Summer is in full swing with our Spanish program. There are work parties, community open house an other ways to get more acquainted with Orcas Montessori. For our volunteers, there are many opportunities available as well. Check out our summer newsletter for all the exciting details.
{ 0 comments }
With the close of such a memorable year, I feel the need to write a brief note thanking everyone for all they have done to support our program over the past nine months. As many of you know, this year marked the 10th anniversary of our staff, and I must say again that the success of our school is truly a reflection of a great commitment on everyone’s behalf to our amazing children.
To the parents, I must express my deep gratitude for your being there during our adventures in flooring, our general maintenance of a beautiful school for the children, our numerous fundraisers and, most of all, for coming together as such a strong and caring community.
To the children, I cannot say how impressed I have been with all the hard work, good humor and wonderful times that have made this year pass all too quickly by. For those of you moving on, I wish only the best and hope that you will stay in touch. To the rest, I say have a summer filled with excitement and joy, and I will see you in the fall.
Head Guide Tom Rubottom
Thank you to all of you who contributed to our bake sale last weekend. The baked goods were plentiful and beautiful, with lots of variety. Thanks to your hard work, we made $464 for our school. Way to go!
June 3rd will be the last day of the school year, and we will celebrate with our customary ceremony, potluck, and children’s performance. Parents, please drop off your child at 8:15 on that day, even if they usually come in the afternoon, and plan to return in two hours. You can either drop off potluck items when you drop off your child, or bring them later when you return, and place them right out on the serving tables.
The ceremony starts at 10:30 with the children’s play. Please arrive promptly by 10:30 since the play is short. You don’t want to miss it! The children have been working very hard to prepare and are quite proud of their efforts. Your child will be disappointed if you are not there to see it. The play will be followed by the distribution of certificates, and then the potluck. Children will go home with their parents after lunch. Then, summer break officially begins!
Come reconnect with school families and enjoy a morning in the backyard with music, crafts and a potluck. The morning will start with Rachel Buchman engaging the children in musical activities. The remainder of the morning we will enjoy each other’s company and offer some craft activities and a potluck lunch. Please RSVP; let Teresa know if you are coming. We are fortunate to have Rachel come visit all the preschools during this week of August, sponsored by the Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival.
We are so pleased that both Monique Mead and Patricia Campbell will be on island during the chamber Music festival in August! The music experiences that they shared with the children were enjoyed immensely. At the Children’s Concert, our children will have the opportunity to join the other preschoolers onstage and perform a couple of the songs Patricia taught them during her visits to our school. The school will be receiving tickets for this event in August, so please put this on your calendar. Watch for emails with the details as we get closer to the date.
We will need help with a few projects this summer at the school. We are looking for someone with a backhoe, and will need drainpipe and gravel to install a drain in front of the building. We will need help finishing painting the building, refinishing our deck and ramp and painting posts in the backyard. We would also love some help cleaning up and replanting flowers in our planters out front. Volunteering during the summer months is a really enjoyable way to spend some time with the other parents, working together to make the school an even better place for your children!
Special thanks for four new garden beds to: Rhubarb Construction and Island Hardware for the wood,
Fermin Cruz for building the beds and Montey Coffey who will pick up the soil.
This summer we will resume our 12th annual summer Spanish program. It is an opportunity for children to develop their Spanish speaking and comprehension skills utilizing an active and fun method called TPR which stands for Total Physical Response. Through movement and verbal prompts the children listen and “do” the activities. Through songs and conversation we will introduce speech. Just as children learn their native language by listening first and then speaking- so it is with the TPR.
We hope to have some native Spanish speaking students as well to make it truly an exchange of learning languages. We will also support basic literacy acquisition in both languages. Robin Freeman and Teresa (our veteran summer teachers of the past 12 years) will be teaching the program. Native speaker Yara Hernandez will be participating in the language lessons.
To balance out the day, we will have art activities, dances, and stories and some cooking projects; some of them inspired by Spanish culture. Grinding grain, baking bread and making butter are favorite summer activities we will continue. We will end the session with a tamale feast and exhibition for the parents.
