Middleburg Montessori School

The month is here for our first Annual Art of the Piedmont Art Auction and Reception!

admin — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 20:09:10 +0000

WHAT: Art Auction and Reception, “ART OF THE PIEDMONT”

WHERE: Middleburg Community Center, 300 Washington St. Middleburg, VA

WHEN: Friday, February 24^th, 2012 at 5:30-9:30PM (Free to the public)

WHO: Hosted by Middleburg Montessori School. Contact: 540-687-5210

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AUCTION TO FEATURE ART OF THE PIEDMONT

Local Artists Join Forces to Support School

MIDDLEBURG, Virginia (February 1, 2012). Distinguished works of art will grace the Middleburg Community Center on Friday, February 24^th, in an unprecedented auction of original artwork from the community’s best local artists. Doors for this fundraising event will open at 5:30 P.M., and proceeds will benefit the Middleburg Montessori School.

“It is always impressive when so many artists come together to support a worth-while cause like this one,” offered Bradley Stevens, one of our country’s leading realist painters. Stevens, a former faculty member at both George Washington University and Georgetown University, donated a children’s group drawing lesson in portraiture and an adult “plein-air,” or outdoor oil-painting lesson, at Barrel Oaks winery in Delaplane. These items, like all other offerings, will go to the highest bidder.

With more than fifteen committed artists, including the furniture of craftsmen at Plank & Nickel, the auction will showcase the art of Misia Broadhead-Barham, Anthony Barham, Kim Basinger, Armand Cabrera, Hwa Crawford, Mikel Diaz, Richard Dimon, Charles Matheson, Lilla Ohrstrom, Dana Lee Thompson, Dana Volkert, Charlie Westbrook, Henry Wingate, and Cathy Zimmerman, among others.

A sample of the featured artists:

Armand Cabrera, known for his alla prima work—paintings completed in one sitting in the studio or outdoors—has donated “Farmhouse,” a stunning 8’ x 10’ oil on linen. Armand, a former California-based production artist in the entertainment industry, brings his eye for detail to his exquisite landscapes. His work has been featured in International Artist Magazine and American Art Collector.

Local artist Dana Volkert captures the natural world, isolated and enlarged, in abstract beauty. Her compelling work has been exhibited in galleries worldwide and is a must for the modern collector.

Antonia Walker, whose works are represented in many collections including the Arts-in-Embassy Program of The State Department, has been a visiting artist at the American Academy in Rome. She has studied under Spanish Sculptor Benjamin Saul as well as Brittany, France-based artist William Woodward. Antonia is most well known for her oil paintings of the Virginia countryside and images of Italy and France.

Artist Henry Wingate’s first career was flying airplanes for the Navy. Wingate is best known for his classic oil portraits and his traditional representational works of art, approaches he studied in ateliers, or working studios. An award winning artist, Wingate has been featured in American Artist and Portrait Highlights magazines.

Also included in the auction are handcrafted, reclaimed wood furniture from the designers at Plank & Nickel. Two beautiful live-edge modern benches will be among the offerings.

Many of these artists have websites, and new and old collectors alike are encouraged to explore the artists’ work ahead of time.

The public is invited to this open event. Barrel Oak Winery will be providing wine to bidders and guests alike. Delicious hors d’oeuvres from Julien’s on Washington Street will add a touch of French cuisine.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with these talented artists,” explained BethAnn Slater, Head of School of Middleburg Montessori. “Ultimately, we are all coming together to benefit the children in our community.” Middleburg Montessori School is a primary Association Montessori Internationale accredited environment that for more than 30 years has educated children, age 2-½ through 6, in the Middleburg community. In Fall 2011, the school opened a new elementary classroom for children age 6 through 14. The benefit, organized by parents and friends, will help the 501(c)(3) non-profit school to continue growing their primary and elementary programs.

For more information about the event, or to become of donor, please contact Middleburg Montessori School at 540-687-5210.

