Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a soft spot of SS, but my goodness, they really really need to be working with Lee and eventually Breakthrough on this.

Why? IT and CMI both recently expanded to include middle school without trying to incorporate other schools. It's much, much harder to do what DCI did than to change an individual school charter. Why is it so imperative that all the schools try to merge for MS? I'm not a montessori parent, but I've heard from both teachers and parents that the model is really best for younger children.

I don't know if this is true of not (I doubt it), but many parents believe it. Montessori schools will loose a lot of families who are happy with hippy dippy stuff through 3rd grade but then want something more traditional. This is why combining schools is important - so you can have a critical mass of students to run a small, cool middle school.

It's going to be tough. They will have to accept non-Montessori students for middle if they expand (whether it's 1 or 2 schools).

The hope is that all Montessori charters will be part of this. Yes, that includes LAMB. (Their agreement with DCI does not preclude them from having a Montessori feeder too). And Breakthrough.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a soft spot of SS, but my goodness, they really really need to be working with Lee and eventually Breakthrough on this.

Why? IT and CMI both recently expanded to include middle school without trying to incorporate other schools. It's much, much harder to do what DCI did than to change an individual school charter. Why is it so imperative that all the schools try to merge for MS? I'm not a montessori parent, but I've heard from both teachers and parents that the model is really best for younger children.

I don't know if this is true of not (I doubt it), but many parents believe it. Montessori schools will loose a lot of families who are happy with hippy dippy stuff through 3rd grade but then want something more traditional. This is why combining schools is important - so you can have a critical mass of students to run a small, cool middle school.

Absolutely. One school will not have the numbers necessary to do what needs to be done for middle school. Middle school means greater specialization, more offerings, more resources, more staff. There's already a significant drop in numbers for elementary classes at all charter Montessori schools. And it's not ideal to admit kids in upper elementary and beyond without prior Montessori experience. To be successful a significant proportion ideally need to have a Montessori background or it's not true Montessori. It's critical that Montessori schools work together. If SSMA is truly trying to do this alone and has refused to cooperate and work with other schools it reflects very badly on them.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a soft spot of SS, but my goodness, they really really need to be working with Lee and eventually Breakthrough on this.

Why? IT and CMI both recently expanded to include middle school without trying to incorporate other schools. It's much, much harder to do what DCI did than to change an individual school charter. Why is it so imperative that all the schools try to merge for MS? I'm not a montessori parent, but I've heard from both teachers and parents that the model is really best for younger children.

I don't know if this is true of not (I doubt it), but many parents believe it. Montessori schools will loose a lot of families who are happy with hippy dippy stuff through 3rd grade but then want something more traditional. This is why combining schools is important - so you can have a critical mass of students to run a small, cool middle school.

It's going to be tough. They will have to accept non-Montessori students for middle if they expand (whether it's 1 or 2 schools).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a soft spot of SS, but my goodness, they really really need to be working with Lee and eventually Breakthrough on this.

Why? IT and CMI both recently expanded to include middle school without trying to incorporate other schools. It's much, much harder to do what DCI did than to change an individual school charter. Why is it so imperative that all the schools try to merge for MS? I'm not a montessori parent, but I've heard from both teachers and parents that the model is really best for younger children.

I don't know if this is true of not (I doubt it), but many parents believe it. Montessori schools will loose a lot of families who are happy with hippy dippy stuff through 3rd grade but then want something more traditional. This is why combining schools is important - so you can have a critical mass of students to run a small, cool middle school.

Anonymous wrote:I have a soft spot of SS, but my goodness, they really really need to be working with Lee and eventually Breakthrough on this.

Why? IT and CMI both recently expanded to include middle school without trying to incorporate other schools. It's much, much harder to do what DCI did than to change an individual school charter. Why is it so imperative that all the schools try to merge for MS? I'm not a montessori parent, but I've heard from both teachers and parents that the model is really best for younger children.

I have a soft spot of SS, but my goodness, they really really need to be working with Lee and eventually Breakthrough on this.

Another troll. Now you know what SS is thinking and doing without having met or spoke with them. Wonder what school or interest you represent that told you about 'them not working with others'.

STOP THE TROLLS. MAK AMERICA AND CHARTERS GREAT AGAIN. So tired of the anti-Shining Stars stuff. They must be doing something .

