02.19.2010

Friday Family Flyer

FFF

Calendar:

Feb. 26: Erdkinder students to United Nations (NYC)

Feb. 27: OPEN HOUSE RSVP 9am – Noon

Mar. 5: NO SCHOOL – CONFERENCES ONLY

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

Mar. 12: NO SCHOOL – CONFERENCES ONLY

Mar. 14: Erdkinder departs for Italy

Loose Ends…

2010-2011 Re-Enrollments. Due two weeks ago. Unless otherwise arranged your child’s place at SBMS is now officially ‘open.’ 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).

Open House (bring a neighbor; bring a friend!)

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. In fact, tell three friends.

Wait…What? Bring a friend. Bring three friends. Come to the Open House in your ambassadorial finery and share the greatness of SBMS…balloons; your own Maria Montessori mask; potted plants; autographed memorabilia; it will all be available for you and your guests.

Enroll a friend. Enroll a neighbor.

Open House Poster / Flyer / Sticker

Parent Ambassadors

Below is a link to a pdf file; is there a bulletin board at your place where others might take note? Postings are appreciated.

SBMS: The Model Montessori School

AMI Jacksonville Conference

“I guess we all have to come out to see what’s happening at your school, now, don’t we?” was the opening question from AMIUSA’s Executive Director, Virginia McHugh Goodwin as she approached us in Jacksonville. “Our consultants can’t say enough good things about what they observed,” added Virginia, “they’re just blown away by what’s happening at SBMS!” Of course, the last time Virginia visited SBMS was 7 years ago, when she stood alongside the dumpster in the parking lot at the Boys and Girls Club while gazing at the portable classrooms, “Well, I hope this works out for you,” was her comment at the time. And we all know how that worked out for us; here we are at the 9-acre campus in Goleta!

JAX Continued with Trevor Eissler @ SBMS

http://www.montessorimadness.com/

March 11 6:30pm

$25 or $10 (you decide)

How can we stress the importance of Trevor’s presentation? In Jacksonville this airplane pilot from Texas challenged 212 Montessori administrators to an arm wrestle; to a debate; to reach inside and question what we’re all doing, and the good news for him is that he wasn’t beaten to a pulp. He wants a $3million Montessori television commercial ready for the next Super Bowl. “Dude is on fire!” was one comment. “He’s way off base!” was another. It’s difficult to pre-determine whether you’ll be impressed or offended; whether you’ll still support SBMS, or not; or whether you’ll join with Eissler in his efforts to change the world one Montessori student at a time, or not.

You can buy Eissler’s book online for $25.00, at Amazon for $20.00, or at SBMS for $10.00…the book is your admission to his presentation, or you can buy your ticket at the door for $25.00 and end up with no book at all! You decide.

Make arrangements now, for Trevor Eissler, Thursday, March 11, 6:30pm, SBMS’s Alumni Hall, tickets are his book at $10.00/couple; $20.00/couple; $25.00/couple, or $25.00/ea. You decide.

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!

SBMS YES Bus Service

Yes, “food” is consumed before and after bus rides, not during.

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.

Erdkinder Funnies

New HISTORICAL GRAPHIC TEXTBOOK brought to us by SBMS’s incredible junior high class! Rots o’ Ruck in Rome…Half the class leaves next week for their rendezvous at the UN in NYC.

JAX cont’d again…GRIT is us.

Molly O’Shaugnessy, director of the Montessori Training Center of Minnesota, mentioned during her presentation to hundreds of Primary level teachers her regard for authentically trained teachers and their GRIT. Grit. One of Margaret Stephenson’s favorite words in describing what it takes to be a Montessori teacher: Indefatigability. Indefatigable. There’s a mouthful of GRIT. The context of Molly’s suggestion was the demands upon all teachers, but especially Montessori teachers.

That, yes, Montessori materials can be used for didactic purposes, as well as for demonstration, and that the essence of the presentation in the Primary class isn’t meant to be didactic, but it can be. Didactic being defined as ‘teaching’ or ‘instructional,’ whereas in an authentic Primary program children aren’t taught with the materials, they’re presented the materials for their exploration and experimentation, thus, learning takes place from the child’s own experience, not from the adult’s initiative.

Consequently, the indefatigable Montessorian is a guide, not a teacher; a leader and a presenter and a model of purposeful application toward common good and productivity…never tiring, never losing focus on the needs of the child, nor attention toward all the children in the prepared environment.

What a great responsibility! What a fantastic opportunity!

Next Tour:

Wednesday, March 3, 9am

RSVP with Trudy 685-7600

Anna Bonometti, mother of Marco, in Alejandra’s Maple Class, joined several other parents on the tour this week. “I’ve never seen the elementary classes,” she explained, “and I wasn’t able to come to Journey and Discovery, so I figured this would be a good way to see and better understand the next level.”

Indeed. These SBMS parents, they’re an intelligent group of people, aren’t they? Is there a suggestion that if you haven’t had the chance to experience the elementary classes that you too could join an SBMS tour? Please. Join us. RSVP ASAP or PDQ.

Party Book

Rock the Casbah

The Marrakesh Express is in the station. CSN tunes up, yet again. (David Crosby and Jackson Browne performed for SBMS in 1979…hmmm, maybe a reunion event?)

Will your party be as fun as my party?

Power Lunch

Kaeva Vorbek invited SBMS’s HOS to lunch. Wrote him a letter; “Dear Jim, Would you like to come and have lunch with me? Love Kaeva.”

What an experience. Alexi, Kai, Kaeva, and even Piper La Rocca, visiting from SBMS’s Oak Class. Elizabeth Pritchett was also visiting one of the other tables. There’s a photograph on HOS’s office wall of Elizabeth surfing at Campus Point. Piper was sharing her weekend in San Francisco and how in Chinatown there was a boy who threw firecrackers at the car and almost blew up the tire. And then the really gooey sticky brownies were passed around for someone’s birthday, and also cookies in the shape of the numeral three, which Alexi chewed into a 2, and then Kai made a 1, and Piper pointed out the cookie could be a 3 or a M or a W, and Kaeva laughed as we all agreed it was a mighty fine lunch we shared together.

Parent Teacher Conference Days

March 5 and March 12

Conference schedules have been coordinated by the teachers, please adhere to their schedules and RSVP with the classroom teachers for your Conference; RSVP with Trudy to schedule your classroom observations. Conference = Teacher; Observation = Trudy.