StoryHeights Montessori Preschool and ChildCare Center

WE ARE SO EXCITED FOR A NEW SCHOOL YEAR!

Our Wrentham center turned out absolutely stunning! We passed our inspection with the EEC last Friday, and have spent all week filling the school up with all the people who have patiently waited on our wait list over the last 9 months! We are starting Day 1 at 80% capacity! We've left our primary program only half enrolled in order to allow our toddlers room to move up and accept new infants on our wait list in 2022!

Here's a huge shoutout to our directors, Gina & Erica, for all their hard work in getting the campus furnished, set up and enrolled. And here's an equally loud shout out to Tom Diplacido and company for their great buildout at 200 Stonewall Blvd. We are so happy with how the premises turned out!

We cannot wait to fill these rooms and playgrounds with the sound of curious imaginations and laughter on September 7 as children are empowered to soar to new heights!

Next week is all about teacher training as everyone goes through intense Montessori training. We will be sprucing up the campus in Norfolk, and get everything ready for the start of a new school year!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to all our families for your patronage and support! We will continue to ensure we provide best in class care & education for your kids!

-Crystal Tullos

Meet our newly hired Wrentham location director! Here's an update on our new Wretham location. If you're curious, read the info below that just went out to all our families on the waiting list.

BUILDING PROGRESS
According to the owner of 200 Stonewall Blvd. his crew is in demo and framing mode, and he still projects to be done with the project in August! So this means we're still on track for a September 7 start date. We will be able to offer tours in August when the building is safe to enter.

STUDENT PROGRESS
Our infant and toddler programs are theoretically 99% full with everyone that's on the waitlist at this time, and our primary program is 75% full. Of course, things could change if everyone on the waiting list doesn't end up enrolling when we're allowed to enroll children after our EEC licensing inspection, so we are still accepting applications and putting people on the waitlist. It's great news to know, though, that all of the children will have a lot of peers in the classroom on Day One! If you'd like to join the waiting list, head to our website now to the Admissions page to fill out the application!

STAFFING PROGRESS
We are conducting interviews left and right for all our staffing needs! We are very choosy and patient to hire the right people. At this time, we have the Lead Primary teacher and an assistant primary teacher hired; we've made job offers as of yesterday to the assistant toddler teacher and lead infant teacher, and our goal is to have the center fully staffed by the end of June.

DIRECTOR & LEAD TODDLER TEACHER INTRODUCTION
At this time, we're happy to introduce you to our newly hired Wrentham location director and who will also fill the role of our lead toddler teacher, which is common for a director to be both a director and lead teacher of a classroom. Her passion and experience is with toddlers!

Please welcome Gina Knust Graichen to our community and read her bio below.

"Hi, my name is Gina Knust Graichen. I am excited to take on my new role as Director of StoryHeights Montessori here in Wrentham. I live in Wrentham with my husband and three children. You might even see us around town at the soccer fields, baseball fields, or any other kid-friendly hangout in town.

I have been working in early education for a very long time. I started my career in high school where I volunteered as an assistant in the childcare center located in the school. After graduating college, I worked in the childcare program at a respite center. From there I became a toddler teacher at a different program. In 2013, I was offered a toddler teacher position at a center in Wrentham. While working there I obtained my Director certification and became the director of that school until 2020 when COVID hit and our center closed down permanently.

Working in early education has been incredibly rewarding as it is so much fun to watch young children grow and develop into wonderful little people. I am excited to take on my new role at StoryHeights Montessori Wrentham, and I am looking forward to being a part of empowering your children to soar to new heights!"

Gina will be attending a full-time Montessori certification program in the month of July and will work under the direct supervision of Erica Douglass, our Norfolk director and a 25-year Montessori expert, over the following year to obtain her Montessori certification. We felt it was best to hire Gina since she is local to Wrentham and has an outstanding reputation, and also because she can be trained by Erica in method so that both of our locations have brand continuity.

Gina will be the point of contact on a day-to-day basis, will oversee all the staff at Wrentham, will ensure we meet all the EEC regulations and requirements, and will make sure children love school every single day!

