After 3+ years of work, next week is finally our Accreditation on-site visit from the IMC Accreditation Team. Thank you to Emma Harlow for the donation of their lodging, saving us a great deal on the budget for this initiative. If you see a couple of new faces observing campus next Mon-Wed please welcome them to our community.
Next week is also Literacy Week, so you will find a book exchange table on the front lawn all week. Please bring in any books you’d like to exchange, and bring a bag to take home what you like! We challenge every family to read at least one new book a day next week. That small incorporation of a learning & bonding activity can make important ripples in your habits, if you embrace them.
This Week @ MCS
Pictured:
- Pigeon Plum Toddler friends explore incline planes and angles with ball ramps.
- Spanish Lime (Lower Elementary) friends dip candles with Ms. Deejay of Key West Candle Company, who hosted candle-making class for Lower Elementary & Primary programs on campus this week.
- Cocoplum (Upper Elementary) students during their “Show My Learning – Outer Planets” presenting Cafe Pluto.
- Cocoplum (Upper Elementary) class visits our new campus building and celebrates our beautiful new signage!
Upcoming Events (more info below)…
PRO TIP: Click the date to save the event to your personal calendar on your phone!
TODAY Wednesday, February 25 & Thursday February 26: Parent Education Series
Sunday, March 1-Wednesday, March 4: IMC Accreditor Visit
Friday, March 13: Plogging Sponsored by Montessori Key West, On Campus 8AM
Friday, March 13: NO SCHOOL – Professional Day
Monday, March 16-Friday, March 20: NO SCHOOL – Spring Break – Camp Available for Toddler & Primary
Save the Date! Friday, April 24: MCS Supper Club, First Flight 5:45PM, Childcare via PJ Party 5:30-9PM On Campus
Parent Education Series
The Montessori journey for a family can be greatly enhanced by taking part in our Parent Education series, offered twice during the year. The following Parent Education Events are open to any families who wish to attend (you do not necessarily have to stay within your current program – feel welcome to attend a program that your child will be moving up to, or that is of interest to you!) We also offer childcare for all Education Series (Upper Elementary students are invited to attend their series.)
Primary: TODAY! Wednesday, February 25 @ 3PM “Montessori at Home”
Lower Elementary (Grades 1-3): Thursday, February 26 @ 3PM “How can we help?”
Upper Elementary (Grades 4-6): Thursday, February 26 @ 3PM “Cultural Subjects”
Intent to Remain Forms – Due March 12
Each year the start of our Admissions Season begins with prioritizing our currently enrolled students. Please help us plan for next school year by completing the attached Intent to Remain Form and returning to Ms. Alex in the front office before March 12. This is not a contract. It simply helps us to plan our classroom spaces and map new & waitlist families to available spaces.
Intent to Remain 2025-2026 v 2.docx (1)
Plogging
The best way to teach our kids to give back to & care for our community is to give back to our community with our kids here to see & partake. On Friday, March 13th we will have a Professional Day with No School, but we are taking the opportunity to care for our neighborhood by hosting the Plogging in the Keys organization’s weekly clean up. If you are in town, please plan to join us from 8-9AM – grown ups & kiddos alike – to pick up trash & cigarette butts from our surrounding streets (did you know cigarette butts are collected separately and used to make benches?!) We will host a breakfast-style snack afterwards for the Ploggers and will be asking for donations.
Spring Break Camp
We are out of school March 13-22, with a return to school on March 23. Toddler & Primary Spring Break Camp runs March 16-20, 2026. See attached registration form for Spring Break camp. Please complete and return to the office by February 27. Any questions please let us know 🙂 Spring Break Camp Sign Ups.docx (1)
Elementary friends or families with older siblings in need of camp options – we’ve got you! Here are a few we have compiled for those families who may be interested:
Reef Relief’s Coral Camp (ages 6-12): Reef Relief’s Spring Break Coral Camp! – Key West Historic Seaport
Key West Community Sailing Camp (ages 5-8): Spring Break Camp – Key West Community Sailing Center
MCS Annual Supper Club Tickets & Call for Silent Auction Donations!
Our favorite annual fundraiser and evening of celebration is Friday, April 24th, this year at First Flight for a new, larger location and a whole new twist on the Supper Club event. A beautiful island-inspired menu, Open Bar of house made beers & house wines, Live entertainment, and an afterparty with a DJ!
Childcare is provided at school in the form of a PJ Party for all grades from 5:45-8:45PM.
Tickets are LIVE on sale now at this link: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/mcs-supper-club-2026-first-flight
Interested in purchasing a table? Attached is the Sponsorship form – a wonderful way to support the event and also treat yourself and your guests to an elevated experience!
2026 Donor Dinner Sponsorship Letter.docx
A major fundraising piece of this annual event is our EPIC Silent Auction, and we need your help in stocking that! Attached is our donation form – please chip in by handing this out to any friends or contacts you have with local businesses that may be willing to donate items to our Silent Auction! Speak with Ms. Alex in the office with any questions or suggestions – she is willing to make the ask or coordinate with anywhere you think would be willing to donate.
Silent Auction Donation Form 2026 (2)
Weekly Miracle Makers
Oftentimes it feels like our school is powered by Miracles. Miracles large and small happen each week to pull off all that we do here. Those miracles appear in acts of love and kindness and service by parents, children, staff, alumni, community members, and more, and each week we highlight a special one here.
This week’s Miracle Maker is Ashley Simons, our Toddler Lead Guide in the Mangrove Classroom who is also 6 months pregnant and coordinated a beautiful Love & Play event for our community on Saturday. With Ashley’s leadership a collective of helpful parents (Emil Hattingh, Charlotte Munyard, Cagney Stein, Micaela Elechko, Dan McCann, Chelsea Slater, Jenny Salzmann, Katie Hurwitz, & Angela Tizzano) transformed our campus into a huge community party zone Saturday morning. Thanks also to all who donated to the delicious breakfast buffet. This is a community event, not a fundraiser, and is simply an act of love toward our community. Ashley exemplified that love by continuing to organize the event even late in her pregnancy, and did so purely out of heart. Thank you for the gift to all of us, Ms. Ashley!
Community News
The wonderful Judy Blume has asked if we can try to rally the kids at school to attend this book presentation in which the author will be talking with Judy about her childhood. It takes place on the rooftop at the studios and will be a really special chance to meet Judy and hear about her life and the creative process behind making a children’s book. Here’s a link to the Books and Books event page. RSVPS are encouraged.
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