02.12.2010

Friday Family Flyer

FFF

Calendar:

Feb. 12 – 16: Presidential Holiday; NO SCHOOL

Feb. 16: SBMS Staff In-Service Day; NO SCHOOL

Feb. 17: NEW AFTER SCHOOL CLASSES begin

Feb. 18: Tour RSVP 9am

Feb. 23: Erdkinder students to United Nations (NYC)

Feb. 27: OPEN HOUSE RSVP 9am – 11am

Mar. 11: Trevor Eissler – 6:30pm Live @ SBMS

Mar. 14: Erdkinder departs for Italy

2010-2011 School Year began last week…

‘Thank you,’ to all of those able to return and submit re-enrollment forms last week; some of you delivered this week, ‘thanks’ to you, too. Those children re-enrolled are guaranteed their place at Santa Barbara’s finest. If you have questions, or have not yet returned enrollment forms and actually plan on your child attending SBMS next year, then please contact HOS, Jim Fitzpatrick, by next week (jim@sbmontessori.com; 805-896-6597cell). Applications from ‘Wait List’ families are now being processed.

Tours / Open House

RSVP for Tour; Thursday, Feb. 189am

RSVP for Open House; Saturday, Feb. 27 9am – 11am

Now that Priority Enrollments have been completed, and ‘Wait List’ families are being processed, the next school year opens to families who have not yet enrolled. SBMS Parent Ambassadors: Tell a friend.

SBMS’s future (The next Five-Year Plan…)

Now in SBMS’s fifth year of its last Five Year Plan (Renaissance at El Rancho) it’s fascinating to see how accurate and successful a non-profit organization can become, especially with the support of current and alumni families.

When first occupying this campus the Renaissance at El Rancho called for securing the entire campus with a long-term lease for the school’s future; Check! Renaissance at El Rancho also called for the development of a model Toddler environment; Check! And the three Primary classrooms with their own pods; Check! And the elementary classrooms in their pods; Check! And the junior high Erdkinder program; Check! Maintaining its authentic AMI Accredited programs; Check!

The next five years? The next ‘Plan?’ As defined by the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), a GREAT school is a “sustainable” school; thus, the next 5 years will create the Sustainable SBMS. The first step, an expanded board of directors (to be announced this spring—2010); in the immediate future will be the establishment of an AMI Teacher-Training Center. The future is now for SBMS.

SBMS: The Model Montessori School

SBMS’s AMI Consultation concluded this week with guidance, suggestions, and directions for SBMS’s place on the international stage—Dr. Silvia Dubovoy, director of the Montessori Institute of San Diego has requested SBMS provide AMI with hourly (every hour of the day) unedited video of the Toddler, Primary and Elementary classrooms for viewing at the AMI center in China.

As mentioned in previous FFFs, AMI’s Teacher Training facility in China is preparing for its first class of 300+ graduates in June 2010, and since there’s only one Montessori school in China, Silvia knows the students are anxious to see what a “model” classroom looks like. “This is it, Jim,” declared Silvia, yesterday. “This is the model school…the attention to detail, the aesthetic, the classrooms, the grace and courtesy; everything Dr. Montessori envisioned is here. We have to share this with the world so others understand what can be achieved.”

Dr. Dubovoy’s ringing endorsements of SBMS’s Toddler and Primary classrooms, and last week’s affirmation for the elementary classes from Carol Hicks, will now be followed up this weekend at the AMIUSA conference in Jacksonville, FL, as Silvia and SBMS’s HOS join with the AMI pedagogical committee to discuss the development of SBMS’s training center. The future is now for SBMS, the Sustainable SBMS.

Charlie & the Chocolate Factory DVD

$9.99

As promised, the entire production makes its entrance into your entertainment system. Get your copies at the front desk!

The Bus Schedule

Morning Drop-off at Skater’s Point: 7:35-7:45am.

Bus departs at 7:45am.

Morning Drop-off at Earl Warren: 8:00-8:10am.

Bus departs at 8:10am.

Afternoon Pick-Up at Earl Warren: 2:50-3:00pm.

