Updates for week of October 19 available now!
English: https://bit.ly/GWM-Weekly-26-27-ENG
en español: https://bit.ly/GWM-Weekly-26-27-SPA

I hope you had a great weekend! We enjoyed seeing so many of your on Thursday at our Fall family event! You’ll want to be sure to see our full message to ensure you have access to all of the links–lots to share this week.

This week is our October PTA meeting on Wednesday at 5:30PM. We hope you’ll come and learn about ways to be involved in the coming weeks!

The first week of our 2026 Fall Fundraiser for our PTA was a success–we are just over 25% of our goal. See additional information included –we hope many of you will partner with us to support the PTA in all the ways they support our school!

Finally, our school has approved the 2026-2028 school improvement plan and DPS wants your feedback–see details in our full update. 

Hope to see you around soon–have a great week!

Updates for week of October 12 available now!
English: https://bit.ly/GWM-Weekly-26-27-ENG
en español: https://bit.ly/GWM-Weekly-26-27-SPA

I hope you had a great weekend! We have several updates this week–including our Fall family night on Thursday (October 15)! Join us this Thursday for fun parent & child Fall activities on the field and an Odyssey of the Mind parent & child spontaneous challenge. Primary will begin indoors with lower & upper outside at 5:15 and will trade places around 5:45PM. We hope you will join your child for an evening of fun and learning.

Please note–the printed October calendars showed the PTA meeting for this Wednesday–this was incorrect, the October PTA meeting will take place on Wednesday, October 21 at 5:30PM.

This week marks the start of our 2026 Fall Fundraiser for our PTA. See additional information included below–we hope many of you will partner with us to support the PTA in all the ways they support our school!

I did want to share that we had to say an unexpected goodbye to the GWM willow tree on our playground this past week. To say there were feelings all around is an understatement. Unfortunately, in order to pass our stormwater control inspection, we were directed to remove the tree (Willow Tree root systems cause significant damage to underground piping–see example). We will be working with DPS and the city of Durham to determine what could be planted to replace our beautiful weeping willow tree.

Have a great week, and we hope to see you around George Watts Montessori soon!

Principal Jenn

You Belong Here: Help Us Raise $40,000 for a Growing Watts!
Watts is growing, and that's something to celebrate! Our student body has grown from about 350 to nearly 400 students since last fall. That means more classroom needs and more opportunities for programming so all students at Watts can thrive. Today the PTA is launching its Annual Fund campaign with a big goal: $40,000 by November 10.

The PTA is the largest source of discretionary funding at Watts. Last year we funded every request a teacher or staff member made. Your gift pays for extras Durham Public Schools can't cover, including classroom supplies, afterschool clubs, field trips, family events, and Backpack Buddies, which sends weekend meals home with students facing food insecurity.

Give in the first week (Oct. 11–18) and we'll send you a George Watts sticker pack! If we reach our goal, students will get to paint their teachers' faces at Movie Night.

Learn more and give today: http://app.givebacks.gives/gw2026

Updates for week of October 5 available now!
English: https://bit.ly/GWM-Weekly-26-27-ENG
en español: https://bit.ly/GWM-Weekly-26-27-SPA

We turned the calendar last week, and it is officially OCTOBER–wow! After a quiet week of updates last week, we have a lot to share this week–be sure to see the email or text version of the update so you have all of the details!

Wednesday is our first early-release day for this year. We will begin dismissal at 12:15PM. 

Thursday is our school improvement team meeting at 4PM in the media center. Ae will review our 2026-2028 school improvement plan and discuss advocacy for public schools. Spanish interpretation will be available at the SIT meeting. 

Friday is our quarter 1 coffee with the principals. Join me and Ms. Bertson for a cup of coffee and conversation just after morning arrival in the media center. There is no formal agenda, just an opportunity to connect–you get to come with what’s important to you, and we’ll chat about it! Hope to see you there!

Finally, Friday is PICTURE DAY! There is no need to preorder, as online proofs are available for viewing 2-3 weeks after picture day Speaking of pictures, there are a few spots remaining for family picture mini-sessions–sign up online.

Hope to see you around soon–have a great week!

Updates for week of September 28 available now!
English: https://bit.ly/GWM-Weekly-26-27-ENG
en español: https://bit.ly/GWM-Weekly-26-27-SPA

Good Evening Families, This is Principal Jenn with this week’s updates!

After several busy weeks, we finally have a week with just one big update for the week: Wednesday, September 30, is a teacher workday. Students will not report to school on Wednesday.

Other than that, we’re looking forward to a great week of learning!

Hope to see you around soon–have a great week!

