The Montessori Oasis · A. Extending the Montessori Oasis to the Home (Primary) Cheryl Ferreira The...

A NAMTA Conference in Columbia, Maryland October 3-6, 2013 • Sheraton Columbia Hotel

www.montessori-namta.org/Events

The Montessori Oasis: Prepared Pathways for a

Sustainable School Community

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Sheraton Columbia Hotel • 1-888-627-8318

A NAMTA Conference in Columbia, Maryland

October 3-6, 2013

An oasis is a place of shelter, protected from the fast-paced world in which we live, where children can grow in harmony with their developmental timetable, not accelerated by technology and media expectations. For the child under six, the Montessori school as oasis provides a prepared environment with oppor-tunities for independence and challenge. For the elementary child, the oasis deepens as their community extends beyond the classroom. For the parents, the oasis affirms and supports their expectations while allaying anxiety and stress. Cheryl Ferreira, senior staff member of the Maria Montessori Institute, London, brings an international perspective to these challenges of the twenty-first century. David Sobel, director of the Center for Place-based Education at Antioch University, New England, shows how partnerships between Montes-sori schools and their neighborhoods can create an oasis. These social and ecological efforts improve the community landscape and are fundamental to successful outreach.

The Montessori Oasis: Prepared Pathways for a

Sustainable School CommunityColumbia, MD

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The Montessori Oasis: Prepared Pathways for a Sustainable School Community

October 3-6, 2013 • Register before September 13, 2013

Thursday, October 3, 20137:00–8:00 p.m. • Registration

Friday, October 4, 20138:00–9:00 a.m. • Registration

9:00–10:00 a.m. The Children’s House: The Prepared Environment as Oasis Cheryl FerreiraThe child under six yearns to lead a natural life. Cheryl Ferreira will discuss the essential qualities that allow the young child to thrive in the Montessori Children’s House. The school can provide a positive atmosphere, indoors and outdoors, that counters materialism, consumerism, and boredom. Cheryl’s discussion includes practices for schools

that may need to respond to at-risk children who are burdened by problems se-rious enough to require a scaffolding of supports. Cheryl’s experiences in India, New Zealand, Pakistan, and England lend a universal perspective to how the Casa enhances the child’s formation.

10:00–10:30 a.m. • Break

10:30–11:30 a.m.Why a Strong Community Matters to the Elementary ChildJamie Rue Elementary children are ready to experience a commu-nity beyond the family and the classroom. Children of this age interact with society directly through going out and intellectually through the tremendous work they undertake in the classroom. The elementary community is a microcosm of greater society where children learn about social structure and conflict resolution, and is a place where they can start to consider their own role in the world. A strong and well-supported community helps second-plane children work toward the social independence they will achieve in the third plane of development.



Friday, October 4, 2013, continued12:00–1:30 p.m. • Lunch with preview of The Montessori Elementary

1:30–4:30 p.m. • Breakouts (choose one)

A. Extending the Montessori Oasis to the Home (Primary)Cheryl Ferreira The home environment is of great importance to the child’s development. There is a vital need for harmony between the home and the Montessori Children’s House, and yet home must remain home and must not become a reflection of the classroom. Join in a discussion on how the directress and the school can help parents to practice Montessori principles in the home and prepare it so that it enables the child under six to find a sense of self and do productive work along-side the adult.

B. Cultivating a Strong Community in the Montessori Elementary Classroom (Elementary)Jamie Rue Although children need to be engaged in purposeful work, a strong culture of work in the classroom does not develop spontaneously. We will explore the rituals and systems necessary to support the development of a strong working community such as daily lunch, birthday celebrations, and camping trips, with an emphasis on practical ideas for implementation.

C. Blending Social Awareness Between Differing Perspective of Parents and Guide: Montessori Parent Education Without PreachingMaura JoyceMaura Joyce will share ways to involve and inform parents from their first inquiry phone call to the parent conference and report form. Turning new parents into Montessori disciples is a school’s best and most important task. Learn from a seasoned administrator how failures and successes can inform best practices.



Saturday, October 5, 20139:00–10:00 a.m.Place Based Learning: Inventing a Vision of School as Sustainable CommunityDavid SobelMontessori schools thrive when they are deeply connected to the community where they are rooted. Schools blossom with place-based awareness that includes not only environ-ment but also the visual arts and music of the community, regional food systems, local and regional history, service learning, gardening, exploring local businesses, and foster-ing community parent education.

10:00–10:30 a.m. • Break

10:30–11:15 a.m.Public Montessori as Authentic Montessori OasisJohn FreemanJohn Freeman gives a picture of the Annie Fisher Montessori Magnet School, an oasis that supports children and their families. He describes how this school nurtures parents in creating a secure community base while deep-ening their commitment to Montessori.

