March 2009

Birth Pangs....

We have made a formal application to a local church to use part of their ground floor premises as a base for our new school. Several aspects of the process are happening concurrently: the Church Council are considering our application for a licence and the Archdeacon is responsible for issuing the faculty. We will need to work around other users of the premises and much of our equipment will need to be stored away on some evenings and at weekends.

If we are successful in our application we will have access to sufficient space for three small classes, with limited storage and an outdoor garden area. In line with Montessori philosophy the classes will be for children aged 3-6 years, 6-9 years and 9-12 years.

At present we are updating our policies, procedures, insurance, fees, terms, conditions, timetables and diary dates. We are looking at a starting date of September 2009.

As soon as we have confirmation we will open the 'real' waiting list. Many of you are already on the list having watched and waited patiently during our premises search. Now is an excellent time for any of you with professional skills - architecture, accountancy, garden design, food technology, web design, graphic design, furnishings, storage etc.,  to give advice and encouragement to our endeavours.

During the last few weeks I have interviewed several prospective teachers. If you are interested in joining us, either as a qualified Montessori teacher, a graduate specialist (music/art/astronomy etc), bursar, housekeeper, gardener or indeed 'clerk of works', please drop me a line by email or call me on 07710 433 994. There will be many part-time and voluntary opportunities to enable our students to participate in practical life activities on an ongoing basis.

In addition to the regular classes, the intention is to hold parent and toddler classes for children aged 0-3 years. There will also be regular workshops for our parents and interested others, including the home-schooling families who have waited so patiently.

with kind wishes

Wendy Fidler

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9th December 2008

More church halls!

I have been invited to check out three local halls and they all have potential as a venue for our small school. If we do go down this route a decision will need to be made quite soon as leasing can be complicated and time consuming. 

If you have any other ideas for our venue please let me know as soon as possible. You can text or call on 07710 433 994 or send an email via this website. I have also added a mailing list to the website so please sign up for this.

After Christmas I will be starting some Montessori workshops for adults and children because there are quite a few home educating families who require this option.

In January I am attending a Montessori Congress in Chennai (formerly Madras). This coincides with the 70th anniversary of Montessori education in India.

Seasonal greetings to everyone!

kind wishes

Wendy Fidler

 

 

4th November 2008

Enquiries are really hotting up now

I have been enquiring about church halls as a possible venue for our small school. One local church has some spare capacity for two mornings and three afternoons - depending on whether the caretaker agrees. An unusual arrangement, but not impossible.

If you have links to a community hall, or similar, in the Blackheath/Kidbrooke/Greenwich area would you enquire about their spare capacity please?

If we do decide on this option we could have a 'soft start' to school in the new year and may not need to wait until September 2009.

kind wishes

Wendy

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October 7th 2008

Every cloud has a silver lining!

I have been to see some potential premises for our new school - one especially lovely small building housed in a private garden looks exciting - and lots more 'to let' boards are popping up around Blackheath and Greenwich due to the economic downturn.

If you know of any potential premises please do get in touch as soon as you can. We will need planning permission and will need to register as an independent school - the latter will need to be in place by about April.

Ideally premises which have already been used for 'education' would speed things up.

A few weeks ago I went to Frederick, Maryland to attend a conference on Autism from a Montessori perspective - it was really interesting to compare notes with our colleagues from 'across the pond'. Each state in the USA takes a different approach to special needs; I found that the provision on the East Coast varied widely from what I had observed last year when I was invited to speak about Asperger Syndrome to Montessori Schools in California.

I get lots of special needs queries from Montessori teachers and parents around the world and just at the moment there are many about Down Syndrome. If you or someone you know has experience of teaching children with Down Syndrome in Montessori please get in touch and we can share notes.

If you are coming to the Montessori Europe Conference this weekend it will be great to connect with you. I hope there will be a message board. My text number is 07710 433 994.

Best wishes

Wendy

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Following the success of Wildwood Montessori in Lancashire, Wendy Fidler is currently seeking premises in the Blackheath, Greenwich, Docklands area. Wendy has a growing waiting list for the new school which will initially be for children aged 2-12 years. The planned starting date for the new school is September 2009.

Wildwood Montessori is for children of all abilities and we have a range of articles, written by Wendy, about children's success with learning in Montessori schools.

Interest is both local and international with many familes relocating from overseas, so it is worth asking whether you have skills which can help us with business planning, charitable status, funding and premises.

What we are looking for is ground floor accessible rooms with adjoining garden area. This could be a disused school, new build or ground floor rooms in a large house/home. Please contact Wendy Fidler on 0208 858 4368 or 07710 433 994 or email on wwoodmontessori@aol.com for more information.