Annual Report

Melissa Sariffodeen, President

President’s Message 2023-2024

What a year 2023-2024 turned out to be. We saw so many projects bear fruit and had so much to celebrate within our school community.

During the school year, the Admin team enlisted Platinum Leadership to help refresh the school’s Mission, Vision and Values. We are so grateful to the parents, staff, students and alumni who took the time to provide insights to the facilitators in focus groups, through the online survey, and during phone interviews.

The new statements complement the strategic priorities reconfirmed by the board last year, and we believe they will provide staff, students and parents — and prospective families — a clear picture of the school’s purpose and fundamental commitments. Here’s a link to the incredible video JH teacher Shawn Butler created to help unveil the new statements. If you haven’t already, I highly encourage you to take a few minutes to watch it: https://vimeo.com/1001029280/427503aacf?share=copy

As the school emerged from a massive renovation project at 711 Waterloo St. that included the Elementary Library, the focus of fundraising turned to all other areas of the school. Donations and fundraising events during the 2023-2024 school year raised money for projects and repairs to enhance our students’ learning experiences.

What’s next for the Board

The mandate of our Board of Governors is to ensure the financial health and well-being of the school, and to anticipate future needs that will enable the school to deliver on its mission.

To that end, the Finance Committee has undertaken a capital planning review which includes an evaluation of the school’s current facilities and estimation of future maintenance requirements. We know that our beloved buildings are an integral part of the student experience, and want to ensure our facilities can support the learning environments that are created within them.

This past year the Board welcomed two new members, C. DeMelo and Jessica Da Silva. Longtime board member Ted Middleton ended his tenure on the Board and we are grateful for his contributions over the past few years.

As we prepare for some of our governors to complete their terms next year, we’ll share any opportunities with families via the Buzz newsletter and through the school’s social media accounts. Please help us spread the word about these opportunities by sharing them with your networks. You can also learn more about our board members on the school’s website: https://montessori.on.ca/about/board-of-governors/

The school year is off to a brilliant start, and I am so excited to see what comes of the many activities and projects that are in the works. The board is thankful for the incredible faculty and staff, and appreciate the time and energy they invest to create experiences that inspire compassion and a love of learning for our students.

Warm regards,
Melissa

Melissa Sariffodeen, President
Montessori Academy of London Board of Governors

Highlights and What’s Next

During the 2023-2024 school year we saw the positive impact of investing in the spaces and activities that support our staff, students and families.

Although the 711 Waterloo St. renovations were still in progress at the start of the school year, the patience and flexibility of students, teachers and parents paid off when we opened the doors to our renovated Elementary Library, beautifully updated Lower Elementary 1 classroom, refreshed French room, and new resource spaces and cubbies!

During the year we also improved accessibility at 718 Waterloo St. by adding a ramp at the front of the building, and we began preparations to improve accessibility at our Oxford location with the installation of a new elevator. These beautiful and accessible spaces are prime examples of how generous fundraising support and the sound financial planning of the board combine to ensure we’re investing in spaces that will benefit our students for years to come.

Investing in our people remains a strategic priority for the school, and we continue to provide faculty with opportunities to teach at various levels, take on new roles, and explore different areas. Always looking to the future, school leadership works diligently to ensure our students are supported by professionally trained Montessori teachers and strong teaching teams at all levels.

But it wasn’t only buildings that saw a refresh. There was a big change unveiled last autumn when our Physical Education teachers Dave Ratcliffe and Janet Sargent introduced the school’s new team name: the Montessori Trailblazers! The students were so excited to sport their new team jerseys – and Trailblazer spirit wear.

Ultimately, our Montessori Academy community is where it all comes together. We are inspired by the support we receive and the effort that goes on behind the scenes for the community activities and events we hold each year. At every level of the school, the family socials and events were well-attended and provided fun ways for our community to connect. The Halloween Boo-ling in October, the Winter Fun Fest in February, and the Artisan Market in May all helped raise money for the school’s Annual Appeal. Also in May, Art Expo, held in the beautiful Mercato Room at Brescia, showcased the MA-zing creativity from students in Senior Casa through Junior High. We are so grateful for the faculty, staff, students and parents who help bring these events together!

What’s Next

As the 2024-2025 school year began, our students enjoyed the benefits of new shade sails in the Elementary Courtyard.

School activities kicked off with some wonderful learning opportunities for our students. The Terry Fox Run provided an opportunity to raise money for the Terry Fox Foundation, and allowed our students to learn more about this Canadian icon and his efforts to raise awareness and money for cancer research. On Orange Shirt Day, students had thoughtful discussions on the origin of the day and how we can be supportive of Indigenous communities by creating a society that is respectful of the true history of our nation. All of these activities reflect our core values: Montessori, curiosity, respect and community.

