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| December 2008 |
Vol 1, Issue 4 |
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Montessori Matters
Newsletter of the Vincent S Mastro Montessori Academy |
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SEASON'S GREETINGS |
Hello Families, Alumni, and Friends of VSMMA,
Best wishes for a joyful holiday season
and a fulfilling new year.
"Tis the season . . . for giving: Giving thanks; Giving gifts, Giving to help people who may not have the same resources we do. This holiday issue of Montessori Matters touches on all of those subjects, and a few others. We hope you'll enjoy it.
For easy access to the articles that interest you, try clicking on the links in the "In This Issue" box.
As always, anyone who receives this newsletter is also welcome to contribute to it. Please direct comments, questions, photos or news items to Kristin in the VSMMA office (732-842-5816) or send to info@vsmma.org. |
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HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE |
Our Holiday Open House is this Saturday, December 6th from 10 am to 1 pm.
 This annual event is hosted by the children of Vincent S Mastro Montessori Academy, who will be busy this week decorating their classrooms and helping bake family favorite desserts* for the refreshment table. They can hardly wait to demonstrate their work to their parents!
In addition to parents of current students, we have invited alumni, parents of alumni, and families considering a Montessori education for their children to attend the open house. It should be a friendly, fun, and informative social gathering.
For the children of VSMMA, the open house is also a highly anticipated opportunity to show their parents how they work with Montessori materials. Parents can help make it a happy and rewarding experience for both themselves and their children by:
· allowing children to select the materials they would like to demonstrate rather than asking them to demonstrate specific materials;
· directing questions about activities to a teacher rather than asking your child for an explanation;
· making other arrangements for younger siblings so that your student will have your undivided attention on this special day.
Grandparents as well as older siblings who are mature enough to appreciate the student's work are welcome to attend.
Although good weather is currently in the forecast for Saturday, if it should snow, please call to confirm that school is open. The open house will not be rescheduled if it is canceled.
*Food and beverages can be dropped off at the school during the week of December 1st. |
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MPA NEWS |
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Ho ~ Ho ~ Ho. Happy Holidays.
At this time of year, most of us are nearly as busy as Santa's elves, so the MPA will try not to add too much to your "to-do" lists--just a yearly favorite of our children's and an opportunity to enjoy a timeless holiday ballet.
The MPA sponsors a Barefoot Book Fair on Tuesday, December 16th from 12:30 to 4:30 pm at VSMMA. Whether you are looking for gifts or for additions to your child's library, there will be many wonderful products to choose from. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Students can not be taken out of class for the event.
The MPA has obtained tickets to a December 21st performance of The Nutcracker at Monmouth University's Pollack theater. They are limited in number and available on a first come, first served basis. If you are interested, please contact Heather Merrigan: heather@trentalange.net
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The child is both a hope and a promise for mankind.
~ Dr. Maria Montessori | |
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| MARK YOUR CALENDAR |
Saturday, December 6
10 am - 1 pm: ANNUAL HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE
Thursday, December 11
7 pm: MPA MEETING
Tuesday, December 16
12:30 - 4:30 pm: BAREFOOT BOOK FAIR sponsored by the MPA.
Friday, December 19
3:30 pm: SCHOOL CLOSES for winter recess. Re-opens Monday, January 5, 2009
Unless otherwise noted, all events take place at the school. |
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A HOLIDAY MESSAGE |
Dear Parents,
During this joyful season, the faculty and staff of Vincent S Mastro Montessori Academy, wish to thank you for the gift of having your children in our classrooms. Because being a part of their lives as they grow is such a pleasure, receiving additional gifts during the holidays is truly unnecessary.
If, in the spirit of the holiday season, you would still like to give something, contributions to the Mary Mastro Guarriello Scholarship Fund are welcome and will be greatly appreciated.
With warm wishes for a wonderful holiday,
Elizabeth Bradbury, Sandra Flanagan, Sasha Cherniavsky, Michael Bradbury, and Kristin DeRose.
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Donation checks can be written to the Mary Mastro Guarriello Scholarship Fund and sent in to school with your child or mailed to either you child's teacher or Kristin DeRose.
All donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.
