Cold weather is here! In case of inclement weather...
• We follow Barrow County School closing announcements
• There will be time when Barrow County Schools remain open but OPMS may be closed
• On inclement weather days we have an announcement on OPMS school message center by 7 a.m. Call 770-963-3052.
• Public service announcements on local TV and radio will advise you of OPMS closing or schedule changes.
TV: WSB, Fox 5 WAGA, WXIA, and WGCL
Radio: WSB 750AM, B 98.5FM, Fox 97.1, KISS 104.1FM, The Beat 95.5FM

The 2008 Auction committee is seeking interested parties. We need volunteers for all types of tasks: to help with classroom projects, collect donations, put together baskets, setup for the big night, or various small jobs along the way. This is a great way to get involved and make some lasting friendships along the way. If you can't come to meetings, don't worry, we'll have online discussions and keep things as efficient as possible. If you're interested or even have one specific task in mind, please email Venessa Sylvester. It is going to be a lot of fun again this year, so don't miss out!

Stevi B's was a blast last Wednesday night. (Speaking as a mom who has never been before, I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised... the pizza was good and the kids really enjoyed themselves. If you haven't gone before, give it a shot. If you have, try it again! —Venessa the Webmom)

Thanks to Ms. Stacy for these great snapshots from the Annual Picnic.

Friday, October 26 is the first deadline for sending in your General Mills Box Tops for Education. If you haven't started clipping Box Tops, please start now! There are literally hundreds of products that bear the Box Tops for Education logo, and you are very likely to have many of these products on your shelves, in your kitchen cupboards, and in your bathrooms already (click here for a complete product list). Need to get your child out of your hair for a while? Why not have him or her search for the labels on your General Mills products and cut them off. Drop the box tops off in Old Peachtree Montessori office or send them with your child to school. Each classroom has a Box Tops Bird House where the box tops can be deposited. Box tops will be collected all year, so even if you don't make the first deadline, you can save for the next one.
 
Our school goal this year is $500, but we can do better than that! You can get more information, sign up for updates, and register to receive coupons at http://www.boxtops4education.com. Also, please encourage your family and friends to register online and save box tops for you. Each box top is worth $ .10.  With a little bit of effort, we can make a big splash for our school!
 
If you have any questions, please call (770.266.0864) or email our Box Tops coordinator, Alissa Huelsman-Bell.  Thank you for your continuing support of our fundraising efforts.

Stretch-n-Grow weekly exercise classes have started for children 5 and older. Please send your child to school wearing athletic shoes on Stretch-n-Grow days. If your child is not wearing appropriate shoes, participation will not be allowed.

Wednesday :: Primary I (Ms. Stacy), Primary III (Ms. Lisa), Lower Elementary (Ms. Ellen)
Thursday :: Primary II (Ms. Sylvie), Upper Elementary (Mr. C.J.)

Many of you may know Ms. Angie already from working in the Primary Montessori environment last year with Ms. Stacy. She is excited to be joining us once again. She brings many years of experience, as well as having recently completed Early Childhood Education, Psychology, and Management coursework. She is a mother of three, ages 14, 15, and 19. She enjoys poetry, puppets, and her pet turtle. She'll be joining us on Monday morning!

Old Peachtree will be has Pizza Fridays every week from October 12 until December 14. If your child is a full or extended day student, they have the opportunity to order cheese pizza by the slice on these Fridays to be delivered directly to them at lunch time. The cheese pizzas are provided by Stevi B’s Pizza in Buford.

The cheese pizza is from a large pizza cut into 8 slices. You may order as many slices as you would like for your child for $1.50 a slice. This takes place on 8 Fridays between now and the end of the school year. If you choose to participate, you are choosing to have pizza on all 8 Fridays. Your child may bring any additional food or drink in his or her lunchbox. We are unable to refund any lunches that your child misses due to absence.

If you would like for your child to have pizza on Pizza Fridays, please fill out the information this form and send a check to the office made out to OPMS no later than October 5.

