Category: Events

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IMA’s Souper Supper


Hello, all!

Please mark your calendars for the second (and final) Souper Supper of the 2016-17 school year!

What is the Souper Supper?
The Souper Supper is a great IMA community event during which you meet and catch up with other families and staff. In addition to dining with other community members, students and staff propose their ideas regarding how the money collected at entry should be allocated. The gathering exemplifies IMA’s commitment to working together to support the community.

When is the Souper Supper?
The event is taking place on Thursday, February 23rd from 5:30 p.m. Please note that the school leaders will be conducting a town hall meeting beginning at 5 p.m. to answer any questions about IMA’s transition to a charter school. This forum will also be open for community members to bring up other topics.

Who should attend the Souper Supper?
This community event is open to all! It is a great way to bring together families and friends. We encourage you to bring friends from outside of the IMA community to learn about the school.

What is the cost?
The entry fee is $6 per person. Fees collected at entry will be allocated to the proposal that receives the most votes at the end of the evening.

How can I help?
Please sign-up to help with the logistics! To see how you can donate (time or items), please follow this link to Sign Up Genius.

BYOB: Bring your own bowl!
An anonymous donor has volunteered to donate an extra $1 for each bowl brought from home in an effort to reduce waste, save cost, and raise funds. Although we will have paper bowls available, we encourage you to bring your own from home!

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Courtney Seidel or Georgia Lieber.

We look forward to seeing you at the Souper Supper!

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Madison School Board Approves Montessori Charter School For 2018-19 School Year

Lots of work and a long time coming! We cannot wait to open our doors in 2018/2019 for all the children and families who might not otherwise have the opportunity. This is what it’s about. This is what it’s always been about. Way to go Melissa Droessler and Carrie Marlette and ALL the children and community members who believed enough to stick with the hard work!

 

MADISON, Wis. (WSJ)–The Madison School Board voted Monday to establish a public Montessori charter school — the first of its kind in the district.

However, the board delayed the school’s opening until the 2018-19 school year, and the school’s creation remains contingent on the school’s founders supplementing their proposal during contract negotiations to address key areas that still concern district administrators and some board members.

The vote to establish the public charter school was 6-1, with TJ Mertz the sole opponent.

If all goes as planned, the vote means Isthmus Montessori Academy (IMA), 1402 Pankratz St., would change from a private, tuition-based school to a public, tuition-free one in the fall of 2018. That’s a year later than founders Melissa Droessler and Carrie Marlette and many of the school’s large group of passionate supporters had desired.

Consequently, some supporters left Monday’s meeting grumbling and even angry over the delay. Droessler stayed optimistic in her comments.

“We are thrilled at the board’s support and truly hope to operate in good faith with the district for a successful partnership,” she said.

The North Side school was founded in 2012, and Droessler and Marlette have been working with the district ever since to turn it into a public option. They have said they want to make the Montessori method available to as many families as possible, not just to those with financial means.

They believe the Montessori method, which includes multi-age classroom groupings, customized learning plans and self-directed learning, will help the district close achievement gaps while expanding options for students, especially those with special needs…

click link for more —>Wisconsin State Journal

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Madison MLK Day Events

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife, Coretta Scott King, sit with three of their four children in their Atlanta, Ga, home, on March 17, 1963. From left are: Martin Luther King III, 5, Dexter Scott, 2, and Yolanda Denise, 7.

Life’s most urgent and persistent question is: what are you doing for others?
— Martin Luther King, Jr.

Every year, on January 16, the day Martin Luther King, Jr. was born, people across the nation join together to recognize the achievements of someone who really changed our country. Here are some events across Madison that celebrate an amazing human being:

Monday, January 16, 2017

9 a.m.: MLK Youth Service Day 2012: “A dedication to service … A discovery of science.” Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery, 330 N. Orchard St. The event for middle and high school youth will both honor and reflect on the life of King and learn how science and service can intersect. There is no cost to attend, but registration is limited to the first 300 registrants. Information: 608-729-1200.

1:15 p.m.: The Figure Skating Club of Madison will celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a service project of making blankets for Project Linus. After their project the club will perform a free show from 1:15 to 2:50 p.m. at the Madison Ice Arena, 725 Forward Drive. The public is encouraged to bring a pair or two of socks to donate to Middleton Outreach Ministry. A public skate will follow from 2:50 to 3:50 p.m. Free skate rentals will be available. Information: 608-204-7606.

6 p.m.: The 27th annual City/County King Holiday Observance will be held at the Overture Center Capitol Theater, 201 State St. The keynote speaker is the Rev. C.T. Vivian, who helped found the Nashville Christian Leadership Conference and helped organize the first sit-ins in Nashville in 1960 and the first civil rights march in 1961. Vivian rode the first “Freedom Bus” into Jackson, Miss., and went on to work alongside Martin Luther King Jr. in Birmingham, Selma, Chicago, Nashville and the March on Washington.

In addition to the keynote address, the event will feature the presentation of the annual City/County Dr. King Awards. Music will be provided by the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Choir led by noted local music director Leotha Stanley. This event is free and open to the public.

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Here Comes The Sun

On Wednesday, December 21 from 4:00 to 5:00 pm, we invite you to an informal Solstice Gathering beginning at the Johnson Park Gazebo in Maple Bluff (right across from our old school building). Families and children will be given a candle to hold as we walk through the snow to the Burrow’s Park Pavilion for a bonfire, songs, and making wishes for the New Year!

The weather is forecast for a wet evening. If that’s the case, possibly we try again next year? Possibly we meet sit around the fireplace at Manna Cafe?