--not a Shining Stars parent

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our 'unofficial' information is that Shining Stars has begun the process of planning for a middle school program for the Fall of 2018. The plan is to be prepared to have a middle ("feeder") for the students who are now entering the 5th grade this year. They understand requires a charter amendment and PCSB approval.

With a 3rd grader , we are ecstatic at the prospect of staying in place at Shining Stars until 8th grade . Also, they are adding a Montessori Model UN program for the older students .

--Shining Stars parent

Awesome. Hope this is true. We are a grade above you, and would love to stay through 8th.

Lee is also working on this and invited SSMA to join them. Are you suggesting SSMA is doing it unilaterally?

Not Pp, but yes, that is what our impression is

I guess everything I heard about them not working with others, sharing etc is true then.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our 'unofficial' information is that Shining Stars has begun the process of planning for a middle school program for the Fall of 2018. The plan is to be prepared to have a middle ("feeder") for the students who are now entering the 5th grade this year. They understand requires a charter amendment and PCSB approval.

With a 3rd grader , we are ecstatic at the prospect of staying in place at Shining Stars until 8th grade . Also, they are adding a Montessori Model UN program for the older students .

--Shining Stars parent

Awesome. Hope this is true. We are a grade above you, and would love to stay through 8th.

Lee is also working on this and invited SSMA to join them. Are you suggesting SSMA is doing it unilaterally?

Not Pp, but yes, that is what our impression is

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our 'unofficial' information is that Shining Stars has begun the process of planning for a middle school program for the Fall of 2018. The plan is to be prepared to have a middle ("feeder") for the students who are now entering the 5th grade this year. They understand requires a charter amendment and PCSB approval.

With a 3rd grader , we are ecstatic at the prospect of staying in place at Shining Stars until 8th grade . Also, they are adding a Montessori Model UN program for the older students .

--Shining Stars parent

Awesome. Hope this is true. We are a grade above you, and would love to stay through 8th.

Lee is also working on this and invited SSMA to join them. Are you suggesting SSMA is doing it unilaterally?

Anonymous wrote:I don't think the PP who wrote about IDEA violations is a troll. It makes sense to me that a school should demonstrate its ability/willingness to support its current students before expanding enrollment, if for no other reason than presumably some of the new students would need accommodations or services as well.

Except that you bring this up in every post. That's trolling. Is this a post about idea violations? No. It's a post about middle school options. I had a horrendous a experience with a dcps that's worthy of a far more serious lawsuit than an idea investigation -- and I don't bring it up here. For one thing, it's confidential. For another, I can realize that our experience does not reflect the entire school involved--only the way it utterly failed out child, with a few specific people and circumstances.

Ssma is great, we are happy. Hope the middle school works.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hope Lee and SS and Breakthrough work together on this.

can chml join or not because it's dcps?

The denver school blurb didn't wow me. It was mostly about social and emotional stuff, which would be great except, in my experience in primary, Montessori sucks at social development. Right now we are in it for the academic promise of elementary and I'm trying to help my child form positive relationships outside of school since my child literally has no friends at school and teachers/admin don't see a problem with this. So I want to know more about middle school academics.

This is interesting to me. We are at CHML (rising 2nd grader) and I feel its the opposite. Once you get to elementary there is lots of group work so I imagine your child will become more social and hopefully make more friends at school. I'm sorry your teachers don't do more to strengthen relationships for him, its an important part of any school.

I don't think the PP who wrote about IDEA violations is a troll. It makes sense to me that a school should demonstrate its ability/willingness to support its current students before expanding enrollment, if for no other reason than presumably some of the new students would need accommodations or services as well.

Jeff, how do you decide what posts to delete and include? I posted info on Lee Montessori and an out of state Montessori but I see my comment was deleted, whereas other troll-ish ones remain.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hope Lee and SS and Breakthrough work together on this.

can chml join or not because it's dcps?

The denver school blurb didn't wow me. It was mostly about social and emotional stuff, which would be great except, in my experience in primary, Montessori sucks at social development. Right now we are in it for the academic promise of elementary and I'm trying to help my child form positive relationships outside of school since my child literally has no friends at school and teachers/admin don't see a problem with this. So I want to know more about middle school academics.

CHML already goes up to 8th.