Monocacy Montessori Communities, Inc.
FAQ
Q. What is MMCI? Monocacy Montessori Communities, Inc. (MMCI) is a local, volunteer-driven, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that manages two Frederick County public Montessori charter schools – Carroll Creek Montessori (CCM,) opened in fall 2012, and Monocacy Valley Montessori (MVM,) opened in fall 2002. Our schools are open to all children that live in Frederick County and begin with Pre-K at age 3.
Q. How do I apply? Admission to MVM and CCM is determined from the results of two separate lotteries. There are no opportunities to enroll in either school outside of the lottery process.
Q. How do I learn more about the schools? Please visit the school websites to read more about MMCI’s charter school programs and get information about joining school tours here: MVMPCS and CCMPCS.
Q. What programs/grades do you offer?
- PRIMARY PROGRAM (PK3 - KINDERGARTEN)
- 1ST - 8TH GRADE
- 9th - 12th GRADE
- CCMPCS SPANISH PROGRAM
Q. What is a charter school? Maryland charter schools are independent public schools with the freedom to innovate while being held accountable for improved student achievement. We foster partnership between parents, teachers and students to create an environment in which parents can be more involved, teachers are empowered and students excel. Learn more about Charter Schools.
Lottery and Enrollment
Q. How do I apply? If you have never applied to our schools before, the first step is to create an account in the MMCI Lottery system for your family. In this account you can include any/all of your school-age children from PK3 – 10th grade. You will be able to select which school(s) you are applying to for each child.
Q. How does the Lottery work? Admission to Monocacy Valley Montessori Public Charter School and Carroll Creek Montessori Public Charter School is determined from the results of two separate lotteries. The application window opens in early January and will remain open for 8-10 weeks. The lottery is run in the second half of March for the upcoming school year. The list of accepted students and wait list placements will be posted to your MMCI lottery account within 7 days of the lottery. If you have opted in to text messaging, you will also receive a text.
Q. How does Sibling Priority work? Siblings of students accepted through the lottery will automatically be conferred sibling priority and moved to the priority waitlist ONLY ONCE THE ACCEPTED STUDENT’S ENROLLMENT HAS BEEN APPROVED BY THE ADMINISTRATION AND FCPS. Once the enrollment is processed, sibling priority status will be granted to other siblings still on the wait list. IF THE ORIGINAL LOTTERY RECIPIENT DECLINES/RESCINDS THEIR ACCEPTANCE OF THE SPOT AND/OR UN-ENROLLS BEFORE ATTENDING SCHOOL, SIBLING PRIORITY STATUS CONFERRED UPON ANY SIBLINGS WILL NO LONGER BE VALID. Siblings will be placed back into the general lottery at their original position. If the sibling has already submitted enrollment paperwork, his/her enrollment will be void, and s/he cannot attend unless pulled from the general waitlist based his/her original position.
Q. What if I don't get in through the Lottery? At the conclusion of the lottery, the list of accepted students per grade level and the wait list numbers per grade level are certified by MMCI Admissions, the school principals, and FCPS, and results will be posted to lottery accounts within 7 days. Children will remain on the active wait list until through December of each school year.
Waitlist
Q. How do I find out my waitlist status? Login to your parent account to check your waitlist status.
Q. Why did my waitlist number change? The wait list number for all students could move up or down throughout the year as new families are welcomed to the schools and siblings are granted priority status.
Q. I applied last year and was on the waitlist. Do I need to apply again? Children will remain on the active wait list until through December of each school year. At that point, those wait lists are discarded and the results of the new lottery become the active wait list. You must re-apply and re-confirm your application every year during the open application period for any student not currently attending your desired school.
Q. My Child Was Offered a Seat!Now What? If your child is selected for admission to an MMCI school during the lottery, you will need to accept the desired placement and register online. In the event that your child has been accepted at multiple MMCI schools during the March lottery you must ACCEPT ONLY ONE offer online through my lottery account and submit an FCPS enrollment form to your chosen school by deadlines prescribed below. This action will automatically decline the other offer, and the slot declined at the other school will then be released to the waiting list.
Q. How long do I have to accept my offer? If a student is selected, the family will receive an automated message making the offer using the email address and/or phone listed on the family’s application, and the family will have an opportunity to accept or decline the position with the following time frames. The length of time you have to accept changes throughout the year. Visit our website for important enrollment deadlines.
Q. What information do I need to enroll? To view the full list of documentation required for enrollment, please visit our website.
The Online Application Process
Q. How long does it take to complete the online application process? Typically, the process should take roughly 10 minutes.
Q. What if I do not have access to a computer? You can submit the application from a mobile device or you can contact the school for assistance.
Q. Is there another way of submitting an application other than online? Yes, a paper application is available or you can use your mobile device to submit the application. The online application system is our preferred method and provides parents with up-to-date information.
Q. Once I've submitted the application electronically, how will I know that the submission is successful? Once the application is completed online, you will receive a generated message based on the email address you provided when you created an account.
Q. Should I allow anyone else to use my account? It is the user's responsibility to protect the integrity of any information entered in the system. This includes but is not limited to passwords or personal information about you or your child. You must also agree not to share your login information or password with anyone except a parent or legal guardian.
Q. My account has been disabled because I've attempted to login too many times. Should I set up another account? No. You must call the Office for an administrator to assist you.
General Questions
The mission of Monocacy Montessori Communities is to provide all children in Frederick County access to a high quality Montessori education that is free of charge through the establishment and management of public Montessori charter schools.
