|
|
 |
|
Dear Parents
The faculty attended a wonderful Middle School banquet this year. This is a truly unique event, where the sixth and seventh years spend the day decorating and preparing food for a banquet for the eighth years and faculty. This year’s theme was “The Jungle.” There are presents exchanged and a great deal of thought goes into each gift. It is in the giving and receiving of presents that one sees how important the size of the Middle School really is. When the gifts are exchanged, each student describes the process from beginning to end. You know the gift was a perfect match when the student wears it or brings it to school the next day. I have worked at other Middle Schools and I know the unique quality of Eliot’s banquet. I will miss it dearly.
As I have mentioned throughout the year, I rely on the eighth years to set the tone for the school each year and this year’s eighth years did not disappoint me. The eighth grade projects set a new and higher bar for all future Middle Schoolers. Graduation was wonderful because of the thought, time and care the students put into their speeches. Alumna Eva Bozewicz (’08) was our Graduation speaker and she shared with all of the students what they can expect when they enter high school. Each of the graduates did a terrific and heartfelt job thanking family and faculty, making sure we would always remember them. This year, Maryeliz Kelleher’s dad, Mark, and other parents put together a slide show about the Eliot Montessori graduating class of 2009. This year was special because there were five students who had attended Eliot since Kindergarten. By the end of the slide show, there was not a dry eye in the gym, including yours truly.
I want to take a moment to thank everyone with whom I have worked while I have been at the Eliot Montessori School. It has been a privilege and a pleasure to work with your sons and daughters for the past six years. I am very happy that I got a chance to work in this Montessori school, as it has shown me why the Montessori students I had in high schools were so successful. I wish the students, the parents, the staff and the faculty all the best as Eliot continues to offer a fantastic educational experience to all who enter its halls. Please remember that I am only an email away (bohearn@ross.org) and I will be found at 19 Grape Arbor Road, East Hampton, NY 11937.
Sincerely yours,
Bill |
| |
TRUSTEE CORNER
WELCOME!
July 2, 2009
Dear Eliot Families:
We are thrilled to announce that we have hired Denny Grubbs as our Interim Head of School. Denny comes with a wealth of experience which will serve Eliot well. With this letter, I would like to take the opportunity to introduce him to our community, highlighting key points of his professional history and references.
- Education: graduate of Princeton University; Masters Degree in Education from Trinity College.
- Began his educational career at The Gunnery School in Washington, CT, moving from English Teacher to Director of Admission and Assistant to the Headmaster, over a six-year period.
- Head of Middle Division of The Tatnall School in Wilmington, DE, for six years.
- Head of School at Tenacre Country Day School (Wellesley) for nine years. Has been a Trustee of the school since 1999 (currently emeritus).
- Head of School at The Williston Northampton School, Easthampton, MA, for 15 years.
In 2000, Denny founded Head Mentors, a group of consultants to independent school heads. For the past nine years, he has been a ‘professional’ Interim Head, and has had seven previous interim assignments in the northeast. Most relevant to our needs was the year he spent at Stoneridge Children’s Montessori School (toddler-8th grade) in Beverly.
Many members of the Board have participated in interviews with Denny, over the phone and in person. We strongly believe that he will be a wonderful asset to Eliot as we move ahead next year. I have included quotes from some of the Stoneridge references, all of whom are trustees of the school, to show you why we are so excited to have Denny come to Eliot Montessori.
“Denny's presence was reassuring, competent, confident, productive, and entirely positive for the school… Denny retrieved the school from a difficult place and gave the entire community confidence to move forward again. … I would recommend him as a head of school in a heartbeat.”
“Denny did an effective job repairing fragile relationships with teaching staff and parents. He communicated openly and frequently with the entire school community, and took responsibility for the most difficult and challenging decisions. He worked well with our board and clearly understood his role as interim head, knowing the appropriate times to decide, to guide or to listen.”
