We have one more opportunity for our

strings students to shine on stage. Don’t miss

our May 10th concert at The Master’s Bible

Church beginning at 6:30 pm. This is our final

gift to parents and our community to show you

how far our students have progressed in their

musical skills since the beginning of the school

year.

Information will be coming home in a few

days about our dress rehearsal and performance.

Parents — please continue to encourage your

student to practice at home. We know this is

the time of year when kids get “spring fever”

and we need your help to keep them motivated

and finishing well!

Kristina would like to thank all of our parent

volunteers as well as teachers and staff for a

great year of working together. She couldn’t do

all that she does without dedicated teachers and

parents who work behind the scenes ensuring

students practice and get to lessons on time.

Roadrunner academic excellence … personal growth … small school environment

A publication of Sedona Charter School

K-8 Tuition-free Montessori School

Writing: SCS Staff and GC members

Design & Editing: Jane Cathcart

Apex Fun Run

Classroom Updates

Concert Preparation

Alumni News

Letter From the President

Leadership. Fitness. Fundraising.

Now don’t let that last word scare you

off, keep reading! Your students have

been talking all week about the Pep Rally

on April 26th to kick off our two-week

Apex Fun Run. Because we believe that

every child can make a difference in our

school and in the world, and that serving

others brings the greatest joy in life, we

ask for your help with this amazing event!

Students are excited as they learn by

doing and get much needed exercise in

the process. The Apex Fun Run combines

the power of a strong character

curriculum with fitness that is fun.

This is a great fundraiser and it’s

different from the rest! Donors are

encouraging children to run and get

healthy. They are rewarding hard work

and perseverance. During the two-week

event you’ll see our amazing Apex team

leaders running around campus all day

long promoting the fundraiser. Their

lessons are short and to the point, yet they

see every student every day and promote

fitness, fun and character.

Student Pledge kits went home on

April 26th and we are challenging

students to raise pledges for the laps

they will run on May 5th. Students will

run for 30 short minutes and average 26-

36 laps. Sponsors may pledge any

amount per lap and will receive access

codes to donate online. Our goal is to

have EVERYONE involved and

cheering on our runners at 9 am on race

day, May 5th. Parents, please set aside

the time and come out to watch and

support the school and the students. We

promise, it will be amazing!

The Apex Fun Run allows students

to realize that they are helping the

school, and working hard for it. All

money raised during the event will go

toward classroom improvements. We

still need a few more enthusiastic

volunteers to cheer on students and

mark laps. If you would like to

participate, please contact Susana at

602.373.7052. Don’t miss it!

In Montessori classrooms for younger ages, the Practical Life Center is in an obvious place. Students learn pouring from larger vessels, using silverware, cleaning their work areas and even washing dishes. They are also taught the basics of grace and courtesy: saying “please” and “thank you,” tucking in a chair, or holding a door open. In the upper elementary, practical life skills center around all of what we do as students build on their lower elementary experiences. Students not only take on more responsibilities both inside and outside the classroom, they also expand their grace and courtesy skills, progressing from merely saying “please” and “thank you” to learning how to make an apology, or carefully thinking before telling a joke that might hurt someone’s feelings. In addition, students are communicating more and more via social media. It is important for parents to talk with their pre-teens at home and work with them in all of these critical areas of life. Sometimes when parents request more homework, we encourage them to engage their child in practical life activities at home that foster responsibility and independence. For instance, students can learn to wash a cooking pot ‘til it shines, or practice the skills involved in walking and feeding their dog. Some people call these chores, but we know them to be essential practical life skills. Working alongside your child to plant and care for a garden or wash your car, or checking the oil is invaluable. There are many life skills that can replace academic homework: sewing, knitting, doing laundry, cleaning bathrooms, changing furnace filters, reading books to younger siblings … the list goes on and on. Whether baking and frosting a cake or knitting a scarf, UE students want to know they make a difference. As our class works on planning our “big trip,” we are teaching students that planning and follow through are important life skills. The sixth years have been washing mess kits and sorting through camping gear. This engages them as a “drivers” more than just “passengers” on life’s road. The elements required for working together and modeling responsibility from older to younger students is irreplaceable. As they work together in groups, children are better able to focus on and understand each member’s unique abilities. They begin to learn and grow and function as a team as they realize the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. While the specific activities will change over time, these lessons are equally important in the upper elementary, middle school and even high school years. Thank you for the honor of working with your children on these skills that are tantamount for humanity.