Bus departs at 3:00pm

Afternoon Pick-Up at Skater’s Point: 3:20-3:25pm.

Bus departs at 3:25pm.

Maybe it’s the time of year, or maybe it’s because our bus driver is such a nice, kind, overly accommodating person? All bus riders and bus riding families and families delivering and picking up bus riders: Please. Please realize how we’re all depending upon each other; how we’re all responsible for each other’s schedules. Thank you for remembering the bus community depends upon you.

SBMS Bus Services—YES!

The YES doctrine; it’s how we successfully approached the whole ‘rules’ thing when HOS ran the Skate Zone. The signs read: YES! Yes, you can skateboard with kindness and consideration of others. Yes, you can speak respectfully to others. Yes, you can use the skatepark as you observe its rules and conditions.

Thus, the sign on the SBMS bus could read: Yes, the SBMS bus service is a privilege. Yes, you may ride the bus while observing the rules and conditions. Yes, your breakfast must be finished before entering the bus. Yes, all beverages, of any sort, must be consumed before boarding the bus. Yes, you can chew gum at home or in your parent’s car if your parents agree. Yes, you can drink hot chocolate in your parent’s car, if your parents agree, and you can finish it before boarding the bus. Yes, you can eat candy at home or in your parents car, if your parents agree, and you finish it before boarding the bus.

In other words, just in case the message is yet to be clear (some skateboarders didn’t quite grasp the YES thing): SBMS’s bus is not a buffet. It’s not a dining car. We could post a sign that reads: No food. No drinks. No hot chocolate. No Chai. No coffee. No lattes. No cupcakes. No cookies. No gum. No chewing gum. No candy. No. No. No. But we won’t, because that won’t be necessary, because we all understand the YES approach, right? “Signs? We don’t need no stinking signs!”

AFTER SCHOOL CLASSES

New classes begin after the Presidents’ Holiday, Wednesday, Feb. 17; Forms available now.

100 Words becomes 1,000,000!

A. Why let someone who sits behind a desk,
or produces textbooks, or measures development via a filled-in oval,
decide what your child should learn? Why not trust the one person who can show you what they need the most? YOUR CHILD. Watch them. Listen to them. Learn from them. Maria Montessori did, so do we. XYZ Montessori. Following the Child since 1987.

B. Every child contains a seed of perfection that fully blooms in an environment created for the purpose. The Montessori classroom is indeed such a world. Geared to the size, pace, and interests of children, it offers each child great, important, and profoundly satisfying work. Every classroom is meticulously prepared with experiences that challenge and fulfill each child as they move from one level of complexity to another. Montessori teachers are profound observers and recorders, trained to recognize each period of growth, need, and readiness. The result is an independent, and balanced human being whose love of learning knows no bounds.

C. Imagine your child in a classroom, collaborating with teachers and other students of different ages, using special hands-on materials to customize each learning experience. That is our Montessori classroom. Our Montessori teachers are trained to help your child discover new interests, lay academic foundations for success, and open a wide view of our universe. Think of all the times your teachers could have sparked your imagination, extended your interest, and helped you achieve your learning goals. Give your child the education you wish you could have had. Call us today to schedule an observation in one of our Montessori classrooms.

D. At the intersection of the child and hope came Montessori, bringing the 
world a method for educating, motivating, developing, and activating the 
potential each individual can realize for a life and a lifetime. Each child represents a seed that contains what is needed for the whole of
an adult to form. The Montessori environment represents a superior medium
within which this seed can grow. A child, in a sense, is the gateway
through which the future possibility of the adult emerges wherever on the planet they may be. Montessori affords each individual their best shot at 
becoming their best self.

E. The educational philosophy and methods of Dr. Montessori are designed for 
the realization of each child's maximum potential. In a Montessori 
classroom children experience the joy of learning at an early age. 
Intellectual, creative, physical and social growth flourish in an
environment where children learn at their own pace and according to their
own capacities. Children of varying ages work together in the same classroom, stimulating both academic and social growth. While the academic achievements of Montessori children are remarkable, the main value of the 
educational method lies in the self-discipline, initiative, independence, 
and love of learning that children achieve.

