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We are thrilled to announce our upcoming event "ASD and the Neurodivergent Brain," which will feature Dr Temple Grandin as a virtual guest speaker! The event will take place on Tuesday, April 4th, in the school theatre, CASA dei Curiosity, and is open to the public. We welcome everyone to attend. Tickets will be available at the door for a reasonable cost of $5 and proceeds will support our Exceptional Learner Program. Seating will be first come, first serve, and doors will open at 6:30. Temple Grandin (bio linked here) is a prominent advocate for people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and a professor of animal science at Colorado State University. Temple was diagnosed with ASD at a young age and struggled with social and communication difficulties. However, she has not let her diagnosis hold her back. Instead, she has used her unique perspective and experiences to become a leading authority on animal behavior and welfare, as well as a sought-after speaker on autism and neurodiversity. Temple Grandin's contributions to the field of autism have been immense. Her work has helped to increase awareness of autism and the unique perspectives and strengths of individuals with ASD. She has also been instrumental in developing educational and employment opportunities for people on the spectrum. She has written numerous books, including "Thinking in Pictures: My Life with Autism" and "The Autistic Brain: Helping Different Kinds of Minds Succeed." Temple has also been recognized for her work, receiving awards such as the National Women's Hall of Fame, being listed in Time Magazine's "100 Most Influential People in the World," and was featured in an award-winning HBO biopic of her life. At our event, Temple will speak about ASD and the Neurodivergent brain, drawing on her personal experiences and expertise. She will discuss the challenges and strengths of individuals on the spectrum, as well as the importance of understanding and accommodating neurodiversity in society. We are excited to welcome Temple Grandin as our virtual guest speaker. This event promises to be informative, engaging, inspiring, and educational. We hope to see you all there, and we hope that everyone who attends will leave with a greater understanding and appreciation of neurodiversity! Post Event: We had a delightfully authentic and unique Temple Grandin experience. Dr. Grandin shared her insights and experiences and devoted so much of her time to answering questions from families and learners! We're so grateful to all the families who were able to join us, and especially grateful to the learners who worked up the courage to ask questions themselves! You can also download Dr. Grandin's presentation slides (some of which you might recognize from her Ted Talks) below: Great Minds Are Not All the Same

Have you ever wondered how to best support your elementary child? Have you ever noticed their endless questions and struggled to best answer them in a way that they would understand? Have you ever wondered why your elementary child now suddenly acts differently than they did or questions you when they didn’t seem to before? If you’ve had any of these questions or thoughts, you are not alone! In answering some of the questions, the Biomes team has put together an asynchronous presentation about the characteristics of the elementary-aged child discovered by Dr. Maria Montessori and held true to today’s child. Watch from the comforts of your own home with your coffee cup and pajamas to learn more about your child and gain some tips and tricks on how to best support them within the context of these characteristics! Download the handout to follow along: Connecting to Your Elementary Child - handout

Did you know that gardening can be a valuable educational tool for children? Not only does it provide hands-on learning opportunities, but it also promotes healthy living and environmental awareness. Gardening can teach children about plant life cycles, soil science, and the importance of conservation. Plus, it can be a fun and engaging way to learn about nutrition and healthy eating habits. By incorporating gardening into education, we can help children develop a deeper connection to nature and a greater appreciation for the environment. Let's inspire the next generation of eco-conscious leaders by cultivating their love for gardening and nature! Teens in our Gardening Occupation have certainly been working hard to get our greenhouse in working order, including excavating this HUGE rock that contains fossils!

Learners from Ocean and Rainforest studios in our 6-9 program showcased their projects and presentations in the CASA dei Curiosity last Friday after several weeks of hard work. They were so grateful for such a tremendous turnout, with families and learners visiting in support, and providing a wonderful audience for the performance of "Eagle’s Mountain!" Check out the video to see what our 6-9 learners have been up to (with the full presentation of "Eagle’s Mountain" at the end)!

Watch the first three installments - short, but eye-opening videos, featuring interviews with Charter School leaders, including our own Director, Barbara Burke Fondren, and other folks on the front lines of this funding gap issue. Share this blog and these videos with friends, family, and any influential folks you know! And, if you haven’t already, check out our last blog on this subject to see how much this funding gap directly impacts OUR school, AND sign the Indiana Student Funding Alliance Petition to support this growing movement! This blog will be updated as new videos and information become available.

