the RIVER CURRENT by Ginny Hautau

“... prepare your

child for the path by letting him face as many challenges as you can stand.”

“... you can’t understand Google unless you know that both Larry and Sergey were Montessori kids...”

the 2013 OCTOBER ISSUE

Grace, Courtesy of Montessori.

8 Public Hearing

October 17 @ 6:30 p.m.

See you there!

RIVER CURRENT A MONTHLY PUBLICATION FROM RIVER MONTESSORI CHARTER SCHOOL

Message from our Executive Director Dear River Montessori Families,

Parent

UNIVERSITY Thanks to all who attended Jonathan Wolf’s workshop in August! A parent-driven list of challenging parenting scenarios garnered a dynamic discussion of how to support children as parents. Just because we give our children a voice doesn’t mean that we abdicate our role as parents. Children need a strong and loving leader — some things are best said soon and with absolute clarity and others after a moment of observation and pause. Differentiating between the two is the challenge all parents face. For more about the dance of parenting, join us at a Community Conversation Meeting, (page 5), or jump to the Montessori Matters column (next page) this month for an article with absolute clarity for parents: Gateway Parenting — Just Say No.

Well, dear RMCS families, we have come a long way. What an honor it is to present to the Old Adobe Union School District our achievements and accomplishments over our four year history. Although we live it every day at River, here here are few of the highlights that are meaningful in our statestandards driven, traditional, public education system. In addition to our success with Montessori methodology in which students embrace, pursue, and love their individual learning, since opening its doors in 2009, RMCS has created a true Montessori environment within the public sector -- all while maintaining a median and above-average API within OAUSD. RMCS has not only met its state-required renewal criterion but in 2012-2013, 86% of the school’s 6th grade students achieved at proficient or advanced in English language arts – far outpacing the percent who did so in Sonoma County (66%) and locally within the district at 70%. In Math, 64% of 6th grade students achieved at proficient or advanced, compared with 57% in Sonoma County and 56% in Old Adobe Union.) In 2012 RMCS was accredited by the Western Association of Schools & Colleges (WASC), at its highest level, which certifies that the school is an effective, trustworthy educational institution focused on continuous improvement. Thank you to all of you who have made this school such a special place for children.

Founders, where would we be without your years of tireless efforts and commitment to opening a public Montessori school in Petaluma? Faculty, we are inspired by your selfless and talented work with the children every day. Families, your support —by way of time, resources, and donations — makes the difference in our beautiful public Montessori school. Children, your authenticity, openness, willingness, and curiosity about learning and the world remind us of the potential of the human being. Oh, what great students you are, what amazing people you are…I can hardly wait for you to transform the world with your individual gifts and sense of collaboration! So it is with great admiration for our Montessori work and gratitude to everyone in the communtiy that, together, we will formally present RMCS to Old Adobe Union School District in our official “Public Hearing” this Thursday, October 17 at approximately 6:30 p.m. Old Adobe Union School District has expressed on several occasions how impressed they are with our curriculum, learning materials, campus, and community. We have successfully coexisted as a local public school, held true to our authentic Montessori methodology, and offered sincere attempts for respectful collaboration with the district. Here is to the next steps in the quest to continue on as a public school… see you at the Public Hearing! Peace, peace, Kelly

MONTESSORI

Matters Wendy Calise, 2013

FROM montessori central, web site of PUBLic school montessorian

Gateway Parenting: Just Say No The theory goes something like this: If you use legal drugs such as tobacco or alcohol, or even what some consider “soft drugs” like marijuana, you are more likely to slip down the slope to using “hard drugs” like amphetamines, cocaine and heroin, than people who never get started using soft drugs in the first place. The starter drugs are often referred to as gateway drugs because use of them is seen as the first step through the gateway to even more dangerous behaviors. But this is not an essay about drug use. Nor is it about some of the bad choices young people make. Rather it is a veteran educator’s ruminations about 21st century parenting—or what I call, “Gateway Parenting.“ To my knowledge, the words gateway and parenting have not been paired together. But parenting a young child is rife with opportunity to make troublesome choices that seem harmless at the time, notwithstanding the nagging feeling that something is amiss. And much like that only experimental, peer-pressure-initiated, totally innocent first puff of a cigarette, oftentimes it leads to more.