F. At our school, we offer an environment prepared for each child 
that includes a mixed-age community, activities that are experience- 
oriented, 
three-hour blocks of time that allow children to work 
at their own pace, and a freedom to choose activities according 
to one's own interests and abilities. Montessori students and 
Montessori 
alumni are known for their joy of learning for learning's 
sake, depth of concentration, independence, community consciousness, 
creativity, 
organized thinking, comfort with their individuality, and seeing 
the whole in the face of the parts. It is 
delightful to see children reaching their soulful potential. Come 
visit 
and see for yourself.

G. Montessori education is based on the characteristics and needs of 
young people at each stage of their development. Our students’ natural 
curiosity and desire to master the world is encouraged through 
carefully prepared learning environments, internationally recognized 
Montessori materials, and the individual attention and guidance of 
specially trained, nurturing teachers. Students who share a common developmental stage learn in a mixed age class. The full potential of 
each individual is supported with collaborative and independent 
activities that develop confidence, concentration, initiative and 
persistence. Learning, working and playing together, Montessori 
students become responsible members of their community, society and the world.

H. Traditional school children learn how the school system works: memorize 
facts, regurgitate them on tests, obtain good grades, move to the next 
level. Montessori children, however, learn the process of learning. They learn 
how to find the answers to their questions via the scientific method or 
general research. They discover the important questions to ask as no subject 
is taught in isolation ­ instead relationships are drawn between seemingly 
unrelated subjects; thus, the child forms a forward-thinking systems 
perspective of the world. Most importantly, Montessori children never stop 
asking questions. Montessori builds innovators ­ not drones - for our ever-changing economy.

I. Imagine toasting your child’s 21st birthday with such satisfaction at the person they have become. Imagine the pride you feel as a parent and they feel as a person ready to strike out into adult life, well prepared. Such people are not accidents. Such people are created by their experiences. Here at XYZ Montessori School we provide the experiences necessary for your child to learn by doing (because that’s how learning happens) all that a healthy and productive life will require. Supported by current research in developmental psychology and neuroscience the Montessori approach is a clear winner. Join us today.

J. Do you want your child to be an independent thinker, able to solve new 
challenges, with a life-long passion for learning? At XYZ, we foster 
children’s natural curiosity of the world around them. Through 
practical hands-on activities children gain a deep, comprehensive 
understanding of language, math, history, geography, all sciences, the arts, and more. Our children’s learning experience allows them to 
excel in their further academic careers and become the creative, 
entrepreneurial leaders of tomorrow. Contact us for 
more information, or a campus tour. AMI-Accredited, XYZ is an independent non-profit school for ages 18 months through 8th grade.

K. As a scientist, Maria Montessori discovered something surprising: 
When children are active participants, 
when their choices are respected and guided, and 
when responsibility is expected and nurtured, 
a new child emerges. This child’s characteristics are concentration, self-discipline, love 
of learning and a respect for others and the world. This child is our best hope for the future. Share the hope. Experience the surprise. Visit a Montessori school today.

Each administrator, each teacher, and each parent within the entire Montessori community is encouraged to submit their own 100 Words describing their Montessori school. All we need is love…Wait! What? All we need is your 100 Words!

Guest Author

Thursday March 11, 6:30pm – 8:30pm

Trevor Eissler “Montessori Madness”

Tickets: $25.00/ea or $10/book

That’s not a mis-print. $25/ea is the actual ticket price. Of course, the admission fee is different for SBMS families. Trevor’s presentation is open to the public, but it’s a special opportunity for SBMS families, especially those who buy a copy of his book. Because your purchase, for $10.00, of Trevor’s book, allows you admission to the evening’s discussion. Good deal, right? If you invite your friends, and they arrive with you and your book, they can enjoy your same access. Bring your neighborhood. BTW: RSVP.

ANNUAL GIVING = 87%+

Partners in Learning

Magnolia Class = 100%

Sequoia Class = 100%

Redwood Class = 100%

Oak Class = 92%

Sycamore Class = 71%

Willow Class = 83%

Maple Class = 88%

Eucalyptus Class = 67%