UPDATE: Thanks to everyone’s support we raised nearly $17,000 for ARCH!!
NEWS RELEASE
MEADOW PARK MONTESSORI SCHOOL HOSTS AN EVENING IN SUPPORT OF ARCH
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The students, staff and families of Meadow Park Montessori School have announced that their 2014 charity funding drive will be hosted on Saturday March 22nd at the Comfort Suites and Conference Centre at 229 Great Northern Road. All proceeds will be in support of Algoma Residential Community Hospice (ARCH) in memory of Rick MacLeod.
An Evening For ARCH will include a cocktail social hour featuring the jazz duo of Frank Deresti and Jay Case, followed by dinner, live auction with Vernon Bailey and more live music and dancing with Thin Ice. Tickets are $60.00.
Meadow Park Montessori’s principal Tricia Harding says, “It was during a visit with Rick at ARCH with some of my staff members that moved us. It gave us a much greater appreciation of the dedication and care provided by the support staff at our community hospice. They provide a genuinely comforting atmosphere for their residents, their families and visiting guests.”
ARCH is a community-based organization committed to providing support and practical help for people and their families who are facing a progressive and life-threatening illness. They provide holistic care that encompasses physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs.
While exploring their love of music, the students at Meadow Park Montessori School have adopted a newfound appreciation for some good time rock n’ roll.
Over the course of several weeks the students were introduced to a variety of styles of music and the school staff were immediately confronted with constant requests for a “Rock N’ Roll Party.” Although the children pleaded until their teachers conceded, the party did not evolve without a lot of hard work on the part of the students and staff.
If the children wanted a rock n’ roll party, they first needed to form their own band and after some deep thought “The Metal Insets” were born (named after one of their favourite work materials). Press kit photos and posters were then printed to promote their event.
The rock clad students who arrived for the party discovered that their classroom had been transformed into a rock stage with a drum kit, guitars, amps, keyboards, microphones, a P.A. system and lighting rigs. With all of that, the set was designed to begin the filming of The Metal Insets first music video to the soundtrack of Wilco’s “Just A Kid.”
The Breton House Receives Early Christmas Surprise From Santa’s Little Helpers
The residents and staff at the Breton House. a shelter and substance addiction recovery home for women in Sault Ste. Marie, were pleasantly surprised and thankful for the early dose of Christmas joy that was delivered to them late last week.
The two, three and four year old students at nearby Meadow Park Montessori School had been busy since mid-November in planning their first ever holiday charity/donation drive. In an effort to help the young students understand the true meaning of giving during the holiday season, head directress Tricia Harding had been working closely with the children and their parents to raise donations for families in need.
One of the primary foundations of a Montessori program is to keep an active involvement in the local community. The students and teachers chose to support the Breton House because of its close proximity to their school and because many of the residents and visitors to the home had children the same age as the students at the school.
On the morning of Friday December 12th, 2008 the students loaded over 70 wrapped presents and boxed their collected donations onto toboggans and hand delivered the food, books, games, clothing, jewelry and bath products, along with the corporate donations they’ve received in support of their endeavours, to the Breton House. The children even delivered a turkey so the residents of Breton House could enjoy a nice Christmas dinner.
Meadow Park Montessori Students Clean Up Neighbourhood for Earth Day
The lights remained off inside Meadow Park Montessori School and the morning went on as usual before lessons were taken outdoors today and the three and four year-old students learned the significance of protecting and appreciating the environment that surrounds them. In celebration of Earth Day, the students discussed energy conservation, the importance of recycling and placing litter in its proper place and the benefits of composting.
With their newfound knowledge the students eagerly set out to make their environment a better place by going out into the neighbourhood and cleaning up discarded bottles, cans, coffee cups, paper containers, etc.
Their hard work, time and effort filled several garbage bags with litter and for the children, keeping the Earth clean was an enjoyable experience and hardly felt like work at all.
With their neighbourhood looking a bit cleaner, the students focused their Earth Day attention to beautifying their school yard by maintaining the trees and gardens and preparing for the arrival of their tulips with some water, love and care.
On a side note, some of the parents elected to walk their children to school before continuing on to work without their vehicle in their effort to support Earth Day.