Peace and Harmony at Monarch’s International Peace Festival

Maria Montessori was nominated three times for the Nobel Peace Prize for her work on educating children on peace so that one day our world may live in harmony. Monarch Montessori of Denver is continuing the idea of peace and harmony by hosting its third International Peace Festival on November 20^th from 6 to 7:30pm, just before Thanksgiving.  The community event is one of Monarch’s biggest and best.  Much like the pilgrims and the Native Americans came together to feast after the fall harvest and share cultures, Monarch will bring all the world cultures together to celebrate diversity and feast on delectable from around the world.  In addition to amazing food, there will be photos, artifacts, authentic clothing, entertainment and tons of excitement. 

The set up of this event is in a circle, just like the world and each table has a color that represents one of the seven continents on a Montessori globe.  All of the tables are filled to the brim with food and information about different countries.  Many families represent their own heritage with so much pride and openness.  While other families are seeking out a new favorite ethnic treat. Many people asked the preschool teacher from India, Prathima Srinidhi where to find the best Indian food in Denver and her response “My house!”  This event is just like going to Prathima’s house for Indian food and then to Monarch’s chef, Ana Simental house for Mexican food and so on and on! It is having the very best food from around the world made in the kitchens of people who learned authentic recipes from being pasted down from generation to generation. 

Families who join us will see that not only is their tummy full, but the entertainment is amazing! Elementary students will be lead by Monarch’s music teacher Tenealle Dunbar singing songs about peace. Tenealle, who is a classically trained opera singer, will also be performing a solo. This year’s event is sure to engage the senses with food, artifacts, beautiful clothing and merriment as we have almost doubled our school.  The festival will be held in the gym in the High Teach Early College side of the building to accommodate all our families.

Individualized Instruction Versus Factory Style Learning

When you think back to your years in school, you may think of the teachers in the front of the class going on and on and on about a lesson.  After that you were handed a work sheet or asked to open your text book and answer questions to turn in to the teacher to be graded.  Then you were given homework to review the lesson.  And finally, you had a quiz to validate your retention of the lesson and if you did poorly, “Oh Well” move on to the next lesson anyway.  If you can relate, then you were not in a Montessori school.  The Montessori Method, developed over a hundred years ago by Maria Montessori, is a hands-on individualized style of learning.  That means every student works with enticing manipulatives at their own pace! 

Think about how different every 7 year old is and the strengths and weaknesses each one possesses. In a Montessori classroom every child is working at their own pace and that 7 year old also has classmates that are 6 and 8 years old.  Lines of age-appropriate expectations are blurred and pressure to perform is reduced in this multi-aged setting. A classroom community is formed where strengths are encouraged and weaknesses are supported by not only the teacher but classmates too!

Most people are so accustomed to the factory style of learning that it is hard to imagine how Individualized Instruction works.  Students are given one on one lessons from the teacher while other students are working on their own educational path with lessons and manipulatives that children explore after a lesson has been given.  Rather than being talked to, children are shown how to explore the work so that they reach their own “AH HA” moment.  Rather than stickers and rewards or grades for motivation, Montessori students are internally motivated to complete work and learn more. 

Montessori teachers are trained to manage a full classroom of students, monitor their progress and allow them plenty opportunities for growth.  Montessori teachers learn to teach multiple grades to accommodate all the way from low to high learners without the labels of learning disability or gifted.  Emily Farley, Kindergarten teacher at Monarch Montessori of Denver Charter said, “Classrooms are not driven by norms, but by the pace of each child and this allows students as much time needed to understand a lesson.”  When asked about the differences for Montessori verses traditional Emily stated, “It requires more organization, longer planning time, since I am planning for each child and I observe to record progress for each child rather than grading completed work.”

Individualize Instruction is a sure-fire way to keep a child from falling through the educational cracks.   Learning plans are developed for every single child to succeed whether they have learning disabilities, highly gifted or anywhere in between.  At Monarch Montessori of Denver we pride ourselves in providing a security net for all children.

Doors and Minds Open at Monarch Montessori of Denver Charter!

Monarch Montessori of Denver Charter officially opened their doors with a K-2 charter for families interested in an alternative to traditional learning in the Far Northeast Region of Denver.  August 14^th marked an exciting day for the Monarch team and Founding families who had worked for over a year, to open this August. 

