to be replaced the following day. Anyone can have a spill or accident, not only those who are toilet training. We are helping to empower your child to manage to change their clothing. Please provide easy clothing and shoes to put on and take off, and practice at home if needed. Velcro straps and slip-on shoes are suitable for those who cannot yet tie. For PE class days, Kindergarteners should have pants/shorts and sneakers.

Water Bottle

Each child needs a labeled, reusable water bottle every day, all year. Children use them for snack and lunch time, specialist classes, outdoor play, and after-school enrichment activities. 

For clothing and other belongings, iron-on and sticky labels are available online at www.mabelslabels.com.

Morning Arrival & Afternoon Dismissal

Arrival: 8:30-8:55 AM

Arrival is between 8:30 and 8:55 a.m. To help with a smooth transition, please drop off in the carpool line along the front curb, or park and walk your child to the front entrance. Staff will be present to receive your children. Children enter and begin their work right away. We advise keeping goodbyes short and sweet; we want each child to enter independently and with empowerment. Loving and reassuring short goodbyes help them grow much more than long separations and negotiations for a little more time together.

It is essential that children arrive on time (by/before 9 a.m.) daily so they will not miss (or interrupt, such as birthday celebrations) important lessons, activities, or work time

Dismissal (3:30-3:45 PM)

Dismissal is 3:30 – 3:45 p.m. The hallways are busy and crowded at this time as students wait for parents or caregivers to arrive.  You may wait in the carpool line along the curb or, if on foot, on the sidewalk along West Avenue. Once you arrive, a staff member will call your child’s name over the radio, and a teacher or office staff will walk them out to you. 

Parking

Parents who want to accompany their child into the school, or enter the school to pick up their child, may use the school parking lot for up to 15 minutes. Please only use spots marked “Oneness-Family School.” Neighborhood parking is available only for families with local permits. 

Please note that the OFS-marked parking spots are primarily for staff members who may arrive at different times throughout the day. The school is not responsible for any cars parked in non-OFS spots or the neighborhood without a permit.

Snack & Lunch

Snack Time

Our selection includes fresh fruits and vegetables, dried fruits, seeds, pure jams, whole-grain crackers, breads, corn chips, salsa, hummus, applesauce, yogurt, cheese, fruit spread, and more. Due to the potential risks with common allergens, we do not serve tree nut or peanut products of any kind and we are a nut safe school; please do not pack anything with tree nuts or peanuts in your child’s lunch. Also, avoid foods that say “may contain peanuts or nut ingredients.” Unfortunately, these will need to be returned home.

Guidelines for Lunch

We have a NUT SAFE policy.

Teachers may communicate about nuts and other allergies in each classroom, though we always ask that snacks, lunches, etc. contain no foods with nut ingredients or which may contain nut ingredients. 

Play, Sharing & More!

We Aim to Go Outside Every Day!

Send appropriate attire for inclement weather such as rain jackets, boots, gloves, hats, etc. Even in light rain or snow, we can go out if students are adequately prepared. In these conditions, we strongly request that you send your children the right clothing to get out and experience the weather. 

Toys and Items From Home

Please have your children leave all toys, money, jewelry etc. at home. Remind them that we have plenty at school to do and enjoy in our classrooms. Extra items often become distractions and may get lost or broken.

Sharing Ourselves – The Me Bag*

We honor each child and their unique interests through a special activity. A cloth bag called the “Me Bag” will go home with a different child each day and be returned the next day. This is a way for the child to experience leadership and “public” speaking as they share the precious and meaningful objects from their lives.

Please help your child select a single, special item (unless a small collection such as rocks, shells, etc.) that represents their interests and experiences. Some examples are crystals, books, pictures, special music, instruments, crafts, souvenirs, or any other educational or unique object that helps us know them better and may even support our curriculum. The “Me Bag” child will present and talk about the particular item at circle time and be the class helper and leader for the day.

Hints: Quality over quantity! Please avoid toys, stuffed animals, and commercialized/character items.

