update on Shining Stars Montessori?

[Anonymous]

How's the school year going so far? Have there been any changes in the administration?

[Anonymous]

Bump. Also, how long are they going to stay in their current location?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bump. Also, how long are they going to stay in their current location?

SSMA PK3 (late 3, past standard cutoff) parent here. No changes to the administration, but I personally feel like we've settled into a nice groove. Our kid has learned an amazing amount in these few months, language skills have exploded, potty training went from lots of accidents initially to 100% success now. School communication has greatly improved in my view, with weekly updates sent out by email.

Strong suits:
-Montessori program is great for those who subscribe to its benefits.
-MOMIES TLC aftercare is great. Truly caring, engaging people running it.
-Fair number of enrichment opportunities available (Spanish language 3x week for the older students, percussion instruction, chess, choir)

Remaining issues to be resolved are:
-Outdoor play space - PTO is trying to fix that with a donation campaign to get transportable equipment (shameless plug for those who want to help our DCUM-beleaguered school with a few bucks here: http://www.gofundme.com/ssma-bigblueblocks). Kids currently play in an a big empty outdoor mulch yard shared with Sela (running around time beats nothing), walks in the neighborhood, and (maybe?) sharing a playground with Ideal PCS (can't confirm this, as our class doesn't).
-Long term location: School is staying in the Sela location for this school year and next (15-16). Long term location in work - no top prospects identified yet. I think the school has learned their lesson about cautiously communicating this. While we're personally fairly happy with the current location, about half the school population isn't necessarily.

[Anonymous]

This is helpful - thanks for the update, PP. I really liked SS at EdFest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
-Long term location: School is staying in the Sela location for this school year and next (15-16). Long term location in work - no top prospects identified yet. I think the school has learned their lesson about cautiously communicating this. While we're personally fairly happy with the current location, about half the school population isn't necessarily.

Additionally, they're negotiating to expand the square footage of their sublease for next year; I'm not sure if anything is finalized. The administration has DEFINITELY learned its lesson about too-early and too-public exuberance; just about the only thing that they've said about the long term space is that they're looking for somewhere that they can settle in for an eight-to-ten year lease and that is large enough to hold the planned full-sized school.

Also, I know that the school leadership has shot itself in the foot a few times over the last 9 months, but it really is a great Montessori school environment with a caring and committed staff. I'd recommend anyone who is interested in Montessori check them out; don't let the Mean Girl-ism on this web site, nor the legitimate mistakes that have been made, scare you away from the school forever.