El Boletin

From Consejo Interamericano Montessori

Spring 2007

1. Mexico
2. United States
3. The Caribbean
4. Central America
5. South America
6. Brazil

An invitation

You are welcome to send information and updates about your school, teacher education program, association, conferences, events, etc.

Send reports to Rittchell Yau:

rittchell@netzero.com or

416 N. Beringer Circle
Urbana, IL 61802

Photographs are welcome.

Region I: MEXICO

Alicia Medrano, a CIM Representative for Mexico, has a new email address. The new address is elviaamedrano@prodigy.net.mx. She sends greetings to all for the new year. If you have tried to contact her via email and did not receive a reply, please try again at her new email address.

Region IV: CENTRAL AMERICA

Costa Rica

Costa Rica has a long history of Montessori beginning in the 1920’s. Marcela Hío Soto, President of the Asociación Montessori Costarricense and CIM Representative for Region IV, has written a report on the development of Montessori in Costa Rica. This article has been presented as part of the celebration and commemoration of the Montessori Centenary and the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Montessori Nursery School in Costa Rica. The full study, titled Educación y Paz: Un Legado de Solidaridad y Esperanza, is available now in Spanish. It will be available in English in March 2007. Copies of the Spanish edition can be obtained through CIM, or directly from Marcela Hío Soto at ahio@cariari.ucr.ac.cr.

Region VI: BRAZIL

September 2007 Conference Announcement

At the Montessori Centenary Celebration in Rome January 6-7, 2007, Talita de Almeida, President of the Brazilian Montessori Organization (OMB), announced plans for a Montessori conference in Brazil in September of 2007. She wishes to invite all Montessorians to participate. The conference will provide a follow-up to the well-attended meetings of Montessori Leaders (June 30-July 1, 2006) and the 4th Latin American Montessori Congreso (July 3-5, 2006). Check the OMB website for information about the June and July 2006 meetings.

Information about the upcoming conference should be on the website soon: www.omb.org.br or through their offices at Organizaçâo Montessori do Brasil, Rua Iiradentess, 160, 166 Inga, Niterói, RJ Brasil. Tel: 21-2618-0802. Information will be available also through BMS/ABEM, Rua Marquês de São Vicente, 455- Gávea, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 22451-041 Brasil. Tel: 0-xx-21—25125636. Fax: 0-xx-21-2274-1253. Email: montessori@abem-educ.org.br.

Montessori Centenary Celebrations

CIM members, Carolina Gomez del Valle (Mexico) and Talita Almeida (Brazil) participated in a panel discussion at the Centenary celebration in Rome. Each spoke about Montessori in their respective regions. Their comments will be part of the Conference Proceedings.

Additional information about centenary events is reported elsewhere in the edition of Public School Montessorian.

If you have reports on celebrations in your school or organization included in the CIM newsletter, send your announcements or reports for El Boletín to rittchell@netzero.com.

Volunteer Opportunities

We have the following opportunities for volunteers who would like to get involved in CIM and programs throughout Latin America:

• Help update the CIM Resource List
• Work on a website
• Join the membership committee to help with outreach to both existing and potential members
• Assist with editing and translating the newsletter
• Participate in a school to school pen pal program
• Volunteer with programs in Latin America for three months to a year

Sound interesting?

For information about opportunities outside the USA, contact Elena Young, CIM Coordinator, by phone at 56-2-242-4278 or by email at eyoung@vtr.net.

For information about opportunities in the United States, contact Rittchell Yau, Region II Coordinator, by phone at 217-649-8525 or by email at rittchell@netzero.com.

Have You Moved This Year?

A reminder to notify us when you move. Please send your name, old address, new address, new telephone number and new email address. Mail us a change of address card, or send updates to rittchell@netzero.com. We want to go with you!

Corrections

Did we get it right?

If not, let us know and we will run a correction in the next edition of the newsletter.

Employment Opportunities

Nosara, Guanacaste, Costa Rica

A small, international community organization needs teachers certified in the Montessori method for the 3-6 and 6-9 age levels. Qualifications desired are: bilingual Spanish/English, with experience and independence to work with a group of 12-13 students between the ages of 3 and 7 years old during the school year from November 10 2007 to August 31, 2008. Please send your resume with two letters of professional references from the last five years and a photo to Jane Marchant at jane@nosarawellness.com or tel/fax 506-682-0084.

Resource Updates

Please let us know about new sources and resources that will be of interest to the Montessori community. These are recent updates we have received about resources available in Spanish.

New Book

Montessori para todos
By María Isabel Pérez de Arce Ossandón
Impresos Alekar (Publisher)
Santiago, Chile
Email address: info@alekar.net
Phone: (country code: 56) 311-6419

This 75-page book written in Spanish provides an overview of Montessori ideas and the 3-6 classroom. Chapters include an introduction to Montessori and a brief history of the movement of Montessori, as well as the topics of observation, the environment and materials, movement, practical life, art, sciences, language, sensorial and mathematics.

Update on Resource List Revisions

CIM is preparing a new edition of the Resource List that includes information about materials, books, organizations, teacher education programs, children’s books and other resources of interest to educators working in Latin America and with bilingual and Latino communities in the USA. The last full update was in 1999. We expect to have the new edition ready by March 2007.

CIM Coordinating Committee

Latin American coordinator,
Elena Young Montesinos
phone 56-2-242-4278
fax 56-2-453-4261
eyoung@vtr.net
Liaison for communication and services within Latin America.

Bilingual services
Elvira Arnal
phone 202-337-0607
fax 301-652-3757 #225
larnal@erols.com
Coordinates bilingual and/or Spanish communications in the U.S.

U.S. coordinator
Rittchell Yau
phone 217-649-8525
fax 217-328-1341
rittchell@netzero.com
Coordinates memberships, inquiries within the U.S., CIM archives, and all communications in English.

Mexico
Web Site coordinators
Alicia Medrano
elviaamedrano@prodigy.net.mx

MarÌa Elena Contreras DomÌnguez
tocani_mar@yahoo.com
Coordinates membership, distribution of El Boletin and inquiries within Mexico and provides website updates for all regions.