News

Springmont's Parent Association (SPA) holds monthly meetings - dates are noted on the school calendar on our website, and reminders will be included in our weekly newsletter as the dates approach. This year's first meeting will be on Friday, September 8, beginning at 8:45 a.m. in the Pavilion.  All parents are automatically members of SPA.  We hope you will join SPA Co-Chairs Elizabeth Keromytis and Kristin Maiwand and get involved!

In celebration of Maria Montessori’s birthday on Thursday, August 31, let’s all wear our Springmont spirit wear! The Spirit Store has reopened online. Click here to place your order - orders received by Wednesday, August 30, at 8 a.m., will be sent home with your child the same day so that items can be worn on Thursday!  Don't miss our new items, including Vintage 1963 edition t-shirts for adults and children! 

THANK YOU to current parent Carol Santos and alumni parent Stephanie Tinley for agreeing to serve as Co-Chairs for our 60th Anniversary Auction on April 13, 2024! The Auction Committee is looking for volunteers to help make the 60th celebration as splendid as possible.  If you would like to lend a hand, please email development@springmont.com.

The first of our Elementary Parent Education Series is tomorrow, Tuesday, August 29, beginning at 4:30! All Elementary parents/guardians are encouraged to join Elementary Division Head Allwyn Fitzpatrick and the Elementary Teachers in Livia’s Classroom for What (Really) is the Elementary? Come learn about the guiding principles of a Montessori Elementary classroom and how you can best support your child at home. 

• Light refreshments will be served.
• Complimentary childcare is available 4:30-6:00 for currently enrolled Elementary students. Unfortunately, siblings cannot be accommodated.
• Due to limited on-campus parking, we ask that each family bring just one vehicle to campus.

Kindly RSVP and reserve childcare using the link in Springmont Weekly News! 
 

Dear Families,

It was wonderful to see so many of you at last week’s Opening Night. What a great way to kick off our 60th year! For those who could not make it, I wanted to share part of my talk with you regarding our community’s theme of dignity for this year.

This past summer, our staff, faculty, and board members all read at least one of the two books on dignity written by Donna Hicks, Ph.D. Hicks is the author of Leading with Dignity: How to Create a Culture That Brings Out the Best in People and Dignity: It’s Essential Role in Resolving Conflict. Dignity is defined as our inherent value. We are born with dignity, so it does not have to be earned.

As part of this work, we are reflecting on how we maintain our own dignity as well as protect the dignity of others; we are taking stock of our relationships and revisiting past dignity violations where needed, as well as working to resolve new ones that we encounter. This work is deeply connected to the ongoing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts of this community. Forward movement in those areas is not possible without understanding and honoring dignity. 

I invite all of you to participate in this work alongside us by reading one of her books. For now, let me give you three elements of dignity to consider:

Accept the identity of others. Approach people as neither inferior nor superior to you. Give others the freedom to express their authentic selves.

Give people the benefit of the doubt. Most of us are doing the best we can as often as we can. When you operate from an assumption of positive intent, you tend to view the actions of others more favorably. 

Ask questions that help you understand rather than rushing to judgment. For example, consider who might best be able to help you understand a decision made by the school. Is it the parents in your child’s classroom via What’s App? Or is it better to ask the Teacher, Division Head, or Head of School? If your child comes home and tells you about something that happened at school that feels concerning, how can you keep in mind that there might be another side to the story and approach the concern with the Teacher in a way that helps you find out more? Sometimes it may be as simple as, “I heard this from my child; can you tell me more?”

Building a culture of respect and dignity is a community effort. It is not easy or quick, but if we stay with it, I believe it will be hugely rewarding for us as individuals and as a community. I hope you will join us!

With appreciation,

Elizabeth Lener
Head of School
 

A longstanding Opening Night tradition is the announcement of the previous school year's Volunteer(s) of the Year. Our 2022-23 Volunteer of the Year recipients are Elizabeth Keromytis and Kristin Maiwand!  As Co-Chairs of the Springmont Parent Association (SPA), they truly revamped our parent association and have agreed to stay on for a second year! They’ve actively worked to connect families across school levels and served as Room Parents both last year and again this year! They have attended every school community event and even helped re-imagine others, always with a smile!  Thank you, Kristin & Elizabeth!

Springmont counts on our parent volunteers! We are so grateful to all who have helped make our school-wide events, including the Springmont Festival & Montessori Mile in October, our annual Thanksgiving Outreach in November, our Day of Service on MLK Day in January, the Springmont commUNITY Dinner in February, and Field Day in May, warm and welcoming for all families. Volunteers are coordinated by the Springmont Parent Association. Click here to learn more!