As we look forward to the school year, many family favourites are on the calendar, including this year’s musical! The students will present “Honk, Jr.” – a fun modern spin on a classic fairy tale. We’ll let you figure out which one…

Fundraising

The focus of fundraising in 2023-2024 was on maintaining our intentional learning environments by completing important repairs and upgrades across all locations of the school. Our dedicated Board of Governors continues to support the school in many ways – including 100% participation in our fundraising appeal once again this year.

This year’s fundraising efforts will be focused on upgrading the aging kitchen shared by our Waterloo Toddler and Casa programs. Since opening its doors in 1985, the 718 Waterloo St. location has provided daily lunch and snacks for up to 38 students each year. In recent years Oxford Casa, Elementary and Junior High have all enjoyed the many benefits of modern, enhanced kitchens through renovations funded by donations from our community.

We are also inviting our community to become monthly donors this year. Monthly giving is an easy way to watch your impact grow throughout the school year and allows the school to have a better projection of revenue for future projects. For more information or to sign up as a monthly donor visit https://montessori.on.ca/monthly-donor/.

Renovations

The massive project at 311 Oxford St. – an elevator that will make this location accessible — has taken longer than first expected — as most renovations do. We are so grateful to the Oxford Casa families and teachers for their patience and support as this project has progressed. We know from recent projects that when the disruption to the daily routine at Oxford is over, all the time, energy and funds invested into this project will pay off with a beautiful entryway — a truly inclusive and welcoming space where everyone belongs.

The MA Parent App

The school recently introduced The MA Parent App to help streamline the information the school shares with parents, including classroom and administrative communications.

Around the school, we are constantly investing in ways to support the needs of our students and families. We are so thrilled you are part of this community and continue to support our mission to cultivate experiences that inspire compassion and a love of learning.

Financial Report 2023-2024

In Fiscal 2024 (July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024) we had our highest enrollment since 2018 due to having more new students than projected, which had the school ending the year in a strong financial position. This made our move to fully implement the salary grid we had created prior to the pandemic for all staff much more manageable.

The biggest investment we made this year in our “places” resulted in the completion of the renovations for our Elementary spaces in our 711 Waterloo St. building (the Library, classrooms, cubbies, resource rooms). These upgrades that were made to our Elementary environments have created inspiring and intentional spaces for our students to learn and explore their curiosity!

We are dedicated not only to improving our spaces for the students to enjoy but also to creating inclusive environments where everyone belongs. As part of this commitment, we continue to work towards accessibility at our locations. In fiscal 2024, this included the ramp that was added to the front of our 718 Waterloo St. building during summer 2023, and we are continuing this initiative currently with the addition of an elevator at our 311 Oxford St. location. Both of these projects were funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Enabling Accessibility Fund.

These improvements to our programs and places are one of the ways that we’re working towards creating places where everyone belongs.

The school’s financial statements can be found by searching for “Montessori Academy of London” on the Canada Revenue Agency website’s List of Charities.

Fundraising Report

“The real purpose of education is to prepare the orientation for future generations. ”
~Dr. Maria Montessori

This quote also reflects the real purpose of Montessori Academy of London’s fundraising program. Each year we raise funds to prepare the school for future students, and the growth that is happening in our community. Our 2023-2024 fundraising focus was to invest in our facilities at all locations by refreshing classrooms and improving learning environments for current and future students.

In a difficult year for non-profit organizations across the country, our school community was still able to raise 95% of our fundraising goal. Thank you! We saw incredible engagement at our family fundraising events – Halloween Boo-Ling and the Winter Family Fun Fest! Funds raised at both events exceeded their individual fundraising goals! And most importantly, we saw our parents and students connecting, bonding and having fun together.

As a registered charity, Montessori Academy of London raises funds each year to offset the cost of capital and special projects, to enhance our programs through special training for faculty, to provide financial support to families who qualify, and to continue to enhance our programs and create beautiful, intentional learning environments for our students for years to come.

During the past school year we were able to complete a major renovation to our Elementary building and Library, install a shade sail in our Elementary courtyard which extends the time students are able to be outdoors, make accessibility improvements to 718 Waterloo St., and begin the immense project of installing an elevator at our 311 Oxford St. building … plus so many smaller projects at every location.

We are so grateful to our community for your ongoing support! Please take a moment to browse our donor listing as we thank the many people, organizations and businesses who help us make necessary improvements to our learning environments each year.

Thank you, MA-zing donors!

Charitable Registration #1052 29124 RR0001

Montessori Academy of London | London, Ontario