MMEF NEWS: “Send in those enrolments soon!”
Dear Supporters of the Maria Montessori Education Foundation, from MMEF HQ this month…..
Montessori Orientation: “Follow the Child!”
On a delightful long weekend in Matakana recently, 20 receptive participants at our Montessori Orientation Weekend – “Follow the Child” revelled in 3 days focusing on the wonder and limitless potential of young children!
One participant said how “wonderfully indulgent” the workshop had been—
“to discover Montessori’s philosophy through passionate speaker Cheryl Ferreira, and to be able to devote three days to purely focus on the child, a distant cry from the completion of endless paperwork and countless meetings!”
I hasten to add that this attendee was just introduced to Montessori over the weekend and therefore not yet attached to a Montessori school, though she’s certainly considering her future options now…
Here’s the glorious mix of teachers, assistants, school owners, parents and grandparents who travelled from as far afield as Christchurch, Wellington, Hamilton and Auckland to join us at Totara Hill Montessori School, Matakana.
Keep your eyes peeled here for the announcement of our next MMEF event.
Sponsorship for 3-6 AMI Training Course
MMEF has received several inquiries from potential A.M.I. students seeking sponsorship for the next 3-6 course--some are from teachers currently working in ECE settings and with teacher registration who are seeking a different approach to the education of the young.
This is an ideal opportunity for schools to acquire that rare resource: a fully-registered and N.Z-qualified A.M.I. staff member!
Please contact us at mmef@ihug.co.nz if your school is looking to sponsor an A.M.I. student. (Just let us know if you have any particular criteria important to you, e.g. you would prefer a B.Ed (ECE) and Teacher Registration or in process of the latter etc. ). The two factors MMEF always emphasise are, first, that it will be a requirement to live within travelling proximity to the sponsoring school, i.e. moving to the school’s location to commence employment and, second, that terms of sponsorship are negotiated between the school and the employee.
Applications to be received by October 1st!
We know from the many inquiries we’ve been receiving that there are a number of course applications ‘in process’ – can we ask you to complete your application enclosures and send them to us ASAP!
Due to the timing of this next course, (i.e. starting in January, 2012,when much of New Zealand is *closed* for the holiday season) our final planning will be underway very soon—so please help us by sending in your applications as soon as possible. Thank you.
Theory-Only Module January 2012
In response to our last newsletter, many of you inquired about the possibility of studying for the theory and psycho-pedagogy components of the course in January.
To give you a little background information, MMEF offered school owners and administrators the opportunity to enrol for the theory-only module of the last course, thus offering the opportunity to those in administrative roles (including school owners) to gain an understanding of the theoretical underpinning of Montessori’s approach to child development. By all accounts these have been extremely popular in other parts of the world!
We will be offering this again next year, with the theory component commencing Tuesday January 3rd and the anticipated duration being 3-4 weeks of full time study. (Exact dates, times and cost will be finalised and sent to you all shortly.) In the meantime, please email mmef@ihug.co.nz with any further enquiries or expressions of interest.
Date for your Diary
Here’s an upcoming event to add to your diary:
- MMEF Information Evening – Monday August 22nd, Ponsonby Montessori
Kindergarten, 244 Richmond Road, Ponsonby – 7.00 - 8.30p.m
Come along, bring a friend and find out all about the next AMI 3-6 Course!
That’s all for now. Stay warm, reflect on this thoughtful Zen Proverb ….
“If we are facing in the right direction, all we have to do is keep on walking”
Cheers,
Anna, Carol, Tia, Shirley & Lynne
MMEF Trustees