SPA holds monthly meetings - the dates are noted on the school calendar on our website, and reminders will be included in this newsletter as the dates approach. This year's first meeting will be on Friday, September 8.  We hope you will join Elizabeth and Kristin and get involved!
 

As they have for the last several years, Springmont’s Elementary & Middle School students participated in the Great Southeast Pollinator Census, a citizen scientist project created by the University of Georgia. On Friday, small groups of students took turns identifying and counting the pollinators (including bees, flies, butterflies, and other insects) that visited a single flower during a 15-minute period. The information they recorded on their data sheets will be entered into the UGA website. In addition to learning more about pollinators, this effort allowed all participants to practice their observation skills and Middle Schoolers to exercise leadership skills. A big thank you to Outdoor Science Education Teacher Michelle Wolfersberger for organizing this collaborative learning experience.  Click here to see more photos!

This Wednesday morning, August 23, all parents and staff will receive a text and voice message to test Parent Alert, our schoolwide emergency alert system. These TEST messages will be sent to the cell phone numbers entered during Enrollment/Annual Registration. There is no need to call the school. 

If you do not receive your text and voice mail, please email Julie Strickland with your updated/preferred cell phone number.

Parent Alert is used to alert parents to important, time-sensitive information in the case of inclement weather or other unusual circumstances.  It will not typically be used for generic reminders, so please do not opt-out. 
 

All parents/guardians are strongly encouraged to attend this on-campus, adult-only, official kick-off of the new school year this Thursday, August 17, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. In addition to enjoying a glass of wine and some tasty appetizers while mingling with faculty, staff, administrators, and other parents, you won't want to miss brief remarks from Board Chair Joe Colonna, Head of School Elizabeth Lener, and Springmont Parent Association Co-Chairs Kristin Maiwand and Elizabeth Keromytis. Most importantly, parents/guardians will spend time in their children's classrooms with their children's Teachers, who will share important and helpful information. 

The Spirit Store will be open!  We have new Toddler and Youth t-shirts, and in celebration of our 60th year, "Vintage 1963" Springmont t-shirts in Youth and Adult sizes - just $15 each!

All parking is off-campus at 6100 Century East. There is only one entrance to this parking lot from Lake Forrest Drive.  As you turn into the driveway, please make an immediate right and park at the back of the lot along Lake Forrest Drive. Shuttles will run to campus 5:45 - 6:30 and back to the parking lot 8:30 - 8:45.
 

We’re excited to announce that starting Wednesday, Springmont will start a new composting program, allowing us to compost more efficiently and thoroughly! Led by Outdoor Science Education Teacher Michelle Wolfersberger and in keeping with our core value Stewardship of the Environment, we will join CompostNow, an industrial composting organization. Because we will now be able to compost many more items, including pizza boxes, paper towels, meat, bread, paper plates, cookies, pet food, paper towel rolls, cooked food, oils, bones, muffin wrappers, flour and sugar bags, pasta, and even half-eaten sandwiches, this program is projected to reduce what we send to the landfill by up to 60%!   

Classrooms and common areas will be supplied with indoor compost bins which will be emptied daily into large industrial compost bins in designated areas outside. In addition, beginning with Opening Night this Thursday, Springmont events will use compostable items (plates, cups forks, etc.) that can also go in the bins!
The industrial bins will be collected weekly, replaced with clean ones, and sent to a composting facility.  Springmont will receive monthly updates about how much we are diverting from landfills, and we will get soil delivered back to us!

Michelle will spend time with classes teaching them more about composting and this new initiative, and we encourage families to learn more by clicking here to view a video with additional information. CompostNow, also offers residential service!

We look forward to getting closer to being a ZERO-WASTE school!

Donating a book to Springmont's Media Center is a wonderful way to celebrate and commemorate your child's birthday! Media Center Specialist Leslie Wachter will help your child select a newly purchased book from the school's wishlist. A custom bookplate, notating your child's name and the donor information included below, will be placed inside the front cover, and your child will be the first to check out the special book!

So that the book is ready on your child's birthday, please click here to place your order now. If you have multiple children, please submit one form and payment for each child.

Questions? Email Leslie Wachter 

Springmont counts on parent volunteers for our school-wide events and volunteers are coordinated by the Springmont Parent Association. Click here to learn more!

The Springmont Parent Association (SPA) is chaired by parents Elizabeth Keromytis and Kristin Maiwand!  They look forward to helping our parent community make connections with the school and each other.  SPA holds monthly meetings - the dates are noted on the school calendar on our website, and reminders will be included in this newsletter as the dates approach. 

If you are eager to get involved, make sure to join the Springmont Parent Association Facebook group - This Facebook page is not affiliated with the official Springmont Facebook page but is a forum where parents can connect, share resources, ask questions, etc.