Calendars

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Dear Three Rivers Families, 

I hope this letter finds you well, warm and about to enjoy a nice weekend with your family. As you can imagine, Three Rivers has seen a variety of challenges in our opening year. However, we are a strong community with even stronger roots. Therefore, we fully intend to have a successful and joyful 2020-2021 school year no matter what comes our way.

Our fearless leader and School Board Chair, Leah Studaker, has decided to step down from her role as Board Chair. In all reality, Three Rivers Montessori School would not exist without Leah’s passion and endless dedication to this project. We wish Leah all the best in her future endeavors and fully expect to see her everyday in the pickup line and at school events! 

We are actively seeking additional board members with a variety of skills including legal or financial expertise, a background in education and/or experience serving on a board. Leah also will assist with the on-boarding of additional board members as needed. 

If participation in the School Board does not appeal to you, but you are ready to start contributing to the school in other ways, please be on the lookout for communication regarding volunteer opportunities in the coming weeks! 

At this time I would like to provide you with some updates regarding the COVID pandemic and how it affects Three Rivers families. I will answer some frequently asked questions and provide some tools in order to ensure that we can provide an in-person learning opportunity for as long as possible. 

How and when are decisions made regarding the shifting of learning models?

The Minnesota Department of Health provides weekly updates regarding case data which is available on-line for the public. TRM monitors this data in conjunction with the data provided during weekly meetings with Sherburne County Health Officials. The state data provided by MDH is a two-week running average and also delayed before it is released. Our local county health officials are essential in providing the most up-to-date data which allows us to make projections about coming weeks. 

MDE has instructed schools to monitor a variety of factors within their program including case rate within the school, school transmission, staffing and the ability to follow state recommendations. At this time we are able to monitor the data, look for trends and gradually make changes to our learning model based on the impacts we are seeing in our school.

How is TRM protecting against school transmission?

TRM is a small community of students and teachers. Therefore, the classrooms have been able to operate as “pods” with very little interaction between groups of students. Students are also only exposed to select adults assisting in classrooms throughout the school day. 

Students and teachers continue to practice mask wearing, frequent hand-washing, the sanitizing of frequently used surfaces, social distancing (when possible) and health screens (temp checks for students and teachers as well as monitoring for symptoms throughout the day). 

How can I continue to support in-person learning and keep our community healthy?

• Conduct morning health screens at home 
• Keep your child home if he/she is sick - call the school with questions regarding symptoms before attending school
• Review the resources on the TRM website for guidance/support
• Familiarize yourself with the MDH Decision Tree
• If possible, drive your child to school to limit contact possibilities on the bus
   

Reach out to admin@threeriversmontessori.org if you anticipate needing technology assistance (computer or tablet) if the school changes learning models in the future

As always, thank you for your continued support and for sharing your children with us!

Take care,  Rose Bringus

Interim Executive Director

 Three Rivers Montessori Charter School | District 4266-07 

 Hello Wonderful TRM Family,

The day has come to announce our return to school plan! We know you've been patiently waiting and we greatly appreciate your support while these difficult decisions were being made. Based on recent data from Sherburne County and guidance from MDH and MDE, Three Rivers Montessori will open on September 8th utilizing the face-to-face model. 

Please note that Three Rivers Montessori will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation and that we must be prepared to shift to either a hybrid or full-time distance learning model at any time. 

Distance learning will be available for all enrolled families regardless of the model the school adopts for the foreseeable future. Maintaining your enrollment while participating in distance learning from home will allow you to keep your spot at Three Rivers Montessori. 

Your teachers are LOVING connecting with you this week and they can't wait to see you either virtually or in-person. Teachers will send out an overview of what distance learning will look like for each classroom later today. 

The OPEN HOUSE is finally coming!! We know you have been just as excited as we are to spend some time at our beautiful space. The event date is September 3rd - more details to come next week about the time and format as we prepare to make the event fun but safe!

Please see the attachment from last week in regards to the three learning models for your reference. 