“Denny did all of these things while also lending the community a glimpse into who he was. He shared personal experiences and knowledge that allowed us and other community members to develop trust and confidence in his leadership style. His qualities of getting the tasks done, meeting the goals set by the Board, but most importantly sharing his passion of independent school education helped create a prepared environment for our new Head of School. Denny is driven, kind and accessible and yet very focused on his work to build success for the school. We consider his time at our school to have been pivotal and through his guidance we were able to move out of a chaotic and possibly a terminal point in our history toward a new era.”
“As his time at Stoneridge was drawing to a close, Denny did a masterful job of preparing the way for the permanent head of school. He kept the incoming head informed, and provided multiple opportunities for him to meet with faculty, staff, parents, and students. His efforts led to a smooth transition for the start of our new school year.”
“It is my pleasure to wholeheartedly recommend Denny Grubbs to you.” (written by the Chair of the Board of Trustees)
In terms of our own transition period, Bill O’Hearn has continued to be generous with his time and will help with Denny's orientation during the month of July. With these Eliot knowledge/wisdom “downloads” from Bill, Denny will be ready to hit the ground running on August 3. We will provide abundant opportunities for families to meet Denny – stay tuned for more information.
In the meantime, have a wonderful, relaxing summer and we look forward to seeing you all in the fall!
On behalf of the Eliot Montessori Board of Trustees,
Laurel Lyle
Chair, Search Committee
Enjoy the Summer! See You in September!
 |
| |
DEVELOPMENT NEWS
Going, Going, Gone!
The Spring Fling Auction closed with a bang at 9:00 PM on Friday evening, May 15th, at a wonderful “close of auction” celebration, hosted by Amy Harris and Jim Merullo! Bidding continued until the last possible minute, with spirited bidding for very popular items, such as the Wasik’s Cheese Party and parking at Farm Pond. The auction grossed $14,652 and all proceeds will be used for the operations of our school.
I want to thank Amy and Jim for hosting the fabulous party. It was a lovely and fun-filled night. I also want to thank everyone who solicited items, donated items, or purchased items. Everyone’s help made our auction a success!
Gail Cirillo, Director of Development
|
| |
ALUMNI REUNION JUNE 9, 2009
|
| |
MORE NEWS
Dear Parents,
This is an e-mail that my friend Peter, who spoke to the Lower El about Guatemala. He received it from someone who attended the event where we gave away some of the soccer balls we bought with money that you donated.
Alan Cohen
Dear Peter,
I wanted you to know that the idea of socc er balls given to Only A Child by the school children has had a ripple effect. My grandson is graduating from high school in May and does not need any material goods. He is a very good soccer player and is passionate about the sport. We were trying to think of a present that we might give him that had a connection to soccer. We thought about the donation of the soccer balls and proceeded in that direction. We have now made a commitment to Only A Child to buy soccer jerseys for the youngsters and to pay for tickets for them to attend a professional soccer game. This all came about because of the gift of soccer balls. Please pass this information on to the children and teachers who started the process; we are indebted to their generous spirit!
Best,
Judy
|
| |
EMPA NEWS
Dear Eliot Families,
We hope that you have had a wonderful school year!
On Sunday, May 31st, EMPA organized a party for Bill O’Hearn, in conjunction with the Admissions Office. This event took the place of the annual Pizza & Popsicles party and was loads of fun. This was EMPA’s final activity of the school year, and it was a good one, despite the weather!
We would like to take this opportunity to thank the many volunteers who have helped with events throughout the year. From enrichments, fundraising, the book fair, and coffees, to family events, kids’ nights, and parents-only gatherings, we could never have pulled any of it off without our phenomenal community. We would also like to thank the room parents for their work. You are vital aids to the teachers throughout the year. Thank you all for your efforts!
Looking ahead to next year, we invite you to participate in any way that you can. There are many areas in which we will be looking for volunteers, including Enrichments, Fundraising, Kids’ Events (e.g. Karaoke Night, Story Night), and Parent Socials. In addition, we always welcome new (or re-visited) ideas. If you think of something, talk to us and we’ll figure out how to make it work!