Field Trips

Off-campus field trips typically occur in the fall and spring. We may visit museums, the theater, parks, and more. In addition to these scheduled events, we may occasionally take spontaneous teacher-led excursions, such as nature walks in the neighborhood. Watch for announcements about lunches, schedules, and chaperone requests. 

Birthdays

We celebrate each child’s birthday at school with a special circle time. Normally, from 9:00-9:30 AM, we invite parents to come in and tell the story of their child’s life as we celebrate their years of growth. We ask that you share a photo or two from each year of their child’s life. These can be printed or shared digitally. Bringing in a snack is optional. Due to allergy considerations, we do not accept snacks made at home, though non-sugary store-bought treats can be shared, provided they are unopened and in original packaging.

Examples of suitable birthday treats include naturally sweetened carrot cakes and cookies, fruits or vegetables, bagels, cheeses, yogurt, etc. These should be in portions ready to serve and planned ahead with the teachers. Please, NO nuts.

We have a NUT SAFE policy. Teachers may communicate about nuts and other allergies in each classroom, though we always ask that snacks, lunches, etc., contain no foods with nut ingredients or that may contain nut ingredients. 

Birthday Celebrations

CPG Birthday Celebrations are usually held from 9:00 to 9:30 a.m. but may be at a different time to accommodate parent schedule needs. They may be on the actual birthday but do not need to be. Contact us to schedule.

For the celebration we ask parents to bring just the following things:

A)  Parent(s) (and/or other important family member(s) or nanny, etc.,)
B)   The birthday child (ha ha)
C)   A photo or two of your child at each year of their life*. These can be printed, emailed, or shared digitally

For students with siblings in other classrooms, you might ask those teachers whether the student can come join our class for the celebration.

*This means that we would like you to share a photo of your child near birth or during the first months/year of life, a photo of them at one year of age, a photo at two years, etc. up to the birthday year. (A photo of the child at their new birthday age is not needed.) If your child is turning 4, then you’ll have four photos – at ages “0,” 1, 2, and 3. Through the photos and a special song, we will count the years and celebrate the story of their life. Again, photos can be printed out, shown on a tablet, or shared electronically for display on our large tv screen.

Summer Birthdays

For children with summer birthdays, we typically do a half-birthday celebration. In this case, a photo of the child at the current age is fine. If the child is 5½, there could be photos of 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. We can do summer birthdays at the end of the school year as well, prior to summer break.

Birthday Treats

Bringing in a snack is completely optional, and should follow our usual guidelines and practices for food sent to school. We ask that it be relatively healthy, light on sugar or additives, and nut-safe. We are not able to accept home-baked items, and foods brought from the store must be in the original package with ingredients listed. (We ask you to keep it simple and save goody bags, cupcakes, and extra sweet treats for your home celebrations and parties.)

Suggestions include: fresh fruit or fruit kabobs, yogurt cups (alone or with breakfast cereal or raisins to mix in,) cheese and crackers, veggie snacks, or lightly sweetened, pre-packaged baked items like muffins, carrot cake, banana bread, etc. In support of our students and community, we will confirm that items are nut safe before serving. PLEASE speak to your child’s teacher about any other classroom allergies or considerations and let us know if you intend to bring a snack. We will be ready to provide daily snack regardless.

If bringing a food such as yogurt cups, then providing disposable spoons/silverware would be helpful, as we might not have extra utensils readily at hand.

Thank you and we look forward to celebrating together!

Assessment at the Primary Level

Montessori was founded on the principle of observations and in addition to tracking academic skills, the teachers record social, emotional, and physical abilities to better serve the student’s needs and support their development.

Tracking is done on each individual student’s progress by grade and subject following the school’s annual subject goals and a scope and sequence developed by Dr. Montessori. Tracking is based on conversation, presentation, observation, self-assessments, and student portfolios, and progress is shared in detailed reports.

Primary Program Benchmarks

The Benchmarks summarize the skills and outcomes students accomplish at each level of our Primary Program.