Monarch Montessori of Denver (MMDC) was approved by Denver Public Schools (DPS) in March of 2012 with only 5 months to enroll, hire and organize an authentic Montessori program for kindergarten through 2^nd grade.  The school will grow a grade each year, up to 5^th grade, but if you ask Principal, Nancy Radkiewicz about Monarch’s future, she is hoping to see the program ‘grow though middle school’.

Monarch Montessori of Denver Charter is the very first Montessori Charter in DPS. Great excitement exists around offering a program that usually comes with a price tag that rivals college tuition, but Monarch is free!  The student population at Monarch is a beautiful mix of diversity coming from all over the Denver area, Commerce City and Aurora too.

The Montessori Teaching method is self- paced, hands-on learning style that is taught by teachers specially trained. The community environment began from day one with students working independently and together as they learned their first Montessori lessons. 

The highly educated and talented team of teachers that Ms. Radkiewicz has put together comes with 115 years of combined experience teaching Montessori.  Two of the classrooms have interns from Montessori Educational Center of the Rockies (MECR). They have completed their methods course work and now must complete one year as an intern to become certified.

Monarch knows they have a true gem and day one proved that fact.  They know that in years to come, Monarch will be THE sought after school that the Far North East Region needed.

One Growing School Has Two New Names!

One growing school, has two new names! Having just completed our second school year, Monarch Montessori is a private school for infants, toddlers and preschool age students. Since being approved in mid-March by Denver Public Schools Board of Directors, to open a public elementary school of choice they have chosen to delineate the two schools located at the same location on

East 45^th Avenue

, by changing their names.

The highly successful private school that serves children from six weeks to five years of age will now be doing business as First Steps at Monarch Montessori of Denver. The Montessori Method is based on extensive research, by Dr. Maria Montessori that correlates a child’s movement and cognition. First Steps seemed like a natural name, when suggested by Infant and Toddler Director, Noel Giametta. “Everyday I see young children learning to walk, then learn to maneuver around their classrooms. It is exciting to be part of that developmental stage!” 

“We searched the internet to make sure we would be the only Montessori school in Colorado using that name”, Noel reports.

 The public elementary school of choice will be Monarch Montessori of Denver Charter (MMDC).   Monarch Montessori of Denver Charter (MMDC) will be opening its doors August 14, 2012 with Kindergarten, First and Second grades.  Each year after that they will add a new grade until they have K-5^th grades! The elementary school will be free with the exception of Kindergarten, which will follow DPS full-day tuition rates.  Monarch is located in the Far North East region of Denver easily accessible by the interstate from I-70 and Peoria. 

Both schools will follow the authentic Montessori that Montessori veterans Sergy Brin and Larry Page (co-founders of Google) experienced as children.  The Montessori Method is a hands-on approach to learning.  The sky is the limit with a Montessori education and Monarch Montessori of Denver Charter is excited to offer this opportunity to all children in Denver!

Parents hoping to have their children develop a “the love of learning” that will stay with them through adulthood, are encouraged to check-out our website, stop by Monarch for a tour, and let us show you the difference.  http://www.monarchm.com/,

11200 E 45^th Ave. Denver CO 80239

.

You've Come A Long Way Baby!

Monarch Montessori of Denver opened its doors in April 2010 with 90 students and has grown to 200 students almost two years later.  Many of those students had a Montessori head start in other programs and now are successful, independent, self-guided pre-school students at Monarch.

Parents think very hard about what is the best methodology so that their child gets the very best beginning in education.  They invision a school as a commitment for years to come, especially with Montessori.  Monarch Montessori of Denver is very fortunate to offer an authentic Montessori program that starts at 6 weeks through Kindergarten with plans to expand to an elementary school of choice with Denver Public Schools.  That means that a child from 6 weeks old can be at Monarch Montessori for 10 years!

Lisa Avery Krug had this to say about her daughter, “Choosing a Montessori education was the perfect platform for Campbell's launch into academia. It was amazing to see Campbell transform from this dependent little infant into a self assured, self reliant and self confident preschooler.”

The Montessori Method has been implemented all over the world for over 100 years and it works for all types of learners. Montessori was originally developed in Italy by Dr. Maria Montessori for three to six year olds and then adapted for younger children and older children.  From the infant stage, children are allowed to explore their environment and have no restraints such as cribs or playpens.  The materials in the room are natural and enticing to encourage the child to explore and learn gross motor skills.  This ideology continues and sets a foundation for the continuing years into toddlers, pre-school and beyond.