This is what the slippery slope actually looks like. More often it starts with something like this: “Let me help you cut that.” “Sure you can have a bagel while we walk through the grocery store.” “How was school today? Were all of the children nice to you?” “I will tell Grandma you don’t like chicken.” “She was just misbehaving because she had so much sugar.” Or gluten. Or because the other children excluded her. Or the teacher is impatient. Or she fell off her bike earlier in the day. Listen up. Those are the sounds of your first puffs. As you read the article, if you are like most parents, you will irrationally assume the article is about you. Not because it is, but because we all participate in these activities at one time or another. And more often than not, thankfully, we see our children in some setting independent of our homes, and we realize that they are capable of much more than we are asking of them. We realize that we are spoiling them, to borrow an old fashioned word. Some of us, however, will continue on to the hard drugs. Some of us, too many I am afraid, are doomed to the life of a junkie. Stressed out and strung out and sure that if we do it one, just more time, we promise it will be the last. Perhaps you have heard horror stories in recent years about parents who show up to job interviews with their children. Or call college professors about a grade on a term paper. Or call their children’s employers about better pay or benefits. How does that happen? How does a parent get to

that point? I can assure you that we would not find among even the most hardened enablers a parent who would believe that he will be the one fifteen years from now to call a college professor. But some of you will. Because once you start doing for your children what they can do for themselves, there is a tragic feedback loop which receives from and expresses to both parties, parent and child. The less your child does for himself, the less you think he is able to do. The less you think he is able to do, the less he thinks he is able to do. The less he thinks he is able, the more convincing he becomes to you that he is not. I am feeling anxious just writing about it.

“.. the less your child does for himself, the less you think he is able to do..” It goes from having a sippy cup in the car so the children won’t get too thirsty on the seven minute ride home, to carrying their backpacks for them, to dropping off the lunch they forgot in the car, to the quick conversation with the teacher to inform her that she is not handling the social struggle in her class quite fairly, to calling him out of school because he had a lot of homework the night before and worked

really hard to get it done, to a quick call to the English professor. Just this once. And therein lies the real danger of Gateway Parenting. Like many drugs, it is addictive. We all swear we can stop, we just don’t want to. Parenting language equivalent: “I will stop when she is a little older. She’s just a kid. It will be easier later when she can better understand why.” Except it won’t be easier later. It will only get harder. As you continue to intervene, the opportunities for your child to build his skills to manage challenges are passing him by. And with the loss of those opportunities goes the loss of his skills. He doesn’t get any better at solving problems and facing challenges. He gets older, but the problems just get harder and the consequences more dire. And he seems to always be one step behind. And you feel forced to always stay one step ahead. So what to do? Just say no. No to alternative dinner choices. No to skipping soccer practice because it is raining. No to calling the teacher to let her know that your son would like her to tell Janie that she is hurting his feelings. No to extra allowance. No to driving her to her friend’s house three blocks away instead of having her walk. No to helping with homework. Say no. There is no substitute. There is no workaround. And when you do try to give up Gateway

Parenting, be prepared, your children will make it hard. Your neighbors will make it even harder. And the nanny will make it darn near impossible. Beware, I tell you, the rate of recidivism is high. The first part of the struggle will be recognize when you are doing it. Many suggest that you think of your child’s life as a path. Every day you will face choices that present two options. You can prepare the path for your child by removing the big rocks, the medium stones, and even every little pebble. Or you can prepare your child for the path by letting him face as many challenges as you can stand. This isn’t easy parenting, but it is good parenting. And though it won’t always feel very good for you, it will make your child’s life a whole lot easier. It really will.

