J. Allen Axson Montessori #141

J. Allen Axson Montessori #141

J. Allen Axson

Parent Handbook

2016-2017

Cecilia Robinson-Vanhoy, Principal

Amy Roberts, Assistant Principal

In Collaboration with:

Shared Decision Making Committee (SDM)

School Advisory Council (SAC)

J. Allen Axson Montessori

4763 Sutton Park Court

Jacksonville, Florida 32224

992-3600

Table of Contents

Vision and Mission…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..3

Core Values……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..3

Montessori Information……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………….3

Enrollment and Class Selection………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..6

Supplies…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..7

Arrival and Dismissal……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….7

Bus Transportation………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….8

Extended Day………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….9

Attendance……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………10

Illness and Medication.………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….11

Behavior……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…12

Parent/Teacher Communication……………………………………………………………………………………………………………12

Grading………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….12

Safety…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….13

Food at School……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….14

Field Trips………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………15

Volunteering………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….15

School Counselor..…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………16

Online Parent/Student Resources………………………………………………………………………………………………………….16

PTA………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..16

FAME…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….16

Staff and Faculty Contact Information……………………………………………………………………………………………………17

Parent Acknowledgement Form…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….19

Vision:Every student is inspired and prepared for success in college or a career and life through the Montessori Curriculum.

Mission: To provide educational excellence to every student every day using the Montessori Method of instruction.

Core values:

Excellence:

We expect the highest standards throughout our organization from the School Board and Superintendent to the student.

Integrity:

We foster positive relationships based on mutual respect, transparency, honesty, and the consistent demonstration of actions.

Innovation:

We create dynamic systems and processes that solve problems and overcome challenges.

Equity:

We promote an environment that ensure equal opportunity, honors differences, and values diversity.

Collaboration:

We are a community of individuals who share a collective responsibility to achieve our common mission.

Montessori: Innovative, Bold, Empowering, Essential!

What makes Montessori education unique?

The Whole Child Approach

A primary goal of Montessori education is to help each child reach his or her full potential in all areas of life. The child’s emotional, social, spiritual, physical, and cognitive needs and interests are considered to be inseparable and of equal importance. The child is seen as naturally eager for knowledge and capable of initiating learning in a supportive, thoughtfully prepared learning environment with the guidance of a specially educated teacher.

The Prepared Environment

To set the stage for self-directed and joyful learning to take place, the entire classroom setting is thoughtfully prepared by the teacher to encourage exploration, independence, freedom within limits, beauty, harmony, and a sense of order and trust. The child, through individual choice, makes use of what the environment offers to develop him-or herself, interacting with the teacher when support or guidance is needed.

The Montessori Materials

Students in Montessori classrooms work with specially designed learning materials, manipulating and investigating them to master the lessons they embody. Each material, as presented by the teacher, teaches one skill or concept at a time. Built-in “control of error” allows the child to determine if he or she has done the exercise correctly. Materials offer multiple levels of challenge and can be used repeatedly at different developmental levels. Students use real objects and actions to translate abstract ideas into concrete form.

The Teacher

The Montessori teacher functions as a role model, guide, demonstrator, and meticulous observer and recorder of each student’s behavior and growth. In preparing the classroom, she makes sure it meets each student’s unique interests, academic levels, and developmental needs. Like her students, she is an active and curious learner. The program of study required to become an AMS-credentialed Montessori teacher is specialized and extensive.

How does Montessori education work?

Every Montessori classroom operates on the principles of freedom within limits. Ground rules appropriate to the age level(infancy through adolescence) are based on core Montessori beliefs: respect for self, for others, and for the environment.

Teachers present individual and small-group lessons on the various materials in the environment. Students are than free to work at their own pace with materials they have chosen, either alone or with others. The teacher relies on her observations of the children to determine which new activities and materials to introduce. The aim is to encourage active, self-directed learning and to strike a balance between individual mastery and small-group collaboration.

The multiyear age span in each class (typically three years) provides a family-like setting, where learning can take place naturally. More experienced children share what they have learned, while reinforcing their own learning. Younger students look up to their older “brothers” and “sisters” and get a preview of the work to come. Ideally, members stay with the class and teacher for the entire cycle, forging a stable community and meaningful bonds.

How does Montessori education prepare a student for the future?

Montessori children are unusually adaptable. They have learned to work independently and in groups. Since they have been encouraged to make decisions from an early age, these children are problem-solvers who can make choices and manage their time well.

They have also been encouraged to exchange ideas and discuss their work freely with others. Good communication skills ease the way in new settings.

Montessori programs, based on self-directed, non-competitive activities, help children develop a positive self-image and the ability to face challenges and change with skill, confidence, and creativity---- all essentials for life in the 21st century.

The Montessori Methodis a child-centered educational approach that recognizes the child as naturally eager for knowledge and capable of initiating learning when provided with a supportive, thoughtfully prepared environment and sequential, hands-on learning materials. It is an approach that values the human spirit and the development of the child as a whole.

