Communication
At Aurora Montessori School, we emphasize the importance of maintaining open communication between classroom teachers, specialty teachers, the administration, and parents.
Each year an orientation package is sent out to the parents prior to the start of the school year. This package outlines information about important dates and events in the upcoming school year.
We also hold Information Evenings for parents during the first month of school in each classroom. During the Information Evening, teachers will explain the rules and routines of the classroom, outline expectations in the classroom, and answer any questions that parents may have. Please refer to the information contained in Student Progress Reports for ways to contact your child’s teacher.
Student Progress Report
The Casa and Toddler students receive two progress reports during the school year; one in November and the other in June.
Elementary students will receive three progress reports throughout the school year (in November, March and June).
In keeping with the Montessori philosophy, the progress reports for students in Grades 1 to 6 do not indicate grades or rank students within each class. The Junior Progress Report indicates comments for Language, Mathematics, Culture, each specialty, as well as the final General Comments section. Each subject area is divided into several sub-categories in which the teacher will report on the student’s progress. Progress reports also include several categories under Attitudes and Work Habits to better inform parents on the various aspects of their child’s learning.
To prepare the students for their future schools, the Middle School Progress Report does have an additional ranking system with levels 1, 2, 3, and 4. Each level will indicate how well the student is meeting the academic standard of the grade level.
The Senior Progress Report is set up similarly to the Junior, with the exception of the subject categories. The Senior Progress Report categories include: Language Art, Mathematics, Geography, History, and Science & Technology.
The teachers comments in all progress reports are detailed and very specific in describing the student’s achievements in each subject area. Teachers will provide an overview of the student’s topics of study, progress, work habits, areas of strength, and/or suggestions on what the student could do to improve.
Parent/Teacher Interviews
We also hold two sets of one-on-one parent-teacher interviews, with classroom teachers and specialty teachers (in November and March). Students in grades 7 and 8 are required to participate in these interviews to present a self-assessment and a portfolio of their work.
Moreover, if parents or teachers have additional concerns throughout the school year, the teachers are available before and after school for meetings to discuss any issues with the parents.
Each student carries an agenda, which is a tool that can also be used as a form of communication between teachers and parents. In addition, each classroom has a website outlining classroom information.
Parents can also contact teachers via school email to discuss their concerns and/or arrange a meeting if necessary. Each staff member has a personal extension on our phone system that they check daily.
CANADIAN ACHIEVEMENT TESTS
The annual Canadian Achievement Tests at AMS are a beneficial method of assessing the success of our Montessori Elementary program. On average, our students perform above grade level expectations on these standardized tests. Our interest in using the test is as a diagnostic tool, which helps us ensure that our program compares favourably with respect to other programs across the country.
Grandparent’s Day
Grandparents are an important part of the AMS family. The honour of their presence in our classrooms and hallways adds a beautiful sense of community and stability to AMS.
Every fall we hold two Grandparents Days, where grandparents visit our classrooms and enjoy refreshments and entertainment.
We encourage our Grandparents to help us enrich the lives of our students by visiting, not only on Grandparents Days, but as much as possible to observe our students, read a story, demonstrate a craft or share a life-experience.
Teacher Communication
Teacher communication is made possible through Edsby for new and existing parents. Click here to login.
A login is also available as a drop down under the Parents tab.