Field NotesRichard Ungerer to Lead AMS Anonymous Donor Aids Minneapolis Program Appleton Charter Gets $10,000 Grant Two More Schools Get Hiawatha Grants Sarasota Board OK's Charter Expansion Montessori Ed Week Seeking Vignettes Montessori Education Week is Feb. 28 - March 5, 2005. Montessori Wagons? MATERIALS UPDATES Montessori Education Computer Systems Richard Ungerer to Lead AMS The American Montessori Society has chosen an experienced manager of nonprofit organizations as its new executive director. Richard A. Ungerer was named to the position on Dec. 20. He is expected to assume duties in January. "I will be a tireless advocate for Montessori education in schools both public and private," Ungerer said in a prepared statement. "I will be fiercely devoted to strengthening and expanding member benefits and services for Montessori teachers, teacher educators, school administrators and parents." An AMS press release continues that his vision includes building "communities where exponentially greater numbers of children and their families are part of the Montessori experience, together creating a more just and caring society of lifelong learners, problem solvers and stewards of the planet." Ungerer has headed the "I Have a Dream" Foundation, the organization started by New York philanthropist Eugene Lang to provide support and higher education tuition assistance to poor children. He has also led the Organization Development Network, the New York City office of WAVE (Work, Achievement, Values, and Education), the National Institute for Work and Learning, and the National Society for Experiential Education. Most recently he has been an organizational consultant. AMS president Martha Torrence said, "In searching for an executive director, the board sought an individual who could support our membership through provision of excellent services; soundly manage our finances while robustly forwarding our fund development goals; and lead AMS to new prominence in the educational world. Our unanimous selection of Richard speaks to our conviction that we have found someone with a skill set and personal philosophy that will combine dynamically to provide such leadership, and uniquely qualify him for the position . We look forward to a collaboration that is bright with promise." Ungerer replaces Marie Dugan, who has been serving as interim executive director since Eileen Ast left the position in April. Anonymous Donor Aids Minneapolis Program Armatage Community and Montessori School, in Minneapolis, MN will receive $55,000 to pay for lunchroom soundproofing and playground improvements. Armatage is one of 16 Minneapolis public schools benefiting from a $750,000 gift from an anonymous donor. Appleton Charter Gets $10,000 Grant Appleton Public Montessori Elementary School is one of three charter proposals granted $10,000 for planning from the Wisconsin Department of Public instruction. Appleton Supt. Tom Scullen said the grants to the Montessori program and several other programs brings Appleton's grant for charter schools to more than $2.5 million. The district operates 10 charter schools serving more than 1,300 students. The Appleton program is projected to serve 52 to 60 elementary students next fall. Two More Schools Get Hiawatha Grants The Hiawatha Education Foundation has awarded $432,000 in grants to two Montessori programs in southern Minnesota. The Winona, MN based foundation announced grants to: . Bluffview Montessori, an independent and charter combination in Winona for $205,000 to expand its children's house to serve 20 more preschoolers. . Montessori Children's House of Albert Lea, MN, for $227,000 over three years to serve more at-risk students. This is the second year the foundation has funded Montessori programs serving low-income children in Minnesota. Sarasota Board OK's Charter Expansion In October the Sarasota County School Board unanimously approved expansion of the Island Village Montessori School in Venice FL. Island Village Montessori School, one of 11 charter schools in the county, has grown from 175 to 275 students in three years. School leaders plan to build a middle school on its Venice campus and add a campus in the northern part of the county. Montessori Ed Week Seeking Vignettes Rosann Larrow, Montessori Education Week chair, has issued a call for vignettes by parents, teachers, students about the benefit of Montessori education to be emailed to her for inclusion on the "Montessori Education Testimonial Wall." Montessori Education Week is Feb. 28 - March 5, 2005. The week, Larrow writes "is a time for all schools, teachers, children, and parents to celebrate the significance of Montessori Education in the lives of children and adults. "Our main request of schools is the 'Moment of Silence for Peace' and the Peace Song that is passed around the world by having each school stop at noon their time for a Moment of Silence for Peace and the Peace Song." Emails should be sent to rlar...@neo.rr.com INFO: http://home.neo.rr.com/larrow Montessori Wagons? From the Oct. 4 Houston Chronicle: PARIS - In recent months, politicians across Europe have discovered the popularity of anti-SUV measures. In several countries, lawmakers are weighing policies that could dampen sales of the heavy vehicles through tax hikes and outright bans. In Sweden, sport-utility vehicles are "Montessori wagons," a jab at wealthy families who bring their children to exclusive private schools in off-road vehicles. MATERIALS UPDATESWe invite any providers of goods and services to the Montessori community to share any innovation or other news that might be of interest to those in the schools. Montessori Education Computer Systems Dewey Parker reports that the company's computer learning program has: 1. Upgraded all programs to Windows XP compatibility 2. Upgraded some phonetic sounds in the reading program for closer compliance with more widely-accepted standards 3. Reprogrammed Reading Module 1 movable alphabet so that dropping a letter before it reaches its place does not count as an error 4. Responded to requests to put all programs under control of one menu. All 28 titles may now be accessed from a main menu 5. Changed some screen colors to more closely match other MECS programs and gain the advantages of blue screens 6. Had all programs assessed by adults and children once again and made numerous subtle changes via their recommendations. New Releases since lasts report in Public School Montessorian: 1. Discovering North America - Part 1 (United States, Mexico) 2. Discovering North America - Part 2 (Canada, Greenland, Central America) 3. Discovering Planet Earth - includes Land and Water, continents and oceans, research and test sets, and more. 4. Math Facts/Timings - Addition 5. Math Facts/Timings - Subtraction 6. Math Facts/Timings - Multiplication 7. Math Module 2 - Addition with Montessori Materials (Golden Beads, Colored Bead Stair, Addition Strip Board). Grammar is on the drawing board but a release date has not been set. INFO: Montessori Educational Computer Systems, 800-995-5133, www.mecssoftware.com Big Picture Science Priscilla Spears, a frequent contributor to this newspaper and to greater understanding of science among Montessori educators has released a set of flower pictures for classroom use through her company, Big Picture Science. Her description: There are 12 flower cards that show the following flowers: day lily, tulip, gladiolus, Iceland poppy, cranesbill (Geranium), fireweed (Epilobium), blue hibiscus, flowering cherry, Mexican sunflower, hen and chickens (Sempervivum), petunia, and clematis. The photos are about 8X10 inches, in full color, and show the petals, stamens, and pistils clearly-at least what you can see of these on a whole flower. This set can be used at a number of levels. The information that comes with the photos (the part that took so long) includes name labels, simple descriptive text for lower elementary, and text that includes name origin, classification, as well as botanical details for more advanced students. There is background information for the teacher on ways to use the set, features that the cards show, and flowering plant families. There is a glossary and references. In summary: 12 flower photo cards, 1 index photo card, 7 pages for teachers, 2 copies of the name labels, beginning and advanced text for students, $20, includes postage. The name of this set is "Flowers: Stamens and Pistils." INFO: pspe...@denver.net |
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