School Contact:

BethAnn Slater

Middleburg Montessori

540/687-5210

info@middleburgmontessori.com

Press Contact:

Susana Calley

703-297-7899

February Newsletter

admin — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:06:01 +0000

Newsletter Feb. 2012

We Need to Talk About Montesssori!

admin — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 19:39:14 +0000

January 28, 2012

Laura Flores Shaw

Head of School, Oak Knoll Kinderhaus Montessori

GET UPDATES FROM Laura Flores Shaw

Montessori: The Missing Voice in the Education Reform Debate

Posted: 01/27/2012 4:36 pm

Over a century ago, Dr. Maria Montessori discovered through scientific observations of children that they are not empty vessels to be filled — they are intrinsically motivated doers. She saw that providing a hands-on learning environment that valued choice, concentration, collaboration, community, curiosity, and real-world application produced lifelong learners who viewed “work” as something interesting and fulfilling instead of drudgery to be avoided. Now, research in psychology and neuroscience continually validates Dr. Montessori’s conclusions about children and learning, and Montessori schools are flourishing — not just preschools but, increasingly, elementary, middle and secondary schools. So as the education reform debate thunders on, with the many sides agreeing on little beyond the fact that our schools as they are currently designed are failing our children, I can’t help but wonder: Where is the voice of the Montessori movement in the American school reform conversation?

I first learned about Dr. Maria Montessori’s approach to human development while in graduate school to become a therapist. At that time, I was struck by the similarities between some of Montessori’s tenets and the theories and practices of therapeutic intervention for children. Choice, a key Montessori tenet, is at the heart of child therapy. Children’s emotional, social, and academic development improve when they are empowered through choice. At the same time, children, according to the psychological literature, need to have appropriate boundaries and limits to feel safe and secure. Montessori’s “freedom with discipline” (where “discipline means “to teach”) for children ages 3-6 and “freedom with responsibility” for children ages 6 and up align with this literature.

My passion for Montessori, however, really ignited while I was interning as a school therapist in a suburban public school district. Taking students out of a classroom where they had very little choice and bringing them into a small office where I empowered them with choices seemed counterproductive, a short-term fix. That’s when I realized I no longer wanted to provide interventions for children experiencing social, emotional, and behavioral issues. Instead, I wanted to be involved in the prevention of such issues. That, I knew, was happening in Montessori environments. So, I changed career course and became the Head of School at a growing accredited Montessori school for children ages 18 months to (soon to be) 15 years old.

Over the past five years, I’ve seen firsthand how powerful and effective the Montessori method is with children of varying temperaments and from varying backgrounds. I’ve seen children with severe developmental delays improve significantly because of how Montessori teachers are trained to interact with their students. And I’ve seen elementary-aged children from conventional schools who abhor learning have their love of learning reignited in a Montessori classroom.

Why is Montessori so effective? We know there is an indisputable link between movement and cognition, with the former actually enhancing the latter. We know that people of all ages need to feel a sense of control over their lives and that lack of control leads to depression and learned helplessness, which inhibits learning. We know from a huge body of research that extrinsic rewards and punishments don’t work and can actually adversely affect intrinsic motivation. Research tells us all of these things, yet students at conventional schools are still confined to their desks, with rigidly scheduled days, receiving grades for every aspect of their learning and behavior. Is it any wonder that the public school district needs therapists?

In contrast, students in a Montessori classroom are free to move about the room and are provided varying types of work spaces — tables, floor mats, and low-lying tables called “chowkies.” They’re given large blocks of time — generally around three hours — in which they choose their work and participate in one-on-one presentations (at the preschool level) or small group lessons (in elementary). There are no grades or tests. Instead, assessments are occurring daily through the teachers’ keen observations of the children. (The children are taught how to test themselves or each other so they can know if they’ve really mastered something, such as math facts. There are some things that do need to be memorized!) Ultimately, it is expected that the children will use their time in a productive way, balancing their subjects and being responsible for their learning, and what we see daily in our classrooms is that they are. At the end of each semester, teachers provide each student and his or her parents with an overview of the student’s progress, pointing out areas that need improvement.

Education reformers these days cast their nets far and wide to try to find a solution to the current malaise in our schools. They look to Finland, or to digital learning models. Why is Montessori ignored? At a recent Los Angeles public school district teachers meeting where school reform was discussed, one teacher asked, “Have we ever considered Montessori? My sister is a Montessori teacher, and it seems to work really well for kids.” His question, another teacher told me, was dismissed.

Maybe it’s because people are simply most comfortable with the familiar. Maybe it’s because many mistakenly think Montessori education is a model only suitable for preschool-age or privileged children. I’m convinced, however, that the greatest impediment to Montessori entering this conversation is that there are so many special interests — from textbook and test publishers to educational entrepreneurs — who profit from the system as is.

I can tell you that the solutions we are all looking for are both simpler and more radical than the noisy debaters would have you believe. We need to do more than reform education. We need to transform it.

We need to talk about Montessori.