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ALUMNI PROFILE: Gina Dounelis |
Gina Dounelis, now 29, attended Vincent S Mastro Montessori Academy during the 1982-83 and 1983-84 school years, then entered the Matawan public school system. After graduating from Matawan High School as one of the top 20 students in her class, Gina attended William Patterson University on a full scholarship. While there, she helped establish the school's honors program and travelled all over the country representing the University.
Gina, who graduated from William Patterson in 2002--with honors and a dual major in psychology and women's studies--gives her early Montessori experience a great deal of credit for her educational successes. "I learned how to learn at Montessori," she says. "Because it left me with a thirst for knowledge, I wanted to learn; to study independently; to investigate subjects from all angles."
Gina pursued a career in retail management until her son, George James, was born in 2007. Now her self-described job title is "stay-at-home mom," although "in-home entrepreneur" fits just as well. Drawing upon her lifelong passion for crafts, especially scrapbooking, Gina works as a consultant for Creative Memories, a company that provides ideas, workshops, materials, and tools for capturing life's memorable moments and preserving them. [See Gina's web page: www.mycmsite.com\ginad ] She also sells Tupperware and teaches a toddler class at Gymboree in Red Bank.
Gina sits on the executive board and is in charge of fundraising and giving for the Mom's ClubŪ of Aberdeen, a local chapter of the international organization for stay-at-home moms. [See www.momsclub.org ]. Inspired by her father, a cancer survivor, Gina (along with her mother) also volunteers for Chemo Angels, an organization that provides support and encouragement to children and adults undergoing chemotherapy. [See www.chemoangels.net ] "I feel strongly about giving back and helping others going through hard times," she says. "We all have them."
Favorite classroom activity at VSMMA:
"I loved the math blocks and beads. I learned to count, add, subtract, multiply and divide with those things. Math stayed my favorite school subject. I always did well in it."
Two lessons that stayed with her to this day:
1. Actions have consequences. The results may be what you want, or they may not. "If you drop something breakable, it will break. Or in my case, if you touch a hot iron, you'll get burned. I still think of Montessori every time I iron."
2. Everyone does things a little differently. At VSMMA, "I liked to count and calculate. I polished silver, ironed, things like that. My best friend did metal insets day after day. I'd think, 'how boring,' but to her they weren't. And that was okay."
Thanks to my Montessori experience:
"When I was offered scholarships to quite a few colleges, I was able to look at what was in front of me and process that information to make the best decision for myself. When I looked at it the way Montessori had taught me to, I could see a clear choice-and it turned out to be absolutely the right one for me."
The next generation:
"Inadvertently, things from my Montessori years come back to me when I'm working with kids, and I use them. I use Montessori concepts and activities with my son too. He's not quite two, and he's counting."
Last words:
"Montessori was the foundation for so much. It gave me the basics and the confidence to try new things. With a strong start like that, a strong foundation, you can go anywhere." |
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MINDFUL GIVING FOR A MEMORABLE HOLIDAY |
How can you make this holiday season a memorable and meaningful one for your children? What gifts are most likely to bring them lasting joy? Which seasonal activities will enrich their lives? Clearly there's more involved than giving this year's biggest, hottest, best ever, new commercial game, toy or doll.
Following are a few thoughts on the matter.*
Two questions to ask before selecting your child's gift-Will this gift not only make my child happy, but also help him grow? Does it reflect my values and beliefs about what is important in life?
For gifts your child will give to others. Children love making gifts for people. Help them prepare and wrap home-baked cakes or cookies, handmade cards or other artwork, personally crafted photo albums, bird feeders or refrigerator magnets. This effort brings a holiday bonus for both parent and child--the pleasure of working together to create the gifts.
As for gifts to give children, Dr. Montessori's observations about children of different ages offer useful clues.
· For children in the first plane of development (0-6 years of age), try gifts that invite open-ended exploration or involve concrete experiential activities-for example, child size tools, kits, or materials for artwork, building, gardening, helping with household chores, or food preparation.
· Children between the ages of 6 and 12 are intellectual explorers. Gifts of books or trips to museums, parks, plays, and festivals are good choices for them. So are microscopes, telescopes, cameras, and chemistry sets.
