Parent Handbook Please download and look through our Parent Handbook to get a better understanding of Cambridge Montessori School’s guidelines. It is important that CMS maintains a cooperative and safe environment for our children. Please reference the handbok regarding the following topics and more: Admission and EnrollmentTuition and FeesMedical RecordsArrival and DismissalAttendanceIllnessMedicationUniforms and ClothingBirthdaysField TripsClassroom ObservationsConferencesDiscipline and GuidanceParent/ Teacher CommunicationMedical EmergenciesSevere Weather ClosingParental RightsAnnual Authorizations & FormsThe following forms must be completed prior to your child starting school. It is important that you complete all fields of each required (*) form, as this information is important for us to have in an emergency. (Fillable froms require Adobe Reader)     Authorization for Emergency Medical Care*     Annual Authorizations & Permissions*     Health History Form*     Parking Lot/Carpool Guidelines*      Wobblers Questionnaire     Early Childhood (Transition-Kinder) Questionnaire     After School Questionnaire Parent Volunteer Opportunities Cambridge Montessori School invites our parents to become actively involved within our school community. We encourage parent volunteers to help with specific events, field trips, art projects and other educational opportunities. Research shows that students learn more effectively and are more actively interested in education when their parents are involved in their school. To find out more about our volunteer opportunities, download our Parent Volunteer Form.School Newsletter The school newsletter is distributed monthly via email, or you can download a copy here. School Calendar Access the most current school calendar for your child by utilizing the links below.     Half & Extended Day Calendar     All Day Calendar Lunch Program Cambridge Montessori School’s Lunch Program allows parents...

One of the most common questions we have from our families, is how they have incorporate Montessori activities and philosophies at home. Below are several articles with ideas and Montessori influenced activities you can easily do at home. Montessori Based Learning Activities What's New:Scissor Skills (with Worksheet Download) Window Washing ActivityEgg Transfer TrayGardening: Sensory BinCrossing Midline: Activities to Build Bilateral Skills Past Activities:Ice Cream MathIntroduciton to WeavingButton Sorting: Colors & ShapesSort & Drop ShakersClothespin BowlColor Wheel SortingExplorer BasketIce Cube Tray PouringButton Sorting: FruitSpooning: Feed the AnimalsIntroduction to Shoe TyingPumpkin Counting WorksheetFall Leaf SortingSpider Web Fine Motor ActivityHalloween Gross Motor Skills GameFall Sorting: Go Nuts!Cheerios Threading ActivityWinter "Snowball" ActivitiesChristmas Tree Dressing BoardWrapping Paper Tube Ball MazeLeft Foot, Right Foot Shoe MatSalt Tray: Letters and NumbersPom-Pom ShakerPaperclip Counting & Pattern MakingSpring Fingerprint CountingBead Stringing

What you'll need: Colored Sheets of Felt, OR Color Wheel Worksheet (download here)Assorted Colored Materials (ex. blocks, food caps, pom-poms, etc.)A Container or Tray (Tupperware, plastic bowl, or basket) Getting Started: Brighten your toddler's day by introducing them to one of the things they are most attracted to... colors. Learning colors is an abstract concept, and most children won't recognize a wide variety of hues until closer to pre-school; however, it is never too early to start teaching your young toddler about colors.For this activity you will want to make a color wheel or pie using either the printed download available, or pieces of felt. You can either keep these pieces loose, or mount them to a hard backing depending on your child and storage available. Next, in a small bin, gather colored items from around your home to match the colored triangles. Once you have laid out your color wheel, present your child with the container of assorted materials and encourage him/her to pick up each item one at a time and examine it together. Practice saying the color name, and matching the color to the triangle on the color wheel. (This is an excellent opportunity to introduce shapes as well, if you have these materials available.)Small children can use their fingers to practice their pincer grasp, while old children may benefit from the additional challenge of using tongs or a scoop.   What it teaches: Color IdentificationVocabularyFine Motor SkillsHand Eye CoordinationFocus & Concentration

What you'll need: Muffin TinColored felt or paperScissorsTongs/TweezersPencil/Crayons & Paper (optional) Getting Started: Sorting capitalizes on a child's natural desire to make sense of their world while building fundamental math skills through comparing and contrasting objects. The act of sorting helps children understand grouping, and that things can be similar or dissimilar.To get started trace the bottom of a muffin tin onto several different colors of paper or felt. Cut out each circle and place one color in each tin. With your remaining paper or felt, cut out squares or various shapes to be sorted.Place the shapes (mixed together) in a separate bowl or empty muffin tin.You are now ready to walk your child through the act of sorting the colors into the tins (with fingers or tweezers depending on ability). Depending on your child's age and ability, below are a few ways this activity can be done. Older children can often handle three of four categories of sorting, while younger children may be better to start with one or two.   Sort by color – practice color recognition   Sort by number – practice counting and number awareness   Sort by shape – practice shape and color recognition   Sort by color and number   For added challenge: Ask your child to write down the number of objects in each tin (number recognition)Ask your child to place a particular number of colored objects of each tin (counting)Ask your child to write the number of objects in the tin, using the same color pen/pencil/crayon as the...

