2017-18 Welcome Breakfast

Sep 10

Written By Cristina Wager

*|MC:SUBJECT|*

The Waterfront School Foundation is the official parent organization for Waterfront Montessori.

Welcome Parents

It's Going to Be A Great Year!

Dear Member Parents,

It brings WSF great joy to see people working together with shared purpose and meaning, united in mission and vision. And we know this doesn’t happen overnight, it takes time and dedicated energy from a committed group of people to build an infrastructure to support collaborative work.

First, let me begin by apologizing for the length of this note, please skim it, come back to it later or come talk to us in person tomorrow at the breakfast. We have 3 sections so feel free to skip around to what interests you most.

Last week we shared our Annual Report and this week we wanted to follow-up with a brief recap on our summer retreat outcomes, mainly to give context to our 2017-18 efforts (our values in action), followed by what’s coming up next (events & member meet-up's).

Again, we look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow morning at the WFM breakfast, we will have a table set up, please stop by and say hello and pick up your “I’m a Member” goodie bag. We will also have school spirit swag available for purchase and of course we love conversation, especially over coffee and breakfast treats!

In Appreciation,
Ashley Faison
Interim WSF President

P.S. Be sure to check out our 2016-17 WSF Impact Report and give us your feedback via the survey link provided at the bottom of the report (remember a $100 Key Food gift card is on the line for one lucky family!

Member Notes

September/2017

This summer the WSF board embarked on a journey to define our vision of success for WSF and the coming school year. This started with a conversation about our shared member identity, why we joined, and what keeps us coming back. Our founding purpose and mission were articulated by our founders in 2012 and remains true to this day.

MISSION: Support the educational experience of WFM students, promote parental involvement in the WFM community, and foster a relationship between WFM and the wider community.

The “why” of WSF was defined for us but the “how” was not. We are excited to share the WSF Core Values as we go into the 2017-18 school year together.

WSF CORE VALUES: ARC
In order to hold ourselves accountable in our work, we devised three core values that will guide our efforts as Board Members. Additionally, we hope that these values are embodied by all members who engage with WSF.

Approachable: Open, available and reachable. We have taken on this role to be a resource and to facilitate communication, bonding and support. We have decided alongside you to give our kids a Montessori educational experience and we are excited to share this journey together.
Resourceful: Knowledgeable, provide guidance and insight. We may not have the answer but we will do our best to help get you pointed in the right direction.
Committed: Accountable, responsible. We are involved and committed to doing our very best to uphold our mission and to perform our duties with integrity and grace.

And the 2017-18 WSF School Year Theme Is...

Our theme for this school year is “kindness” and you will see this theme weaved into many (if not all) of our WSF efforts this Fall. To kick-off our theme and as part of our commitment to buy and shop local (WSF Parent’s Passport Shop and Buy Local Guide) we have selected and purchased copies of the book “Wonder” and the kid's book “We Are All Wonders” from WORD Bookstore to be our first WSF Book Club read (see below for details). We will have books available for purchase at the 9/9 Welcome Breakfast.

WSF Member Calendar

9/14: WSF Member Meet & Greet
Members are invited to come spend an evening getting to know us and each other at Porta Jersey City (light appetizers provided)! We would love to hear your thoughts on the upcoming year and how we can better help. Let's celebrate the kids being back in school! RSVP here.

10/3: WSF Book Club
We are excited to dive into R.J. Palacio's classic "Wonder," the book that inspired the "Choose Kind" movement. A great read for adults and kids aged 8+, this book also has a younger kid's appropriate version called We're All Wonders. Then we will plan a trip to the movies to watch “Wonder” on the big screen in mid-November.

10/22: 3rd Annual WSF Fall Family Fun Day
Potluck & Pumpkins at the Pavilion. Join us at the Liberty State Park Pavilion. Activities will include making “kindness rocks” to be placed around Jersey City as part of the Kindness Rocks Project. Free for members, $10 for non-member families.

WFM School Spirit Store: Show off your school pride by purchasing a Waterfront Montessori T-shirt (it’s 100% cotton) or carry a limited release WFM Canvas Tote! The shirts and totes will be available at the WFM Breakfast with special member pricing so don’t forget to grab yours!