Montessori education dates back to 1907, when Dr. Maria Montessori, one of Italy’s first female physicians, opened a child-care center in Rome. Drawing on her previous work experience, including scientific observations of young children, Dr. Montessori designed a unique learning environment and materials that fostered the students’ natural desire to learn. They made gains that exceeded all expectations.

News of the success of the Montessori Method sparked the interest of educators worldwide, and, in the following decades, Montessori schools for children of all ages opened on every continent but Antarctica. There are now thousands of Montessori programs dotting the globe, with an estimated 5,000 Montessori schools, both public and private, in the United States alone.

The innovative premises that guided Dr. Montessori’s work over 100 years ago are still embraced by Montessori educators today and are continually confirmed by contemporary research:

• Children are to be respected as different from adults and as unique individuals, each developing at his or her own pace, according to specific developmental stages.
• The most essential life skill, such as language development, are acquired from birth to age 6 and honed in the elementary and secondary years.
• Children learn through purposeful activity.
• Children possess unusual sensitivity and cognitive abilities for absorbing and learning from the people and things in their environment.

The American Montessori Society

116 East 16th Street, New York, NY 10001-2163

Phone: 212-358-1250 Fax: 212-358-1256 Email:

1. Enrollment and Class Selection

J. Allen Axson is a public school; all admissions procedures are determined by the Duval County Public School administration. Because the school has a Montessori Curriculum, however, there are admissions and enrollment policies that are unique to this school. At the lower level, Axson offers a fee-based Pre-School program. At the upper level(2nd-5th grade), admission is limited to students who have had prior experience in a Montessori classroom, in order to ensure that they are prepared to integrate into the Axson Montessori environment. Admissions policies are as follows:

Grades PK3-PK4

To be eligible for the PK3 program your child must be three (3) years old by September 1.

Applications are to be turned in to the school and can only be made after a tour of school has been completed. Tuition is currently $350/month(extended day fees if applicable are extra). Call J. Allen Axson for more information at 992-3600. Based on a recent School Board decision, starting in the 2017-2018 school year, all newly enrolled PreK students will have to reapply through the district lottery to enter Kindergarten at Axson.

Grades K-1

Parents who wish to enroll their children in Axson at the K-1 level must apply through the Magnet Lottery, held by DCPS in the spring. Applications should be taken downtown for students interested in these grade level openings; see duvalchoice.com for more information. Kindergarten students must be five (5) years old by September 1.

Grade 2-5

Students who are already enrolled at Axson do not need to reapply each year. Parents who wish to enroll their children in Axson for the first time in grades 2-5 must apply through the Magnet Lottery.

Students will only be admitted at these levels if they have documented proof of Montessori experience from the previous school year. The documented proof will be checked by school administrator(s) or designee.

Program continuity

Students who graduate from Axson in grade 5 have level 1 priority to attend John E. Ford K-8 Montessori Magnet. They have secondary priority to attend Julia Landon Middle School, James Weldon Johnson Middle School, and Darnell Cookman Middle/Senior High School. Parents of fifth grade students must fill out an application for Magnet Lottery if they wish their child to attend a magnet school; see duvalchoice.com.

Classroom placement, reassignments and teacher requests

There are several factors that determine classroom placement: balanced grade levels, male/female, and student personalities. Teachers also have the opportunity to give input for consideration in the class placement process. When considering placement for the following school year, the principal will take class placement requests from February 1, 2017toMarch 1, 2017, using the form found on our website under the “Parents” tab, click “Class requests”. Please note that although class placement requests will be considered, final decisions are at the discretion of the principal. Every year not all request can be honored due to the reasons stated above. Every effort is made to consider the parent request during the scheduling process.

It is important for children to remain in the same classroom for each stage of their pre-primary, lower elementary, and upper elementary experience for them to receive the full benefits of continuity of instruction that the Montessori multi-grade-level classrooms provide. If exceptions arise, the principal is responsible for considering classroom reassignments requested by parents. The expectation is that parents meet with the classroom teacher at least twice before requesting a classroom reassignment. Reassignments, if granted by the principal, will take place at the end of each grading period.

1. Supplies

Prior to the beginning of the school year you will receive a supply list from your child’s teacher requesting that you bring in items on the list at orientation or during the first week of classes. Most of these items will be for your child’s use in the classroom, although some of them will be available for the entire class’s use. The cost of the materials will be reasonable; most of them will be available on the tax holiday days established by the state.

1. Arrival and Dismissal

Arrival

Parents may choose to have their children use the bus or bring their children to school on their own. Children are greeted at the front of the car unloading/loading zone by a school official and safety patrol students. Parents are asked not to drop off their children or park in the bus loading zone. Parents who wish to park in order to accompany their child to the classroom may park in the front parking lot. Students may arrive as early as 8:10 a.m. (8:00 if they are having breakfast);if you arrive earlier you must stay with your child until 8:10. Students sit on the floor in the hall outside the classroom door. School staff and safety patrols are present to ensure safety. The speed limit on campus is 15 mph. There are several speed bumps in the bus loading zone to serve as a reminder of our speed limit.