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Erica Douglass will continue to be the director and lead primary teacher of our Norfolk location; however, she will also be promoted to Executive Director and will work to ensure our Wrentham and Norfolk centers are unified in vision and mission, quality, and excellence. Additionally, her job will be to ensure the Montessori philosophy and method implementation into all the classrooms.

We're so happy to see our second community coming to life, and we can't wait to empower more children to soar to new heights!

🥳 HAVE YOU HEARD THE NEWS? We are opening our second campus at 200 Stonewall Blvd in Wrentham on September 7, 2021. We’ve hired a director and teachers and the work has begun! This campus is just 10 minutes from our Norfolk location so we can open more spots up for all of our waiting list families! Head to our website now to find out all about this new location and how you can secure your child’s spot now! Get on the list today and enjoy a waived enrollment deposit!

WE'RE EXPANDING! Here's your chance to get your infant, toddler or preschooler on the top of our waitlist to be the first enrolled at our brand new campus coming soon to Wrentham! Come discover why families continue to flock to StoryHeights Montessori Childcare Center and keep our waitlists miles long even during a pandemic!

We know you need to secure a spot now! So as an incentive to enroll with us when it comes time, on top of the benefits of an amazing Montessori early education experience your child will have, the first ten students to join our waitlist and then subsequently enroll will receive:

*Waived Application Fee
*Waived Deposit
*3 Months of 20% Discounted Tuition

LEARN MORE & ACT FAST: https://storyheightsmontessori.com/about-us/wrentham-new-campus

We have 5 spots available for children 2.9-6 years old in each of our summer camp sessions during July and August for Summer 2021! Your child will enjoy our nature and play-based summer camps with special games, crafts, lessons, and playing on our fully turfed playground! All the information on themes, pricing and dates can be found here: https://storyheightsmontessori.com/admissions-tuition/summer-camp

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*Our school follows EEC guidance for COVID regulations. Teachers wear masks, and children 2.9-6 are encouraged to wear masks when 6 feet of social distancing is not possible (like in circle time), and the wishes of parents are followed, per EEC guidance.

Summer Camp at StoryHeights Montessori Learn about Summer Camp at StoryHeights Montessori! Full and half day camps near Norfolk, Franklin, and Newton for children 2.9 to 6 years old.

Join us for an exciting summer of interactive and educational camps that will keep your child’s body and mind active. Our nature-inspired outdoor playground provides ample opportunity for exploration and imaginative play. Each themed session offers different activities including songs, stories, movement, and arts and crafts.

You do not have to be currently enrolled at StoryHeights Montessori to enroll.

Camps are for children 2.9 to 6 years old. Tours available upon request.

Full and half-day options with early and late care are available.

Learn more about our weekly themes, pricing and enrollment on our website.

Our website is down for unknown reasons. While we work to get it back up, should you need information about our school, or upcoming open house on Saturday from 10am-12pm, please contact the school at 508-346-3427.

We're often asked: How can I ease my child's separation anxiety at drop-off each morning?

Here's a few quick tips from our years of experience:
Step 1: Give your child incremental notice that you're about to leave for school. (...in 30 minutes...in 10 minutes...we're almost there...). Step 2: Reassure your child that you'll be back and they'll be okay. Step 3: Give a quick hug, say "Goodbye," be quick about it and let your teachers comfort your child.

For more helpful expert advice on this topic, click the link in our bio to read the full blog from our director, Erica Douglass: https://storyheightsmontessori.com/blog/5-Methods-to-Ease-Separation-Anxiety

Montessori education doesn’t ignore race. Even during the preschool years, children are exposed to the continents and peoples of the world. Children of every color are valued at our school and learn to value and appreciate different cultures and the big, wide world to which they contribute. Talk to us. How do you teach value for all races to your children? Read more for how Montessori inspires respect for diversity. https://livingmontessorinow.com/montessori-inspired-respect-for-diversity/

Happy One Year Anniversary to Us! To celebrate we've sponsored two children in Haiti through One Child Matters, a great organization that cares for the poor, hurting and forgotten! When you partner your tuition dollars with us, we work together to CHANGE THE WORLD! Read more here. http://bit.ly/2jF7tnQ

Our toddler program brings only smiles!

