SJMS August Mailing 2025-2026
Watch out for your August Mailing packet in the mail! Be sure to also check your “August Mailing 2025” email sent on August 1, 2025, or view below for more information on the following topics:
School Supply Lists
Downloadable Calendar Link
Tardy Policy
Aftercare Late Pick Up Policy
Parent Education Series
Community Events
Fundraising at SJMS
Please complete and return the forms in this packet by August 20, 2025.
Sign And Return Documents
Tardy Policy - Effective 25/26 School Year
Beginning in the 2025-2026 school year, St. Joseph Montessori School will implement a new Tardy Policy to address the increasing number of late arrivals. Arriving on time is essential as late arrivals disrupt the classroom environment and hinder a child’s development.
Morning arrival is from 8:00 – 8:10 AM for Middle School students and 8:10 – 8:30 AM for Toddler through Upper Elementary. Children arriving after 8:45 AM for any reason other than a communicated emergency or scheduled appointment will not be permitted to enter school that day. Late arrivals due to a scheduled appointment must be communicated 24 hours in advance and students will be required to provide a doctor’s note upon return to SJMS.
If your child is arriving at school between 8:30 and 8:45 AM, you must sign your child in at the office. Younger students, particularly in Toddler and Children’s House, often struggle with changes in routine, which can affect their entire day. To minimize disruptions, only school staff will escort these students to their classrooms; parents are not permitted to do so.
Chronic tardiness (three or more instances) may result in a conference with the Head of School and your child’s teacher to determine whether our school remains the right fit for your family. We strive to instill consistency and respect for the learning environment, and timely arrival is a key part of this philosophy.
Dr. Montessori emphasized that work has a beginning, middle, and end. Arriving late deprives a child of the most important part of their school day—the morning work cycle. When a child arrives after class has begun, they miss valuable social time, struggle to transition into the work cycle, and may unintentionally disrupt their peers. Additionally, teachers who are already engaged in lessons cannot step away to properly greet the tardy student, further impacting their sense of belonging.
Punctuality is a learned behavior that fosters respect, responsibility, and independence. We appreciate your commitment to ensuring your child arrives on time, supporting both their success and the integrity of our Montessori environment.
Aftercare Late Pick Up Policy - Effective 25/26 School Year
Beginning in the 2025-2026 school year, St. Joseph Montessori School will implement a new Aftercare Late Pick-Up Policy to address families who arrive after the aftercare closing time to pick up their student.
Timely pick-up is essential to ensure the safety and well-being of all students and staff. A late fee of $20 for the first 10 minutes and $1 per minute thereafter will be charged to the student’s FACTS account for any late pick-up beyond the scheduled end of the Aftercare program. After three late pick-ups within a two-week period, the student will be unenrolled from Aftercare for two weeks. To return to the program following the unenrollment period, the family must meet with the Head of School.
Beginning with the 2025-26 school year, if a student receives three unenrollment penalties during the school year, they will be removed from the Aftercare roster for the remainder of the year.
Parent Education Series
St. Joseph Montessori School offers a robust Parent Education Series each year.
Events Include:
Blue Jay Buzz: Join Brian for community and conversation on the first Friday of each month at 9 AM
Fostering Social-Emotional and Executive Function Development with Dr. Gulzar Babool: Wednesday, August 13 from 5:30 - 7 PM
New Parent Orientation: Thursday, August 14, 6:00-7:30 PM
Parenting Highly Sensitive Children with Dr. Alaina Puff: Thursday, September 25 from 5:30 - 7 PM
Journey & Discovery: Wednesday, October 1 from 5:30 - 7:30 PM
Positive Discipline Parents Course: Saturday, November 1st from 9:00 AM - 2:00PM.