· Children of all ages enjoy getting "time" coupons promising them 30 to 60 minutes (or more) of their parent's time to do an activity together or just talk.
Share the holiday spirit. Events and activities done together as a family-from picking out a tree together or making potato "latkes" to taking a moonlight hike or holding a neighborhood cookie exchange-make the season special. Repeat them annually and they become treasured family traditions.
Add community service to your gift list. When children collect donations for a charity, participate in an adopt-a-family program, or sing carols at a hospital or nursing home, everyone benefits.
The Best Present is Your Presence
Any gift increases in value when accompanied by the gift of your time and involvement. A game your child will play with you; a child's recipe book that comes with a commitment to cook together; tickets to a play you and your child will travel to and see together . . . taking part in the activity with your child is one of the most affirming gifts you can give. Of course, you must be totally present during your time together, and that's the tricky part in this age of multi-tasking, mobile phones, and text messaging. You will need to let phones go to voice mail and completely set aside other tasks. By giving children your truly undivided attention and interest, you let them know how very important they are to you. And nothing you buy in a store or see advertised on TV can make a holiday gift more memorable than that!
*This discussion was inspired by "The Montessori Spirit of Giving: A Montessori School of Lake Forest (Illinois) Staff Collaboration," which first appeared in Parenting for a New World, a journal of Association Montessori International in the USA (AMI/USA), Volume X, Number 1, January 2001. Reprints of that article will be available at the Open House. |
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Celebrity Chef Dinner was a Huge Success! |
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On Sunday, November 16, the Vincent S Mastro Montessori Academy cooked up a joyful culinary kick-off for its year-long 40th anniversary celebration and scholarship fund raising campaign. Its "Celebrity Chef" dinner at Red Bank's 2 Senza Ristorante featured great food, good wine, and members of VSM Montessori's faculty and board in the roles of host, servers, and chef's assistant. $5000 was raised.
In welcoming remarks, board President Michael Stasi noted that the Celebrity Chef dinner was the first of many events planned for the coming months. He encouraged guests to attend them all. "We are celebrating the past 40 years, but also setting the stage for the next 40," he said.
The goals of VSMMA's ongoing awareness and fund raising campaign include increasing enrollment and raising $100,000 to fund a scholarship program in honor of the late Mary Mastro Guarriello who co-founded the school in 1968 with her husband Vincent (pictured-right foreground-with family and friends at the event.)
The invitation promised "lots of laughs," and the evening delivered - for the more than 40 parents, alumni, and friends of VSMMA in attendance and for the novice crew. Guest were seated by "Maitre' D" Elizabeth Bradbury and served by elementary class teacher Sasha Cherniavsky, administration and development assistant Kristin DeRose and board members Darry Guli and Deborah Downie (pictured here with Ms Cherniavsky and VSMMA parent Maria Soltys.)
Primary class teacher, Sandra Flanagan was the evening's designated Chef. Her good humor in the hot kitchen was rewarded with a chef's apron autographed by 2 Senza's real chefs and dining room staff.
For Jill Green, proprietor of 2 Senza Ristorante, the Celebrity Chef dinner was a family affair. Montessori educated herself and an enthusiastic advocate for the approach, Green serves on the VSMMA board, and her son Hunter, now 16, attended the school
As the successful and satisfying evening drew to a close, a 2 Senza server brought out a huge chocolate cake, donated by Flaky Tart bakery in Atlantic Highlands. It was topped with lit candles to celebrate Mrs. Bradbury's and Mrs. Flanagan's birthdays, which coincidentally fell on the same date as the event.
Many thanks to Jennifer Anderson and the 40th Anniversary and Scholarship Campaign's Steering Committee, Jill Green and her staff at 2 Senza Ristorante, the "celebrity" chefs and servers, and everyone who attended and contributed to this wonderful--and fruitful--evening. | |
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Accredited by the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI)
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Affiliated with North American Montessori Teachers' Association (NAMTA)
The Vincent S. Mastro Montessori Academy is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit, nonsectarian school admitting students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin in administration of its admission policies, educational policies, or school- administered programs.
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