Families are encouraged to set a time with their child’s guide(s) — Montessori vocabulary for “teacher” — to discuss their child’s progress. Guides send progress reports to parents and guardians and hold conferences. Guides and staff are ready to help families with extra meetings or reports.
Join your child at school events and activities. We love getting to know our Craig families by collaborating and celebrating together during special events.
Craig Montessori School is fortunate to have a dedicated parent coordinator on staff to answer questions about parent engagement, family events, and school resources, in addition to an active Parent Teacher Organization and School Engagement Council. You can meet Courtney Hicks in our Parent Resource Center or send her an email at winterc@milwaukee.k12.wi.us.
Craig Montessori Family Events
- Montessori Education Night – Offered twice yearly, this program explains the basics and benefits of a Montessori education.
- Back to School Picnic – September
- Annual Black History Celebration – February
- Spring Festivals Around the World – May
- Bridging Ceremony – Late-spring ceremonies celebrate students as they make the transition from the primary to elementary grades (K5 to first-grade transition) and from elementary to secondary grades (sixth to seventh-grade transition).
- Eighth Grade Completion Ceremony
- Parent Teacher Organization – Meets monthly
- School Engagement Council – Meets monthly
Montessori Advisory Committee
The Montessori Advisory Committee (MAC) began in early 2018 as a working group of MPS Montessori parents and now includes guides, paraprofessionals, principals, district administrators, and community partners.
Supporting Your Student
Family involvement leads to better grades, better attendance, improved test scores, higher self-esteem, and better behavior for children. Helping your child succeed at Craig Montessori School includes practices and priorities like:
- Make sure your child arrives at school on time every day (9:10 a.m.).
- Make sure your child is picked up from school on time every day (4:10 p.m.)
- Call the school attendance line when your child will be absent: (414) 393-4200. We must be sure every student has arrived safely and follow up with any who are absent. We must also record absences correctly.
- Ensure that your child gets at least nine hours of sleep every night.
- Dress your child appropriately for the weather. Please tell us if your student needs a coat or other outerwear.
- Check your child’s bookbag every day for important messages, and look for your child’s Wednesday folder each week.
- At home, have a quiet time and place for reading.
- Read with your child every day.
- Volunteer in the Craig Community.
Montessori at Home
Your student(s) will complete the majority of their assignments and projects during the school day, working with special learning tools and stations that are part of every Montessori classroom.
You can be a partner in your child’s Montessori education by nurturing their natural independence, creativity, and desire to help right at home. Familiarize yourself with simple Montessori-at-home practices. Your child’s school library or parent resource center may have other Montessori parenting resources that you can explore.
Learning at Home
At home, your child can easily access the same online programs they use in class. Have your student log in through Clever to find learning programs like Smarty Ants, Discovery Education, Flocabulary, and others.
Communicating with Your Child’s Guide
Stay in touch with your child’s guide and you will be up to date on your child’s academic goals and accomplishments. Students feel extra motivated when they see guides and parents working as a team to reinforce high expectations and positive learning strategies. Here are some tips for building a strong parent-guide relationship to support your child.
- Collect current school/guide contact information at the beginning of each school year. You can gather this information from guide handouts, during open-house events or visit our staff directory.
- Attend parent-guide conferences in person or virtually. Students are proud to “show off” their school and feel supported when guides and caregivers make time to meet at a conference or school event.
- If a scheduled conference time does not work for you, contact the guide to choose a different time. Or schedule a virtual appointment or phone call with the guide. Ask if your child should attend.
- Send your child to school with a bookbag every day and check the bookbag when they come home at night. Important paperwork travels from school to your home and back again in your child’s bookbag: permission slips, classroom updates, and school calendars.
- Use digital communication apps like ClassDojo, Class Messenger, and Remind. Guides and coaches use these apps to communicate easily and directly with families. Your child’s guide should provide you with log-in information at the beginning of the school year or sports season.
- Volunteer for a field experience or family event at school. Craig Montessori School needs volunteers during and after school. Ask a guide or school staff member how you can get involved in a way that fits your schedule.