Updates for week of September 21 available now!
English: https://bit.ly/GWM-Weekly-26-27-ENG
en español: https://bit.ly/GWM-Weekly-26-27-SPA

Good Evening Families, This is Principal Jenn with this week’s updates!

First, Monday is a teacher workday–we look forward to welcoming students back to school  on Tuesday morning. 

Thursday, we will be hosting our final Curriculum Night with a classroom dinner. We hope to see the assigned classes here on Thursday at 5PM. See the full message for remaining class assignments.

Tomorrow, in addition to being a teacher workday is International Peace Day. Each year, Montessori communities pause to recognize our commitment to peace. At George Watts Montessori, we do this with a peace parade. We will have our peace parade on Friday, September 25, just after morning arrival. 

Finally, be on the lookout for progress reports–this mid quarter check in will help provide you a bit of information regarding your child’s early progress this year. 

Be sure to check out the full version of this message in your email or linked in the text–there so many details to share and we want to make sure you have what you need to partner with us to support your child! Hope to see you around soon–have a great week!

It's almost time for the George Watts Montessori Family Picture Fundraiser!

Honor Roll Portraits, our school picture photographer, provides an opportunity for families to schedule mini-sessions for family portraits. The sessions take place at nearby locations and benefit our school! A great chance to update family photos while also supporting George Watts Montessori! This year’s sessions are on October 3, 11, 25, and November 14. Sign-up HERE today! Sign-up is first come and will fill up fast!

Updates for week of September 14 available now! (English: https://bit.ly/GWM-Weekly-26-27-ENG/en español: https://bit.ly/GWM-Weekly-26-27-SPA)

We are settling into the routines of school and learning! This week and next, we will be hosting our Curriculum Night with a classroom dinner. This will be a great opportunity to see your child’s classroom, hear from their teachers, and make connections with other families in your child’s class. Each class is assigned one of the two dates, September 17 or 24, so be sure to check the full version of this update or communication from your child’s teacher so you know which date to attend.

This Tuesday is our dine-out at Timber Pizza. This will feature both delicious pizza and pints of Locopops ice cream. I hope to see many of you there enjoying a great dinner, while also supporting the George Watts Montessori PTA.

Be sure to check out the full version of this message in your email or linked in the text–there so many details to share and we want to make sure you have what you need to partner with us to support your child! Hope to see you around soon–have a great week!

Updates for week of September 7 available now!
English: https://bit.ly/GWM-Weekly-26-27-ENG
en español: https://bit.ly/GWM-Weekly-26-27-SPA

We had a great second week of school, despite the heat keeping us inside for most of the week! Happy the forecast includes a bit of a cool-down, if we can call the upper 80s and low 90s a cool-down. I will note that after the first 10 days of school, we are all a bit exhausted and excited for this three-day weekend; enjoy your labor day and we’ll see you on Tuesday!

This week’s update includes: 

• Information about how to sign up for resources such as weekend food bags, and other available resources.

• The details from the 2026 North Carolina School Report Card for George Watts Montessori.

• Information about communicating absences.

• And our Montessori learning for the week–Montessori didactic materials

Be sure to check out the full update linked above–there so many details to share and we want to make sure you have what you need to partner with us to support your child! Hope to see you around soon–have a great week!

Grounding–an intentional focus on the present

During our staff meeting yesterday, we had professional learning around stress management, including the brain science around sympathetic and parasympathetic systems. This also included tools for managing stress, for both staff and students, such as GROUNDING–an intentional practice of bringing one’s focus to the present moment, in your body or in your surroundings, instead of being trapped by the thoughts in your mind that are causing anxiety.

This morning, our community noticed a rainbow over George Watts Montessori–a beautiful moment in our surroundings on a heavy morning, navigating the real fear in our community brought by increased federal law enforcement activity this week. #gwmpeacematters 

Quarter 1 Family Nights coming up soon! You're invited: https://bit.ly/GWM-Q1Family-2025

You’re Invited: Quarter 1 Family Nights  

5:00-6:30 PM @ George Watts Montessori

• Primary + EC-AU K-2 classes: Thursday, September 25

• Lower El classes: Thursday, September 18

• Upper El + EC-AU 3-5 classes: Tuesday, September 16

Part 1: from 5:00-5:35, parent/guardian and student will visit the classroom to learn more about what the year will look like in the classroom for students. Each grade level band has curated an interactive opportunity for students and guardian.

Part 2: from 5:40-6:30, classroom communities will transition to the playground for a classroom dinner with students and guardians. Look for communication from your room parents about signing up to bring something to share. The PTA will provide pizza and paper plates for all classroom communities. Our hope is this will be a time to build connections with other families from your child’s classroom.