New Message from Shanna:
Calendar:
Oct 18: TCH Clothing Swap, 9 a.m. to Noon, see below
Oct 20-31: Elementary Visiting Days - Scheduled visits
Oct 21: Picture Day, see below
Oct 24: Primary Visiting Day, 8:30 - 9:30 a.m., details here
Oct 28: Kindergarten Special Guests: The Fire Department
Oct 28: ISACS Webinar; How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Impacted Everything + What We Can Do About It, 7:30–8:30 p.m. on Zoom, details here
Oct 31: Pumpkin Fun Day, each class implements its own plan
Oct 31: Compass Junior High Visiting Day, 2-3 p.m., details here
Nov 3: Daffodil Day, details here
Nov 3-22: “Boots for Kids” Sock Drive
Nov 4-7: Junior High Trip to Detroit
Nov 5: CHiPA meeting, 8:30 – 9:30 a.m., in the Community Room or via Zoom, details here
Nov 6: Early Dismissal at 11:30, Conferences
Nov 7: No School on Friday, Conferences
Nov 8: Horizon Books Day, details here
Nov 8: Shop Your Community Day, details here
Nov 12: Coffee with Trisha, 8:30 a.m. in person at The Children’s House and on Zoom, details here
Nov 12: Daffodil Circle Luncheon at Noon
Nov 14: Junior High Only Early Dismissal, Conferences
Nov 14: Junior High Only No School, Conferences
Nov 14: Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day
In The Know:
New! Help Us Reach $275,000 for our Bright Futures Fund and Gala Announcement
We’re excited to share that our annual gala will now take place in the fall, giving us new opportunities to celebrate together at the start of the school year. That means there won’t be a gala this spring—but there are still plenty of ways to connect and support The Children’s House! Help us reach $275,000 for our Bright Futures Fund, which supports mental health programs, teacher learning, safe transportation, and campus care. This year, we’ll come together through house parties, a clothing swap, a chili cook-off, a sledding party, and more. Every gift and every gathering makes us stronger—join us in shaping bright futures for our students!
New! Curricular Scope & Portrait of a Graduate
We are happy to share our Curricular Scope and Portrait of a Graduate with our families! These resources were created from the expertise of our faculty over the past year and a half. Our Curricular Scope illustrates the depth of each subject area. Portrait of a Graduate explores the long-term impact of our Montessori education through alumni interviews. Check out these two new resources at www.traversemontessori.org.
New! Spirit Wear
Show your school spirit with Children’s House and Compass Junior High apparel and gear! We are using a new print-on-demand platform, so your orders will be shipped directly to you! Be sure to click on the products to see all the color options available. Shop the Spirit Wear Store today!
TCH Winter Clothing Swap on Saturday, October 18, 9 a.m. to Noon
Thank you for the donations! Get ready to "shop" on October 18! We will have a "store" set up inside the Barn from 9 am to Noon. Donate to our Bright Futures Fund and stock up on the next sizes for your kids. This swap will be open to TCH families only. All remaining items will be donated to classrooms in need and then to the Women's Resource Center.
Update! We have lots of baby girls - 2T and boys 3/4. Some high-quality rain suits, snow pants, boots/shoes, hats, and mittens for kids aged 2-5. Come “shop” and donate to our Bright Futures Fund!
Picture Day, Tuesday, October 21
School picture day is coming up! You can pre-order your child’s photos for quicker delivery. Order packages through Timeless Image Inc. Our school code for ordering is 9825. Junior High students start the day at TCH at 8:00 a.m. with a normal Park Street release at 3:00 p.m.
Join the Daffodil Circle
Honoring the legacy of Karen, Anna, Sierra, and Rowan, the Daffodil Circle supports special projects that enrich student life beyond the school’s budget. Members contribute $1,000 annually to fund wellness, the arts, clubs, and more—raising over $338,000 since 2005. 2025 Luncheon: Wednesday, Nov. 12, 12 PM at Traverse City Golf & Country Club. Send your gift or pledge by Nov. 5 to join. Contact Shanna Gonzalez at 231-929-9325 or shanna@traversechildrenshouse.org. Learn more and join by visiting the Daffodil Circle page.
