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| Dear Executive,
Happy 30th Anniversary!
Having served Montessorians in the Pittsburgh area
since 1979, Greater Pittsburgh Montessori Society (GPMS) presents
the Spring 2009 issue of our E-Newsletter, Montessori Messenger.
Read, click and explore! |
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Spring 2009 Meeting
Montessori Film Festival
Pass the popcorn! We'll screen and discuss titles from the GPMS Media Library. Did
you know that GPMS members can borrow these DVDs for
free? Come give them a look. One of them might be
the perfect complement to the in-service or parent-education event your
school is planning.
For current GPMS members, there is no charge to attend ($15 for non-members).
When you e-mail us to RSVP for this event, please include the following information in the body of your message:
NAME
MAILING ADDRESS
PHONE NUMBER
EMAIL ADDRESS
SCHOOL AFFILIATION, if any
ROLE (teacher, assistant, administrator, student, parent, other)
LEVEL (infant/toddler, 3-6, 6-9, 9-12, other)
MONTESSORI CERTIFICATION, if any
Make checks payable to: Greater Pittsburgh Montessori Society (GPMS) and mail to:
Greater Pittsburgh Montessori Society
C/O Seth Johnson
1154 Goe Avenue, FL 1
Pittsburgh, PA 15212 |
Fall 2008 Meeting Recap
Music in Montessori Practice
Through this presentation, our speaker Karen Sloneker helped
teachers understand the basics of children's musical development,
and showed us how to support that development in our classrooms.
In addition, we learned some new songs and musical activities
that we could share with our children the next time we saw
them--regardless of our own levels of musical accomplishment. Lots of
active participation illustrated the concepts presented. We
sang and danced the morning away!
In GPMS Recording Secretary Roberta Coutinho's words, "Not having
any musical background, I now realize that you don't need to be a
expert in rhythms or sound, you just need to let yourself be
spontaneous and create a happy and fun noise so the children can begin
to be aware of a beat in the music, distinguishing between loud and
quiet, fast and slow."
GPMS Treasurer Seth Johnson says, "One of the things I took away
from Karen's presentation was the importance of singing with children
on a daily or weekly basis. There are many benefits children get
from participating in musical activities, including language
acquisition, body control, and the development of community.
Research has even shown that singing causes cortisol levels (stress
hormones) to go down.
"The
most important thing, however, is that it doesn't matter how well we
adults sing, it only matters that we do it. Our students and
children will not remember if we were a good singer or not, but they
will remember us singing to and with them. I remember Karen
saying that 'Children enter the world wired to imitate and
interact.' When we sing with our children, everyone's life is
enriched."
To contact Karen for information about her talk--including sheet music for the song Funga Alafia--please click here. For more information about the curriculum and/or specific music presented, please visit Music Together LLC here.
To learn more about the brief presentation Monique Mead gave at this meeting, please click here.
To read a related Expectant Mother's Guide to Pittsburgh
article by GPMS Chairperson Daisy Klaber, please click here. |
Executive Board Announcements
May We Have Your Attention, Please?
Our time is up. Would you like to nominate yourself or someone else to serve a 2009-11 term on the GPMS Executive Board? Let us know!
To determine how you could best help, please see the
Executive Board "job" descriptions later in this issue.
Elections will be held at the end of our Spring 2009 Meeting on
Saturday, March 28th, and an Executive Board Lunch Meeting for 2007-09
and 2009-11 Members will take place that day as well.
Is there
an employment opening at your school? We'd be glad to help you
reach interested applicants by posting a short description of your
position at GPMontessoriSociety.org here.
Does your school have news you'd like to share? Please tell us what's happening.
Would
you like to connect with other GPMS members and Montessorians? Join our
group on the free, Web-based social networking site Facebook.com!
Would your school like to host the GPMS Fall 2009 Meeting? Or do you have a topic or speaker idea? Please let us know.
2007 GPMS Members, please contact Immediate Past Chairperson Peggy Ward to receive, or cast, your 2007 ballot.
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GPMS Leadership Positions Available
What Do Executive Board Members Do?
Roles and Responsibilities These
tasks are not typically completed exclusively by the officers assigned,
but with the assigned officers' bearing responsibility for their
completion. Please note that a great deal of the
GPMS Executive Board's business can be conducted via e-mail.
Chairperson Public Relations and Member Services
- Preside over bi-annual and any other GPMS meetings
- Support and oversee all Board members and their respective responsibilities
- Maintain vision in service of GPMS mission
- Serve as GPMS spokesperson
- Encourage members' submission of proposals to speak at Montessori and education conferences, such as annual convention of PAEYC
- Coordinate reservation, design, and hosting of GPMS exhibit booths at appropriate events, such as annual PAEYC Convention
- Maintain, supply and coordinate members' use of GPMS Media Library
Vice Chairperson Bi-Annual Meetings
- Solicit donations and sponsorship for bi-annual meetings
- Purchase and maintain relevant bi-annual meeting supplies as needed
- Determine and procure speakers' required audio/visual equipment
- Create attendee registration packets and nametags for bi-annual meetings
- Write and distribute sponsor and speaker Thank-You notes
- Photograph speakers and members at bi-annual meetings
Secretary (can be split between a Corresponding Secretary and a Recording Secretary) Communications and Archives
- In cooperation with our Webmaster, maintain
accurate, up-to-date and helpful information and resources on
GPMontessoriSociety.org and GPMS's
Facebook.com group page
- Publish Constant Contact E-Newsletters, bi-annual meeting flyers, membership renewal notices, press releases, etc.
- Investigate, design and purchase any advertising on behalf of GPMS
- Interview speakers and members at bi-annual meetings (in order to gather for material for newsletters, etc.)
- Keep meeting minutes and records
Treasurer Accounting and Finance
- Maintain accurate and up-to-date membership and Website-sponsorship records, and mailing lists
- Distribute member directory to members in November
- Send membership renewal notices in August
- Maintain PNC checking account and checks, register, deposit slips, check card, etc.
- Report and advise on financial status
- Conduct on-site registration and new membership at bi-annual meetings
- Reimburse Board members as needed
- Compensate and/or reimburse speakers as needed
- Coordinate payment of invoices and other charges
All Board Members Vision and Service of Mission
- Create and develop themes and speakers for bi-annual meetings
- Investigate means of serving GPMS members and mission
- Contribute ideas and content for newsletter
- Entertain speakers before and after bi-annual meetings
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What Do You Think?
GPMS Wants To Know
Please help us develop Greater Pittsburgh Montessori Society programs in a way everybody enjoys.
Click here to take our quick, anonymous survey! | |
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It's been our pleasure to serve you and Greater Pittsburgh Montessori education. We wish you continued success and fun.
Sincerely, |
| Your 2007-09 GPMS Executive Board
Daisy Klaber, Chairperson; Roberta Coutinho, Recording Secretary; Seth Johnson, Treasurer
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