The school year is almost complete, and we are preparing for our year end celebration on Thursday, May 26th at 6 pm. We have spent the entire year facilitating a sense of self-confidence in our students and encouraging them to develop relationships and enjoy learning. This special program gives us all a few moments to cherish and appreciate the growth and progress your children have made this year. While the faces change, the structure of our celebration remains the same; not because we are stuck in a rut, but because the program has stood the test of time showing parents and friends the accomplishments of the year. It’s not just about academics, it’s about life. By involving our students in the planning, preparation and execution of this event, they gain practical life skills for the days and years ahead. You may have noticed we send home very few examples of student work during the year, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t working hard! Teachers and students are

busy putting the final touches on Student Portfolios that show achievements, growth and progress from the first day of school to the last. This is a great keepsake celebrating the year’s projects and activities. It’s kind of cool to look back on your LE accomplishments when you are graduating from high school! “Allemande left and do-si-do, swing your partner, round she goes!” In addition to playing recorders and singing, you won’t want to miss our square dancing! Through dance, students learn how to interact with others and the proper way to respect and touch their partner. Dance improves their social and communication skills, fosters teamwork and develops a greater sense of trust and cooperation. Students demonstrate their ability to listen and follow directions as the Caller directs dancers through a variety of routines and steps. Dancing is a great way to help students relax in front of an audience. Our Third Years are reflecting back and working hard on their “Rite of Passage” speeches, memorizing their material and

gaining poise speaking in front of a group. In addition to recognizing what they’ve learned and thanking the people who have helped them along the way, they are saying goodbye to the LE community (shaking Bob’s hand) and looking forward to new and bigger adventures in the UE classroom (greeting their new Principal Educator, Lisa Hirsch). Our celebration of learning ends with the children singing “Moving Right Along” from the Muppet Movie – a song which describes the Muppets’ quest to find California and their place in life. It seems a fitting end to yet another great year in the LE classroom.

“Moving right along, nice town!

Footloose and fancy-free, You're ready for the big time...

Is it ready for me?”

There’s something about a girl named MARIA

When Maria Montessori was born on August 30, 1870, girls were not permitted to attend public schools. A girl’s family, and the Catholic Church, determined her education. However, by the time Maria turned 7 yrs old, that all changed and she was one of the first females in Italy to attend a public school. Even though Dr. Montessori is known as an innovative educator, she was also the first female doctor in Italy. It is reported that she had to get permission from the Pope to go to medical school. After graduating at the top of her class and winning many scholarships and awards, she specialized in psychiatry. During her residency, she worked in mental institutions, where she was overwhelmed at the plight of handicapped, poor and developmentally delayed children. This fueled her passion to find better methods for teaching the underprivileged. As a result, she developed her own educational materials and methods and opened her first Children’s House in a ghetto in Rome. Today, we still benefit from her profound understanding of how infants and young children learn. In fact, many of her methods and theories, are being confirmed and rediscovered today.

What do they all have in common?

Metamorphosis. If you’ve never had the pleasure of watching a tadpole change into a frog or a caterpillar change into a butterfly, I can tell you that it’s a difficult process. Tadpoles go from swimming creatures with gills to hopping creatures who breathe air and eat insects. It’s not an easy transformation to make. There is a stage when the poor creature can’t do anything very well, swimming, hopping or even eating! In fact, a caterpillar's transformation is so awkward that it builds a cocoon around itself for protection and privacy.

So what about kids? The transformation from child to adult is equally difficult for our species. We call that transformation adolescence, and it takes us years to complete. At this age young people aren’t children anymore, but they aren’t adults either. This can be a very confusing time, especially in the early stages of adolescence. Maria Montessori knew that this was a time of rapid transformation, and her observations have been backed up by modern studies on the adolescent brain.

Just like the tadpole and the caterpillar, early adolescence is not only a

time when bodies are going through maturation, but brains are undergoing a major reorganization as well. Can you remember what it was like to have your body and brain in such a state of confusion?

However, unlike tadpoles and caterpillars, our young people don’t have the options to stop eating or lock themselves away from the world during this stage of life. They must continue to live and grow exposed to all the challenges we face.