The inspiration…

Some of the children in Ms. Melissa’s classroom have been interested in the calendar and the weather and the amount of sunlight and darkness. We discussed that the Winter Solstice is the day with the shortest amount of sunlight and that many groups of people celebrate this relationship between Earth and Sun in different ways.

If it’s a dry day, families may join their children on a walk and songs by the bonfire. What fun!

4:00-4:10 pm Johnson Park Gazebo
4:10 pm begin walking over to Burrow’s Park
4:30/4:40 pm Burrow’s Park Pavilion
4:40-5:00 pm Songs, wishes, and bonfire

5:00 pm Go home, eat a delicious dinner, snuggle in bed, and welcome the sun!

RSVP to Ms. Melissa please so that she knows how many candles to bring, and thank you:)

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Adolescent Community Upcoming Events

The Adolescent Community would like to invite you to our upcoming events:

Presentation on Ancient Greece

Friday, December 16, 8:30 AM and 2:00 PM

Adolescent Holiday Sale
featuring handmade decorations, gifts, crafts, and festive music

Monday–Friday, December 19–23, 3:00–3:30 PM

We hope you can join us for presentations on various aspects of Ancient Greece — we’ve learned a lot in our History and Humanities seminar this semester and would love to share what we’ve learned with you!

Students and adults are welcome to come to our Holiday Sale. Items will be a range of prices and will make perfect gifts and decorations for your holidays.

Please contact Ms. Allison with any questions!

Best wishes,

The IMA Adolescent Community

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IMA’s Souper Supper

Souper Supper

Please mark your calendars for Isthmus Montessori Academy’s (IMA) semi-annual Souper Supper fundraiser. This community event helps raise money for items or programs needed at our school as well as charities in our community.

When?
Our first Souper Supper will be on Thursday, December 8 from 5-7 pm.

Where?
The Souper Supper will be held at Isthmus Montessori Academy, 1402 Pankratz Street, Madison.

What is the Souper Supper?
As parents and friends drink their delicious soup, IMA students and staff present their arguments for which program, item, or charity should receive the money collected from entry fees to the supper. In addition to hearing about the different programs at IMA, the event also provides elementary and adolescent students the opportunity to write and make a presentation, as well as begin to understand ways they can work to help the community. For example, previously, guests at the Souper Supper voted to support the IMA adolescent program’s urban farm, which made the local news when it was completed!

Isthmus Montessori is also working toward being the first public Montessori school in Madison. Our goal is to give all children, regardless of their socio or economic background, access to the many benefits of a Montessori education. Every bit of support for our programs helps strengthen our school and move us towards achieving this goal. In addition to being a fun way to meet others in the school community, this is a great opportunity for you to invite friends and family who may not know about IMA!

Should you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact Georgia Lieber or Courtney Seidel.

We hope you and your family will attend!

Best wishes,
IMA PTO

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Silent Journey & Discovery at IMA

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Come join us on November 4 and 5 for IMA’s Silent Journey & Discovery — the ultimate Montessori experience for parents and families! Engage all your senses as you learn about the materials and lessons your children use.

On Friday, non-students visit the classrooms in silence to view the classrooms as students would. You will walk around to silently observe the prepared environments of all the classrooms in the school, at all levels.

On Saturday, teachers present and discuss materials and lessons with visitors. You will receive lessons on the materials and gain a deeper understanding of the genius of Montessori.

Our Silent Journey & Discovery is for parents and people from outside of the existing IMA community. However, it is also a fantastic opportunity for families who are considering the next level for their children. This will be an event when you’ll really get to investigate each level.

We will provide beverages and snacks on Friday night, and we provide food and beverages on Saturday. Check out the event page, and please RSVP to Mr. Chet at info@isthmusmontessoriacademy.org!

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Family Fun Night at the Warner Park Recreation Center

Warner Park

 

Want to do something super easy (and fun) to support Public Montessori?

IMA is hosting a Family Fun Night at the Warner Park Recreation Center on Friday 10/14, and we need your family to show up!

Warner park hold these events monthly, and they are a great resource to the community. Because IMA supports this mission and because it is a fabulous opportunity for the school to increase support and relationships within our new Northside neighborhood, we have signed up to be the event sponsor this month.

How does this help with our goal of becoming a public school? Well, one thing we have heard over and over from the school district is that they are not sure that we have the community support and that we are community-supporting. By hosting this event, and by bringing as many families as we can, IMA hopes to make some new friends and connections, and drum up support, while at the same time beginning some conversations with our neighbors and exploring what types of events or services the community would like to see IMA provide.

What are we asking of you? Primarily that you plan to attend — as many members of your family as are available — and have fun, mingle with the community, and say something nice about IMA if it comes up. If you can wear your Race to the Finn! shirt or other IMA gear, that’s even better (tip: swap your mom-purse or diaper bag for your IMA “extra clothes” tote for the day). We would also like some adults to serve as “official” volunteers for part of your time there — there may be some very light set-up, clean-up, or assistance needed. Hopefully there will be enough of us there that we can watch each others kids while we fill in some of these duties.

Activities:

  • Fall craft projects
  • Movie & Popcorn – Hotel Transylvania
  • Pottery Station
  • BINGO
  • Bounce House
  • Imagination Playground
  • Game Room
  • Costumes optional

Cost: $5 per family. But if you can’t afford that, Fratney Miller will personally cover your payment. If you can afford more, please consider paying double — or even triple-admission for your family. We know that each month some neighborhood families cannot afford the admission, and as the event sponsor, we’d love to be able to support their attendance.

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