AMI 3-6 course to start in February 2008 – AMI trainer appointed!

AMI 3-6 course to start in February 2008 – AMI trainer appointed!

Dear Maria Montessori Education Foundation supporters,

The Maria Montessori Education Foundation is delighted to announce the appointment of Cheryl Ferreira as Director of Training for New Zealand's inaugural Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) Montessori 3-6 Teacher Education course.

Details of of the course can be found at the MMEF website.

Cheryl will be the officially-appointed AMI trainer for the first 3-6 AMI course ever held in New Zealand.

The course will now run from February 2008 until November 2008. The new schedule will better accommodate schools and students, as it coincides with the academic year in New Zealand.

We anticipate that Cheryl will come to New Zealand later during the year as preparation for the course. Her visit will include public meetings, workshops and the opportunity to visit some schools.

This will be a welcome return for Cheryl, whose humility and humour graced New Zealand as keynote speaker at the MANZ Conference in 2002. Having visited New Zealand already, Cheryl also recognises the spirit of Montessori in New Zealand and the challenges we face.

The trustees of MMEF have been working very hard during 2006 to establish and develop the Foundation. In addition to the appointment of our trainer, there have been other milestones reached, including the engagement of a consultant to work on forming MMEF as a Private Training Establishment (PTE), and subsequent progress towards NZQA registration.

During the coming year we look forward to keeping the Montessori community abreast with the latest developments via regular newsletters. These will go to all schools, and to everyone who has expressed interest in the course, or in supporting MMEF.

Applications now being accepted. Visit www.mmef.org.nz for up to date news about the course or email mmef@ihug.co.nz. To subscribe to MMEF News – a complimentary MMEF newsletter- please email us at mmef@ihug.co.nz.

Here's some more about Cheryl, from the AMI website:

Cheryl Ferreira was born in Mumbai, India. She has worked with children from the age of 17, becoming interested in the Montessori approach while assisting in a Montessori school. Cheryl graduated with a BA Hons. and then received an MA in history from the University of Bombay. She did her Montessori training at the Indian AMI Montessori training in Hyderabad, India. She then worked in Montessori schools and on AMI courses in different parts of India. In 1998, she came to the Maria Montessori Training Organisation in London (MMTO) as part of AMI's Training of Trainers programme, and in 2000 she became an authorised AMI Trainer. Cheryl is currently a senior member of staff at MMTO.

Best wishes,
Carol, Tia, Anna, Shirley, Lynne
TRUSTEES, MMEF