Young children love to try to do everything adults can do. This is why, in a Montessori school, we have a whole area called Practical Life, which offers children a lot of opportunities for cleaning, sewing, and other tasks for caring for themselves and their living spaces. Some of the most beloved practical life activities are food preparation, cooking, and baking. Offering your child opportunities to help with these tasks at home not only gives them opportunities for concentration, independence, and joy, but can have the added incentive of inspiring picky eaters to try new foods and eat a greater variety of foods. Sometimes, parents have some anxiety about allowing their children access to the kitchen. Here are some tips to help alleviate your anxieties, embrace the process, and have as much fun cooking with your child as they will have cooking with you. Do you have safety concerns? Set the expectation in your home. Maybe say something like “When we cook, we cook together. There will be an adult with you.” Then decide on how you want things done in the kitchen. Will you be the only one to turn on the stove knobs? Will you be the one to hold sharp knives? Show your child what is and what is not available to them. Talk about safety in the kitchen. Prepare the environment. What do you have that your child can use? Do you have serrated knives? Or child friendly kitchen tools? Model a simple task like cutting a carrot. Then stay with your child when it’s their turn to cut so that you can guide them in the process. Are you worried it’ll take too much time? Use the weekends as a time to tackle a bigger project like bread or cookies. When time is short, like during the week night, start small, like peeling a few carrots or scrambling one egg. Cooking with your child does not have to take a lot of time. Just let them be involved in one part of the process - washing the produce, stirring the sauce, or cutting a fruit or vegetable. Give one job at a time. One idea is to let them make the salad dressing. Have them start at the beginning so they have ample time to finish the project while you are getting the rest of dinner together. Be mindful of the age of your child. For example, a 3 year old may be content to just stir something for 20 minutes while a 5 ½ year old will want to do more. Maybe they’ll want to try and read a recipe, measure out all of the ingredients, and cut the vegetables. Are you afraid that your child will make a big mess? You will be the one to model how to clean up. Have cleaning supplies at the ready and don’t put too much pressure on the area getting cleaned right away. Let your child help clean up and if it’s not to your satisfaction, go back after your child is gone and clean. Try separating your food preparation space from your eating space. Are you concerned about wasting food? There may be waste in the beginning of this process but over time as your children practice and learn, waste will be more minimal. For example, you may not have your child pour directly from a big gallon jug of milk. Consider keeping the milk in a more accessible container or pouring some milk into a smaller pitcher and then let your child measure out how much milk they need for the recipe. Remember, the end result will not be perfect and it may not even be pretty, but your child will have joy and they’ll feel a stronger connection with you! Focus on process over product and just have fun!

The Winter Creativity Showcase is a new tradition - this is the first year! The Woods level and Creativity Inc were all very excited to share this showcase with the Internship Poster session, which is meant to help teens who are about to begin internships get some exposure to the possibilities, as well as allow families to learn more about what happens in this program. Creativity Inc began in the 2019-2020 school year and has been on quite the journey since then! It consists of three branches of creativity that meet each Wednesday afternoon. Woods Teens are able to participate in Maker’s Space, Performing Arts, or Music Recording. Internships begin at CM after the age of 16, when teens are in their Junior and Senior years. The goal is to help our teens explore potential career paths and goals. Our alumni often report back that these experiences were some of the most memorable, important, and helpful of their high school career! These internships culminate in the Internship Poster Session. All in all, this showcase was a great success with a terrific turnout! You can view the slideshow to see some of the works completed by CM teens! And, while you're here, grab some popcorn, kick back, and enjoy the full Creativity Inc Showcase!

Community Montessori was in session for Martin Luther King Jr. day on Monday, January 16th, 2023. We believe it is important to be AT school, learning about this day and why we celebrate it. That may number us among the outliers in the educational community, but we are no strangers to paving our own path! Learners spent the day fully immersed in activities, projects, listening to speeches, presenting, and having group discussions about the Civil Rights Movement and Dr. King. “I have a dream” could be heard echoing throughout the building from any direction, at just about any time of the day. Watch the video here or head over to our YouTube and check out the slideshow to see what our learners were up to on this very important day!