11:15 a.m.–noonSense of Community: A Hallmark of Our ApproachConnie BlackWhen people observe our Montessori prepared environ-ments, they often marvel at the harmony and joy they feel from the children, even asking, How do you do that? This phenomenon of a harmonious community manifests itself over and over around the world. Understanding

Dr. Montessori’s concept of social cohesion is fundamental to the appropriate preparations that support the development of community.



Saturday, October 5, 2013, continued12:00–1:30 p.m. • Lunch

1:30–4:30 p.m. • Breakouts (choose one)

D. How Music and the Art of Storytelling Support Community (Primary)Connie BlackMusic can change the emotion and energy in a room; it can change a state of mind; it can actually change the brain. The power of music to synchronize and organize us at work and play will be explored as we examine the role of the prepared adult in bringing this power to the children in our care on a daily basis. Storytelling can go beyond being simple entertainment or a vehicle for transferring information. It can be a powerful response to the unengaged child and of tremendous value in build-ing community. Cultures around the world share the tendency to come together in human comradery through songs and stories. Explore how to gather stories and use storytelling and singing to bring positive energy to our daily lives.

E. Nurturing the Spiritual Embryo through an Exploration of our WorldCheryl Ferreira The young child needs a special environment that engages and protects what Montessori called the progressive incarnation of the physi-cal world. This work of adaptation unique to

human development requires a scientific method that enables a thorough yet sensorial exploration of the child’s world. Explore the disciplines, such as language and mathematics, that aid this process and help the child under six explore the world with joy and confidence and, in the process, make a good adaptation to society and culture.

F. Transforming Community Schools: Making School More Like a Farmer’s Market David Sobel with John Freeman (school responder)Place-based education is a response to the alienation of schools from community and the decoupling of schools from historic sites, local landscapes, and farms. Schools organized around the principles of the farmer’s market draw on the resources and variety of the local community. Participants will develop a process of converting their conventionally framed schools into “schools without borders,” applying a place-based criteria.

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Featured SpeakersCheryl Ferreira is a senior member of staff at the Maria Montessori Training Organisation, London. She holds AMI Primary and AMI Assistants to Infancy diplomas, and a BA and MA in history. Cheryl has been an AMI trainer since 2000 and has trained in New Zealand, Pakistan, India, and England.

David Sobel is the director of the Center for Place-Based Education at Antioch University New Eng-land. A founder of the Harrisville Children’s Center, he is also currently

co-director of CO-SEED (Commu-nity-based School Environmental Education), a project that creates partnerships among communi-ties, school districts, and environ-mental organizations in an effort to improve schools and support community development.

Sunday, October 6, 20139:00–10:30 a.m.Reflection: School as Oasis—Finding the Optimal ConditionsThis session provides an opportunity to reflect on the applications of the lessons at the conference.



Speakers

Connie Black is the director of outreach programs at the Montessori Training Center of Minnesota and is a Primary AMI trainer, guest lecturer, and consultant. She holds a BA in English and theatre from the University of Tennessee-Martin, and an M.Ed. from Loyola University of Maryland. Connie has fifteen years of experience in Montessori Children’s Houses, as well as eight years in public school settings work-ing with children with special needs.

John Freeman is principal of the Annie Fisher Montessori Magnet School in Hartford, Connecticut, a city with the second highest childhood poverty rate among the nation’s largest 300 cities. He holds an AMI Elementary diploma and serves as Professor of Practice at the University of Connecticut’s Prepar-ing Leaders for Urban Schools program. John’s commitment to the ideals of social reform through providing the highest quality Montessori in the public sector are further expressed in his choice to live in a high-poverty Hartford neighborhood for the last twenty years. In 2012 Fisher Montessori received AMI recognition status, the only US public school to achieve this high honor.

Maura Joyce has been head of school at Montessori in Redlands (Califor-nia) since 2000. She holds AMI diplomas in both Primary and Elementary and has nine years of classroom experience at the Elementary and Adolescent levels prior to going into administration. In addition to her Montessori training, Ms. Joyce holds an MA in education from Loyola College. She has lectured at the AMI administrator’s workshop, the Montessori Institute of San Diego, and the Oxford Roundtable at Oxford University, England. Ms. Joyce is a trained team-building facilitator and the parent of a Montessori student.

Jamie Rue is an AMI auxiliary trainer at the Elementary level. She holds both Primary and Elementary diplomas from AMI and was an Elementary guide for ten years. She has also served as vice-chair of the AMI Elemen-tary Alumni Association. Jamie currently works as Montessori coordinator at Hudson Montessori School in Hudson, Ohio.



Hotel Sheraton Columbia Hotel 10207 Wincopin Circle Columbia, MD 21044

Centrally located between Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and Washington D.C., the Sheraton Columbia Town Center Hotel has everything you need for work and for play. This hotel is situated on 12 wooded acres in Columbia, MD, overlooking the serene Lake Kittamaquandi.