Updated! Coffee with Trisha recap
We had a wonderful discussion on Wednesday about routines and mental health! Routines help regulate our nervous systems and create space for peace and growth—for ourselves and our families. Parents shared both challenges and effective strategies for morning and bedtime routines, including spending a set amount of intentional time together before getting to the to-do list, making time for brief self-care moments, setting simple household expectations for how children can contribute, and talking with children about the “why” behind routines and chores. Join us next month on Wednesday, November 12th, details here!
Mind Up Take Home Lesson
Students K-6 receive MindUP lessons each Monday. Our learners are having fun learning about their brains and how they work. MindUP take home lessons are available to families on this Google Document. It will be updated weekly with new lessons and will always be accessible on our Learning Resources page.
New Faces:
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Season Hawkins |
Blog:
.jpg "The Children's House Blog")
Importance of Routine
By Emily Walton
The young child, who has just entered this vast external environment, is doing their best to make sense of the world around them. From birth to age six, the child possesses what Dr. Maria Montessori referred to as an “Absorbent Mind” that captures and integrates all of their lived experiences. The child forms impressions from the environment and incorporates those characteristics into their psyche. Continue Reading...
Extracurriculars:
New! Athletics Survey
Survey Goal: To better understand parents’ current perceptions, pain points, and communication preferences around the school’s elementary athletics program — in order to inform a future-state strategy that improves clarity and engagement.
Take the Survey
Athletics Focus Group — lend your voice
We’re gathering 8–10 parent volunteers to help shape the next chapter of Athletics at TCH—program offerings, communication, facilities, and school spirit! We’ll hold one meeting in early November (a quick date poll will go to those who sign up). If you care about athletic opportunities that help children become their best selves, we’d love your perspective. Please add your name by Monday, Oct 20: Focus Group Sign Up
New! Navigators Volleyball Season
The Compass Navigators had such a fun volleyball season. Each girl grew so much in their skills, including every single one getting overhand serves over! The girls brought a great positive energy to the team, supporting each other and never giving up. The patience and hard work I saw from each of them was incredible. I felt very lucky to be their coach! - Arielle Castine
Dungeons & Dragons (4th–8th):
Starts: Friday, October 24, 2025
Schedule: Fridays, 3:15 p.m. at Compass Junior High
Advisor: Gary Ruoff. Families interested in joining or helping may contact Gary or Andrew.
Long Lake (Elementary) Interest forming. Alan Palazzollo is willing to help, but we need one more advisor before scheduling — contact Andrew.
Community Bulletin:
Welcome to the Community Bulletin! This is your space to share activities, events, and extracurriculars that your family is involved in outside of school. To submit a message for the bulletin, email Arielle@traversechildrenshouse.org.
- TCH Winter Clothing Swap, Saturday, Oct. 18, 9 am-Noon, learn more
- New! GTSC Ski Swap & Swag Sale, Saturday, Oct. 18, 9 am-1 pm, learn more
- New! Donuts for Dolly Fundraiser, Saturday, Oct 18, 9 am - 11 am, at the Great Lakes Children’s Museum, learn more
- Little Flea Market at Little Fleet, Sunday, Oct. 19, 12 pm - 4 pm, bake sale, vintage clothes, and more benefiting MMUN Junior High Club trip to Rome! learn more
- Children's House day at Pahl's Pumpkin Patch, Sunday, Oct 19, 11-1, learn more
- Interlochen Arts Academy Theatre Presents Grumpy Monkey, Oct 17-19 at the Phoenix Theater, appropriate for all audiences, FREE, no tickets required, learn more
- New! Trick r' Treat at Meadow Valley Assisted Living & Memory Care, Oct 22, 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm, learn more
- New! Sensory-friendly Trunk or Treat, FS Roofing & Construction LLC and LMCU, Oct 24, 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm, learn more
This Week in Photos:
See the links below for more photos not seen in the Waypoints!
Pass Gallery allows us to share high-resolution images with you. Sign in with an email or Facebook account to download photos. Once logged in, you can click on the photo you want to download and then click the download icon. If you're downloading to a mobile device, you will then have to hold down on the photo and choose to save it to your photos. Galleries will stay live for three months and then be deleted, so download what you want to keep!
