November 4th Newsflash

Hello Families,

Please read below for all the important information for this week and the weeks to come!

Homework

Math: Lesson and Practice Sets 31–35
Students who are 1–2 lessons behind will receive a slip listing missed lessons that need to be completed.
If your child is 3+ lessons behind, a form will be sent home outlining a plan to get caught up. Please fill it out, sign it along with your child, and return it the next day.

Any student who continues to fall behind or does not follow the plan will have a meeting scheduled with Ms. Christy Cantu to create a new plan for success.

Reading: 20 minutes of daily reading
Moon Journal: Fill out nightly and turn in every Friday
Spelling: Practice and study for the weekly spelling test

Book Fair

The Book Fair is next week — Monday, November 10th through Friday, November 14th!

Please check in through the front office and get a visitor badge if you plan to attend.

You can also shop online, set up your student’s eWallet, or donate to Share the Fair using this link:
👉 Book Fair Homepage

6th Grade Parents

Middle School Information Night
📅 Thursday, November 6th | 🕡 6:30–8:00 PM
📍 Middle School Campus – 2927 E. Campbell Ave.
Parents only, please!

Ruby Bridges Walk

📅 Friday, November 14th (around 7:00 a.m.)
More details coming soon!

Overnight Trip – Camp Way

Our overnight trip will take place in May at Camp Way!
If you’re interested in being part of the chaperone lottery, please note the following dates:

• Oct. 17th: Chaperone request forms sent digitally by Barbi Smith
• Nov. 21st: Forms due
• Dec. 19th: Deadline to have your fingerprint clearance card
• Jan. 9th: Chaperones announced

Message from Admin: “Fill the Gap Food Drive”

Dear Villa Community,

We need your help! No child should try to learn while hungry. With changes in SNAP benefits affecting some families, we want to ensure every student has enough food to thrive.

We are collecting non-perishable breakfast and lunch items to distribute to students in need. Donations can be dropped off at the Admin Office, at carline, or sent with your child labeled for the “Fill the Gap Food Drive.”

If your family is experiencing food insecurity, please let your child’s teacher know or use the confidential link provided by the school to request support. Responses will only be shared with our family support staff to ensure discretion and care.

To everyone able to give—thank you for your generosity.
As we always say, it truly takes a VILLAge!

That’s all for now!
Have a wonderful and blessed week!

Ms. Morgan

October 20, 2025 Newsflash

Hello families,

Here’s everything you need to know for this week!

📘 Homework

Math: Lessons and Practice Sets 21–25

• Lesson 22 is due tomorrow (Tuesday).

Reading: 20 minutes of daily reading at home
October Book Genre: Suspense/Mystery

Spelling: Practice at home — Weekly spelling test on Friday.

🗝️ Answer Keys

The school is promoting digital access to reduce paper consumption.
Below are the links for all current homework answer keys:

• A Packet: Google Drive Link
• B Packet: Google Drive Link
• C Packet: Google Drive Link

👓 Vision & Hearing Screening

Tuesday, October 21st
If your child wears glasses, please make sure they bring them for the screening.

⏰ Early Dismissal

Friday, October 24th – 11:30 AM
Staff Professional Development (No Circle)

🎃 Trunk or Treat

Saturday, October 25th – 4:00–7:00 PM
Location: Elementary Field
Come join the fun!

🌎 A Huge Thank You to Our Chaperones!

A big heartfelt thank you to all of our amazing chaperones who joined us on Thursday, October 16th, 2025 for our ASU field trip!

It was pure enjoyment for the students — they absolutely loved it! The experience sparked great curiosity, and it connects perfectly with what we’ll be studying this week: Tides of the Earth. It’s wonderful to see their enthusiasm and how their learning is coming full circle.

Thank you again for your time, energy, and support in making this experience so memorable for our students!

That’s all for now!
Wishing everyone a blessed and beautiful week!

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

 I hope you all had a wonderful Fall Break! 

🍕 Pizza Friday Snack

A big thank you to the Conley family for picking up our Pizza Friday this week! Your generosity is always appreciated.

🛑 Safety Practice

We conducted a Soft Lockdown drill this morning, Tuesday, October 14th, at 10:30 a.m.

This is part of our continued effort to ensure all students know what to do in the event of an emergency and to maintain a safe and secure learning environment.

🧑‍🚀 Field Trip Announcement

Our next field trip will be to the ASU Earth and Space Exploration Building on Thursday, October 16th!

🕘 Departure: Around 9:00 AM
🕐 Return: Around 1:00 PM
🥪 Lunch: We’ll enjoy a picnic lunch at ASU before heading back.

