Montessori for Preschool Children Grows and Grows

April 23 Open House from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

April 30 Auction at 6 p.m. at Random Howse

— by Margie Doyle —

The Montessori School announces an Open House and a “Spring Garden Party” Auction to celebrate its continuing work on Orcas Island to “respond to the needs and gifts of young children and to expand with their natural stages of development,” as Director Teresa Chocano says.

Approaching their third decade of the preschool, Montessori started in 1988 under the direction of Moriah Armstrong, who recently returned to the Board as Director from 2012-15. The first classroom was at the home of Jennifer Johnson Fralick. Now the staff –Tom Rubottom, now in his 15th year at the school, and assistant teacher Emily McGerty — join Chocano to serve about two dozen children, from two-and-a-half- to five-year-olds, daily.

The Open House from 10-1 on April 23, will give families and community members the opportunity to meet the staff and see the school at  1147 North Beach Road. Teresa Chocano says, “We have created a carefully planned learning environment in which all aspects of a child’s school life are integrated into one cohesive whole:

• Folding one’s coat and removing one’s shoes upon entrance;
• Choosing which school work to pursue throughout the day;
• Tending the classroom’s plants;
• Setting the lunch tables with linens, place cards and flowers
• Spending time outside in the backyard apple orchard and playground.

“By exposing the children to all this ‘work,’ they learn to engage with purpose and satisfaction and begin to be self-directive, to discover their interests and be a vital part of their community.”

Orcas Montessori has always had the commitment to serve every child but scholarship needs have increased, especially since the Great Recession starting in 2008. The assistance from the Early Childhood Education Initiative is “significant, especially in enabling us to offer more scholarships to increase access and in funding teacher planning time and professional development,” says Chocano.

“ECEI has been an incredibly supportive, collaborative venture,” among the four preschools involved:

• Children’s House
• Kaleidoscope Childcare Center and Preschool
• Orcas Montessori School
• Salmonberry School

“The four schools view each other as colleagues serving different needs in the community.”

“While the state has said for years that it supports ‘universal preschool,’ the funding hasn’t been available.” Parent and Development Committee volunteer Leslie Rae Schmitz says, “Preschool is such a formative time in children’s lives, and studies of income disparity show that low-income families whose children experience high quality early childhood learning environments show significant academic, economic and emotional benefits in later life.”

Chocano says, “We serve an economically diverse population; almost half of our students are helped by the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP).” Recent income surveys conducted by Orcas Montessori show that 65 to 80 per cent of its families are at the low- to moderate-income level for the county. Further there is a recent 10 per cent increase in those numbers, so Schmitz says, “Even in the current ‘good time’ basic needs are hard for Orcas  families.”

“Now we’re seeking to further meet needs of families, as far as enabling parents to have more flexibility with their work schedule,” says Chocano. An important part of that endeavor is expansion of their current facility — “nothing fancy, just basic needs” — for expanded classroom  and office space; a relocation of the kitchen (which serves daily organic breakfast, lunch and snacks to the children), and a second bathroom.

The expansion project is spearheaded by a team composed of Ken Katz, Liz LeRoy, and Savvy Sanders (who helped with the original school acquisition and remodeling), as well as Chocano and Schmitz.  The team has been working on the design, schedule and budget for remodeling — chipping away at the details, says Chocano.

“We’re so fortunate to have people on our team who support the importance of our work and give generously of their time; including our board. I’m blown away how how high their commitment is.” Some of the board members are very new, with the recent recruitment of five new members to the non-profit board:

• Samantha Sprenger
• Sara Smith
• Sarah Shaefer
• Kyle Carver
• Julie Remington
• Marti Monroe
• Jeanne Morris
• Arthur deHaan
• Asya Eberle

The annual auction event on April 30 is a major element of the fundraising needed for operations and scholarships of the school. The event will be from 6 to 9 p.m. on April 30 at Random Howse. Montessori student alumni will be part of the evening’s musical entertainment. A buffet is provided by  Avery and Drew of Hogstone’s Wood Oven, with food from local farms. Michele Wiley will host the event. Tickets are $45 and include a drink and the buffet.

Leslie Rae Schmitz adds, “The Orcas Montessori School serves a large portion of Orcas Island’s population. What Teresa and the OMS staff have done is amazing and life-changing; it’s a model for Early Learning in other rural communities.”

All are welcome to the April 23 Open House and April 30 “Spring Garden Party.” Call 376-5350 for more information and to inquire about ECEAP, Working Connections and Tuition Assistance opportunities for school families. orcasmontessori.org