August, 2023
 
Dear Junior High Students and Parents,
 
Welcome to the 2023-2024 school year at The Montessori Academy!  Please review the documents below and return all forms to the office no later than Friday, August 11th.  

My name is Carrie Dunnem and I am excited to be the new Lead Teacher for TMA's Junior High program.  I have had the pleasure of working with the students as their Science Teacher over the past 2 years and I look forward to deepening those relationships as their Lead Teacher.

Although we are sad to see Ms. Russell and Mr. Poole go, we are very excited to welcome two new teachers to the Junior High.  Tracy Freymuth will be taking over the Math program from Mr. Poole.  With a Bachelor's Degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame and a MBA from IUSB, Ms. Freymuth joins us after having served as Director of Student Services for Graduate Business Programs in Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business.  She was an Instructor and College Career Pathways Specialist for South Bend Community School Corporation's Adult Education Program, and she was an Adjunct Faculty member at Ivy Tech Community College teaching business and marketing courses, as well as College Mathematics and Introductory Algebra.  Ms. Freymuth was also the Dean of Student Affairs for Ivy Tech's North Central Region.

Along with Ms. Freymuth, Lauren Keck will join the Junior High as our new Humanities teacher.  Ms. Keck comes to us with a Bachelor's Degree in Theology and a Masters in Education in Middle and Secondary English/Language Arts Education, both from the University of Notre Dame.  She has served as an English teacher at Marian High School, an Adjunct Instructor of English at Ivy Tech, and worked as an Assistant in Lower and Upper Elementary classrooms at a Montessori school in Hampton, VA.  The three of us are excited to work together and to bring our ideas and insights to the Junior High program.

The upcoming school year will bring many exciting experiences for the Junior High students.  We are planning a trip to witness the upcoming solar eclipse which will offer the opportunity to observe the awe of totality.  The students will also embark on our annual field experience through the WorldStrides program where they will explore new places, new relationships and real world lessons.  More information will be forthcoming.

We want to make every effort to make the transition to, or continuation of, the Junior High program successful.  To do this and to fully meet the needs of the students, we will begin our year with all students attending phase-in week and participating in community building activities and goal setting sessions.  This will allow us to all start the school year in a positive direction and lead to a great learning experience.  We look forward to seeing you in just a few weeks.  Enjoy the rest of your summer!  Please contact me if you have any questions.
 
Sincerely,
 
Mrs. Carrie Dunnem, Lead Teacher
574-256-5313, ext. 228 
cdunnem@tmael.org

PHASE-IN SCHEDULE
WALKER PERMISSION FORM
FIELD TRIP RELEASE FORM
​TECHNOLOGY ACCEPTABLE USE FORM

2023-24 SCHOOL CALENDAR
ARRIVAL/DISMISSAL PROCEDURES
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR ALL PARENTS
IMMUNIZATION INFORMATION
​HEALTH FORMS
NOW & THEN BEFORE AND/OR AFTER SCHOOL CARE REGISTRATION FORM