Families are encouraged to set a time with guides (a child’s classroom 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 our families with extra meetings or reports.

Join your child at school events and activities. We love getting to know our Riley families by collaborating and celebrating together during special events.

Riley Dual Language Montessori School is fortunate to have a dedicated parent coordinator on staff to answer questions about parent engagement, family events, and school resources. You can meet Maritza Rivera in our Parent Resource Center, or contact her at rivera10@milwaukee.k12.wi.us.

Family Involvement

• Parent Education Sessions – Monthly guest speakers present on a wide variety of topics. This is a great opportunity to learn how to support students’ bilingual development through the Montessori method, and so much more.
• Montessori Advisory Committee (MAC) – The MAC began in early 2018 as a working group of MPS Montessori parents and now includes teachers, paraprofessionals, principals, district administrators, and community partners.
• Parent Teacher Association (PTA) – Meets 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. every third Wednesday.
• School Engagement Council (SEC) – Meets 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. every third Thursday.

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 Riley Dual Language Montessori School includes practices and priorities like:

• Make sure your child arrives at school on time every day (7:25 a.m.).
• Call the school attendance line when your child will be absent: (414) 902-7100. 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.
• On Wednesdays, check your child’s bookbag for the green “Wednesday folder,” which contains important info and forms from Riley Dual Language Montessori School.
• At home, have a quiet time and place for your child to read and to study.
• Read with your child every day.
• Volunteer in the classroom.
• Ask how you can join our field trips.

Montessori at Home

Your student(s) will complete most of their assignments and projects during the school day, working with special learning tools and stations that are part of every well-stocked Montessori environment.

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.

To access additional homework resources for your student, find out if your child’s classroom teacher uses Google Classroom or Seesaw as their preferred interactive learning platform.

Communicating with Your Child’s Montessori Guide

Stay in touch with your child’s teacher, or Montessori guide, and you’ll be up to date on your child’s academic goals and accomplishments.

Children 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 school contact information at the beginning of each school year. You can gather this information from school handouts, during open-house events or visit our staff directory.
• Every Wednesday, check your child’s bookbag for a green-and-white folder. Wednesday folders contain important school and classroom information like permission slips, meeting and event notices, and more.
• 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. 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.
• Volunteer for a field trip or family event at school. Riley Dual Language Montessori School needs volunteers during and after school. Ask how you can get involved in a way that fits your schedule.

Learn more about volunteering with MPS.