A little history, Maria Montessori first opened her Children’s House in the slums of Rome to serve impoverished children who had been left wandering the streets while their parents worked. Montessori schools have been held in churches, villages and even refugee camps. Dr. Montessori has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and the Montessori Philosophy has been embraced by world leaders, teachers and parents who are dedicated to bringing a holistic approach to children’s well being for over 100 years.

In many western countries Montessori education has become an option only for those who can afford tuition prices that even exceed $15,000.00 per year (in Michigan alone). It is usually held in a “private school” context and rarely has the opportunity to serve the purpose of serving an economically diverse community, such as the world itself provides. This diversity has both a far reaching effect within our culture and our own individual experiences, shaping our perceptions and our ability to empathize with others.

We at Maple Tree Montessori are fully dedicated to Maria Montessori’s belief in “Education and Peace”. When you look at our enrollment, you can see that we attempt as a part of our sincere dedication to the philosophy, community and to the individual child, to reach beyond the limitations of the current concept of Private Montessori education and toward the goal of peace and inclusion.

It is toward this end, that we decide our tuition base. For example, there are currently no other fully Montessori elementary programs within Livingston County and the other private elementary school options are associated with parochial subsidizing so we must go to nearby counties to compare tuition rates. If you go to Washtenaw or Oakland Counties you will find rates that are almost double our tuition for Primary, Full Day, and Elementary Programs. Although these schools may have more “extras”, we would happily and effectively compare our Montessori Program to theirs and in fact, we believe that often these “extras” take away from their ability to implement Maria Montessori’s Philosophy…educationally as well as socially.

Our dedication to the continuation of Dr. Maria Montessori’s work also includes the development of a sense of community, within our classrooms, our school and our families. Montessori students are known for their appreciation of culture, ability to be socially responsible and for their compassion. Their parents are the first and most important teachers of a child’s sense of empathy, responsibility and all other social characteristics that contribute to a strong, peaceful and nurturing community.

We have several families in our school who, understanding the importance of supporting our work, our classrooms, their own child’s academic and social development have made fundraising for our school a part of their commitment and we thank them whole heartily. They contribute time for our Habitat Work Days and cleaning days; they laminate, make and organize materials. These parents are the ones that put together fundraisers that enable all families to join together, raising much needed funds to purchase materials and equipment, complete outdoor projects and expand our programs without increasing our tuition during these difficult economic times. With their hard work and dedication, they lead us by example to a stronger and more fruitful school community. We cannot thank them enough for their constant support and dedication. Though they ask for no recognition, you know who you are, Thank You!

Maple Tree Montessori Academy is a young school, full of heart and vision. Many schools are not enduring these tough economic times; schools are losing students, closing programs and closing their doors. We are struggling and growing…a challenging position at best and we appreciate all of the support and consideration you have given to us during our infancy stage. As we grow into our collective future, we are striving to carry on Dr. Montessori’s work to the best of our ability, to continue the development of our academic programs, to include all students and families in our community, to provide all children entrusted to us with an excellent education that ensures growth in all area’s of the child’s transition from toddler to adolescent, providing a peaceful, responsible, self motivated foundation for the emerging adult, our future.

Maple Tree Montessori Academy will be holding an informative Open House on the first Saturday of each month…March through May 2009, from 11:00 – 2:00. Parents may tour the classrooms, meet teachers and ask questions. We are currently enrolling for Fall 2009 and we encourage all interested parents to take this opportunity to become familiar with our authentic Montessori environment, preschool through elementary programs and our wonderful staff.

Once again, Maple Tree Montessori welcomes author Chick Moorman to kick off our open enrollment season. “Parent Talk” will be held on Saturday, February 28th from 1:00 – 4:00 in the afternoon. Chick is a funny, insightful and inspiring speaker who engages his audience in an experience of parenting that is both practical and thought provoking. We are delighted that he is able to come and speak at our school. Although his workshops are often priced above $50.00 per person, we are offering this event free of charge. Don’t miss this wonderful opportunity…and invite your friends and family to attend!

Maple Tree Montessori’s first ever Celebration of the Performing Arts was a wonderful sharing of joyful, funny, relaxed and confident performances. Our goal was to provide a low stress and fun experience for our performers and their parents. A first time for most of our students, we wanted to build confidence and excitement about their abilities and about sharing their emerging talents with an audience.

The skits that were done by the Drama class were very well chosen and presented with talent, humor and focus. The students were confident and enjoyed their first stage experience. Thank you to Aric and Nicole for all their hard work and encouragement…these students loved being on the stage!

 The Suzuki Violin students were also very focused and played their violin’s with confidence. They showed us all how well they have been attending and practicing with their new insturments. The notes and postures were done very well, especially considering that they have been so recently introduced to the violin. The students were very proud of their abilitiy and we thank Jessica for her gifted teaching and Jackie for all her support during lessons and during the performance.

Lower and Upper Elementary Montessori Music students shared the joy of singing and dance. They were delighted to perform and showed ability and confidence as well as demonstrating just how much they enjoy music. Julie works with them every week and they are also developing a strong base in rhythm, notation, and an appreciation of music on many levels. Thanks, Julie!

Thanks also to all the parents who support us in this expansion of our curriculm to include these important expereinces for our children. Practicing, costumes, cookies, as welll as attending and ejoying our wonderful performers on the stage…all of these are important contributions to a succesful show! Thank you!

Maple Tree Montessori Academy is pleased to invite you to attend our first ever Celebration of Performing Arts. This exciting event will be held at the Hartland Music Hall on Tuesday, December 9th at 7:00 pm and will feature performances by our Suzuki Violin students, Music and Dance by our elementary students and skits performed by our Drama Class. All families and friends a welcome and performing students should arrive a just little early.This is a celebration of our expanded programs, giving our students a slightly formal opportunity, a beginning experience of performing on a real stage. There will be no formal dress rehersal and the show itself will be conducted in a relaxed manner appropriate to the experience of young children and first time performers. We are looking forward to sharing their progress with our entire school community.

THANKSGIVING FEAST

Wednesday, November 26th…Primary Class Thanksgiving Feast Day. All family and friends are welcome to attend. Morning Class Feast is 10:00 – 11:30. Afternoon  Class Feast is 2:00 - 3:30. There is NO regular Primary Class and NO Day Care on the Feast Day! Elementary students will be having class at their normal class times. The Primary Class children having been working hard to prepare the food for this event and we all look forward to sharing it with the people that we are most grateful for…such as you!!

The snowflakes and the tempatures are falling and winter is on the way! A good time it seems for a few seasonal reminders. We will still be going outside on a daily basis unless the wind chill is below 20 or it is raining, please send clearly labeled winter clothing for your child. Snow pants, boots, mittens and hats should be all marked with your child’s name and these items may be left in a bag at school instead of transported daily. Also, many students wear slippers during the winter months. The slippers should be non-distracting, labeled and can also be left at school.

If Maple Tree Montessori Academy is closed for the day, this will be announced at WHMI FM 93.5 and posted on this blog as soon as possible. If Brighton Area Schools close, due to poor weather conditions, we will be closed. However, since they take more days off during the year, you should always check the radio or the blog for current closings.

Fridays will be Pizza Day at Maple Tree Montessori. The Upper Elementary will organize and run a year long fundraiser for their classroom by ordering, selling and distributing pizza by the slice. We don’t have all the details yet because this is a class project and will be set up by the class. The hot lunch program from Savor the Season will be available on Mondays and Wednesdays. The pizza will be served on Fridays. The Upper Elementary class will determine how the raised money is to be spent, we will keep you posted!