A huge thank you to our incredible parent drivers and chaperones for making this trip possible:
Katie Banovich, Kyle Clark, Kelley Coats, Betsy Griffin, Liz Haley, Sara Hillman, Don Martinez, and Darcy Olsen

We couldn’t do it without you—thank you for supporting our students’ learning adventures! 🚗✨

📚 Homework

Math:

• Complete Review Packets (Days 2–5) this week.
  
  

• A new homework packet will be handed out Friday, October 17th.
  
  

• Answer keys for each math packet are available online:
  
  

🔹 A Packet Answer Keys
🔹 B Packet Answer Keys
🔹 C Packet Answer Keys

Reading:
📖 Read 20 minutes each night
📚 October Genre: Mystery/Suspense

Spelling:
✏️ Practice high-frequency spelling words
🧾 Spelling Test: Friday, October 17, 2025 -Students received their spelling lists this afternoon.

🎓 Attention 6th Grade Families

The Middle School students and staff invite you to the Middle School A.C.E. Building Open House—a special event for the whole family!

This is a wonderful opportunity to explore the exciting learning experiences that await your child in Middle School. Enjoy light refreshments, live entertainment, and student project displays showcasing A.C.E. achievements.

📅 When: Thursday, October 16th, 7:00–8:30 PM
📍 Where: Middle School Campus
2927 E. Campbell Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85016

That’s all for now!
Wishing everyone a beautiful and blessed week ahead! 🌼

September 8th Newsflash

Hello Families,

We appreciate you taking a few minutes to look over this week’s class updates and announcements.

📚 Homework

Math

• Lesson & Practice Set 1-5 (Lesson & Practice Set 2 due Tuesday).
  
  
• Math tests will be given weekly after every 5 lessons.
  
  
• The first math test will be on Monday, September 15, 2025
  
  

Reading

• 20 minutes of daily reading and utilizing reading logs. 
• September Genre: Realistic Fiction
  
  

🛡️ Safety Week

This week, we will be practicing and discussing one drill per day to ensure students know how to respond in different situations.

• Thursday, September 11, 2025: Off-campus evacuation drill.
  
  
• A permission slip will come home tomorrow and must be returned by Thursday morning, September 11, 2025.
  
  

🎯 Goal Setting Conferences

• Conferences begin next week.
  
  
• Students are expected to attend and share their academic and social goals.
  
  
• Conferences will last about 20 minutes.
  
  
• Please sign up using this link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090F4FAEAD29A6F58-58522527-msmorgans

⏰ Half Day – Friday, September 12th

• Dismissal is at 11:30am for Staff Professional Development.
  
  
• No afternoon Circle Program.
  
  

🚌 Field Trip

We are excited for the upcoming field trip! Parent drivers/chaperones are needed—thank you to those who have already volunteered. 

• Thursday, October 16, 2025 — Arizona State University’s School of Earth and Space Exploration (9:15 a.m.–2:00 p.m.)
  
  
• We’re looking for parent volunteers to drive and chaperone. If you can help, please use this sign-up link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090F4FAEAD29A6F58-58528267-chaperones
  
  

✏️ Tutoring

If you are interested in after-school tutoring or extra academic support, please email me. I also have a list of other staff members who provide tutoring.

That’s all for this week! Thank you for your continued support, and have a wonderful and blessed week ahead. 🌟

Ms. Morgan

Hello Parents & Guardians,

I hope you all had a wonderful Labor Day and enjoyed the long weekend with your loved ones! Here are our class updates and important reminders for the week.

📘 Homework

• Math – Days 16–20 due this week. (Days 16 & 17 are due tomorrow.)
• Reading – 20 minutes of daily reading.
• September Genre – Realistic Fiction
• Reading Logs – New reading logs were sent home on Friday, August 29, 2025. Please make sure your child is filling these out daily (Monday - Friday evenings). 

🍕 Pizza Friday Snack

A big thank you to Darcy Olsen for providing our class snack this week!

🎯 Goal Setting Conferences

Be on the lookout this week for a Sign Up Genius link to schedule Goal Setting Conferences, which will take place during the last two weeks of September.

• Students are expected to attend.
• Each conference is 20 minutes long.

🧸 Reminder – Personal Belongings

Please remind students to keep stuffies and personal belongings at home. These items can become distractions in class and may be misplaced or taken. Thank you for helping us maintain a focused learning environment!

📋 Parent Questions – Questions Answered

Q: How can my child have leadership opportunities?
A: We will hold class elections for roles like President, Vice President, and Mediator. Students can also join Friday clubs or volunteer in younger classrooms, the library, or specials like music and computer science.

Q: How do you challenge advanced math students?
A: Students are assessed in August. If they master concepts quickly, they may join a higher-level math group or even test into Ms. Clare’s advanced math class. Online enrichment resources are also available for practice at home and in class.

