Accreditation
We talked about plans to become an accredited school, what the process is, and the benefits it would bring:

“...a process of self-assessment and 3rd party verification that ensures a high standard of performance and a commitment to continuous improvement.”

We are still in the very preliminary stages of this and will be determining which accrediting organization we want to affiliate with in the near future.

Middle School
We also talked some about our expansion to serve 7th and 8th grade students beginning in the 2013-14 school year. We will continue to utilize the Montessori method through these grades but are considering complimenting it with the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme. Here is a short synopsis of the IB MYP:

“The IB Middle Years Programme, for students aged 11 to 16, provides a framework of academic challenge that encourages students to embrace and understand the connections between traditional subjects and the real world, and become critical and reflective thinkers.”

More information about IB can be found at www.ibo.org/myp.

Building Community
The main focus of our meeting was a conversation on how we can work together to develop our parent community. Through this discussion, several suggestions were presented:

• Proactively promote the positive feedback we receive from parents and agencies, such as the Early Learning Coalition.


• Create more opportunities for families to come together and have spiritually enlivening association, picnics, and volunteer days.


• Establish a requirement for families to commit to a minimum number of hours of volunteer time at the school. Possibly offer a buyout option for families who cannot give time.


• The concept of clarity of commitment was brought up as a means to be clear from the beginning of what is expected in terms of parental involvement and what can actually be committed to by a family.


• Attract greater attendance at parent meetings by:
  • Inspiring those who missed to come by hearing positive things from those who did attend.
  
  
  • In-person invitations.
  
  
  • Following-up with those who did not attend to let them know they were missed.
  
  
  • Have students invite their family to come.
  
  
  • Involve students in running and/or presenting at meetings.
  
  
  • Create incentive to attend by highlighting topics of interest to the parent community and an opportunity to give input on initiatives.
  
  
  • An earlier start time - 5:30 p.m. or 6:00 p.m.
  
  
  • Saturday meetings with potluck.


• The need for the establishment of an active parent association. After the meeting Yadurani, Radhika, and Krishna Dhama expressed interest in being a part of it. We are still seeking others who want to participate.

Montessori
At the end of the meeting there was a short discussion about the effectiveness of the Montessori method for some types of children. Parents were encouraged to schedule an observation in their child’s class and to conference with their teacher about any specific areas of concern.