Monday, December 12th, 2022 Healthy relationships between young people and caregivers are the most important in your child’s life. With today’s frenetic pace, it’s more important than ever to find ways to stay connected to the humans who mean the most to you. Watch this workshop, hosted by Jana Morgan Herman and Barbara Burke Fondren, to find ways for meaningful connection in your everyday interactions with your child, and learn about the impact of screen use for children and teens. Download the presentation, Giving the Gift of Time, and the supporting materials for your learner's age, to follow along! Supporting Materials Giving the Gift of Time - presentation Ages 3-6 Ages 6-9 Ages 9-12 Ages 12-14 Ages 14-18

Help CM increase teacher salaries - SIGN THE PETITION NOW!! Indiana legislators will be reviewing more equitable funding for charter schools in this upcoming session. Here is why you should sign this petition: HUGE FUNDING GAP - CM currently receives about $11,500 LESS PER LEARNER (equating to almost $6M a year) than our neighboring school district. Community Montessori (CM) became a public charter school so that any family could attend without paying tuition, but we didn’t expect the funding gap to continue to increase and make our teacher pay gap so wide. For Indiana State tuition support - New Albany Floyd County (NAFC) receives about $4000 or more in funding per learner than CM. This also includes funding mechanisms like Capital Project Funds, Transportation Funds, and Debt Service Funds . In 2016, NAFC Schools secured an $87M referendum which equates to about $7500 more per learner than CM. State and Federal funding follows any child/teen who attends a public school, but charter schools are not given a share of local property tax (which we all pay). SIGN NOW WE DO MORE WITH LESS Co-teaching model that puts 2 teachers in each class allowing a more collaborative learning experience. Although our teachers make 30%-50% less than NAFC, 55% of our teaching staff have been employed at CM for 8 years or longer and we have nearly 90% retention each year! Every studio has at least one Montessori Certified (or in progress) teacher and the school is able to pay for the tuition for these certification programs! Without any consistent facility funding, we have created an incredible campus with about $25,000 worth of materials in each studio. We employ 15 additional support staff that work directly supporting teachers and learners daily throughout the building. HELP US, HELP CM TEACHERS - MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD BY SIGNING THIS PETITION TODAY!!! About Indiana Student Funding Alliance (ISFA): The ISFA is an organization created for the purpose of pursuing this important funding. Community Montessori is a member of the Indiana Charter School Network (ICSN) and the ICSN is a member of ISFA.

Following the tragic passing of a Community Montessori teen, Wellstone and Centerstone sent mental health therapists to be present on Monday, November 28th, for teens as they met to be in community with one another and share memories, reflections, and breathing techniques to help support the grieving process. On Friday, December 2nd, Dr Tom Harris - longtime CM parent and Floyd County Health Director - spoke with CM staff and families about ways to help their teens reduce risk of harm from substance use. Here are some resources and examples that were shared during this chat: www.imdb.com/title/tt0080360 - Altered States www.imdb.com/title/tt0099871 - Jacob's Ladder www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline - Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in211.communityos.org/ - 211, free and confidential service

On Thursday, September 29th we officially announced the opening of the new Natural Playground with a ribbon cutting ceremony! In attendance were members of One Southern Indiana, local representatives and legislators, AML construction, school staff and families. The ceremony culminated with two of the children releasing dozens of Painted Lady butterflies - an appropriate and environmentally friendly way to celebrate! It means so much to everyone to see this goal accomplished. This playground is so beautifully done and has enhanced the value of our outdoor space for all - be you child, teen, or adult! As a school community, we would like to thank our families for all of their contributions, from donations to time and care. We would also like to thank New Blooms Nursery for donating beautiful redbud trees, local sculptor Joe Autry for his work on the incredible and one-of-a-kind spiral bench, Hanson Aggregates Midwest for their donation of the monumental and nearly 16-ton boulder, and AML Inc. for all of their hard and masterful work! Get a look at the slideshow of the construction from start to finish and witness the inspiring transformation!