As adults and teachers, then, it is our job to nourish and protect early adolescents. Our Middle School program is based upon this knowledge of human development and we design our daily activities keeping it in mind. Early adolescence is a unique time of life that requires a unique environment, one built specifically for safe exploration and maturation. At Sedona Charter School, we understand the daily struggles that our students face and we design our small classrooms to meet those needs. Our specially trained teachers strive to provide a safe, understanding atmosphere where

adolescents have freedom to learn and mature into

productive adults.

Hello everyone:

May is a big month for SCS.

Our 8th graders are preparing to leave

the school and some friends whom they

have known, in some cases, for many

years. It is important to remember that

transitioning out of elementary school is

just as significant as transitioning into high

school. Gone will be that sense of safe

space and old friends and teachers. This is

the first big move from childhood into a

different space where there will be new

friends to make and new teachers to get to

know. We who remain here are proud of

our graduates and want them to know that

just because they are moving on, they will

not have moved out of our hearts. We are

still interested in how they are doing and

look forward to hearing from them.

For those who are finishing the year

and moving up to new grades, it is

important to finish the year well. May is

the final push for the year and school

continues normally until Friday, May

27th. It would be foolish to disregard 10%

of your education this year just because it

is spring and the last month. Your teachers

have much to give you even in May. Soak

it all up.

Finally, parents, the Fun Run is a

crucial fundraiser for the school and

an important learning opportunity for your

child. Please become involved in the

lessons and in looking for sponsors. If

SCS is to thrive, it takes all of us. Thank

you for your participation.

Maureen Nealon, President

Sedona Charter School

Governing Council

The kids do a wonderful job of showing appreciation every day, but I love

reading the notes they give us during Teacher Appreciation Week. Knowing that

they took the time to sit down and compose a letter to me means a great deal, and

what they write is surprising and touching. I also love the variety of home-

cooked food people bring in for us, and the flowers and gifts make it a festive

uplifting week!

final

Classroom Updates

Year End Wrap-Up

Alumni Highlights

Fundraising Opportunities

contact us at 928-204-6464

www.sedonacharterschool.com

Lower Elementary: Bob and Terri Wentsch, Katarina Houser, Amy Tedrick,

Dolores Biermann, Meri Thomason

Upper Elementary: Lisa Hirsch, Bill Baker, Maija Alanen, Lucy Schwill (SPED),

Jacquie Randall, Beverly Black

Middle School: Jenn Jordan, Tim Marsh

Administration: Alice Madar, Katie Austin, Noelle Reeves

Title I and Strings: Teri Lechowski, Kristina Beachell

Our Montessori school challenges each

child to achieve excellence through an individualized

program. We inspire a passion for learning, instill a sense

of personal responsibility, and cultivate a respect for the

environment and involvement in the community.

165 Kachina Drive Sedona, AZ 86336

Jonathan Burgueno attended Sedona

Charter School from 3rd to 8th grade,

graduating in 2001—just before the school

moved to its permanent campus on

Kachina Drive. He remembers the school

as free-form, fostering independent

learning in the context of an integrated

curriculum, with frequent collaborative

projects. There was always something to

be working on. His teacher for four years,

Michelle Price, challenged him and pushed

him to constantly grow and expand his

skills.

“It seemed like we gave presentations

in the classroom almost every week,” he

says, which helped boost his comfort level

with public speaking and performing.

Moving on to Sedona Red Rock High

school, he found he was well-prepared and

able to adapt to a variety of settings. He

began interning at KAZM and worked as a

radio personality there for 5 years.

Jonathan enjoyed radio work so much that

he considered a career in broadcast

journalism while attending Northern Arizona

University. But he found the call to business

was stronger. In 2006 he joined a mortgage

brokerage firm in Sedona—and he has been

at it ever since. Now he works for Pinnacle

Capital Mortgage—and both his sisters have

joined him in the business.

“I like the residential mortgage business,”

says Jonathan. “It’s challenging and fun at

the same time and I get to help people buy

homes.” It has also allowed him to stay in

Sedona while growing financially,

purchasing and developing properties in the

Verde Valley.

When asked what advice he has for

current Sedona Charter School

students, Jonathan says, “Take

advantage of the numerous

opportunities that become available to

you—don’t be afraid to try new

things!”

Jonathan Burgueno

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