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N A T I O N A L N E W S L E T T E R |
 Regional News |
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November/December 2005 The end of year is almost in sight with most of us frazzled to the bone and looking forward to a well-deserved l-o-n-g break. Once again, despite physical and mental fatigue (and in some cases ill health) brought on by the rigors of working in a school – especially at year end with its extra load – the members of the National Executive made the time to meet to discuss the SAMA events of the past month and the near future. I am sure you will join me in thanking them for the time and energy they pour into serving the Montessori community in SA so that we all benefit. This month's meeting was a telephonic conference call on Tuesday 15 November at 19h00 lasting two hours, in spite of the preparation each member had put in prior to the meeting. I suppose having so many 'irons in the fire' is bound to require co-ordination! The highlights of the meeting are outlined hereunder. SAMA Accreditation for Pre-schools Two main points seem to be emerging from discussions at special interest group (SIG) meetings throughout the country, these being, the question of the cost of the actual accreditation (R3000 per school) and the definitions pertaining to some of the items, for example, there has been a question of what constitutes 'a fair representation of Montessori materials in the environments'. Firstly, when the Exco had to decide on how and who would conduct the 'inspection', it was decided that to achieve the most fair and consistent results, a team of two qualified directresses, with more than 5 years of 'hands on' teaching experience from outside regions, i.e. not from the same geographical region as the school being accredited, would do the accreditation. It was also decided that these people would be paid a fair rate for their time and that their travelling, accommodation and subsistence costs would be covered so that the whole experience would be as professional as required. Since SAMA would have to co-ordinate the findings and manage the accreditation, the administration costs it incurred would have to be recovered - a small admin fee was calculated and added into the overall costing. It was then decided that to spread the cost of travelling (mostly airfares) a minimum of three schools per region would have to be accredited in a single session and that if the region was very small SAMA would reduce this number of schools to two and recover the shortfall from other fundraising efforts. Taking all these costs into account the cost to the school of R3000 is certainly not excessive especially since accreditation could be valid for 5 years! Secondly, the initial accreditation document was modelled on that used by AMS. This took 2 years to modify to reflect local SA conditions and to be tested by several schools under varying conditions and circumstances. In implementing the accreditation process though, it appears that additional explanation to the items is required to clarify the intention. The Exco unanimously agreed that an addendum of explanation would be drawn up and made available. This addendum will also contain a list of essential Montessori didactic materials (compiled by several Montessori training institutions) required to successfully implement the Montessori Method of Education for the 3-6 environment. The addendum will be available early next year. If you feel that you would like to complete the accreditation document during the December holidays, before the addendum is published, please do not hesitate to contact me on 082 602 4427 if you have any queries. National Fundraisers Another question that seems to be common at SIG meetings is how SAMA will use the money raised through fundraising efforts such as the Child Levy. As detailed in the last National Newsletter, the money raised will go towards: 1. Funding a National Advertising campaign to raise public awareness of Montessori and dispel the common belief that Montessori is a franchise – the most common misconception about Montessori! 2. Promoting Montessori and Member Schools at regional expos and parent information evenings 3. Continuing the development of the SAMA website 4. Setting up and maintaining a SAMA office instead of expecting those that work on the exco and office to pay SAMA expenses from their own pockets. As you can see, money generated that is extra to membership fees will be spent to directly benefit YOU the SAMA member! T-Shirt Sales SAMA was able to place a print order for 350 T-shirts that were ordered by about 25 schools. Thank you to those schools that participated. SAMA was able to make a profit of about R5 700 which will go towards refunding some of the Exco members for the SAMA expenses they have carried for a while now. We have negotiated an extension on the printing price for lower print quantities so please keep your orders coming. Attached is an order form if you still want to order the "Follow me... I'm a Montessori Child" T-shirts. When sufficient orders have been received a bulk order will be sent to printer and confirmation will be sent to all who ordered. Child Levy A friendly reminder to member schools that as of January 2006, the payment of the Child Levy is compulsory. Enclosed herewith are the Parent letter and the Levy payment return for your convenience. Special Indemnity Forms for Montessori Practical Life Area Apologies for a typo error in the last newsletter! SAMA has a special indemnity form available to members at R150 (not R250) specifically for the Practical Life area which all Montessori schools have and are usually fraught with potential hazards. Please contact Tina-Lynn on 072 609 5979 or email: admin@samontessori.org.za for a copy. Policies and Procedures CD Set During the month you should have received a notice about this CD set – an invaluable tool if you are a school owner/principal or going to have your school SAMA accredited. The cost is R300 per CD or R500 for the set. Some of the procedures and policies listed are... Abolition of Corporal Punishment Act, Admissions Policy to Public Schools, Basic Conditions of Employment Act, Childhood Diseases Act, Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act, Copyright