Before signing off, we would like to say a fond farewell to our graduating and departing families. We will miss you. Thank you for all that you have brought to our community. Good luck in your next educational adventure!
Finally, we would like to wish Bill O’Hearn the best of luck in his move back to The Ross School. We will miss you terribly – you have been wonderful to work with, talk with, joke with, and see each day. Your love for our children and the school has been so evident over the past years. Your compassion has enhanced the “magic” at Eliot Montessori. We know that it is your family’s gain to have you much closer to home, but your absence will be felt here. Good luck and be well!
Have a FANTASTIC summer, everyone! Play hard and enjoy the warm months! We look forward to seeing you back at Eliot in the fall.
Regards,
Laurie Davis and Ruth Calka
Co-Chairs, EMPA
|
| |
LATIN NEWS
The Roman banquet at the Eliot Montessori School is a biennial event. As part of the Latin curriculum, students prepare a research assignment on a character from history that they then role-play during the banquet. Costumes and table manners in Latin are part of the activity.
This year, on June 1, the weather was cooperative as the eclectic group walked to Elm Bank double file, led by the Roman standard bearer. The traditional felt banner features the symbolic eagle and the letters S P Q R.
Among the guests who were greeted at Carthage (aka Elm Bank) by Queen Dido herself (aka Sra. Klein) were Hannibal; the emperors Nero, Julius, and Octavius; Cicero; Euripides; Aesop; Agrippina the Elder; Cleopatra; Penelope, wife of Ulysses; Romulus and his brother Remus, the second king of Rome; Numa Pompilius, the notable Pompey; Marc Anthony; Quintus Fabius Maximus; and the treacherous Atreus. Also in the entourage were Caesar Chaparoneus (aka Mr. Morant) and the beautiful Helen of Troy (aka Miss Morse)
The picnic blanket was spread out in the shade of a beautiful beech tree and students took turns introducing their persona and fielding questions about their exploits. Treats such as panis, mel, uvae, malae, ficus and caseus were passed around (bread, honey, grapes, apples, figs and cheese).
Following this peaceful repast, the guests proceeded to the formal gardens, where there was a photo opportunity with the goddesses Flora, Pomona and Ceres. A few, brief skits ensued before the return walk to the Eliot campus.
|
| |
KINDERGARTEN EVENTS...
The Kindergarten classes wishing Ms. Golden a speedy recovery!
|
| |
LOWER EL NEWS...
Mrs. Green's Class
Mrs. Green’s Lower El students held a Mystery History Biography in May. Each student researched and prepared a biography of an artist, musician, or writer and many dressed up as the person they had researched. Guests who visited the classroom had to ask each student for clues and then guess the subject of the biography. Some were real stumpers!
|
| |
UPPER EL NEWS
Boston University Sargent Center
for Outdoor Education
In May, Upper Elementary students traveled to Boston University’s Sargent Center for Outdoor Education on Halfmoon Pond in New Hampshire for hands-on lessons in ecology, geology, outdoor skills, team-building and leadership. They learned trail and outdoor skills, including how to light a fire, build a shelter, and construct a catamaran. The students also had an exciting time on the ropes course!
|
| |
MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS...
Graduation
June 9, 2009
Congratulations Graduates!
|
| |
EVEN MORE NEWS...
H20 for Life
This year, the Middle School raised money for a community service project called H2O for Life. The organization pairs a 3rd world country school with an American school and the American school raises money to help that school obtain clean drinking water and sanitation. They are a relatively small organization, but they are currently sponsoring almost one hundred schools. Eliot was paired with the Kayafunga public school system in southern Kenya. The Middle School raised $750 by selling scarves and sandwiches, which will be matched by the H2O organization, meaning a total of $1,500 will be given to the Kenyan school.
By Evan Lyle
|
| |
FIELD DAY JUNE 2009
|
| |
|
| |
|
