When you choose a school for your child, you choose a community for your family. We are proud of Keystone Montessori’s close-knit community and view our parent body as one of our greatest assets. Montessori education works best when we can build connections between school, home, and the greater community. This makes Montessori truly a way of life.

Families often ask how they can support their child’s classroom experiences at home and how they can be active members of the Keystone community. We know how busy you are, and your efforts to support the hard work of the children and their teachers never goes unnoticed.  We appreciate your faith in us and in the Montessori method. One of the best things you can do to deepen your relationships within our community and further your understanding of the Montessori method is to join us at our community meetings and parent education events.

This month we are hosting two events you do not want to miss! We are fortunate to have Phyllis Pottish-Lewis presenting a talk entitled, “The Wisdom of Montessori at Each Stage of Your Child’s Development” at our community meeting on Tuesday, January 21st. Ms. Pottish-Lewis is an AMI Consultant who will be visiting Keystone and has generously offered to speak with our families at the opening of our community meeting.  She is an AMI credentialed educator with nearly 40 years teaching experience in 3-6, 6-12, 6-9 and 9-12 classrooms. As the former elementary director of training at the Montessori Institute of San Diego and the Montessori Training Center of Minnesota, Phyllis continues to be a faculty member at The Montessori Institute of Milwaukee and is an active lecturer on national and international AMI training courses.

Friday, January 31st and Saturday, February 1st is the Annual Keystone Montessori Journey. Join us to experience one classroom at every level through “the eyes of the child”. This event will allow you to see firsthand how your child learns every day. Each parent will observe and participate in a classroom from every environment, Toddler through Adolescent. This outstanding opportunity is beneficial in comprehending and foreseeing your child’s future in the Montessori way of learning. All attendees must be present at both the Friday and Saturday sessions. It is imperative to experience both days to embrace the true experience of the Montessori Journey.  

Dr. Maria Montessori believed deeply in the partnership between the classroom Guide and parents. She encouraged Guides to develop a close relationship with families.  Parent education events and community meetings are a time to foster that relationship, get to know other parents, and visit your child’s classroom, but the most important reason to attend these events is that it will have a positive impact on your child by deepening your understanding of the Montessori philosophy. Thank you for being part of the Keystone family, and I look forward to seeing you at our events this month. We are all joined together in our task of education. There is no magic line between school and the family; this too shall be their home.