SWIMS August 2025 Newsletter
August
19…Family Orientation!
Bring your student to check out the classroom, meet classmates and their families and hear a special presentation by your student’s teacher about the exciting school year ahead!
9:00 – 10:00am Infant & Toddler students (4 months – 3 years old)
10:30 – 11:30am Early Childhood students (3 – 6 years old)
12:00 – 1:00pm Upper School students (6 – 18 years old)
We look forward to seeing you!
20…First day of the 2025-2026 school year!
27…Cider Social 2:30 – 3:30pm Come by to meet the families of Soaring Wings! Students host this event on the playground to celebrate the end of a beautiful summer and the coming of fall. See class sign-ups for needed supplies. No Enrichment Class on this day!
29…Half day for all students!
11:30 – 11:45 dismissal
Ducklings Infant Class, Bumblebees & Sunflowers Toddler Classes, Ladybugs & Turquoise Early Childhood Classes
11:45 – noon dismissal
Owlets Infant Class, Chickadees & Tadpoles Toddler Classes, Bluebirds Early Childhood Class, Wasatch Lower Elementary, Evergreen Upper Elementary & Bridgemont Secondary Class Classes
September
1…No School, Labor Day!
11 – 12…Elementary Fall Family Campout!
19…International Sing for Peace Day – wear white!
25…Health & Safety Fair Do you have a health/safety skill to share? Let a teacher know!
30…Back-to-School Night 2:00 – 4:00pm Plan to join us for a lesson from your child, a look at what we’ve been working on and what is to come this school year. Families with last names starting with:
A-M 2:00 – 3:00pm
N-Z 3:00 – 4:00pm
Overflow parking on Shadow Mountain Drive and at Knoop Park.
October
7 – 9…School Photos!Details to follow.
10 & 17…Parent/Teacher Conferences.
For more details see the school Calendar on the website.
Welcome Back!
As we drift back into town and dust the sand off our feet, we so look forward to welcoming our families, both new and returning, for another fantastic school year full of dreams, surprises and growth. The fantastic thing about a career in education is that the year together is never dull and the learning never stops – for all of us.
You are a part of our school because you did some research. You heard the refrain, “Park City’s public schools are the best in the state” and they are, and they continue to climb in the national ranking charts. But the system itself needs an upgrade, in fact, a revolution in the words of Drs. Angeline Lillard (2023), Ulcca Joshi Hansen (2021) and Maria Montessori (1931). The proposed improvements include rich learning environments where students of all ages can learn what they are developmentally ready for, a tapestry of curriculum woven with social development, academic development, executive function skills, cultural immersion, healthy lifestyles and a foundation in peaceful living, and all of this confirmed in the real world with experiential learning. These are the components educators are looking for to keep an academic edge in our world as well as a community of happy, cooperative, intrinsically motivated lifelong learners. Welcome to our world! It’s a happy, peaceful place to be.
We begin with Family Orientation on August 19th. We invite you in to get a look at the classroom, meet some of your child’s classmates and their families, then children will explore the playground with our teaching assistants while you meet with teachers for a preview of what the year will bring. This is your chance to get to know the community, ask questions and give your child a peek into what to expect when school begins on the 20th. We look forward to seeing you!
Getting Back into Routines
Teachers will soon be sending out class emails with the details you need to know to prepare for the new school year. Be sure to refer to the Parent Guide for updates on general policies. If you are interested in registering your student for catered lunches from Savoury Kitchen, see the registration information below.
