"I did not know what I was in for when I walked into the OCC lunchroom. Two separate lunch groups; two waves of energetic Montessori kids to supervise and help.
About halfway though the lunch hour I began to see and understand my daughter's life in a new light (even though she was not participating in lunch that day). I walked away not only with a new view of what other parents send with their kids for lunch, but I now feel like I saw childhood in its wide splendor.
Watching and helping both groups of kids made me realize that I was up to this point, only seeing a small portion of my daughter's (and a child's) life. The whirlwind of the lunch hour and my experience with all of the wonderful OCC girls and boys opened up my field of view in childhood behavior, and helped explain some of the mysteries of what's left (or added) to Marah's lunchbox at the end of the day.
I also was surprised at the reaction to having a "dad" as lunch helper. I was received very favorably and the young boys were very curious about my presence--and I was "webbed" several times by several young men aspiring to be Spider Man. Overall, this was a great experience and I will try and do this again very soon. Thanks for the great opportunity, OCC!"
Submitted by Paul Johnston, 2nd year OCC parent
Hi OCC families,
This is one parent's view of what it is like helping out with lunch. Please feel free to comment on your experiences as a lunch helper. Why not consider trying it out in November if you haven't been a lunch helper yet? I'm lucky to be able to enjoy the lunchtime with your children every day. I love watching them grow and develop over time as well as watch them hone and refine eating, cleaning and social skills. It is truly an amazing experience.
Thanks, Tricia
Thursday, October 18, 2007
You Can't Do It All, so Make Good Choices
October is a busy time at Our Children's Center with many exciting and fun events. Please don't be overwhelmed! Just remember to pick and choose the events that appeal to you and enhance your family's together time.
I am excited by the tremendous amount of energy shown by a great number of our families. We have more than 65 families involved with our school, we plan to offer many social events, service projects and fund raising opportunities so that all will have a chance to become involved. You can't do them all, so make good choices.
Please read the information that arrives in your OCC mailbox. Many enthusiastic parents are coming up with unique ways to raise funds for the school as well as fun ideas to create community. Pizza night, holiday pictures in Oct., and a parenting workshop are just a few of the upcoming October events.
All of these events will be fun,
all will raise funds for the school,
and all will fulfill a part of our school's mission.
Your job as a parent is be intentional about how your family's free time is spent. Don't allow guilt or "shoulds" to dictate how you become involved. Remember this is supposed to be fun. Join us in the ways that you chose. Do it on your terms and you'll enjoy your time here at OCC.
I am excited by the tremendous amount of energy shown by a great number of our families. We have more than 65 families involved with our school, we plan to offer many social events, service projects and fund raising opportunities so that all will have a chance to become involved. You can't do them all, so make good choices.
Please read the information that arrives in your OCC mailbox. Many enthusiastic parents are coming up with unique ways to raise funds for the school as well as fun ideas to create community. Pizza night, holiday pictures in Oct., and a parenting workshop are just a few of the upcoming October events.
All of these events will be fun,
all will raise funds for the school,
and all will fulfill a part of our school's mission.
Your job as a parent is be intentional about how your family's free time is spent. Don't allow guilt or "shoulds" to dictate how you become involved. Remember this is supposed to be fun. Join us in the ways that you chose. Do it on your terms and you'll enjoy your time here at OCC.
Sunday, October 7, 2007
The Big 3
Last Wednesday (October 3, 2007) the Charter School group met again. It wasn’t a calm meeting – we had 12 different ideas from 6 different people. But then three issues started to emerge, three parts of one big picture that left us all feeling quite excited. We ended the meeting with a much clearer picture of where Our Children's Center may want to head, and the school needs people – perhaps you – who will help with one of three specific actions items.
1, The first task, very much on the mind of Tricia Cossick, OCC's director, is to increase our fundraising for OCC Kindergarten scholarships. The scholarships are crucial NOW, so that many of our students can fulfill the full 3 year cycle prescribed by Montessori philosophy of education. (We would love to offer as many partial and full scholarships to as many families as we can.) Montessori described how having several grades together enables the older students to grow in leadership and solidify their knowledge, even as the younger students gain the benefits of the K students’ experience and knowledge. It is mutually beneficial.
We won’t know the precise amount needed until next Fall 2008, but it will be in the neighborhood of $25-40,000. Part of this money must be raised by January 2008, when parents start to make decisions about their children’s education for the following year.
ACTION ITEM: If you have expertise or experience in raising funds (in addition to those fundraising events we already have), or have fundraising ideas, will you join us to raise those scholarship funds for next year’s K students? If you are interested in this, please contact Stephanie Velegol at svelegol@comcast.net. Many hands will likely be needed.
