Principal's Welcome

Principal's Community Welcome!

Hello Current and Prospective Parkside Montessori Families,

My name is Nima Tahai and I have been Parkside Montessori’s Principal since 2019. What attracted me to Parkside was the dedicated staff, active parent community, and the unique gift a Montessori education provides in helping a child reach their potential. San Mateo is also my hometown and I love that I can give back to this vibrant community and also raise my kids here.

If you are a prospective parent, please visit our enrollment page today!

Our commitment to a Montessori education
Parkside's North Star is implementing a high quality public program dedicated to Montessori fidelity. This involves a commitment to the five essentials of a Montessori classroom including multi-age classrooms and uninterrupted work periods. We are also striving to ensure our teachers are all trained in the key fundamentals of Montessori teaching such as responding to students need with appropriate individualized guidance and instruction.

Our students
Our program emphasizes the development of every aspect of a child's intellectual, social, and creative abilities, using hands-on materials and structured learning environments. Importantly, the Montessori method emphasizes attitudes and skills which inspire lifelong learning and help our children navigate an ever-changing world. These are just some of the reasons why I enrolled my son and daughter at Parkside.

If you come into any of our classrooms, you will see students learning how to collaborate, complete math problems using hands on materials, making their own pollinators in a science lesson, or writing a personal narrative about a day in their life. More importantly, you will see them developing independence, concentration, responsibility, and empathy.

Our families
We could not provide this amazing program without our wonderful parent and family community. Their volunteer time, community involvement, financial support and collaboration help Parkside Montessori continue to grow and thrive.

I am thrilled that you are visiting our school website and hope you enjoy finding out more about our school, staff, students, families, and community!

Go Parkside Tigers!

All my best,

Nima Tahai

2025-2026 Principal's Back to School Message, published on Parent Square 8/6/25

Hello Parkside Montessori Families,

The start of school is less than a week away, and we are excited to welcome you and your family back to Parkside!

I’m writing to share some important next steps to help you prepare for the first day of school on Tuesday, August 12, 2025.

Principal’s Update

I hope that all Parkside families had a great summer! The Tahai family stayed local, enjoying summer camps and time with friends and family. Highlights included Mazi and Seti (unsuccessfully!) trying to convince us to get a dog, and the purchase of a griddle that has led to more sit-down family meals. 🙂

On campus, construction teams have been working hard all summer to wrap up several two-year-long projects. Work that will be finished—or nearly completed—includes:

A remodeled and re-paved parking lot (projected to be ready by the first day of school)
A new electronic school marquee (thanks to our amazing PTA!)
A brand-new Multi-Purpose Room (projected to be done by the end of August)
Primary Yard improvements, including new paving, turf, and lunch tables for TK/K
A re-finished Upper Elementary courtyard (removal of decomposed granite)
Final touches added to Nature’s Corner on the Upper Yard (thanks again to our PTA!)

So many exciting upgrades are happening across campus—I can’t wait for us to enjoy these spaces together as a community! I’m receiving daily updates on each of these projects and will continue to keep you informed as the year progresses.

Our teachers and staff are eager to return to campus, set up their classrooms, and welcome your students back to school! Unfortunately, due to ongoing construction, educators won’t be able to access their classrooms until Monday. Please send some extra love to our teachers as they work their magic to ensure your kiddos have a wonderful first day!

And while our physical environment continues to transform, our classroom instruction continues to deepen in the core practices of Montessori.

This year, Parkside will once again partner with the National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector for a comprehensive 360° program review, which will lead to our recognition by the American Montessori Society as a Verified Montessori Program. This recognition reflects the incredible work our community has done to rally around our shared vision of Montessori for All!

The feedback we receive through this process will also kick off a new strategic planning cycle for our school, helping us set—and exceed—goals that ensure we remain the best public Montessori program for our students and families.

In other words, Parkside does it better—because our kids deserve the best!

6 days until showtime—let’s go!

Warmly,
Principal Tahai

(Please read on for more details to help you prepare for the first days of school.)

Don’t Wait, Join the PTA Today!

The MOST IMPORTANT thing you can do to help the school right now is join the PTA. :) Click THIS LINK or on the image below to go to the PTA website and complete your PTA action items!

Parent Portal and Parent Square

The second MOST IMPORTANT thing to do right now is to log into the Aeries Parent Portal- Please sign in to verify your child’s contact information and complete the required annual SMFCSD forms for the 2025 - 2026 school year. This is the “beginning of school packet” that used to be a hard copy. Get started HERE.

Know of another family who did not get this Parent Square? Please forward them this message and send them THIS LINK. All SMFCSD communication, including messages from me and your teacher, will come through Parent Square.