Act, Draft Policy on Drug Abuse, Education Amendment Laws 1997 and 1999, Education Amendment Laws 2005, Handbook for Educators by ELRU (492 pages of almost everything!), Employment Equity Act, Employment of Educators Act, Guide to Inclusion, HIV Emergency: Guidelines for Educators and Principals, Labour Relations Act, Language in Education Policy, Occupational Health and Safety Act, Religion in Education Policy, SA Schools Act 1996, Public Access to Information Act Guide – English, SACE Act, Skills Development Act, Smoking Policy for Schools, UIF Act, UMALUSI Information (as at October 2005), White Paper Six, Useful Websites and many more! Please contact Tina-Lynn on 072 609 5979 or email: admin@samontessori.org.za to order. Montessori Recommended Curriculum A SAMA curriculum committee have compiled a Montessori Recommended Curriculum for ages 3-12 and incorporated all the outcomes required in the Revised National Curriculum Statement. This CD should be ready by early next year and is a MUST for any school who has Grade R and primary school children. The CD will sell for R1000 for 3-9 with an additional R500 for 9-12 and is available to SAMA Institutional members only. Payments to SAMA All payments can be made by cheque sent to: The Treasurer, PO Box 16968 LYTTELTON 0140. Cheques must be made payable to "SA Montessori Association", or funds can be deposited into: Standard Bank Account # 015 429377, Centurion Branch (012-645) Deposit slips must please indicate clearly what the payment is for and must be sent to fax number 012 664 6681. Regional Representative Johannesburg Due to pressure of work, study, a young family and a baby on the way Jessica Vivier has had to resign from the SAMA Executive. Exco takes full responsibility for, also, not having spent sufficient time with Jessica to ensure that she was fully in the know of all Exco's activities and strategies. A concerted effort will be made not to let this happen again. The Exco wishes to thank Jessica for her time and input and hope that the impetus that had been built up in the Johannesburg area continues. This vacancy, Regional Representative for the Johannesburg area, urgently needs to be filled. If you are computer literate and think you would like to serve the SA Montessori community and have some spare time and energy PLEASE urgently let Susanne van Niekerk on 082 9003192 know. SAMA Member Benefits Co-ordinator The Exco appointed Susanne van Niekerk (Pre-school Representative on Exco) as the Member Benefits co-ordinator. Susanne is currently compiling a list of Montessori suppliers who are willing to extend members discounts on purchases and lists of other Montessori service providers. If you are in ANY doubt as to what SAMA Members are entitled to PLEASE contact Susanne on 082 900-3192 or susannev@mweb.co.za. Parent Information Booklets (A Handbook for Montessori Parents) Su Cunningham has compiled a beautifully informative booklet for distribution to parents and is in the process of completing it with pictures and all! Proceeds will be for SAMA's fundraising effort. I have added R50 to my schools registration fee for new children to cover the cost because I'd really like ALL the parents in my school to know what a wonderful system their child is exposed to! All too often I find that parents choose my school for their child because of reasons unrelated to Montessori – what a pity! The Parent Handbook is also an excellent means of informing the general public on what they can expect from a Montessori school – perhaps also include a list of SAMA member schools? The booklet will be available early next year. The SAMA Website Work on the website continues to limp along but is nearing completion. You will receive special notification when it is up and operational. Please remember that only SAMA MEMBER schools and Training Institutions will be listed! SAMA Conference and AGM Please diarize 28 and 29 April for the conference and AGM, 30 April for full day workshops and 1 and 2 May for management training for school owners and principals. This is the highlight of the SAMA calendar and an expo not to be missed. The venue is in Centurion Gauteng. You can contact Joanne Schimper on 082 486 2076 if you want to know anything about the conference. The Conference Committee have completed the Conference 2006 programme and the Exco have approved it. The speakers are presently responding to the invitations but there is still time for you to notify us if you know of any dynamic, speakers with powerful messages to deliver. Conclusion In concluding, the SAMA National Executive Committee is there to implement the wishes of the members. If there are activities you think ought to be considered that are not being catered for or reflected in the activities above, please let me know. This will be the last National Newsletter for the 2005 year. The SAMA National Executive wishes you and yours peace and goodwill over the holidays and whatever you are celebrating do so safely! We look forward to a successful 2006. This quotation seems to sum up the essence of this Christmas period: "As you continue to send out love, the energy returns to you in a regenerating spiral... As love accumulates, it keeps your system in balance and harmony. Love is the tool, and more love is the end product." Sara Paddison, Hidden Power of the Heart Jenny Miller • SAMA President • 082 602 4427 • email: jlm@iafrica.com 
"Whoever touches the life of the child touches the most sensitive point of a whole which
has roots in the most distant past and climbs toward the infinite future." –
(Maria Montessori)National Dates to Diarize SAMA National Conference and Annual General Meeting Friday 28 and Saturday 29 April 2006 Venue: The Church on the Hill, Centurion, Gauteng Contact: Joanne Schimper on 082 468 2076 or Hanlie Oosthuizen on 083 632 9175 SAMA National Conference Workshops Dates: Sunday 30 April 2006 Venue: Village Montessori, Centurion Contact: Joanne Schimper on 082 468 2076 or Hanlie Oosthuizen on 083 632 9175 SAMA Management Training Workshops Dates: Monday 1 May and Tuesday 2 May 2006 Venue: Village Montessori, Centurion Contact: Joanne Schimper on 082 468 2076 or Hanlie Oosthuizen on 083 632 9175 |
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