  What you'll need: Basket with holes in the side (a large colander can also work)Yarn, ribbon, or stringPlastic spider or fly ringsToddler tweezers, small tongs, or a clothespin Getting Started: Perfect for the Halloween season, this challenging fine motor skills game will keep your child's interest as they hunt and retrieve insects from the spider's web.To get started, place your plastic flies, spiders, or insects at the bottom of the basket. Next, weave your string back-and-forth through the holes in the side of your basket to create a web.The more stands of the web you create, the harder the challenge—adjust accordingly to your child's age and skill level. Note: the insect you choose will also effect the difficulty, based on their likelihood to get caught in the web as they are retrieved.Using a pair of tweezers, small tongs, or a clothespin, have your child navigate the openings in the web to rescue their insects.Once they have them all, encourage them to count how many they found & play again.   What it teaches: Fine Motor SkillsCounting SkillsConcentrationPerseverance at a difficult task

Games, train rides, food trucks, bounce houses, DJ, and family fun! All festival proceeds will go towards CMS’s goal to build a library with technology room for our students.    Thank you to our generous sponsors:Ringmaster Level   Main Event LevelF&E ElectricPatel Family, P4Vaze Family, P2CMS Supporter LevelChen Family, T3 

1. What is the Montessori philosophy and how can my child benefit from this philosophy? Montessori educators believe that children learn best within a warm, social environment that supports and encourages them to develop their full potential. At Cambridge Montessori School, your child will benefit from core Montessori values, such as: The “whole child approach”- The Montessori method encourages not only cognitive learning, social skills, and physical coordination, but also strongly focuses on emotional growth, independent learning and the development of self-esteem.The “prepared environment” - A Montessori classroom is specifically designed to create self-directed learning. The materials, social climate and the role of the teacher encourages children’s natural curiosity and initiative in a safe, positive climate.The Montessori materials - At Cambridge Montessori School, each classroom contains numerous Montessori materials. These materials are created to be multi-sensory, sequential and self-correcting so your child gradually masters various skills and the understanding of abstract concepts.The teacher - The Montessori teacher functions as a resource person, role model, demonstrator, record-keeper and meticulous observer of children’s behavior and growth. 2. Why should I choose a Montessori education for my child? Dr. Maria Montessori found that the ages from birth through six years is the most critical time in children’s learning and development as they are the most receptive, curious and excited about exploring the world around them. At CMS, our classrooms nurture and stimulate their natural curiosity and excitement by offering children a variety of materials to manipulate and use. 3. What does Cambridge Montessori School...

Cambridge Montessori School invites our parents to become actively involved within our school community. We encourage parent volunteers to help with specific events, field trips, art projects and other educational opportunities. Research shows that students learn more effectively and are more actively interested in education when their parents are involved in their school. To find out more about our volunteer opportunities, please stop by the front desk or download a copy of our Parent Volunteer Form from the Parent Resources page.  

Cambridge Montessori School provides our parents with a Parent Handbook. Parents can find further information regarding our guidelines on the following topics and more: Admission and EnrollmentTuition and FeesMedical RecordsArrival and DismissalAttendanceIllnessMedicationUniforms and ClothingBirthdaysField TripsClassroom ObservationsConferencesDiscipline and GuidanceParent/ Teacher CommunicationMedical EmergenciesSevere Weather ClosingParental RightsA copy of the Parent Handbook is available to all enrolled families under the CMS Parent Resources page.

Cambridge Montessori School embraces and encourages parent involvement and parent education. We believe a strong relationship between home and school is essential to creating a solid foundation for your child’s growth. At CMS, it is our goal to build a sense of community so that parents, teachers and administrators may work together in the education of our children. Specifically, our objective is to: Support parent volunteer opportunities and school activitiesPromote parent educationCreate and enhance a harmonious community ethicPromote a safe environment for our children’s learning Cambridge Montessori School believes it is important that we all work together to assure maximum growth for our students — academically, intellectually, emotionally and physically. Our school hosts several events throughout the year designed to educate our parents on Montessori philosophy and their child’s learning and progress in a Montessori environment. These events include Parent/Teacher Conference days, Parent/Child Nights, and Open House. CMS also offers informal Montessori education through our Parent Newsletter, educational magazines and our participation with Montessori Initiative, an American Montessori Society program that works to enhance the understanding of Montessori education within the parent community. We feel it is important that parents of a Montessori student have an opportunity to be involved in the Montessori program. Please visit the links below to read more about the Montessori method. www.amshq.orgwww.montessori.eduwww.montessoriconnections.com