Q: How are math lessons conducted?
A: Most lessons are by grade level, but students sometimes work in small groups or individually depending on their needs. Students complete 3 math practice cards weekly and receive additional support from Ms. Clare if needed.

Q: How do students resolve conflicts?
A: Students may choose to talk it out with a mediator, meet in a courageous conversation with support, or bring issues to a class meeting for group resolution.

Q: What are the Specials?

• Monday AM – Science with Ms. Emily and PE with Coach EJ’s team
• Wednesday PM – PE, Art, Computer Science, or Music

Q: What are the homework expectations?
A: Students complete one math lesson daily (parents initial work) and 20 minutes of reading. Students behind in work may attend study hall during recess or a Friday homework session with Ms. Clare.

⭐ Additional Parent Questions

Q: How do you help students who struggle with reading fluency or comprehension?
A: Students receive small group reading instruction, fluency practice, and guided reading time. I also provide strategies like rereading passages, summarizing, and partner reading. Families can support by listening to their child read aloud at home.

Q: What happens if my child finishes work early?
A: Students always have extension choices such as independent reading, enrichment packets, online programs, or creative writing. This ensures that learning time is used productively.

Q: How can parents best support learning at home?
A: The most important things are to check math lessons daily, ensure 20 minutes of reading happens each night, and encourage your child to talk about what they learned that day. This helps them process and connect learning.

Q: How do you encourage students to stay organized?
A: Students use agendas and “Big Picture” work plans to track weekly assignments. I model time management strategies and check in with students during silent work time to help them stay on track.

📚 August Lessons Recap

• Language & Grammar: Parts of Speech, Types of Sentences, Synonyms & Antonyms, Types of Nouns
• Reading: Main Idea & Supporting Details
• Writing: Types of Narratives
• Math:
• 4th: Subtraction, Place Value, Expanded Notation
• 5th: Factors & Multiples
• 6th: Lowest Common Multiples & Greatest Common Factors
• Geometry: Types of Lines
• Cultural: Maps, Big Bang, Timeline of Life

That’s all for now! Thank you for your continued support, and I’m looking forward to another great week together.

Ms. Morgan

📘 Homework
Math: Lesson 11 is due on Monday, August 25, 2025.

Looking ahead to next week, the following lessons will be due each day:

• Monday: Lesson 11

• Tuesday: Lesson 12

• Wednesday: Lesson 13

• Thursday: Lesson 14

• Friday: Lesson 15

• Communication is key! If you ever have questions, please don't hesitate to reach out via email or in person.
• Label all supplies (water bottles, lunchboxes, jackets, etc.).
• Establish routines at home for bedtime, reading time, and organizing school materials.
• Encourage independence. Let your child be responsible for carrying their backpack, turning in homework, and preparing for the day.

• Drop-Off: Only students in the Circle program should arrive before 7:45 am. General drop-off is between 7:45 and 8:30 am.
• Pick-Up: Between 3:00 and 3:30 pm.
• Morning Independence: Please help your child practice exiting the car with their belongings on their own.
• Campus Visits: All visitors must check in at the front office and wear a badge—this includes after-school hours.
• Carline Courtesy: Refrain from cell phone use, use designated drop-off spots only (no pickups on Meadowbrook Ave.), and be mindful of walkers. It gets smoother each day!

• Summer Homework is due this week. Students should complete any unfinished portions.
• Book Talks: Every student should have completed a book report project over the summer. Today, I sent home book talk forms and rubrics to those who requested them. Students signed up for a 5–10 minute presentation this week. Please ensure your child is ready to share their book and project.

• Half payment: $75
• Full payment: $150

• Check (payable to Ms. Morgan)
• Cash App: MorganLEnderson

• Volunteer Packets must be filled out annually. We prefer the electronic version:
• Villa Volunteer Application Form
• Absence Reporting Form is available online through our app:
• Villa Absence Reporting
• Permission to Walk must be completed each year:
• Permission to Walk Form
• Everything Important can be found on the Family Resources Page:
• Family Resources
• Follow Us on Socials!
• ❤️ Facebook: Villa Montessori School Facebook
• 📸 Instagram: @villa_montessori

• Morgan

Hello Families,

I hope you’re all having a wonderful and relaxing summer so far—and finding ways to stay cool in this heat! I just wanted to send a quick newsflash to say hello and share how excited I am to embark on this new school year with you and your child.

Please feel free to email me if you have any questions. I will be checking my work email periodically throughout the summer.

Just a quick reminder: please encourage your child to stay on top of their summer homework to help make the transition back to school much smoother!

Also, the school supply list for the upcoming year is available at the link below:

I’ll be sending out another newsflash in July with more details to help prepare for the first day of school. Until then, enjoy the rest of your summer break and stay safe!

Warmly,
Ms. Morgan