When Lisa was asked about the growth she has seen she responded. “Over the years, we have observed Campbell grow into a collaborator, who is respectful of her community, and someone who takes pride in her own individual accomplishments. My husband and I will often stand back silently and observe Campbell growing into a budding leader who has been groomed to look beyond her own personal limitations. This is because of Montessori's multi-age grouping where she once was the mentee, and now she is the mentor. Who would have thought that these kids would be developing leadership skills so young?! With that role, there is a certain level of maturity that I certainly didn't expect from a child so young. This is directly attributable to the kind of environment that she is in. A traditional (school) environment can appear very linear (i.e. You go to school and the teacher has an agenda and the children follow that agenda. The End.) On the other hand, a Montessori environment encourages the children to create their own agenda for the day, thereby taking responsibility for their own actions. For our daughters, it allowed them to figure things out, encouraging curiosity but without imposing a ceiling. Ultimately, this builds such a great sense of self, which is so important in the early years.”

Montessori follows the child’s level of learning, so there is no comparing of children of the same age.  This alleviates any stigma associated with learning.  Learning becomes a self exploratory experience guided by the teacher.  Pre-school teacher and Director of Primary, Tori Virlee said, “Every child benefits from the Montessori environment and philosophy even when starting after the age of three.  However, it is amazing to watch a child with the Montessori foundation from infants and toddlers come into the pre-school environment.  Imagine what a three year old with a strong foundation of order, concentration, coordination and independence can accomplish in the following years.  These children learn without limits.” 

If you are interested in learning more about the Montessori Method, there are many books and websites that can give you the basics, but to really see the proof in the pudding, you have to see with your own eyes. You will be amazed!

Peace, Love and Montessori

How do you go from acroyaoga to teaching 3, 4, and 5 year olds?  Hayde Mitchell, originally from Mexico, studied contemporary dance in Monterrey, Mexico but due to an injury had to change directions to her second love, children.  She studied ECE just before coming to the U.S. four years ago.  Her first taste of Montessori was in Boulder where she became an assistant in a Montessori school.  She only spoke Spanish at the time, but very quickly learned English as she began to study the Montessori Method here in Denver.  Hayde became a lead teacher this last October and her passion for her kids shows in her photography of the children.  You can find her photos in recent Stapleton Front Porch ads for Monarch Montessori and on the walls of her students’ homes.

Hayde is an amazing teacher at Monarch and also is the Spanish speaking voice on interviews with KBNO radio.  She is helping spread the word about our elementary charter plans for fall of 2012 to all the Spanish speaking families.

Nancy Radkiewicz, Principal of Monarch Montessori said, ”Hayde is the epitome of a creative soul. She brings a peaceful energy to her room everyday.”

Living a very natural, peace loving lifestyle, Hayde Mitchell is a true example of the kind of person Maria Montessori would love to be around.  Along with photography, Hayde has many creative pursuits in painting, drawing, acroyoga (blending of yoga and acrobatics), yoga, and of course her first love…dancing!

Traditional Teacher Chooses Montessori

Melissa Cantu, one of Monarch Montessori of Denver’s finest teachers came to us for a tour, wanting to learn more about Montessori for her infant son and to get him enrolled.  Who knew that only a month later she would be working in a toddler classroom?  Melissa began her teaching career as an assistant while finishing up her Master’s degree in German at Georgetown University.  She then moved to Austria to teach English for two years and when she returned to the US, she got her second Master’s degree in Special Education.  Before coming to Monarch Montessori, she taught for six years in the Clark County School District in Las Vegas Nevada.  Her husband, Lupe got a job in Denver, just after the birth of their first son, Brennan, and they are surviving their first winter here.  As a parent, having a strong background in education, Melissa originally was looking for the very best opportunity for her son and in return has fallen in love with the Montessori method and has decided to get her certification in Montessori.  She has gained knowledge and appreciation of the Montessori Method from her co-teacher Colleen Toohey in toddler room 7.  Although this is her first experience with toddlers, she is learning very quickly and will be ready for baby Brennan when he is ready for potty training and other toddler triumphs.  On her lunch breaks you will find Melissa spending quality feeding time with her son in the rocking chair just outside of his classroom in the Infant (Nido) wing.