P a re n t

UNIVERSITY October TBD Why does Montessori Work? Research says it all! November 21 Children & Media: When is the right time to get a cell-phone? December 19 Montessori & the Future of Education. A Neuropsychologist’s Approach to What Children Need January 16 Life After RMCS: An Alumni Panel

-----------------------------------

February 20

Wendy Calise graduated from Northwestern Univer-

Vulnerability Creates Success

sity with a degree in psychology in 1988. A Montessori student herself, she is Head of School at Countryside Montessori School in Northbrook, IL. Before her role as Head of School, Wendy taught classes of children ages three to twelve for nineteen years. She holds Association Montessori Internationale diplomas at

March 20 Book Review: Montessori Madness: A Parent to Parent Argument for Montessori by Trevor Eissler

the Primary and Elementary Levels. In August 2009 she founded the Montessori Teachers Institute for

April 17

Professional Studies which offers a variety of

Bring on the Learning Revolution!

continuing education opportunities for Montessori teachers as well as support for teachers and schools

May 15

in the form of mentorship and consultation.

The Happiness Advantage

THE MONTESSORI JOURNEY

Montessori

Have you ever wondered...

SAID

What does my child do during the school day? ...What is he or she learning in class? ...How does the Montessori method teach my child at each level? Then the Silent Journey is the place to get your answers. RMCS invites you to this special workshop which will allow you to see our classrooms through a child’s eyes and to experience how your child learns. In this workshop, you will be fully immersed into our Montessori classrooms. Twenty parents (a simulated class of children) will experience an evening of silent learning, followed by a half-day of class work and discussion with our Guides. Past participants have described the Journey as a very moving experience with

lots of “aha!” moments. You will come away with a deeper understanding of how Montessori works, insight as to how your child is learning, and an increased respect for the scope and benefits of Montessori education. As space is limited, reservations are on a first-come basis. RSVP by email to admin@rivermontessoricharter.org or call 778-6414 to reserve your space. You won’t want to miss this extraordinary event! Friday, November, 1 from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. AND Saturday, November, 2 from 8:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

“Imagination does not

become

great

until human beings, given

the

courage

and the strength, use it to create.”

RAISING TOMORROW’S

Thinkers Brain Research, Parenting Articles & Food for Thought

From Parenting for a New World JANUARY 2009

Neuropsychology and Montessori

“You can’t understand Google,” vice president Marissa Mayer says, “unless you know that both Larry and Sergey were Montessori kids.” She’s referring to schools based on the educational philosophy of Maria Montessori, an Italian physician born in 1870 who believed that children should be allowed the freedom to pursue their interests. “In a Montessori school, you go paint because you have something to express or you just want to do it that afternoon, not because the teacher said so,” she says. “This is baked into how Larry and Sergey approach problems. They’re always asking, why should it be like that? It’s the way their brains were programmed early on.”

Steven Levy, March 18, 2011

Montessori education is a brain-based, developmental method that allows children to make creative choices in discovering people, places, and knowledge of the world. It is hands-on learning, self-expression, and collaborative play in a beautifully crafted environment of respect, peace, and joy. It is also about brain development. A skillful Montessori teacher knows what stage a child is at in their brain development and they are meeting it, and they are feeding it. The Montessori method is like education designed by a pediatric developmental neuropsychologist. Montessori education is the original, and, I think, the best brain-based model of education. The body is rather interestingly mapped along the surface of the brain. It is not mapped on the brain in any way that matches the size of the area. It is not a one-to-one mapping. If you were to build a human based on what the brain thinks a human looks like, the most striking feature would be the unusually large hands.

“I think we are starting to realize that we need to analyze and harness the forces that control what happens in schools, and we need to work to change society for the benefit of children.” Why do young children, who are still developing the ability to understand language, spend so much time sitting and listening to

teachers at a conventional school? Wouldn’t it be nice to design an educational model around hands-on activity, physical manipulation, and engagement in the world? Maria Montessori did just that. There is a model of the way the brain is organized and how it works which I refer to as the nuggets and networks system. Areas of the brain do not function in isolation; they communicate with other areas through networks of active fibers. Brains need healthy nuggets and healthy networks in order to function. Nuggets can be defined as small, circumscribed areas of the brain that perform a specialized function. A good example of a specialized function is reading. Reading is a cognitive function that requires the coordinated use of more than one nugget. Reading does not happen in one spot in the brain; it’s the coordination of multiple spots that cover things like letter and word recognition, phonological processing, and language comprehension. Somehow, Maria Montessori knew about these nuggets. The Montessori reading curriculum is astonishingly dead-on in helping developing brains condense the nuggets that perform these certain functions. In the brain of a child with a learning disability, there is a nugget that is not formed. That nugget is necessary for a critical component of reading. If we can identify that a child has a nugget that is not firing correctly, or at all, we can help that nugget form. One of the ways you do that is through a series of very circumscribed, specific, and repetitive tasks that are about training that little undeveloped nugget.