We started our school to spread human kindness on the Earth by using our profits to take care of the poor, hurting and forgotten. We're excited to announce that our enrollments have grown and we'll be meeting our monthly budgets this fall. So it's time to start executing our vision! We're going to start with a global cause and then work our way inwards - nationally, state, city and even locally here in Norfolk as our school grows. We'll be announcing our first mission next week! In the meantime, tell us what causes are you passionate about in the comment! Maybe we'll be able to support them! Give us a share, would you?

What are you waiting for?! We have a brand new campus, nurturing and experienced staff, affordable pricing and quality education for children 6 weeks to 6 years. We offer flexible scheduling and early and late care. For a limited time, our registration packets come with a free date night coupon that you can use during the holidays for everyone that enrolls by December 1! Comment below for a private tour today 👇🏼 This is a win-win situation!!

We've got a new blog post up at StoryHeightsMontessori.com. Back to school can be so fun, but sometimes transitioning out of the lazy summer rhythm into the hustle and bustle of a school and work week can be exhausting. In this post, we've gathered some of the most helpful resources to help you find the perfect rhythm for your family.

https://storyheightsmontessori.com/blog/ideas-your-family-routine

If you have a child that's getting ready to go back to school -- or maybe starting for the very first time -- our director wrote a blog that might be of interest to you.

How to Go Back To School Smoothly
https://storyheightsmontessori.com/blog/back-to-school

We also will be ramping up all our social media and blog writing in the coming months, so stay tuned into our page, Instagram and Twitter feeds so we can be friends and you can stay fully empowered to soar to new heights and in the know of all the exciting happenings with StoryHeights Montessori. Also, may we suggest you subscribe to our blog for helpful and practical writings that will enrich your family.

Thank you to all our first families who came out today to celebrate the grand opening of our school! Together we are making a difference in the World and empowering children to soar to new heights!

The sun has come out, and we are ready to play outside!!! ☀️☀️ We hope you will come join us for ice cream, lemonade, face painting, balloons and playing on our new natural playground! Come see what all the buzz is about, meet our staff and enjoy our campus! We can't wait to meet you!

Due to the rainy and gloomy forecast for our area this weekend, we are postponing our Spring Fling to Saturday, June 3rd. Turns out between Mother's Day and Memorial Day weekends, May is a busy month! We are wishing for sunny skies and warmer temps so you can fully enjoy everything we have planned for you and your family! Mark your calendars! ☀️🌼☀️🌼☀️🌼

Our natural playgrounds have come to life complete with mud kitchens, ships with buried treasure, TeePee forts, rolling hills, tree stump climbing, a life-sized nest, music walls, rock quarries, Dino dig sites, and playhouses...a curated environment to help your child's imagination soar to new heights!

Our mission is to empower children to soar to new heights! We are proud to introduce our new blog, designed to inspire and enrich your family. We have two blog posts up now entitled: "How to Choose an Early Education Center" and "5 Methods to Ease Separation Anxiety."

www.storyheightsmontessori.com/blog

Our natural playgrounds for both our primary and infant/toddler programs are now under construction and will be ready just in time for spring! Can you imagine all the fun the children will have playing in this fort where creeping vines will grow, or how about on their adventurous voyage as they navigate their own ship, or maybe digging up dinosaur bones in our dig site, or all the fun they'll have making mud pies at the mud kitchen!?Imaginations will soar to new heights!

We have an OPEN HOUSE coming up, and we'd love to meet you!
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3-18-2017
10am-12pm
23 Union Street, Norfolk, MA
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Let us know you're coming by clicking this link: https://goo.gl/eKikfD

We are excited to announce that we have just enrolled our 10th student 👏🏼👏🏼 We are so grateful for the families that entrust us with their precious children! Together we are going to make the World a better place!

We are the only program in Norfolk that offers care for infants and toddlers, and our spaces are filling up quickly! We offer 2, 3 and 5-day options for both full and half day needs. We would love to show you our caring and education-emphasis program that develops your infant's or toddler's budding potential! Call now for a tour. Enroll by February 28 and get 50% your second month!