Conferences - It is our policy to set aside time during the year to hold parent/teacher conferences for all students. Since the specific dates vary from year to year further information regarding the exact dates and times will be sent home to you. If a conference becomes necessary at another time we will arrange those meeting individually. It is important at all times to maintain good communications between parents and teachers. If something is confusing or your child comes home upset about something please do not hesitate to call the teacher at school or at home.

Confidentiality - All records and reports on children are confidential. Any information concerning children’s behavior, progress, problems and home situations will be considered privileged information by the staff at the school.

Health Forms - The State of New Hampshire requires health forms with current immunization information for all children enrolled in school. State inspectors examine our records periodically to insure that health records are available. Please make certain that we have your child’s completed immunization records by the first of September. The state requires various other forms including emergency cards and state registration forms. While it may seem as if there is great duplication in information it is a requirement that we must follow.

Holidays and Vacations - The Merrimack Valley Montessori School does not promise to meet all needs of every family. Therefore, we are not a daycare facility. We feel that we can better serve your child by limiting our facility to the educational process. On occasion the times of classes or schedules may be changed to accommodate special programs or field trips. Since we serve families from many different communities with other children in many different school systems, our vacation and holiday schedule may or may not correspond to those of the school systems in surrounding towns.

Illness - If children are ill they should not attend school. We do not have the facilities to care for ill children and do not want other children exposed to contagious diseases. If your child has a contagious disease please notify the school in order that we might alert other parents. It is not necessary to notify the school for a one or two day absence. If your child will be out of school for several days or has a problem of which we should be aware please call and let us know.

Observations - The door of our school is always open, and parents are welcome to come in at any time. We encourage parents to observe a class in progress at some point during the year in order that you understand how the class functions. If you would like to observe for most of the class let us know ahead of time in order that we may avoid having several observers at the same time.

Parent Involvement - At MVMS we consider parent education and involvement a very important part of what we as educators do. Through our newsletters and parent nights we will be giving you information on child development, Montessori philosophy, and other information that you as parents may find helpful. Parents can become involved in our day to day activities in any number of ways. Often parents share talents, hobbies, or professions with our children. Moms and Dads can help out in the classroom with a special activity or project, plan and help out at parties, or in any other way that you might think would be interesting or helpful. Throughout the year we schedule meetings and events that will be both informative and enjoyable for parents. Our Parent Volunteer Organization sponsors a yearly Dinner/Dance and Raffle and then provides extra entertainment such as a story teller and puppet theaters for the children. The PVO meets at the beginning and throughout the school year and welcomes all parents to become involved.

Programs -

• Five Day - The Montessori program is basically set up for children to attend five days. Since the length of the sessions is under three hours a day, most children adjust easily and do well attending five days. For children ages four, five and six five day attendance is appropriate. Three year old children are also eligible to attend five days.
• Three Day - A three day program is offered to children three years of age. A child turning four before September 30th would be enrolled in the five day program. This program is available for one year only. A three day student automatically attends five days his or her second year. A child may switch to a five day program at any time during the year. Three day children attend Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
• Extended Day - Our extended day program is offered to kindergarten children. Children enrolled in this program come to school from 8:45am to 3:00pm on Mondays and Fridays and attend their regular sessions on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.

School Closings - Our school will follow Salem Public School closings for inclement weather. This includes early closings. School closings and delayed openings are announced on TV channels 4,5,7, and 9 and most local NH radio stations. In the event of a delayed opening we will schedule our day as follows:

Delay	AM Class	PM Class
90 minute delay	Closed	Open (Extended day begins at 10:15 am)

If a storm starts in the morning and Salem closes school early the afternoon parents will be called by staff or other parents with that information. We ask that on snowy days that you let us know where you can be reached (if not at home) in the event that school closes early. Should we have to cancel a school day or session for any other reason someone will call you with that information.