Reservations: 1-888-627-8318 or 410-730-3900 or https://www.starwoodmeeting.com/StarGroupsWeb/

res?id=1307307316&key=4390F

Register at the Sheraton Columbia Hotel by September 13 to receive the NAMTA room rate of:

single/double - $129

Mention NAMTA to receive the discounted conference rate of $129.

TransportationThe closest airport to the Sheraton Columbia Hotel is

Baltimore/Washington International (BWI).

Transportation options from the airport to the hotel include airport shuttle or taxi. For airport shuttle reservations, please call 1-800-776-0323 or visit www.theairportshuttle.com. The average cost is $30 each way.

Taxi service from BWI ranges between $50-$65.

Driving directions can be found on the hotel website: http://www.sheratoncolumbia.com



Register by September 13 for early registration rates!

NAMTA member tuition fee: ❑ $300 ( ❑ $315 after September 13) Non-member tuition fee: ❑ $360 ( ❑ $375 after September 13)

Tuition fees include Friday and Saturday luncheons. Choose one: ❑ Non-Vegetarian ❑ Vegetarian

Friday workshops (Choose one): ❑ A. Extending Montessori to Home ❑ B. Community in Elementary❑ C. Parent Education Name: _________________________________________________________Phone : _________________________ Email: _________________________Address: _______________________________________________________ City: _____________________State/Province: _______ Postal Code: _______Country: ___________ Name of Your School: _________________________

Payment options:❑ Check or money order enclosed Must be payable in U.S. currency and drawn on a U.S. bank.

❑ Visa; ❑ MasterCard; ❑ Am Ex; ❑ Discover Please indicate credit card type and fill out the information below.

Card Number: ___________________________________________________ Name on Card: __________________________________________________ Expiration Date: _____________ 3- or 4-digit Authorization Code: ________ (month/year) (found on front of AmEx, back of other cards)

Address: _______________________________________________________ Street Address where credit card bills are sent.

City: ___________________________________ State/Province: __________Postal Code: ____________________________ Country: ________________

Not a NAMTA member? It’s more economical to purchase a registration and a member-ship than it is to pay the non-member rate. Become a NAMTA member today by send-ing in the membership form along with your registration and enjoy all the benefits of NAMTA membership!

Join NAMTA and register for the conference online at www.montessori-namta.org!

Saturday workshops (Choose one): ❑ D. Music, Storytelling, and Community ❑ E. Nurturing Spiritual Embryo❑ F. Community Schools

Membership Prices: • U.S. Resident ❑ $50 • Outside U.S. ❑ $60 • Lifetime ❑ $600 • NAMTA Directory ❑ $18

(Not included with membership) • NAMTA Online Bibliography* ❑ $10

(Not included w/membership; requires email address)

Total Enclosed $______Return by January 17, 2014, to have

your name listed in the member section of The NAMTA Directory.

❑ Check here if you do not want your name listed.

Saturday workshops (Choose one): ❑ D. Music, Storytelling, and Community ❑ E. Nurturing Spiritual Embryo❑ F. Community Schools

2012-2013 Individual NAMTA Membership

Use this form to join NAMTA or renew your membership. Please Indicate: ❑ New Member ❑ Renewing Member ❑ New Address

Last Name: _______________________ First Name: ____________________Membership is for individuals only. No schools, please.

This information is used for our mailings. Please furnish your home mailing address.Address: _______________________________________________________City: ___________________________________________________________State/Province: ____________Postal Code: _________ Country: __________Name of Your School: _____________________________________________Phone : _________________________ Email: _________________________You must provide your complete and correct email address to receive The NAMTA Bulletin and other member communications.If you are Montessori trained, please give your training information:Location: _______________________Affiliation: ______________________Date of Diploma: _________________Level of Course: _________________Current Montessori Status:

❑ Administrator ❑ Guide (Teacher) ❑ Trainee ❑ Assistant❑ Montessori Parent❑ Program Coordinator

Payment options:❑ Check or money order enclosed Must be payable in U.S. currency and drawn on a U.S. bank.❑ Visa; ❑ MasterCard; ❑ Am Ex; ❑ Discover Please indicate credit card type and fill out the information below.

Card Number: ___________________________________________________Name on Card: __________________________________________________Expiration Date: _____________ 3- or 4-digit Authorization Code: ________ (month/year) (found on front of AmEx, back of other cards)

Address: _______________________________________________________ Street Address where credit card bills are sent.

City: ___________________________________ State/Province: __________Postal Code: ____________________________ Country: ________________

Join NAMTA online at www.montessori-namta.org

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The Montessori Oasis · A. Extending the Montessori Oasis to the Home (Primary) Cheryl Ferreira The...

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