Drop-off/Pick-up
Drop-off and pick-up times are staggered to support traffic flow:
Bridgemont Secondary Class at front doors:
8:00 – 8:15am drop-off
2:30 – 2:45pm pick-up
Evergreen Upper Elementary & Wasatch Lower Elementary Classes at front doors:
8:15 – 8:30am drop off
2:45 – 3:00pm pick up
Ducklings Infant Class – Northwest Patio Gate
Bumblebees Toddler Class – Northwest Patio Gate
Sunflowers Toddler Class – North Playground Gate
Ladybugs EC Class – South Playground Gate
Turquoise EC Class – Southwest Patio Gate:
8:30 – 8:45am drop-off
11:30 – 11:45 or
2:30 – 2:45 pick-up
Owlets Infant Class – North Playground Gate
Chickadees Toddler Class – Northwest Patio Gate
Tadpoles Toddler Class – South Playground Gate
Bluebirds EC Class – Southwest Patio Gate:
8:45-9:00 drop-off
11:45 – 12:00 or
2:45 – 3:00pm pick-up
Transitioning Back to School
We allow the first 6 weeks of school for normalization as we all settle back into the routines of the school year. We will all be more tired these first few weeks. This is a good time to move bedtime a little earlier to accommodate the sleep your student needs through the winter.
Infants 3 – 12 months need 14-16 hrs of sleep each day, including naps
Toddlers 1 – 3 yrs need 11 – 14 hrs of sleep
Early childhood students 3 – 6 yrs need 10 – 13 hrs
Elementary, middle school and high school students need 9 – 12 hrs sleep each night.
Be Wise, Montessori-ise!
Whether your child is 4 months or 17 years old, the best way to prepare them for success is to prepare the environment. Preparation of the learning environment is what teachers do best. Ask any of us if you need some ideas!
Generally, look around your home and think about how your children can be more independent with arrangements such as:
- Hooks for coats, back packs and shoe/boot storage at child height by back door
- Children’s dishes, utensils and acceptable snacks in a kitchen cupboard at their level
- A child-sized table, chairs and accessible child-sized cooking tools so they can cook along with you
- An accessible shelf with age-appropriate books, drawing supplies, games and puzzles for your children in the living room
- Drawers and clothing rods at your child’s height in the bedroom with a few choices in appropriate clothing that children can choose on their own.
- Small laundry hamper so children can transport their own laundry to the laundry room and back. By 4 years old they can fold clothes neatly and put them away, too.
- Just a few toys and activities available at a time on shelves so children can access them and return them to their places, rather than a toy basket or toy box that has to be dumped in order to find anything.
- Small baskets or bins for sorting and organizing small items like Legos, doll clothes, art supplies, trains and cars.
We will soon be sending home catalogs from Montessori Services that offer child-sized carpet sweepers, dust pans and brooms, mops, choppers, spreaders and many other useful items so your child can truly be helpful at home.
Bigger Kids, More Responsibility
Students are a few months older now and ready to expand their independence which brings them such joy and confidence.
Infants who can walk can carry their backpacks into school now.
Toddlers can set and clear off their places at the family table. They can put away toys, just like they do at school and make their beds if it’s just a simple duvet to pull up.
Early childhood students can help prepare a salad or side dish for the family meal and pack their lunch for the following day.
Elementary, middle school and high school students can cook a meal once a week, be in charge of their own laundry, and clean their own bedroom and bathroom.
Be sure to give your student lots of positive feedback as they gain new skills, such as, “I noticed how hard you worked on cleaning the mirror – it really shines!” We try to avoid validations like “good job” because we want students to feel their own pride in their work rather than looking to others for approval. For more on this, look at Positive Discipline by Jane Nelsen or How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk by Faber and Mazlish.
Although there will be projects and assignments for EC Leadership (3rd year) students and up, in Montessori school, generally “homework” is the work the students do at home to support the family such as watering plants, sweeping the kitchen, weeding the garden, taking out the recycling, and cleaning the windows. Children enjoy doing real work, especially when it makes a difference to the people they love.
Dog Days
Teachers will soon be sending out welcome messages in the next days with further details. Plan to stop by on Tuesday, the 19th for Family Orientation, so your student can see the classroom, find their locker, talk to faculty and classmates and be ready to start school again on the 20th. Children can enjoy the playground with teaching assistants while teacher present something special for you.
In the meantime, enjoy these last dog days of a very beautiful summer. Take some time to smell the flowers, roll down a grassy hill or watch the clouds or stars with your child. Summer will be a fond memory too soon!