Important Save the Dates:

** Sync the PTA/School calendar with your calendar and never miss an event! This calendar holds all PTA and School events! Click HERE.

All School Back to School Picnic, hosted by the PTA, THIS Sunday, August 10th, 1:00 - 4:00p, PTA link HERE.

Virtual Principal’s Back to School Night, hosted by Principal Tahai over Google Meet, Monday, August 11th, 4-5:00p. Link: https://meet.google.com/whg-xxsg-kts

First Day of School, Tuesday, August 12th, 8:15a (plan to arrive early, it is busy on the first day!)

First Day of School PTA Parent Social after you drop your child off, stay on campus and mingle with other Parkside Families. PTA link HERE.

Back to School Nights (parent only, in-person events)

5-6:30p, you will kick-off in the LGI with principal Tahai, then visit your child’s class to hear from your teacher

Primary (TK/K) Back to School Night, Thursday, August 14th, from 5-6:30p

Adolescent (7th/8th) Back to School Night, Thursday, August 14th, from 5-6:30p

Lower Elementary Back to School Night and K-2 SDC, Wednesday, August 20th, 5-6:30p

Upper Elementary Back to School Night and 3-5 SDC, Thursday, August 21st, 5-6:30p

Bell Schedule

School starts at 8:15a for all students again this year! We have the same dismissal times for 1st-8th grade. Lunch for 1st-8th grade is moved up 10 minutes to 11:20-12:20p.

TK/K has extended their day until 12:55p with minimum days on Wednesday.

Please review the updated Bell Schedule HERE.

Arrival/Dismissal Procedures

Our parking lot is still under construction and is scheduled to be completed by the first day of school. The staff plans to keep our same morning entry routines with car line and walk-up arrival. Help make drop-off and pick-up a success for all by reviewing the updated Arrival/Dismissal Procedures HERE.

Scroll down to view detailed Google Slides, including information on breakfast, morning yard access, and walk-up pick-up gates designated to each teacher. We plan to keep the same morning routines and access points that we had last year.

A reminder that arrival and dismissal will take longer on the first days of school until our community gets into our groove.

The first day of school, there is no Car Line for arrival - all families will walk up. Car Line for arrival will start on Wednesday, August 13th. Car Line for dismissal starts on the first day of school.

Breakfast, Snack, Lunch, and We are a Nut-Free School

Parkside is a Nut-Free school - We have students with very severe nut allergies, and to ensure their safety, we ask that all families respectfully ensure that the food you bring on campus is nut-free. At this time, “nut-free” means peanuts and tree nuts. Pending the needs of our student population this year, other food items may be added to this list.

Breakfast - Parkside will serve breakfast in the LGI daily from 8:05-8:15a. Parents can drop their child off or come join them in the LGI for breakfast. TK/K families are encouraged to stay with their child until they are comfortable with the breakfast routine. Please do not park in either parking lot in the mornings.

Snack - Send your child with a nut-free snack and a water bottle. Please avoid packing sweetened beverages and candy in student snacks to help your child focus. Please remind your child that we cannot share snacks at school.

Lunch - TK-8th-grade students will have lunch and recess on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Students can either bring a nutritious and nut-free lunch to school or request a free school lunch. TK/K eat and play separately from 1st-8th graders.

A note about district lunches: State law requires that district-provided lunches be consumed by students on campus. On early dismissal days, if your child wants a district lunch, they will need to eat in the LGI after dismissal. If your child is in the Annex, they will oversee the lunch arrangements.

What’s for Lunch? Link to the district breakfast and lunch menu.

First Day of School Checklist

Send your child with a nut-free snack and a water bottle with their name on it.

Apply sunscreen to your child and include it in their backpack for them to re-apply as needed.

Please Do Not Buy School Supplies - Instead, we ask ALL families to donate to the PTA’s Direct Donation Drive! The PTA buys all the school supplies, pays for all assemblies, field trips, funding to hire staff, and more!

Your PTA Dollars at Work (at a glance)

Parents as Classroom Assistants Program

If you are a parent who can volunteer at least 3 consistent hours a week to be a classroom assistant and are passionate about increasing your Montessori expertise, please click here to read our informational flyer and email Principal Tahai if you are interested in becoming a classroom assistant.

If you are a returning parent assistant, please contact our Montessori Coach, Julie Mamis, the week of August 12th to set up your schedule.

Ok, team that should cover the basics and then some! So much more to share once school starts!

Keep an eye out for a Parkside Parent Handbook that will come out this fall, where you can find most of this information and more!