You can actually do some significant remediation using that method. Networks are the fibers underlying the surface of your brain, or your cortex. When you are confronted with a novel task, your brain needs help. Your brain then calls on all quarters to solve the problem. A healthy and well-developed network system helps bring all hands, or all neurons, on deck. There is a lot of general processing happening everywhere in a novel problem-solving brain. In a Montessori classroom, a child will learn how to grip an object using the Bailey’s twopoint pencil grasp through doing cylinder work: the little handles attached to the cylinders require that sort of handling. When the child then moves on to writing, they know how to hold a pencil as a result of all the time they spent handling the cylinders. This is an example of how the networks in your brain function. The novel task of holding a pencil is supported by previous activities. There are some things we know of that can help brains develop healthy and strong nuggets and networks. Repetition helps build better brains. Repetition is a big part of the Montessori environment. Take, for example, the pink tower. The child’s motor system is developing so that he or she can hold the top pieces of the tower high and still enough to place them on top of each other. It feels good to develop this mastery. We can also build better brains by providing our children with settings in which they feel secure. A child can sit in a quiet, beautiful spot in the classroom and look at a book in peace. Or, they can take care of plants. They have the freedom to check to see if the plants need watering and the knowledge of how to care for another living thing. Hands-on work can also enhance learning. There is research that directly compares the effects of observational vs. hands-on learning. You will not be surprised to hear that hands-on matters. In a Montessori classroom, children learn that tasks have

a beginning part, a doing part, and a completion part. All of these practices of life activities are supporting the development of networks that will be utilized in practical daily tasks. We know we can also build better brains through multi-sensory activities or through sensory specific activities. Maria Montessori observed that children are drawn to balancing on railings or tightrope walking on lines. She noticed that children are drawn to these sorts of things, so she understood there must be a sort of developmental need for them. Maria Montessori wrote late in her career about characteristics that emerged everywhere in the world of children that came out of these Montessori environments. They had a love of order, of work, of silence, and of being alone. They had profound concentration abilities. They demonstrated appropriate obedience, not obsequiousness. They showed independence and initiative, and they had spontaneous self-discipline. They were well-attached to reality, and they were joyful. I think we are starting to realize, at national and international organizational levels, that we need to analyze and harness the forces that control what happens in schools, and we need to work to change society for the benefit of children. In fall 2006, Angeline Lillard published a study in Science, one of the most prestigious journals in the world, which examined academic, social, and intellectual outcomes of children who were educated in a Montessori environment. She used a student sample from Milwaukee, where there is fantastic public Montessori involvement. Many people want to send their children to Milwaukee’s Craig Montessori School. You have to enter a lottery to be accepted. Lillard was able to compare the children who won the lottery and went to the Montessori school with the children who applied but did not win the lottery, and ended up at other schools. This provided

Lillard with a largely urban, lower-income, diverse study sample. It also gave her random assignment participants. In her study, Lillard found that Montessori children demonstrated significantly stronger social cognition skills. They performed better in academics and were better able to put themselves into the shoes of somebody else in the understanding of what had gone on in a situation. The general summary from Lillard’s work is that in a real-world, public, inner-city Montessori school with an excellent implementation of the Montessori model, there were differences favoring the Montessori kids in executive functioning, decoding and early math, understanding of the mind, and appeals to social justice and social behavior by the end of kindergarten. Those advantages were present early on, and remained at grade 6. People do not doubt that the Montessori method works for children of privilege. They are delighted to hear it also works in inner-city public school systems, because the majority of children go to conventional public schools. There is no reason that schools in our culture have to be the way they are. It is about industrialization. It is about tradition. It is about inertia. Nobody who is a developmental psychologist, nobody who is a neuropsychologist, would design a school today that would look like a conventional school. School structure is just habit. At this point, in the history of the world, in the history of our civilization, what happens next will depend on how the earth and its inhabitants are regarded by those who stand to inherit it. I believe that if our children and grandchildren are to see the 22nd century, those who are running things now need the 21st century to value a civilization that holds peace and kindness, and justice and respect for the needs and welfare of others as core values. These values lay at the heart of Montessori education, and I believe these values will support the value of our planet and our species.