Please lend your support to Old Peachtree Montessori School’s fundraising efforts for the 07-08 school year. Stevi B’s Pizza will donate $.50 for each student, teacher, family member and friend who enjoys our all-you-can-eat buffet on the following evenings of each month during the school year. Please plan on dining at Stevi B’s Pizza on the following evenings between 4:00 - 9:00 PM:

September 12 • October 10 • November 14 • December 12

Students who wear their stickers (distributed to each class one to two days before each month’s fundraiser) to Stevi B’s Pizza on their fundraising night will receive two free game room tokens.

Prices for the All-You-Can-Eat buffet, which includes pizza, pasta, breadsticks, salad bar, dessert pizzas, and ice cream, are as follows:
Adults $4.29
Child (4-10) $2.89
Child (3 and under) FREE (with each accompanying adult purchase)
(Please note: no coupons or other discounts apply during a school night.)

Stevi B’s Pizza is conveniently located in Buford at 1950B Buford Mill Drive, next to the Wal-Mart Super Center across from Lowe’s (near the intersection of 985 and Hwy 20 and Mall of Georgia). Stevi B’s Pizza is a family-oriented, non-smoking, alcohol free establishment with over 4,500 square feet of seating, games, and redemption prizes. Call Stevi B’s Pizza at (678) 714-4890 with any questions.

We've been having a great week in class! We learned some names of birds and insects and the children really enjoyed the challenge of trying to remember them. We will be continuing this next week.
•  Our favorite songs to sing are the Alphabet Song, Continents, and the Name Song.
• Our favorite book to read was "Frog in the Kitchen Sink."
• We had fun working with the wooden puzzles, learning shapes, colors and animals.
• Everyone loved the bagels and cream cheese and the melon that River brought for snack.

Thanks to all the parents for making morning and afternoon carpool run so smoothly. We are presently examining ways of making it move faster without comprimising safety, of course.

Please remember:
• All children must remain seated until a teacher assists them with exiting the car.
• Parents should stay in their cars. The exception is drop-off for Breakfast Club and Aftercare.
• Carpool does not begin until 8:00 (for Elementary), 8:15 (Primary) & 8:30 (Pre-Primary). Howver, several staff children entering earlier—please understand that does not mean that carpool has begun. Unless you are signed up for Breakfast Club, we are unable to accommodate for earlier drop-offs.
• Primary students should be in the carpool line prior to 8:30. Arriving late will cause you to be stuck behind the Pre-Primary carpool line. Arriving late also will cause your child to miss out on morning announcements, lessons, songs or stories and disrupts the class.
• Call the office if you have any questions regarding the schedule.e

The security gate is locked promptly at 8:45 a.m. If you are running late, park and walk your child(ren) in through the playground. In case of inclement weather, drop by the office for a gate key.

Elementary Drop off 8:00-8:15 • Pick up 3:15-3:30
Primary Drop off 8:15-8:30 • Half day pick up Noon-12:15 • Full day pick up 3:00-3:15
Pre Primary Drop off 8:30-8:45 • Half day p/u 11:45-Noon • Full day pick up 2:45-3:00

Every Friday is Spirit Day! It’s now time to order Spirit Wear!

We will place a school-wide order for Spirit Wear on September 14 at 12:30 p.m. (your deadline to place an order). We place three orders each year. This is the first order—the second will be just before the holiday break, and the third will follow in the spring. Get your orders in early so you don’t miss out on the Spirit Wear Fun! Details, pricelist and order form will be sent home with each child.

We encourage everyone to purchase spirit wear products for their children to support our community and foster school spirit! All items we offer are listed on the attached price sheet. Spirit wear makes great holiday gifts for family and friends and is a good way to make more people aware of our school’s name!

Have your children join in the fun by wearing their spirit wear every Friday.

We're once again offering dance classes with Ms. Kotie! We'll have 45 minute classes that include ballet, tap and jazz for Primary and Elementary students. We've also had some interest in hip-hop so a class may be formed soon.

Ms. Kotie is a lover of dance who believes that nothing is unobtainable. She loves helping children learn and become confident. She has been dancing for more than twenty-five years, and has worked with two youth ballet companies and in a variety of genres and studio settings. She's been teaching for more than fifteen years and her patience, fortitude, and expertise benefits any committed student at any skill level.

Our big consignment sale coming up on September 22. If your interested in consigning some items or helping out, call Stacy King at 770-867-5408.