Athens Montessori Parents (AMPs) is an active volunteer organization of parents of AMS students committed to strengthening and enhancing our community of families, staff, and students. Through a variety of teams and committees, AMPs organizes activities and special events that encourage parents to support and participate in the life of the school while creating a warm and welcoming environment for the community to thrive.
Teams and Committees
- The Auction Team
- The Hospitality Committee
- Community Service Team
- The Green Committee
- The Education Committee
- The Fall Festival Team
- The Support and Appreciation Committee
- The Holiday Float Committee
- The Landscape Committee
- The Staff Workday Team
Initiatives
Kids Giving
AMPs organizes numerous opportunities for our children to support our community and help make the world a better place once step at a time. Examples include coin drives, coat drives, book drives, and food drives. It all adds up!
The Connection
School administration puts out a quarterly electronic newsletter so families know what is going on in classrooms all over the school.
No matter your skills, interests or availability, AMPs is sure to have the right team or committee for you! Contact us today to get involved.
Annual Events for Families
New Parent Orientation
Check the online calendar for days/times for specific classrooms.
Welcome Coffee (First Day of School)
This is a great time to take a deep breath after the first day’s drop-off as well as get to know new and returning parents.
AMPs Meetings
All parents and guardians are automatically members. We love grandparents, too. Come and join our monthly round table discussions. If you can’t make every meeting, please drop in whenever you can (even if you have to slip out before it is over). The meetings are usually held in the ArtsSpace at 8:45 am on the second Tuesday of each month during the school year. There is always coffee.
Fall Festival
This is a great family day and opportunity to show off AMS to the Athens community. Our kids demonstrate their singing and musical skills on the stage, so check with your child’s teacher about their performance time and bring a camera. There’s a bake sale, a book fair, bouncy houses, crafts, vendor booths, and more. Please invite friends and family.
Athens Downtown Parade of Lights
AMS parents and kids build and decorate a float for the city’s annual parade, and then our talented kids ride, sing, and sometimes play music. All ages are welcome to help build and decorate the float, but for safety reasons, only Lower Elementary kids and older can be in the parade.
Parents Night Out
You get a night off and the kids get to have a great time. Different classrooms and groups sponsor a monthly Parents Night Out to raise money. There is a fee for each AMS student (usually $20 per student). Sign up is in the Office, so watch for signs around campus or check the online calendar.
Skate Night
These are scheduled throughout the school year at Fun Galaxy on Cherokee Road, usually once a month on Tuesday evenings. The kids have a great time skating with their friends while the entry fee (currently $5 including skate rental) raises money for new PE equipment. Come for an hour or stay the entire time (usually 5PM to 8PM). Watch for signs in the school parking lot to announce Skate Night.
Silent Journey
Two or more times a year, a small group of parents is invited to come to Athens Montessori on a Saturday to learn more about the school. Parents get an in-depth tour of each level of classroom (Primary, Lower Elementary, Upper Elementary, and Middle School) as well as have a chance to interact with teachers and fellow parents. The teachers showcase their materials, student work, and selected lessons. Lunch is provided to give everyone time to share their experiences. Attendance is limited by how many people can fit comfortably in the classrooms, but the goal is for a parent from each family to attend Silent Journey during their child(ren)’s first three years at AMS. The office organizes and distributes invitations, so please contact them for
Learn more about our programs and how they instill a love for learning.
School Structure
For those of you curious about the school’s structure and class names, here is a guide.
These four classes are each taught by a Director/Directress and an Assistant. Primary classes open at 8:30 AM and run from 9:00 AM until 12:00 PM. Some students go home at noon while others, depending on parent preference, stay until 2:30 PM. Students staying until 2:30 are in two groups. The younger students, usually below 4 ½* years, change over to the Rainbow Room at noon and are in After School Care. The 2 ½ hour Rainbow Class of combined Primary students offers stories, crafts, and playtime as well as naps for those students who need it. When a student is ready for more daily classroom work (usually around age 4 ½ but determined by teacher/parent agreement), that student enters the Extended Day Program. Extended Day students remain with their classroom. Primary teachers work with these students more closely since the number of students is reduced during Extended Day.
These three classes run from 8:30 AM to 3:00 PM. Each class is taught by a Director/Directress and one or more Assistants.
Aces is a double-class that runs from 8:30 AM to 3:00 PM. It is taught by two Directors/Directresses and two Assistants.
There is one class that runs from 8:30 AM to 3:00 PM. After Middle School, students graduate from Athens Montessori and move on to various high school experiences.
Students enrolled in this program may arrive as early as 7:30 AM for an hour of supervised free play and then move to their respective classrooms.
This program allows enrolled Primary students to stay on campus until 5:30 on regular school days for supervised free play or various classes.
*Athens Montessori seeks to allow students to move through their programs based on readiness rather than strictly by age. Parents and teachers work together to determine appropriate placement and passage for each student.