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The Big History Exhibition had quite the turnout, with the CASA dei Curiosity packed nearly to capacity for the opening ceremony. Attendees were able to view exhibits in thresholds 5 through 9 which were spread over the MAC, Lunarium, and fitness room. From Greek mythology, to historic events such as the Bubonic Plague; from the evolution of the wheel to Humanity's role in the cosmos; from the darkest moments of our past - the history of Human slavery - to the brightest moments still to come - the future lives and career paths of our graduating teens, Big History seemed to have it all. Indeed, it was more than could be viewed in the allotted time frame, which is why we’ve put together this slideshow. Not every exhibit is featured within (there were many, you’d be here all day), but here are some amazing examples of work done by our amazing learners. Enjoy!

How did we get here? What is the meaning of existence? What will the future hold for our universe? What is the next chapter in this grand story of the cosmos? So much of education is asking questions, and searching for answers. Often, the search leads only to more questions. My answer to these questions? The most frustrating answer you’ll ever hear: I don’t know. Haven’t got a clue… not in the slightest. Enter the brilliant teens of Community Montessori’s Woods Program! They’ll be displaying a semester's worth of meaningful, hard work and learning in the Big History Exhibition that will take place at our school on Thursday, May 12, 2022. We’ll kick things off with the opening ceremony in the CASA dei Curiosity, followed by exhibits on display in the Multipurpose Activity Center (MAC). These will touch on subjects such as Humanities, Biology, Mathematics, History, and more. Projects will range from the emergence and diversification of life, to the history of Humankind and current events, and beyond to the future. The Big History Exhibition is one of those events that summarizes well the Montessori approach to education - our learners learn how to learn: hands-on and experiential, with real world application, and with the learners themselves ever at the helm. It is a great opportunity to see not only what our teens have learned, but how they’ve taken that knowledge and turned it into something that can be showcased! The Universe is expanding, so come expand your own horizons by soaking up some of the residual smartness that’s radiating off of these shining young minds! RSVP here!

Darkness is dispelled by a sudden light. We see a caped adventurer, sword in hand, face masked (and for once it feels normal, and looks cool). The fighting ensues, and melee combat is joined. Monsters hath been slain! All to the tune of The Cranberries “Zombie” - what more could one’s 90’s loving heart desire? A Beholder - a hideous, floating, many-eyed, magical orb that has been the doom of countless D&D parties - that’s what! By the way, you can watch all of that in the trailer for She Kills Monsters, but viewer beware - goosebumps are an inevitability! (and yes, that is another 90’s reference). Community Montessori Performing Arts is putting on its first live theatre production in the CASA dei Curiosity - the event space that was built for this very purpose, to channel the creative energies of our spectacularly talented learners! In fact, they’re so talented that they’ve landed our school in the news, yet again! News and Tribune got a sneak peek at the production, including a picture more rare than a Bigfoot sighting… a five-headed dragon that could only be Tiamat, evil dragon goddess of greed (if memory serves correct.. my D&D days are far behind me). To verify all these unconfirmed rumours of Dragons and such, you’ll want to purchase a ticket for the show, which runs Thursday, 4/28 through Saturday, 4/30. Doors open at 7:00pm. In the meantime, check out the news article here and read all about how these teens have taken on leadership roles in the production, management, direction, and choreography of this show!

Our school was, once again, visited by a reporter last week. Brooke Mcafee of News and Tribune stopped by to interview, and observe in action, our very own Morgan Miner! As the recipient of a state grant for the 2021 - 22 school year, Morgan was able to work on her state minimum requirements for full-time student teaching while focusing on the kids and the journey, rather than financial concerns (internships are typically shorter and unpaid). Morgan has since been hired, so we now officially employ a local celebrity! Check out her front page pic and read the article, linked below. https://www.newsandtribune.com/news/indiana-grant-program-offers-year-of-student-teaching-for-ius-students/article_2e5a2f30-bcea-11ec-bc1e-1feae319f9d8.html