2. There is a program in Pennsylvania called “Pre-K Counts”. The purpose of this state program is to provide funds for preschool families so that their child can attend Pre-K Counts school. The program is meant for those who make less than $64,000 per year, or for students who have English as a second language, or who have special needs. The funds are designated for schools who can work with these pre-K students, and that includes OCC. But we must apply in order to be a Pre-K Counts program. Not only will being a Pre-K Counts program ease the financial burden for current families, but it could draw new students into our program, increasing our diversity and strength. And as far as we can tell, while there would be some extra paperwork and regulations, we would not have to sacrifice Montessori principles or our OCC community one bit. This proposal is due in May.
We are also interested in making OCC a Charter school, starting just for Kindergarten and possibly extending into elementary school. The charter application is due in November and we will not write a charter for this year but possibly next year.
ACTION ITEM: Will you join the writing group for the Pre-K Counts proposal (and eventually the charter)? We think it is best to finish the PreK Counts application around December 31, 2007 (less than 3 months). Heidi Watson has agreed to coordinate this writing process and the first official meeting on this will be this Wednesday evening at 6:30 at Heidi’s home. If you have a talent for writing proposals or understanding regulations, please contact Tricia Cossick at occmontessori@gmail.com.
3 Over the past 30 years – and especially over the past 2 years – OCC has grown and moved locations and has experienced positive and powerful changes. The easy thing would be to rest for a while. But there is one more item that we are strongly considering for our children: an elementary program for grades 1 to 3 (6 to 9 years old) that could constitute a charter Montessori school. We are still not certain that we can charter without sacrificing our Montessori principles or OCC community, but we think that there is a strong possibility that we can do it. This third item is still in its infancy and we feel it is important to deal with the first 2 items now, but we know there are many OCC parents who are interested in moving with us on this idea.
ACTION ITEM: Would you like to meet to discuss the possibility of extending OCC to include higher grades? This would involve brainstorming, research into other Montessori schools and discussion of feasibility, among other things. If you are interested in this, contact Darrell Velegol at Velegol@psu.edu.
1, The first task, very much on the mind of Tricia Cossick, OCC's director, is to increase our fundraising for OCC Kindergarten scholarships. The scholarships are crucial NOW, so that many of our students can fulfill the full 3 year cycle prescribed by Montessori philosophy of education. (We would love to offer as many partial and full scholarships to as many families as we can.) Montessori described how having several grades together enables the older students to grow in leadership and solidify their knowledge, even as the younger students gain the benefits of the K students’ experience and knowledge. It is mutually beneficial.
We won’t know the precise amount needed until next Fall 2008, but it will be in the neighborhood of $25-40,000. Part of this money must be raised by January 2008, when parents start to make decisions about their children’s education for the following year.
ACTION ITEM: If you have expertise or experience in raising funds (in addition to those fundraising events we already have), or have fundraising ideas, will you join us to raise those scholarship funds for next year’s K students? If you are interested in this, please contact Stephanie Velegol at svelegol@comcast.net. Many hands will likely be needed.
2. There is a program in Pennsylvania called “Pre-K Counts”. The purpose of this state program is to provide funds for preschool families so that their child can attend Pre-K Counts school. The program is meant for those who make less than $64,000 per year, or for students who have English as a second language, or who have special needs. The funds are designated for schools who can work with these pre-K students, and that includes OCC. But we must apply in order to be a Pre-K Counts program. Not only will being a Pre-K Counts program ease the financial burden for current families, but it could draw new students into our program, increasing our diversity and strength. And as far as we can tell, while there would be some extra paperwork and regulations, we would not have to sacrifice Montessori principles or our OCC community one bit. This proposal is due in May.
We are also interested in making OCC a Charter school, starting just for Kindergarten and possibly extending into elementary school. The charter application is due in November and we will not write a charter for this year but possibly next year.
ACTION ITEM: Will you join the writing group for the Pre-K Counts proposal (and eventually the charter)? We think it is best to finish the PreK Counts application around December 31, 2007 (less than 3 months). Heidi Watson has agreed to coordinate this writing process and the first official meeting on this will be this Wednesday evening at 6:30 at Heidi’s home. If you have a talent for writing proposals or understanding regulations, please contact Tricia Cossick at occmontessori@gmail.com.
3 Over the past 30 years – and especially over the past 2 years – OCC has grown and moved locations and has experienced positive and powerful changes. The easy thing would be to rest for a while. But there is one more item that we are strongly considering for our children: an elementary program for grades 1 to 3 (6 to 9 years old) that could constitute a charter Montessori school. We are still not certain that we can charter without sacrificing our Montessori principles or OCC community, but we think that there is a strong possibility that we can do it. This third item is still in its infancy and we feel it is important to deal with the first 2 items now, but we know there are many OCC parents who are interested in moving with us on this idea.
ACTION ITEM: Would you like to meet to discuss the possibility of extending OCC to include higher grades? This would involve brainstorming, research into other Montessori schools and discussion of feasibility, among other things. If you are interested in this, contact Darrell Velegol at Velegol@psu.edu.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)