New Message from Michele:
Calendar:
Lower El Swimming
Birch class (Wednesdays; Jan 22, Jan 29, Feb 5)
Willow class (Fridays; Jan 24, Jan 31, Feb 7)
Jan 20: Martin Luther King Jr Day, No School
Jan 21: Junior High Showcase, for Upper Elementary students and their parents, 5:30 - 7 p.m. at the Park Street Campus, details here
Jan 23: Montessori Up Close: Upper El Meet and Greet, for parents and caregivers of current 3rd-year students, 4 - 5 p.m. at The Children's House, details here
Jan 27: Junior High field trip to NMC to learn about their underwater robotics program and "fly" their ROVs
Jan 28: The Emotional Lives of Teenagers Discussion, for parents and caregivers of Upper El and Junior High students, 6:30 - 8 p.m. at the Park Street Campus, details here
Jan 29: Montessori Up Close: Cosmic Education, for parents and caregivers of current kindergartners, 4 - 5:15 p.m. at The Children's House, details here
Jan 30: Montessori Up Close: The Kindergarten Year, for parents and caregivers of Primary students who are not yet in Kindergarten, 4 - 5:15 p.m. at The Children's House, details here
Feb 1: Sledding Party, 10 a.m. - Noon, details here
Feb 1: Tuition Assistance application opens, details here
Feb 1: Drama Club sign-up opens, see below
Feb 5: CHiPA meeting, 8:30 – 9:30 a.m., in the Community Room or via Zoom, details here
Feb 9-13: Junior High Pigeon Key Trip
Feb 11: 100th Day of School (Lower El Celebration)
Feb 14: Staff Professional Day, No School
Feb 17: Presidents Day, No School
Feb 18-22: Montessori Model United Nations, 6th year trip to NYC
Feb 18-21: Upper Elementary (4th-5th) Robotics Workshop
Feb 24: No school for 6th years only
Look further ahead…
In The Know:
New! Announcing 2025 Summer Program Dates
Our summer program will be open for 10 weeks from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday, June 16 - Thursday, August 21 with a closure on Friday, July 4. Registration opens on February 10 and closes on March 1. More details to follow.
New! Bright Futures Gala: Beyond Bright!
Friday, May 9 from 6-10 p.m.
40th Anniversary Celebration and Fundraiser! Join us as we reminisce and dream about the future.
Because our gala sold out two years in a row, we've decided to move to a much larger venue. So please, save the date and plan to join us!
May 9, 2025, at the The Park Place
Traverse City, Michigan
Attire: Black tie
Sponsor the event | Make reservations to attend
Cherry Festival Junior Royalty
We are happy to announce that Linden Miklos and Riley Narmore will represent our school in the 2025 National Cherry Festival. Thank you to the Miklos and Narmore families for agreeing to lead the float building! We will announce a volunteer schedule to help build the float later this spring - children of families who help get to ride on the float!
Spirit Wear store is open – order by Jan 26!
Children’s House and Compass Montessori Junior High apparel are available! You can check out samples of the products in the lobby. Thanks to this year’s artist, Erika Wynn, for the beautiful 40th Anniversary sunflower design! Place your order online by January 26.
Sledding Party, Saturday, February 1 from 10 AM - NOON
Join us on February 1 for a fun morning of sledding at Twin Lakes Park. Warm up by the fire and enjoy hot chocolate. (As part of our Green School initiative, please bring your own mug!) Thank you to CHiPA for organizing this community event.
We are inviting families with our youngest children (Nido, YCC, and Primary) to arrive at 10 a.m. Families with children in Elementary and Junior High are invited to arrive at 11 a.m. to allow our youngest children a safe time to sled first. Indoor bathrooms are available.
New Faces & Roles:
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Andrew Lutes |
Kim Gallagher |
Blog:
Autonomy Education
by Tree Sturman
Having recently watched the new Bob Dylan biopic, “A Complete Unknown,” my mind is highly attuned to the realities of being a young person in a rapidly changing world. Continue Reading...
Extracurriculars:
New! Navigator Boys Basketball: 2024 Season Recap
The Navigators boys basketball teams began practice season focused on conditioning, fundamental drills, and learning the motion offense. Scrimmaging and ‘Champions and Challengers’ were favorites in practice, allowing the players to get to know each other on the court while also preparing them for games by working on effective screens, precise passes, strong defense, and boxing out. Each player had goals they set for themselves and they took pride in helping one another achieve them, with the junior high team mentoring and working with the 5th/6th grade team throughout the season! Every practice, timeout, and game ended with an energetic, 3-2-1 Navigators!!
The Navigators Girls Basketball season has started!
Cheer them on at an upcoming game–see the game schedule on the Extracurriculars page.
Afterschool Club Opportunities
Drama Club (3rd - 8th), Sign-up opens Feb 1!
Back by popular demand, Jaime Janiszewski will be working on another production with your young thespians this year! The play is “Twice upon a time...” Families may sign up their learners for Drama Club (formally known as Theater Workshop) beginning on February 1st. Once signed up, students may request a script from Jaime. To learn more about the play, student roles, and club schedule, visit our Extracurricular: Clubs page!
Athletic Opportunities
Co-ed Volleyball (4th-5th) Comets
Registration deadline: Friday, January 24, 2025
Elementary Volleyball is co-ed and open to students in 4th - 5th grade. The season tentatively begins on Monday, February 17th, 2025, and will run for approximately six weeks. Teams will practice 2-3 days a week and will begin competitions after the second week of practice. Teams will be formed at each elementary school that has enough participants registered to field a team and where a volunteer coach is available. To learn more and register, visit the LEAP website.
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.
You're invited to join us for a few Open Gyms! On the second Saturday of the month through winter, Learn more
Now - March 21: “Chill Out Fridays” at Hickory begins, 4-6 every Friday until Spring Break, Learn more
This Week in Photos:
