Welcome Letter from Lisl Welcome to the 2021-2022 School Year! We have successfully kicked off our 16th year at Athena Montessori Academy. After what we have all been through this past year and a half, I am even more grateful to be able to welcome all of you to a new school year. It’s been a wild ride, and we are still on it! But at least we are on it together, as a community, and what a beautiful community we are. I feel so blessed to be a part of it. It has been fun seeing so many returning and new faces in the parking lot since the start of school. While we are all trying very hard, it might take us a while to remember all of your names, so please bear with us. You can HELP US GET TO KNOW YOU by bringing a card stock sign with you to identify your family as you approach the gate with parent names, child names, and class. And if you are still getting to know us, please visit the staff page of our website and see what we look like behind the masks and read a bit about us. As a parent, I know how vulnerable it feels to leave your child in the care of others. And during a pandemic, I know how scary it can feel not to have control over your child’s every interaction, to have faith that everyone is doing their part, not to be able to make all the decisions, and to trust that everything is going to be okay. I want to thank each and every one of you for trusting us with this incredible responsibility. As I hope you have noticed, we take our jobs very seriously. WE HOLD THE CHILDREN AS OUR NORTH STAR, and center our every decision based on what is in the highest and best for them at every turn. As you can imagine, this responsibility and this calling is one that takes special people, and I am so grateful to all of our gifted teachers and staff who have said YES to working at Athena in service to our community. Each of your guides and administrative staff have chosen this path because they are truly connected to our mission and vision, and desire to serve every child and family to the best of their ability, and in doing so, to make the world a better place. They understand how special this time is in a child’s life, and how we have an opportunity to make an impact on who these children become, how they feel about themselves, how they approach learning, and how they treat other people. What an honor and privilege! THANK YOU, ATHENA GUIDES AND STAFF! Speaking of guides and staff, WE ARE STILL HIRING SUPPORT STAFF! As you may know from listening to the news, even on a national level, daycares and schools are really struggling to secure teaching staff. This is a situation that we’ve never faced before at Athena, and WE COULD USE YOUR HELP! If there are any babysitters or nannies you know or who are in your circle who might be interested in a career in Montessori, please send them my way. All positions are full time with benefits (100% health insurance paid, two extra weeks PTO, paid professional development, and more). Our support guides offer breaks to the teachers, support transitions, and run our After School Program that we hope to be able to offer soon! Please don’t hesitate to reach out to any of us if you have any questions, concerns, ideas, feedback, suggestions, or just want to get to know us. We love our work and feel passionately about doing our best, creating a sense of equity and belonging for all of our community members, and continuing to learn and grow, every day. Thank you for sharing your most precious ones with us. We love what we do and feel grateful to serve you. Warmly, Lisl Friday, Founder/Head of School |