Montessori at Home (T-LE) and Independence and Executive Function in the UE and MS Student: Wednesday, November 5 from 6:00 - 7:30 PM
Moving Up Night: Wednesday, January 28, 2025, from 5:30 - 7:15 PM (1st session: 5:30 - 6:15 PM, 2nd session: 6:30 - 7:15 PM)
Curriculum Night: Show and Tell: Tuesday, February 24, from 4:00 - 6:30 PM
SJMS Events and Fundraising
During the 25-26 school year, SJMS will host four types of events; Community Building, Educational, Service Learning, and Fundraising.
Please mark your calendar for these community-building events this fall:
Fall Clean-Up Week: July 28 - 30 from 8 - 9:30 AM and 4:30 - 6:30 PM.
Back to School Kick-Off: Monday, August 18 from 4 PM - 6 PM
Family Association Fall Flower Sale Begins: Wednesday, August 27
Breaking Bread and Building Community: Wednesday, September 10
Fall Family Dinner: Friday, October 3 from 3:30 PM - 7 PM
International Children’s Day: Thursday, October 9 - parade at 9 AM
Toddler & Children’s House Pumpkin Patch Trip: Friday, October 10
3rd Annual Trunk or Treat: Friday, October 24
Dia de los Muertos Display in Ryan Hall: October 27-30
Grandfriends’ Days: Thursday, November 13 (T & CH) & Friday, November 14 (LE-MS)
Winter Festival: Saturday, December 6 from 9 AM - 1 PM
Becoming an Approved Volunteer is a 2-Step Process
All volunteers at SJMS, or at any Catholic School or Parish, must complete a Catholic Diocese of Columbus Safe Environments workshop called Protecting God’s Children and complete an FBI/BCI Background Check. Regardless of your interactions with students, these requirements must be completed in order to volunteer.
You can view and sign up for upcoming volunteer opportunities at sjms.net/volunteer
STEP 1: FBI/BCI Background checks can be completed at any Fast Fingerprints location or at the Kick-Off Celebration on August 16. Bring the form enclosed in the August Mailing and payment with you for your fingerprinting to ensure the results reach the correct people.
STEP 2: Register for Protecting God’s Children online at: www.virtus.org:
Select the “registration” button
Select the “Columbus, OH Diocese” location
Follow the instructions to register for St. Joseph Montessori School
SJMS is offering an in-person Protecting God’s Children class on Friday, September 13 from 5 - 8 PM. This class typically runs for 3 hours and participants must pre-register. Fast Fingerprints will also be on site on September 13 from 4 - 5 PM.
School Lunches: Chick-fil-A Monday and Pizza Friday
Important!! Monday Lunch and Pizza Friday registration is entirely online this year!
For the 2025-26 School Year, we are pleased to partner with Chick-fil-A for lunch delivery on Monday for the first half of the school year and Donatos for lunch delivery on Friday. Beginning in January, we will partner with Subway again for the year's second half.
Please note:
The first Chick-fil-A Monday lunch is served on: Monday, August 25, 2025
The last Monday of Chick-fil-A lunch delivery is: Monday, December 15, 2025
The first Friday lunch is served on: Friday, August 29, 2025
The last Friday of lunch delivery is: Friday, May 22, 2026
The first Subway Monday lunch will be served on: Monday, January 5, 2026
The last Subway lunch will be served on: Monday, May 18, 2026
We understand students change their minds, and changes to the lunch delivery programs will be accepted through Friday, September 30, 2025. After this time, refunds will not be issued.
Lunch is not provided on days of early dismissal or when school is not in session.
By purchasing school lunches, you are supporting Middle School fundraising for their class trip.
Click Here to sign up for Chick-Fil-A lunch
Click Here to sign up for Donatos lunch
FACTS Tuition Payment
SJMS continues to use FACTS Tuition Management to process and collect tuition and fees for the 2024-25 school year.
Go to https://factsmgt.com to log into your account. The Customer service phone number is 866-441-4637 if you need assistance.
How to access family portal:
Click on Family Login
Select FACTS Family Portal
District Code: SJMS-OH
Once the portal is open, you can click on the FINANCIAL tab on the left hand side. From the Financial Link you can view your payment plan schedule, transactions, balance, and changes made to your account.