Our Community Food Pantry has been a boon to families facing food insecurity, but the shelves are frequently emptied. Donations are desperately needed, either in the form of monetary donations online, items sent directly from Amazon, or non-perishable goods dropped off directly to the pantry. The need for donations is even greater now, with the ending of additional funding for SNAP - the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. SNAP benefits have been enhanced throughout the peak of COVID, but after May these enhancements will be removed, and some families will find their benefits cut in half. Linked here is the WHAS 11 coverage of this story, featuring our Community Food Pantry and our own hard working volunteer, Erin Lewis. Items Needed (this list is not all inclusive): - Canned Protein (Tuna/Chicken) - Cereal - Oatmeal - Pancake Mix - Pre-Packaged Meals (Chef BoyRDee, Hamburger Helper, Dinty Moore) - Instant Potatoes - Mac and Cheese - Rice - Peanut Butter and Jelly - Spaghetti and Spaghetti Sauce - Condiments (Ketchup, Mustard, Mayo, BBQ Sauce, Salsa, Syrup, etc...) - Snacks - Fruit - Baby Care - Feminine Care - Water - Shelf Stable Milk - Juice - Canned Soup - Personal Care Items - Spices - Baking Goods

CM was featured in a news article by Spectrum News 1 illustrating some of the differences that can be found in the Montessori environment versus traditional public schools. As legislation made its way through the gears of Kentucky lawmaking (complete with a Governor's veto and an override of that veto) it was so important for the people of Kentucky to know what they may be missing out on! Our Director, Barbara Fondren, walked with a reporter from Spectrum and gave the 411, the rundown, a recapitulation (if you like a fancier synonym with your tea and crumpets) of how we are unique, what we have to offer, and what future charter schools in the Commonwealth might aspire towards. It's that last thought that resonates most: as an established, successful Montessori Charter School, we have that responsibility to the community - to stand as a shining example of the possibilities and the varying paths to education! See the full article & video linked below:

We have had so much fun redesigning our outdoor playground to our revamped NATURAL PLAYGROUND - installation Summer 2022. With grant funds covering most of the cost of the project, we need a bit more HELP to support our full vision to revamp our backyard playground into a treasured NATURAL PLAYGROUND. With your help, we can install the GIRAFFE SWING (not currently in the budget) or MAYBE even 2 Giraffe Swings! WE ARE SO EXCITED!

We are lessening our footprint, to make room for MORE footprints. Please join us in re-thinking outdoor play. If you attended our December PIP Workshop, you heard from our designers, Bienenstock - the leaders in DISRUPTIVE design of Natural Playgrounds! The pandemic brought a new way of thinking to our world, and for us - it was a renewed commitment to our natural world. We have had so much fun redesigning our outdoor playground to our revamped NATURAL PLAYGROUND - installation in Summer 2022. YES! IF all goes as planned, we will be returning in Fall, 2022 - with an incredible new space… A Giraffe(looking) swing with an omnidirectional movement for incredible sensory input, collaborative play, and LARGE feelings of satisfaction. A digging/creative pit - It has been a dream for a LOOONG time to support this need in our young humans. This vast span of sand will be packed with little hands and toes:). A sensory path - a winding walkway with various shapes, materials, and designs to explore with shoes on or off. Wacky posts (small cut trees 5’-7’ tall) to climb on, build with, designed for slacklines and hammocks – so much fun! Hill slides - utilizing the slope of the earth to travel from the upper space to the sandpit. Climbing Structure - with climbing tree components, tall nests to gather in, ropes to travel across, and even a rope tunnel. Walking path - connecting the sidewalk at the front of the building to connect all the way around the school with paths and trails. Maintaining the large field in the back yard with better drainage management by integrating drain pipes under the digging pit. Large boulders and tree stumps throughout and even a rock path. A spiral bench and large trees to make a fort or dwelling. Landscaping and grass – all to make a space so a whole age level can be outside at the same time;)! HELP us make this the best it can be - GIVE NOW! You will be billed for this donation through Infinite Campus. If you would like to make your contribution in another way, please contact Barbara Fondren, Director. HERE is a SNEAK PEAK - WE ARE SO EXCITED!

We recently had a presentation at Community Montessori discussing our Woods program (high school). If you were unable to attend feel free to check out the presentation recording and slide deck linked respectively. This is a great opportunity to see how the Woods incorporates Maria Montessori's Philosophy and in-depth perspective of what their schedule might look like and how we help them transition out of high school and into the world! Click here to view the presentation slideshow: Woods presentation slideshow

With families not being able to visit our building as much this year, we wanted to share a few pictures from all of our studios for you to enjoy.

Check out our PIP Workshop from Thursday, Dec. 16th by watching the video here! We are so excited to get started with the conceptual designs for our new outdoor master plan - starting with a natural playground philosophy and in partnership with Bienenstock Natural Playgrounds.