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Art of the Piedmont

admin — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 18:26:43 +0000

First Annual Art Auction

TV for Babies and Toddlers???

admin — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 17:46:40 +0000

TV Recommendations for Babies and Toddlers

AIR DATE: Friday, October 21st 2011

POSTED BY: ALLISON FROST

The American Academy of Pediatrics has come out with TV recommendations for babies and toddlers — in short: turn off the TV for kids under two and limit viewing for all children. If you think that sounds familiar, you’re right. Those are the same recommendations that came out more than a decade ago. One key difference is that over that time, a proponderence of scientific research has been conducted to back up those recommendations. So says, professor of medicine Dimitri Christakis. He’s a prominent researcher at the University of Washington and Seattle Children’s Hospital and specializes in this area of research.

The other notable difference, says Christakis, is that over this same period, the amount of viewing by young children has gone up. He says 90 percent of children two or younger regularly watch TV. That’s the age where Christakis says there are few, if any, educational benefits from any kind of television programming.

It was his research that brought the educational benefits of “Baby Einstein” products into question a few years ago. Christakis’ main message is not meant to shame or scare parents wondering how much TV is OK — or even suggest that significant harm will come to your baby from a bit of Bugs Bunny or SpongeBob. It’s more about the habits that both children and parents form around TV — and other kinds of screens.

Are you a parent of a young child? Are you a childcare provider? How much TV do your children watch? Do these new recommendations affect how you approach screen time for yourself or your child?

Fall Festival

admin — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 09:58:48 +0000

Back to School with Happy Hearts…..

admin — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 22:07:25 +0000

….with friends and smiles our new year starts.

Thank you to all who brought their paperwork and shoes and such last night to the Parent Gathering to kick off our year!!! It could not have been a more wonderful kick off!!!

Middleburg Montessori adds AMI Elementary!!!

admin — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 21:58:28 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Middleburg Montessori School Celebrates Expansion

ATOKA, Virginia (August 11, 2011) – Thursday evening the Fauquier County Board of Supervisors gave their stamp of approval for Middleburg Montessori School’s expansion into elementary education. The vote on the special permit allows the school to add a classroom of 7 to 14 year olds to the existing preschool and kindergarten.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled by the support we have received from the community,” offered BethAnn Slater, the school’s directress since 2001. “Our parents and staff have worked toward this goal for over two years.”

Slater attributes the school’s decision to “grow in place” to the encouragement received from the Atoka Preservation Society.

“Middleburg Montessori School is one of seven 501(c)(3) non profits located in the historic village of Atoka,” explained Col. John Zugschwert, a founding member of the Atoka Preservation Society. Zugschwert and his board have been key in establishing the Atoka historic district. “The school certainly adds an element of charm to this little village.”

Middleburg Montessori School was founded in 1980 by Chris Sehn, and first met in the community room of St Stephen’s Catholic Church. When Clare Farrell took over as directress, the school operated from Julie Hall on the campus of Middleburg Academy. Farrell purchased the school’s current location in Atoka in 2000.

“The building has an interesting history,” said Slater, the school’s third and current directress. According to Slater, the building was originally a run-in hog shed. “Many remember when Polly’s hair salon operated in the space.”

Now, with a newly hired elementary directress and renovations to the building’s interior thanks to generous donations from families and people in the local community who support Montessori education, the first elementary class of 10 students will begin the 2011-2012 school year. An additional 24 students are enrolled in the preschool and kindergarten program. An AMI fully Accredited Montessori school, Middleburg Montessori offers the village of Atoka and the surrounding communities a piece of Maria Montessori’s vision for a positive education that prepares the child’s will, heart, and mind for a successful life.

For more information about Middleburg Montessori School contact the school at 540-687-5210 or email at info@middleburgmontessori.com.

Fall Festival Planning Fun!

admin — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 18:32:10 +0000

Fall Festival Planning Meeting!

WHEN: Thursday August 4th, Noon

WHERE: Home of Heather Davis

6107 Coon Tree Rd

The Plains, VA 20198

540-687-6102

BRING: children, lunch, ideas to share and a suit for swimming if you wish!

Progress is happening!!!

admin — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 23:13:02 +0000

Our school is moving forward with the renovations of the current space! It is really looking so fresh and wonderful and will only be better once the rooms are back set up with the beautiful Montessori Materials that we all love!!!

We would like to welcome all that are supporters of our school to come and support our first Special Exception vote in the county. It is next Thursday the 28th of July at 6:30pm in Warrenton. If you have any questions about the where please email and we will share more! It is VERY exciting and we wanted to be sure to share this excitement!