Parking and Drop-off UpdateWe have noticed that our parking system needs a bit of fine tuning. Please be patient with us, as several parents are taking extra time to drop-off their child because of the transition of the new school year. If you need extra time with your child in the mornings, feel free to come early to begin your day and goodbyes on the playground. We really appreciate your

patience and understanding. If you have any questions about parking, please email us or feel free to communicate directly with Lisl.

Luke (9/6)Zoe G. (9/6)

Ms. Holly (9/9)Alexa G. (9/10)

Max K. (9/11)Dani (9/12)

Alice (9/12)Harper (9/16)

Gabriela (9/18)Alexa S. (9/18)

Ms. Tiffany (9/26)Isabelle F. (9/28)

Here’s to a new school year!Happy Birthday to our friends born in September!

September 2012

Primary 1 Thunderbirds

Amrita DhillonAniello ZumpanoAnna MooreChahat BahriCollin McCaslandDavid PodbielskiJayson LeonardJonah TarverOwen DeitzPia SosaTheodore LipsteinTosh Kelley

Primary 2 PhoenixesBrynn Mitchell

Casper KanerElla LeibovichIsabelle Pinchero-WakeLiam CraigMichael FridayMiles WyattOwen BoshartPatrick O'HaraRuby Chalupka

Primary 3 SparrowsAmaya ZesatiEulalie LozachGray Montgomery

Luca ZesatiMaya GarciaMayan GoyalNash ChapmanSerling TallentVincent Salvagio

Primary 4 QuetzalsBeatrix LozachEdie TallentHarper MainesJett CookeKoruna IngramLilian Turns (Lilly)Maeve Ellis

Ryder HirschSophie Sinklier

TOT 1 HummingbirdsAmelia SafferAurelia KaplanTristan MazzettiDaxton ArnoldKaius Carson-PowersLakshmi GopalanLuke ReneauMurphy DixonOlivia Fuller

TOT 2 SandpipersAlexa Grodziski

Alexandria Lindner (Lexa)Arlo SpiroCash Roden-JohnsonCharles FelixDevlin McCormickEthan RobinsonHudson BairdIsabelle FinanNoah BrunerPhoebe SkinnerSiri VlcekWinston BriceZoe Rubin

Welcome New Students!We’re happy to have the following new students and their families at Athena!

Luca Zesati (Primary 3)

“Education is a natural process carried out by the child and is not acquired by listening to words but by experiences in the environment.”-Dr.Maria Montessori

Happy Birthday Maria! (Born August 31, 1870)

A gift to our community...Parent Workshop Series by Bethany Prescott - Mark your calendars!Athena offers parenting workshops for Athena parents taught by Bethany Prescott throughout the school year. Bethany is a trained therapist, wife, and!mother of three, and was previously a Montessori toddler teacher for eight years. She supports parents, couples,!and teachers to lovingly guide and deeply connect with the!children they share their lives with. Mark your calendars for the dates below. You won’t want to miss these opportunities!

Parenting from ScratchDesigning a parenting style that works for youSunday, November 4th, 3 - 5 PMSome of us are looking to fine-tune our parenting, and some of us are attempting a complete overhaul. Whether you’re struggling to do it differently than you were parented, or just torn between all of the conflicting opinions out there...it can feel really hard to find your own voice. This workshop will offer ideas about how to get you there.

Big Fears, Big Tears, Big AngerEmotion coaching with childrenSunday, April 14th, 3 - 5 PMIt’s hard to know what to do with a child’s really BIG feelings. Whether it’s a nuclear meltdown, rage, paralyzing frustration, weepy heartbreak, or fear and anxiety...it can leave us feeling our very own big feelings. We’ll talk about how to honor, respect, and nurture your child’s feelings AND keep the family moving.

“Life is a celebration of awakenings,

of new beginnings,

and wonderful surprises that enlighten the soul.”

- Cielo

Check out these books on Starting

School!

The Invisible String by Patrice Karst

I Love You all Day Long by Francesca Rusackas

The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn

A message from Ms. LauraDear Families,

As we begin a new school year, I am reminded of the importance of honoring the significant transition from home to school for both adult and child. Excitement, worry, sadness, and anticipation are a few of the feelings that may arise as you prepare to let go of one phase of your life and prepare to enter another. For those of you sending your child off to school for the very first time or for those of you sending your last child off to school, this can be an especially emotional time. Dealing with your own feelings surrounding transition can be a challenge in itself. To add to this challenge, you are entrusted with the care of precious little people who have a whole range of their very own feelings (and aren’t afraid to show them). Let’s face it: Transition can be hard! Whether young or old, change, whether negative or positive, can be difficult to embrace.

With that awareness in mind, how do you approach the start of a new school year and ensure a positive transition experience for both adult and child? To begin, remind yourself of the very fact that you are in transition. Share your concerns, communicate with your guides and ask questions. The more informed you are about what to expect the more prepared (and the more relaxed) you will feel. Your child’s guides are an invaluable resource as you navigate this transition. You also have parent allies, others who have been through this process and can provide practical, useful advice as you begin this new chapter in parenthood. Above all, remember that this is a process! Any feelings that arise are a natural part of this process. Acknowledging your feelings as well as those of your child will help tremendously as you begin to embrace this change.

Finally, take HEART! Remember that change is a natural part of life. Your child will be looking to you for clues on how to handle this transition and the skills they develop now will serve them for the rest of their life, a pretty amazing thing . . .