Visit this link to view a recording of the call, and read on for more details and information on the updates and adjustments. Many of us are hoping for a safer environment soon with the recent announcement of vaccination of children aged 5 and above. Fingers crossed!! Please remember, you can visit www.ourshot.in.gov to sign anyone (including all people ages 5 and up) for a free vaccination at many locations throughout the state. To bring us in closer alignment with the current recommendations of the CDC, and help support the families that choose to participate in the vaccination effort, we are sharing some changes to our COVID Plan effective Monday, 11/29 with relaxed protocols with respect to COVID and contact tracing for vaccinated people. A summary of the changes beginning on Monday, Nov. 29th is given here: A NOTE ABOUT COVID VACCINATION RECORDS IN COORDINATION WITH OUR NEW COVID PLAN ADJUSTMENTS: BECAUSE WE DO NOT HAVE THE CAPACITY TO KEEP THE CONSTANTLY CHANGING COVID VACCINATED RECORDS UP-TO-DATE, FULLY VACCINATED LEARNER RECORDS MUST BE SHARED EACH TIME YOU ARE REQUESTING LEARNERS/SIBLINGS TO COME ON CAMPUS AND - CM MAY ADJUST THE PLAN ON A CASE-BY-CASE SCENARIO DEPENDING ON SYMPTOMS. THESE RECORDS WILL BE EMAILED TO THE STUDIO TEACHERS AND YOU AGREE NOT TO BRING LEARNERS ON CAMPUS UNTIL YOU HEAR BACK FROM THE STUDIO TEACHERS. SIBLINGS OF FULLY VACCINATED LEARNERS: For VACCINATED symptomatic learners, their siblings will not need to stay/be sent home with the symptomatic sibling. Only the sick learner will stay home. Email your teachers with the vaccination record and symptoms when you are reporting your absence. For UNVACCINATED symptomatic learners, ALL UNVACCINATED HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS, INCLUDING SIBLINGS OF THE SYMPTOMATIC LEARNER SHOULD STAY HOME. However, VACCINATED siblings or household members could return, but need to agree to send their vaccination record to the teachers each time and test the unvaccinated symptomatic learner for COVID as a part of the return process.​​​​​​​ FULLY VACCINATED LEARNERS WHO ARE CLOSE CONTACTS OF A COVID POSITIVE: CM learners may choose to share vaccine documentation with the school. If this documentation is shared BY EMAILING THE RECORD OF FULL VACCINATION TO THE STUDIO TEACHERS EACH TIME and the individual is considered a close contact of a person who has tested positive for for COVID then:​​​​​​​ They may return to campus immediately. They should CLOSELY monitor for any symptoms developing for up to 14 days from the date of close contact. And families agree to Enhanced Precautions (per Indiana Dept. of Health guidelines) while at school:​​​​​​​ Close contact must remain masked AT ALL TIMES during the school day. Close contact must maintain extra (at least 6ft) distance from others during lunch because this requires them to be unmasked. School staff should encourage as much social distancing as possible throughout the school day, and also prioritize hand hygiene (as already established in the CM plan.)​​​​​​​ They are recommended to have a PCR test on days 5-7 after exposure. If they develop symptoms, they should not return to campus and they may do one of three things to return to campus:​​​​​​​ A negative COVID PCR should be shared with the studio teacher, or the family will provide a note that states that the illness is NOT COVID from a medical professional, or the learner should not return for 14 days.​​​​​​​ The learner should also be fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications and improvement of symptoms before returning back on campus.​​​​​​​ STAFF COMMIT TO MONITORING ENHANCED PRECAUTIONS: For those learners returning as vaccinated close contacts as described above the school will follow Enhanced Precautions (per Indiana Dept. of Health guidelines). The staff commit to monitoring these additional precautions for the full 14 days after a potential close contact. Please remember, IF YOU ARE TRAVELING NEXT WEEK, per CDC guidelines, here are recommendations for domestic travel for unvaccinated people on public transportation (e.g. bus, plane) OR if individuals have been in large crowds while travelling (where 6ft social distancing was not kept) families are recommended to follow these two parameters: Get a Covid PCR test 3-5 days after travel and share it with your child's teacher, AND​​​​​​​ Self-quarantine at home for a full 7 days before returning to on campus learning. (The day you return from travel will be day 0.)