Wish List Patio Umbrellas • Patio Furniture • Picnic Tables Tree Stumps • Area Rugs Carpet Samples • Power Drill Wheelbarrows • Vacuum Refrigerator

COMMUNITY

Work Day Thanks to everyone who showed up to help with the San Lorenzo + San Joaquin work day. The school and yard look really great.

SHIP

Shape Housekeeping, Reminders, Community Work Days

Arrival, Dismissal & Traffic

GRACE & COURTESY IN THE RMCS CAR LINE Daily practice for eye-contact, a firm hand-shake, gracious and

Thank you!

meaningful conversation, and independence are found every day during arrival and dismissal — don’t miss it! Not only is this the safest way to enter school each day, children have the opportunity to develop skills necessary for their success in interacting appropriately with peers, adults, and friends they have not yet met.

CALLING ALL

Give it a try, you’ll be surprised what your child learns as well as

Neat Freaks!

what you will learn about your child!

be time-consuming and expensive.

ADA & School Revenues

Thanks to volunteers we are able to

HOW DOES MY CHILD'S ATTENDANCE AFFECT SCHOOL FUNDING?

Regular maintenance at school can

keep these costs down and put those dollars toward the classrooms and

As you may be aware, schools receive

staffing. We are looking for 2013-

funding based on student attendance, which

14 volunteers to tidy, clean, and

is tracked based on ADA, or average daily

organize spaces at school. People who

attendance. It is calculated by dividing the

have loved these jobs in past years

number of days a child is present by the

have been Type A, Control Happy,

number of instructional days offered by

Neat Freaks (Can you say that in a

a school for the year (whether or not the

Montessori school’s newsletter?). Feel free to come join us on the first Friday afternoon of the month or a day of your own choosing. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. Remember if you are volunteering on campus, your children may enjoy River Crew for free!

student was in attendance on the first day of school). There are 175 instructional (pupil) days at River. If a child is in attendance for 170 out of those days, then he/she accumulates 0.98 ADA (170/175 = 0.98). The ADA total for each student is added to make a cumulative total for the school. The State expects elementary students to be in attendance 95-97% of the time. So, for a school of 200 students with 97% attendance rate, that would equal an expected ADA of 194.00. This ADA gets multiplied by a dollar amount translating into funding and revenue for

schools. Each revenue source has a certain dollar amount tied to it. River’s two primary sources of revenue (income) come from In-Lieu of Property Taxes and LCFF (Local Control Funding Formula). LCFF is the newly adopted funding model voted in by the Legistlature this past July — the State Aid portion of River’s revenue. Other types of funding that are based on ADA are State & Federal Special Education and Lottery. To illustrate, River receives approximately $120 per ADA for one of the two types of Lottery. The $120 figure is then multiplied by the ADA of the school. If the school has an ADA of 150.0, then it would anticipate $18,000 ($120 per ADA x 150.0 ADA). However, if the ADA figure were lower due to student absences, for example 148.0 ADA, the funding level drops to $17,760 which results in less revenue. While some absences cannot be prevented entirely, it can be seen how a small drop in attendance can start to have a domino affect on River’s funding.

