Director's Letter
Dear Montessori Community School Families,
Our school originally opened in 1985 and for many years we had four campuses, which were called Tenth East Montessori, Second Avenue Montessori, Third Avenue Montessori and Cottonwood Canyon Montessori. In 2006, we had the opportunity to bring all of our schools together into one space, and our vision to transform those separate campuses into a true community school started to become reality. We chose the name Montessori Community School to recognize that we were bringing all of our families and staff together into one community. Now, four years later, the vision continues to unfold in so many wonderful ways.
What is our vision of a “Community” school? Having all of our students in one location gives them the opportunity to learn how to work and play together within a diverse community. Our students from Toddler through Middle School have the opportunity to interact with one another in structured programs throughout the year. Our Elementary School students present their findings on research projects to our Early Childhood students (e.g. hand washing, worm bin composting, recycling, etc.) and participate in “Reading Buddies”, Winter Sports, and other special events (e.g. Science Fair, Community Theater, Cultural Fair, Read for 2009, etc.) with Kindergartners. Our Middle School students do internships in our Early Childhood classrooms, taking on the role of assistant teacher and mentor for the children in the classroom to which they are assigned.
Many of our student interactions are spontaneous and happen in the hallways, such as an Early Childhood student helping a Toddler to hang her coat in her cubby or an Elementary or Middle School student gently reminding a younger child to use “walking feet”. During school-wide events such as the International Day of Peace Walk, it is truly amazing to witness the sense of pride and joy on the faces of all the children within our school community as they walk silently together around the school grounds with a common sense of purpose.
For our families, teachers and staff, being part of a “Community” school means that we all have the opportunity to contribute to nurturing, guiding and patiently observing the development of our children. In the words of Maria Montessori, “To consider the school as a place where instruction is given is one point of view. But to consider the school as preparation for life is another.” Each child at our school has the support in that preparation for life of many teachers, students and families throughout the years that they are a part of our school community. These relationships extend far beyond the walls of their classroom and many of the relationships continue long after a student has graduated from our school.
We celebrate community life through picnics, camping trips, Parents’ and Kids’ Nights Out, PSA meetings and Parent Education events, Community Kitchen, classroom parties and in many other activities throughout the year. We also pull together to help one another when a family is in need, whether it is one of our own families or a family in another part of the world.
We are truly grateful to be a part of such a caring, dynamic and talented school community. We look forward to continuing to participate with you in nurturing, guiding and celebrating our Montessori Community School.
Robyn and Ramira