The program will run for four weeks, June 21st through July 15, Mondays through Thursdays, from 8:30 to 12:30. We will serve a healthy snack, but children will bring their own lunch. Tuition is $400.
Pre-Registration forms are available at the school. Please return your pre-registration form as soon as possible to ensure a space for your child. Admission is open to any child ages 4-6.
This is not a Montessori program, but we will continue many of the same routines and focus on community that we have during the school year.
Director Teresa Chocano
We are happy to announce that our school is participating in “Plant a row for the Hungry on Orcas Island.” This program is sponsored by Orcas Island Master Gardeners and the Orcas Island Realtors Association. We will plant some vegetables in our school garden for the food bank, and we will welcome help caring for the garden and harvesting during the summer. Please talk with Teresa if you are interested in helping out.
What a night! Spirits buoyed by delectable appetizers, fine wine, and cheery music, our guests had a great time. This year’s auction was distinguished by its focus on school needs, and the online bidding component. Final numbers are not yet in, but we grossed over $12,000.
Raising this kind of money requires teamwork and many, many hours of labor. We are so grateful for all of the hard work done by our parents and volunteers. It’s amazing what we can accomplish when we work together.
For next year’s big fundraiser we would like to find ways to decrease the work load and have as much fun as possible, while still making the necessary money for our school. As we analyze this year’s event and make plans for next year, we’d love to hear your input. We are brainstorming at this point, and want to hear all of your ideas, whether fully formed, wild or half- baked! Share your ideas and feedback with any board member or teacher.
Special Thanks To:
Chefs Geddes Martin and Everett Brooks for masterfully creating the hearty hors d’oeuvres.
Montessori Parents Mary Anna and Geddes Martin for the use of the incredible facilities at Inn at Ship Bay.
Tin Barn Vineyards for graciously donating our featured wines.
The Olga Symphony, and Mary Giampietro & Renae Keep for providing the delightful musical entertainment.
Robin Freeman, Sofie Thixton, Catherine Tidwell, Stepanie Shaw, Alyson O’Toole, and Tika Thorson (many are OMS alumni) for child care.
Sally & Bruce Buchanan, Krista Bouchey, Everett Brooks, Teresa Chocano, Monty Coffey, Rusty Diggs, Ina Drosu, Christopher Evans, Cathy Faulkner, Stacey Lancaster, Tracy Leahy, Leann Klumb, Tara Linnes, Nelson Moulton, Tom Rubottom, Alyson and Andrew Stephens, and Joe Thoron for all their volunteer hours for this event.
Our supportive community residents, artists and businesses for donating auction items.
And our Montessori families who worked so hard selling tickets and getting the word out!
The recent smash hit at the Orcas Center involved a big group of OMS alumni! Congratulations to: Paris Wilson, Aliza Diepenbrock, Olivia Brunner-Gaydos, Millie Kau, Finn Carpenter, Adia Dolan, Hannah Brunner-Gaydos, Willie Kau, and Lily Ater!
Our recent board meeting marked the completion of service for two board members, Cathy Faulkner and Tom Frazer. We thank both Tom and Cathy for their hard work and dedication to the school. Tom has been a thoughtful and insightful board member, and Cathy has been instrumental in organizing countless successful fundraisers, including the coffee sales, wreath sales, bake sales, and auctions. Thank you, Tom and Cathy! The current board consists of Joe Thoron, Stacey Lancaster, Sally Buchanan, Tara Linnes, and Alyson Stephens.
Congratulations to the following OMS alumni, now graduating from high school: Tika Thorsen, Lanie Padbury, Emily Diepenbrock, Taylor Diepenbrock, Hannah North, Jeanie Mai Linh Tran, and Tyler Nigretto. Way to go, class of 2010!
{ 0 comments }
Orcas Montessori is a non-profit 501C3:
Tax ID #91-149 0036
NEW! Take a look at our catalog of school needs and choose a part of our program you'd like your donation to support. Garden, art, lunches, Montessori materials, etc.