2013•2014

RMCS Board of Directors Welcome Carolyn Duffy We are thrilled to announce that we have a wonderful new parent board member poised to join the RMCS board of directors in October: Carolyn Duffy. As Carolyn was our only nominee, there is no need for an election, so we can get right down to welcoming Carolyn aboard! Carolyn is the parent of an eagerly engaged River Montessori student, and brings a global perspective to living, learning and teamwork. She was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and came to Petaluma via Tokyo and New York City. She holds a B.A. in Psychobiology from Ripon College in Wisconsin and a B.S. in Elementary Education from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She has 20 of experience teaching and coaching. While living and teaching in Japan, Carolyn worked on an administrative team to the President of an international language school. She conducted managerial seminars, worked on school acquisitions in England and Spain, and briefly served as proxy on the board at Warner Pacific College in Oregon. Having worked at a major airline

for 23 years in various capacities including International Purser, Flight Attendant Supervisor, and Airport Operations Manager, Carolyn is currently back “up in the air” as Purser on domestic and international flights. Carolyn replaces Beth Laurence, a founding parent who has graciously served on the RMCS board of directors for the last three years as secretary. She will continue to contribute to our community as treasurer for the River Montessori Foundation. Welcome Carolyn! Sincerely, Julie Petersen, Chair of RMCS Board Development Committee

Tim has experience in community development, finance, nonprofit governance, and education policy. Tim worked as researcher and Program Manager for nine years at the Insight Center for Community Economic Development in Oakland before recently transitioning to a freelance consultant. Tim has written dozens of research reports, including on the topic of the economic impact of early care and education for First Five Los Angeles and the Children’s Cabinet (Reno), as well as on inclusion in government agency procurement. He has also worked as a strategic planner in collaboration with an after-school program in Marin City and in collaboration with a youth organization

PRESIDENT

Julie Parnow, Community TREASURER

Tim Lohrentz, RMCS Founding Member SECRETARY

Beth Laurence, Parent MEMBER

Norman Lorenz, M.Ed., Community MEMBER

Julie Petersen, Community -------------------------------Julie Petersen is a freelance writer and communications consultant who has spent more than a decade working in public education. She is the former communications director for NewSchools Venture Fund, a national nonprofit focused on empowering entrepreneurs to transform public education for underserved students, and the parent of two young children.

Welcome Back Tim! Founding Board Member Returns We are thrilled to welcome Tim Lohrentz back to the RMCS board as Treasurer and thank him for his service.

BOD

in Daly City, related to effects of payday lending on families. This is Tim’s second term on the RMCS Board, having served as a founding parent member until October 2012. His son graduated from RMCS in June 2013. Tim has a Masters in Urban Planning and Policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Prior to moving to Petaluma in 2004, Tim was a research consultant to Strategic Learning Initiatives in Chicago. Tim has travelled over 30 times to Central America and is currently writing a book about the origins of the Maya. He also serves on the Board of the Red Barn Montessori Preschool and Kindergarten.

MEMBER

Ginny Hautau, Parent MEMBER

Milagros Ott, Parent

Meeting Dates

BOD NEXT MEETING: Wednesday, October 22, 2013 at 6:30pm Meetings are typically held on the 2nd Wednesday of each month, but please check the RMCS web site for any changes or additions. November 12 December 10 January 16 February 11 March 4 April 8 May 13 June 17

Foundation S p e c i a l THANKS The

Foundation

Board

gives

special thanks to all the hardworking River volunteers who donate their time and services to River Montessori. We have a talented and generous community who continually step up to serve our children and the educational model we have all chosen for them.

RiverWear O N L I N E COMING SOON: River Wear will soon be available online through the RMF web site.

NEWS + VIEWS River Montessori Foundation : Founded by Families : Funded with Love

Another River Social Success LAGUNITAS TASTING ROOM Thanks to everyone who attended last week’s River Social at Lagunitas Brewing Company!

skill that provided cheers and laughs right up until they had to flicker the lights to move us out!

With help from River parents like Christina Isetta (who organized the whole she-bang at Lagunitas), Kenny and Eden Belov (who graciously donated their ridiculously delicious ceviche, smoked tuna and bean salad and chips and guacamole from their restaurant, Fish) and Nancy Feldstein (who sold tickets in the pickup line at River the day before the event), the River Social was a great success… raising over $1,000 for the Foundation!

Once again, Lagunitas Brewing Company were generous hosts, donating both the intimate and funky Tasting Room, their delicous brews and a dedicated bartender just for River!