Dismissal

Car Riders

If you would like to stay in your car and pick up your child, place a paper plate on your dashboard with the name of your child(ren) along the top of the plate, and the name of the teacher(s) along the bottom of the plate. Do not leave your car while in the car-loading zone. A staff member will call for your child starting at 2:55 p.m. If you wish to park and pick up your child, please park in the designated parking areas and walk to the dismissal area for your child (see the walk up section below). Please be prompt. If a child has not been picked up by 3:10 p.m., he/she will be escorted to the benches in front of the main office. Please be patient during the first few weeks of school as the children and staff (re)familiarize themselves with the dismissal routine. Also, if staff on duty during dismissal are not familiar with you, please be prepared to present your ID.

Walk up

If you choose to park your car and walk up to meet your child, please wait outside in the grass or on the sidewalk. Please do not block the doors or knock on the doors. Dismissal for Pre-Kindergarten begins at 1:30. Dismissal for K-5 will begin at 2:55. A teacher leader will be assigned to the doorway to facilitate pickup. Please refer to the dismissal map for the pickup location for your child.

1. Bus Transportation

Axson provides busing transportation to students living in Zones 2, 3 and 7. If you live in one of these zones and would like to request a bus stop, please visit for a “Magnet Bus Stop Application.” Applications will be available after April 1st and must be submitted to the Transportation Department by the designated deadline. Bus stops and times are subject to change for the 2016-2017school year.Current bus routes may be viewed at Stops will be added according to guidelines, and applying does not guarantee a stop request will be granted.

During the first week of school, parents of kindergarten students must tag their child with his/her name, parent’s phone number, bus number(s) and bus stop. This is also recommended for students who are new to riding the bus, no matter their grade level.

Additionally, each parent/guardian of a kindergarten student is required to complete a “Kindergarten Dismissal Form” to make a preference about dismissal. Some parents may choose for their child to be met by someone at the bus stop, and some may allow their child to walk home. All bus drivers are instructed to transport only those kindergarten students for whom they have a copy of the form from the school. Parents will be expected to transport their kindergarten student home if they have not filled out a form with the preference for their child. Transportation is not provided for pre-k students due to state policy.

New for the 2016-2017 school year, we are asking that any student riding the bus fill out a Bus Registration Form that is located in the bus registration packet. This can be found on our website under the “Parents” tab, then click “Registration Information 2016-2017”.

Bus riding is a privilege, which may be revoked. Misconduct by a student while riding a bus represents a serious threat to the safety of all occupants on the bus as well as other motorists, pedestrians, and members of the community. Parents/guardians are urged to discuss with their children appropriate school bus conduct in order to ensure bus safety. All students who misbehave while riding the school bus will be disciplined according to the Code of Student Conduct.

Bus Transportation Contact Information:

Transportation Department (904) 858-6200
Axson Bus Coordinator: Amy Roberts(904) 992-3600 ext. 107
DCPS Transportation Coordinator: Angela Bridges(904) 858-6207
Durham Bus Company (Bus 445)(904) 731-4150
First Student Bus Company (Bus 542, 538)(904) 751-9828
Student Transportation of America (Bus 409, 344, 389)(904) 720-2177

Student Transportation of America (Bus 428)(904) 241-4091

1. Extended Day

“AM” 7:00-8:15 a.m.
$52.00 / “PK” 1:30-3:00 p.m.
$52.00 / “PM” 3:00-6:00 p.m.
$100.00

Extended Day is offered at J. Allen Axson before and after school. This program is designed for students with working parents, however space is limited. Extended day is committed to providing an enriched and safe after school program where children will continue to develop socially, emotionally, physically, and mentally with stimulating activities. Many programs are offered at no extra cost to extended day students throughout the school year. This includes, but is not limited to: tutoring for math, writing and reading, Sports Club and poetry.

To enroll your child in extended day, please complete the “Extended Day Enrollment Packet”that is available in the front office.

1. Attendance

All students are expected to attend school regularly, receive total instructional time, and to be on time for classes to benefit from the instructional program and to develop habits of punctuality, self-discipline, and responsibility.

If a student has at least 5 unexcused absences within a calendar month or 10 unexcused absences within a 90-calendar day period, the principal shall, unless there is clear evidence that the absences are not a pattern of non-attendance, refer the case to the school level Attendance Intervention Team (AIT). The AIT will schedule a meeting with the parents or legal guardian and a representative of the district attendance office. If appropriate, a contract will be developed and signed by the participating parties.

Students returning from an absence are required to present a written excuse from their parent/ guardian, stating the cause for the absence.