“Perceive the child in reverence,educate the child in love,

let the child go in freedom.”- Rudolf Steiner

Important DatesSept. 3 Labor Day, School Closed

Oct. 19 Staff Development Day Student Holiday - Jump! Gymnastics will be offering a day camp. See their website for details: www.jumpgymnastics.com.

TOTs Physical Education with Jump! Gymnastics

Physical Education for TOTs is provided by Jump! Gymnastics Certified Coaching Staff once a week in the Athena Gymnasium. P.E. is taught by the teachers on alternate PE days.

In early childhood, children establish patterns of activity that carry through the rest of their lives, so it is important to take advantage of toddler’s innate desire to be active by involving them in activities that are fun and engage the total body.!For centuries gymnastics has been the most popular and successful sport at achieving total body fitness in a fun environment.!Gymnastics participation increases coordination, agility, flexibility, strength, spatial awareness and balance. By increasing these physical attributes at a young age, children build confidence in their athletic ability and are more likely to live a physically fit, healthy lifestyle, and develop a love for sports and exercise.

More information about Jump! Gymnastics can be found at www.jumpgymnastics.com.

PE starts Sept. 20th! Primary Physical Education with Minds in Motion Minds in Motion Experiential Learning provides physical education classes for Athena Montessori Academy, as well as trains assistants for the younger children’s physical education experiences. The goal of the Whole Child Physical Education Program™ is to show each child how to possess the healthiest body, spirit and mind possible, taking into account that what's right for one child might not be right for another. Modeling values, ethics and character building are a big part of this learning experience with Minds in Motion.

P.E. includes:• Yoga• Brain Gym exercises: crossing the body’s midline,

developing the brain’s hemispheres, promoting balance and cognitive skills through movement, etc.

• Gross motor movements: jog, hop, skip, leap, etc.• Cooperative Games/Team Building• Eye/hand and eye/foot coordination• Team sport lead up games & concepts• Field Day in May for all Primary Classes!

Please send children in sports sandals or athletic shoes with socks. Please no Crocs or flip-flops for safety reasons.

Physical Education with Minds in Motion will meet on Thursdays (beginning September 20th).

Questions? E-mail Michael at mindsinmotion@earthlink.net.

Babysitter List(Friends of Athena)Marley Ketter: 501-9882Sadie Wolfe: 983-3386Meghan Feffer: 771-6764 or meghanfeffer58@gmail.comLiz Hudson: 785-4897

Sunscreen, Water Bottles, Bug Spray,

and OLIVER’S LABELS!If you would like for your child to have sunscreen and bug spray re-applied throughout the day, please bring a bottle of each to your classroom, labeled with your child’s name. Don’t forget to

bring a labeled water bottle too!

Follow the link below to purchase durable, waterproof labels, and a portion of the proceeds will be sent right back to the school!www.oliverslabels.com/athenaowls

Introducing Athena’s Youngest Member-To-Be: Baby Lewis! Congratulations to expecting parents,

Lisl and Josh!

Ruby Chalupka and Casper Kaner

(Primary 2)

September 2012 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 September Tuition

Installment Due

3 4 5 6 7 8 Labor Day Holiday

School Closed

Tuition late after the 5th

Luke and Zoe G.’s Birthday!

Ms. Holly’s Birthday! (9/9)

10 11 12 13 14 15 Alexa G.’s Birthday! Max K.’s Birthday! Dani’s Birthday!

Alice’s Birthday! Harper’s Birthday!

(9/16)

First Day of PE! 17 Gabriela’s Birthday! 18 19 20 21 22 9:00 Jump! TOT PE 10:30 – 11:00 Jump! 2:15 – 3:00 Wee Little Arts 3:00 – 3:45 Wee Little Arts

Alexa S.’s Birthday! 9:45-10:30 Dance 2:15 – 2:50 Soccer Shots 3:00 – 3:35 Soccer Shots

2:45 – 3:30 Yoga 3:30 – 4:15 Yoga 4:30 – 5:30 Adult, donation-based Yoga

First Day of PE! 9:00 – 11:00 Primary PE 2:45 – 3:30 Dance 3:45 – 4:30 Dance

9:45-10:30 Dance 2:45 – 3:15 Jump! 3:30 – 4:00 Jump!

24 25 26 27 28 29 9:00 Jump! TOT PE 10:30 – 11:00 Jump! 2:15 – 3:00 Wee Little Arts 3:00 – 3:45 Wee Little Arts

9:45-10:30 Dance 2:15 – 2:50 Soccer Shots 3:00 – 3:35 Soccer Shots

Ms. Tiffany’s Birthday! 2:45 – 3:30 Yoga 3:30 – 4:15 Yoga 4:30 – 5:30 Adult Yoga

9:00 – 11:00 Primary PE 2:45 – 3:30 Dance 3:45 – 4:30 Dance

Isabelle F’s Birthday! 9:45-10:30 Dance 2:45 – 3:15 Jump! 3:30 – 4:00 Jump!

For volunteer opportunities for community events, teacher appreciation, and fundraising efforts, sign up for our Parent Committee Yahoo Group by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/athenavolunteers and clicking “Join This Group!”.

Drop-off and Pick-up Schedule: P3 & P4 Drop-off (8:15-8:30) Pick-up (2:30-2:45) T1, T2, P1 & P2 Drop-off (8:30-8:45) Pick-up (2:45-3:00) Half Day Pick-up Pre-Primary (12:15) Primary (12:30)