The River Social had everything you could want … friends, fun, food (did we mention the food? Oh my!) and coin-based games of

If you’d like to find out how you can help with events like these, email: Matt Hautau mphautau@gmail.com or Sarah Mart at sarahmart924@gmail.com. We’d love to hear from you!

A message from Deanna Peake PUBLIC HEARING, OCTOBER 17 @ 6:30 p.m. We have just learned for certain that our charter will be discussed at the Old Adobe School District Board in a Public Hearing on Thursday, October 17. This is the official hearing, the public comment time, when we get to show our very best to the BoD. Can you come Thursday night in a show of support? The more families we have there the better. I’m bringing my husband and kids and making them put on their River wear, too! Join us! Yes, bring the children, your neighbors, grandparents,...

If you missed out on this great time, rest assured that there will be another River Social event happening in the near future. Stay tuned!

The meeting will begin with other business, so River will not be on the agenda until about 7pm. Come at 6:30 or after to hear the official presentation by Kelly and others and show your spirit by just being there. Thank you, thank you. I love the way we guides get to work with your children at River; I believe they do, too, and that we are all making the world a better place. Go, River!

Deanna

Ready to see those smiles? Portraits available online October 16

RMF

CALENDAR

October 17 Public Hearing @ OAUSD, La Tercera approximately 6:30 p.m. YOUR ATTENDANCE

IS NEEDED See you there. To view portraits visit: elizabethbairdphotography.com VISIT: Proofing Gallery (under the menu tab) GALLERY: River Montessori Charter ORDER: Ordered online using any credit card or paypal

October 23 Dance, Dine and Donate @ Redwood Café,Cotati

MAKE-UP: Retake day to be scheduled QUESTIONS: elizabethbaird@yahoo.com

January 25

“The basis of the reform of education and society, which is a necessity of our times, must be built upon . . . scientific study.”

Pancake Breakfast @ Applebee’s, Petaluma

January TBD Rock for River @ Lagunitas, Petaluma

- D r. Maria Montessori, 1949

ROWING WITH RIVER CREW Thanksgiving Break Join the fun in River Crew as we host some of the best play dates in Petaluma! In the Montessori spirit, children are given their choice of activities within a peaceful, joyful, and inspiring environment. At any given time you’ll find an individual child or a small group of friends playing games, cooking, playing outside, conducting science experiments, building structures and engineering, or simply enjoying a good read.

Regular Hours: 7:00a.m. - 8:00 a.m. Monday - Friday 3:15p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Monday - Thursday 12:15 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Friday THANKSGIVING Break: Join the River Crew Rock Hounds as we go on mineral and rock quests and learn about gems and crystals over the Thanksgiving Break.

Meeting Dates

RMF NEXT MEETING DATE TBD: Rescheduled due to the Public Please check RMF web site for up to date information. Meetings are typically held on the 3rd Thursday of each month, but please check the RMF web site for any changes or additions.

GRATITUDE Many Thanks Bear MCGuiness Dave Vincent Ginny Hautau Eric Haslet John Zimmerman Mike Mannion for creating the new Peace Pole garden in the front of the school!

River Montessori CHARTER SCHOOL

October Calendar OCTOBER 14 School Resumes. Welcome Back. Pizza Monday

Pasta Tuesday

for coordinating the free Mulch Madness program from the City of Petaluma. TERESA STRELL

OCTOBER 17 Foundation Meeting RESCHEDULED

RMCS Charter Renewal Public Hearing @ Old Abode Union School District at 6:00 p.m. Burrito Thursday

Bear MCGuinesS

OCTOBER 15 Dine & Donate @ Redwood Cafe in Cotati

OCTOBER 21 Pizza Monday

OCTOBER 22 BOD Meeting 6:30 p.m. Pasta Tuesday

OCTOBER 24 Burrito Thursday

OCTOBER 28 Pizza Monday

OCTOBER 29 Pasta Tuesday

OCTOBER 31 History's Mysteries Burrito Thursday

RIVER

Montessori C H A RT E R S C H O O L 3880 Cypress Street Petaluma, CA 94954 www.rivermontessoricharter.org

ADDRESS LABEL HERE