Take care, 

Rose Bringus Interim Executive Director

Three Rivers Montessori Charter School | District 4266-07

 Dear TRM Families,

Three Rivers Montessori school will announce our initial back to school learning model on Friday, August 21st! 

This communication serves as a scenario guide for each learning model as we prepare for the 2020-2021 school year.

Please note the safety precautions in each model are not an all-inclusive list. 

The Director remains in constant contact with local, regional, and state teams to ensure we are provided the most recent data and safety guidelines.

Please reach out to Rose Bringus for any specific questions related to virus data or the scenarios in this guide.

Your TRM teachers can help you with questions regarding classrooms or curriculum. Expect more communication from your classroom teachers this week.

Take care and get prepared for a great school year!

Take care, Rose Bringus Interim Executive Director

Three Rivers Montessori Charter School | District 4266-07

Hello Three Rivers Montessori Families, 

We are happy to bring you some much needed good news. After reviewing local health data and speaking with local health officials, we are cautiously optimistic we will be able to proceed with an in-person learning model to start the 2020-2021 school year. We realize families desperately want this to happen and are doing everything in our power to make it so!  

We have also confirmed busing will be available full-time for TRM students within the Elk River district and will continue to operate in accordance with our model at TRM (in-person, hybrid, or distance learning).

TRM will still offer distance learning for any families who choose it. We will be prepared to move into a hybrid model as needed, in response to the current data which is on a rolling 14-day average.

With this new information, we are also working on the details of our before and after care programs. We will reach out as soon as those plans have been solidified.

You can expect another survey within the next week to gather more information in regard to your needs for busing, before and after care, and technology should you choose distance learning or should we need to move into a hybrid model.

If you have further questions that can be addressed through email please respond to trm.roseb@gmail.com. If you would like a staff member or a board member to contact you via telephone, please note this in your email, along with the best time and number where we can reach you.

Take care and stay tuned for more updates!

Rose Bringus
Interim Executive Director

Three Rivers Montessori Charter School | District 4266-07

 Hello Three Rivers Montessori Families,

Thank you for the continued support and dedication to bringing a free Montessori experience to our community! We assure you the board members and TRM staff are working tirelessly to open our doors in September.

Thank you for completing the Distance Learning Survey that was sent on July 24th as we continue to navigate the regulations and guidance following the Governor’s announcement on July 30th.

The purpose of this communication is to provide you with information about the upcoming school year.

We realize many families would like to have their children attend in-person full time. We would love to see this happen as well, as Montessori environments are ideally designed to provide hands-on and collaborative experiences for children, which leads to a better understanding of concepts.

However, at this time the Governor and the Minnesota Department of Health have determined that based on our local and county data, it is not safe to conduct traditional in-person learning at full capacity.

We are currently anticipating the need for a hybrid model that may consist of an AB rotation for attendance. We are working with the Elk River School District to determine how busing will be provided with this rotation. More information will be coming before the August 21st deadline about what this means for you in terms of transportation options and the rotation schedule.

We want to assure families that a distance learning option will be available for your enrolled child if you choose that option. The distance learning materials will be a combination of packets for hands-on work and online lessons and resources. Virtual meetings with the teachers will also be part of the distance learning experience.

We are prepared to plan for all three models throughout the 2020-2021 school year: traditional in-person learning, a hybrid model, and a distance learning option. More information will be provided in the coming week about how a hybrid and distance learning models will look for your child.

At this time, the Governor’s Executive Order 20-81 requires all Minnesotans to wear a face covering in all public spaces, which includes time spent on buses and in classrooms. Three Rivers Montessori will abide by all regulations set by the Minnesota Department of Health and MDE and will provide a COVID preparedness plan for all families and staff members. We will update our policies as necessary or as required in response to current data.

We will continue to develop plans to provide a safe and exceptional learning environment for your children and communicate these plans to you. We greatly appreciate your patience and support.

You can anticipate further details regarding how distance learning will look in a Montessori environment and how the school will implement COVID policies and procedures. Please let us know if you have any questions.

Take care, Rose Bringus
Interim Executive Director

Three Rivers Montessori Charter School | District 4266-07