Montessori Academy of London | London, Ontario

“Welcome!” to those of you who are new to our community and “Welcome Back!” to our returning families. It’s so wonderful to have you here!

For those of you who might not know me yet, I am Melissa and I am the President of the Board of Governors – the group of community members, parents and alumni with the honour and responsibility to steward the school’s mission.

With the school year in full swing, it’s wonderful to see the rhythm of classrooms settle in. We have 347 students – our highest enrolment since 2013-2014! While construction continues at the Elementary level, we will be greeted with beautiful spaces soon. We also look forward to the many opportunities to come together as a community. This year, our calendar is brimming with events, including an outdoor movie night and the Halloween Boo-ling event in October, an Art Expo in May, plus many other activities throughout the year. While typically offered every three years, last year’s Journey to Discovery was such a resounding success that the school will offer it again this year in November. The Journey is a hands-on, two-day session for parents and friends to experience the Montessori curriculum through the eyes of a child. I participated in the Journey last year and I would highly encourage you to participate to experience the incredible learning approach Montessori is for our students.

This learning experience is made possible by our remarkable team of teachers and staff! Day in and day out, they nurture a love for learning and foster a sense of community that makes our school truly exceptional. We’re thrilled to welcome Jaime Brush, Andrea Thornton, Suzie Burridge at Waterloo Toddler, and Kim Runions, who is supporting the Elementary program. We also welcomed a new Governor and community member, Kelly Wang, to our Board of Governors, who brings her background in education and communications to our work.

As the school year kicked off, the Board of Governors met for our annual retreat to kick off our work for the year. This gathering focused on Year 2 of our Strategic Direction 2022-2027; this list of priorities will guide our school forward over the next few years. Conversations at the retreat centred around how to mindfully steward the school’s resources and strengthen our incredible Montessori Academy community. The Board of Governors meets monthly and we will continue to carry these conversations and work forward. As we plan for Governors term endings, we will be recruiting two new community members and one parent member to join the Board of Governors. Find the full details on the school website, and please share with your networks.

We look forward to sharing more of our work and the school’s progress in our upcoming annual report that will be released in a November Buzz. In it, you’ll find a snapshot of the Board and school’s activities over the past year, including our financial report for the 2022-2023 school year. You can also learn more about the school, our Strategic Direction and the Board of Governors at any time on the school’s website: https://montessori.on.ca/about/board-of-governors/.

On behalf of the entire Board, I extend a heartfelt thank you for trusting us with your child’s Montessori education and for being part of our school community. I wish each and every one of you an MA-zing year ahead!

Warm Regards,

Melissa Sariffodeen, President
MA Board of Governors