Calling all Blossoming Hill Montessori Families, Friends, Garage Sale Shoppers –

Come by 1255 SW 150^th Street in Burien between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Friday, June 17^th or Saturday, June 18^th to shop our FABULOUS Garage Sale!!!  Goodies available at the “Snack Shack” run by our students.  You know you will need a treat after all that shopping!   All proceeds go towards classroom materials and supplies!

Bikes, Outdoor Play Equipment, Kids Clothes, Furniture, Bar Signs, Kitchen Items, JUST TO NAME A FEW…

An Update on Blossoming Hill! (Finally… We do know it’s been awhile; Thank you for your patience!)

We are working full time to prepare everything for the first day of school on Tuesday, September 6th at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church (23855 SE 216th Street, Maple Valley).  The church has been so kind in working out a great partnership with us allowing us to lease space for part of our first year.  Our plan is to lease space while the development/construction continues on our property in the Renton Highlands (17019 SE 128th Street, Renton).  And we are hoping to move into our permanent space in the Spring of 2012!

Enrollment is open for a few remaining Elementary spaces (1st – 6th grade) as well as spaces in our Early Childhood classroom (ages 2 1/2 – Kindergarten).  If you are interested in enrolling your child at BHM please contact email us at blossominghill@gmail.com or call April 206-618-3041 or Teresa 206-225-9291. We are looking marketing options but also know that our Word of Mouth is currently our best bet, so SHOUT IT TO THE ROOFTOPS!!  Bring your child to Blossoming Hill!!

Our BHM Garage Sale is taking place this coming up Friday and Saturday, June 17 and 18  at Teresa’s House in Burien.  (1255 SW 150th St.  Burien, 98166) Drop off your treasures at either April or Teresa’s house before Thursday, June 16, please! (We’re having a “Pricing Party” at Teresa’s on Thursday evening…)  Kids and grown-ups are ALL welcome to work at this garage sale.  We are ordering delicious weather as a little incentive.  Kiddos will be working their own lemonade/water/treat stand.   All proceeds will go to BHM.

We are also busy planning a BHM Community event/kick off party/fabulous shin-dig that you will be hearing about shortly to take place in July…

BHM is so fortunate to have a wonderful group of families and supporters that have been helping with fundraising, sorting and preparation of materials, making phone calls and searching Craigslist for needed items.  THANK YOU to everyone who is helping to bring BHM into the community.

April and Teresa

March showers bring…. Lots on the Blossoming Hill Home front!!

We are happy to share that we have a location!  17019 SE 128^th St (in unincorporated King County) is going to be the future permanent home of Blossoming Hill Montessori School! It certainly has been a lot of work securing this perfect place and there is still a ways to go (especially with King County) but we know this location is right and we are grateful to Richard for selling it to us!

Speaking of the County, our next step with them requires a meeting where we will present our site plans, including blueprints for our modular building (two classrooms) and our septic system.  Designs for both are currently underway and we are hoping to firm design plans with the modular company soon. (We visited some model units today and got a greater idea of what Blossoming Hill needs and wants; we also saw what was available).  We appreciated both Steves and their time on a Saturday.  Septic plans are being drawn up by a dude named Mark.  He is familiar with the property and was a recommendation from the former property owner.  He understands our needs and our urgency; we feel we are in good hands.

Our ENROLLMENT continues to grow, and this is a testament to the support of many of you.  Thank you for sharing your belief in us with others. Currently “Word of Mouth” is our strongest marketing tool, and probably always will be.  Keep up the good work, and we PROMISE to do the same!

We have really enjoyed making personal connections with several interested families. We have been busy answering questions, sharing our vision, and interviewing new students.  Blossoming Hill’s growing community is coming to fruition and we are so tickled!  As our enrollment continues to expand we are excited to look at our staffing possibilities.  The local Montessori Community is becoming aware of BHM and we are receiving inquiries about our vision, which certainly makes us both very proud. J

For those of you that are following our blog, we have some news!!  We now have an OFFICIAL WEBSITE, (www.blossominghill.org).  Andrew, we are so grateful for what you have built for us.  Thank you! As we continue to create our site, more will be coming, but we like the cool feature that allows our home page to act as a journal for ongoing blog posts. We will continue to post updates on our website, WordPress blog and Facebook to keep everyone in the loop about our ongoing progress.  Here are the links for our communications.

Website – www.blossominghill.org

WordPress Blog – http://blossominghillmontessori.wordpress.com

Facebook Page – Blossoming Hill Montessori School

Plans are underway for our Grand Kick-off Event!  Do you know of any fun venues that could accommodate up to 250 fun loving BHM supporters available in June?  Please continue to spread the word about BHM and continue to send any inquiries our way!

Much Love and Many Thanks,

April and Teresa

Well, we have completed another marathon this week! (You should see our muscles!!)

Our Mid-Winter Break was filled with Blossoming Hill Montessori adventures, mostly regarding the doggone location!

We have spoken to so many people over the last seven days regarding fire system regulations, childcare regulations, zoning regulations, etc.  All of these phone calls were followed by miles of driving and many stops to check out pieces of property, both residential and commercial.  Nothing felt right.  All along we have KNOWN that the perfect place IS waiting for us, and when the time was right we would find it. We just had to turn over every stone!

AND… We have begun the process of securing an AMAZING property!  We can’t share too many details yet, but we want all of our supporters to know that it is in our ideal location of the Renton Highlands/May Valley.  Please continue to send us all of your thoughts, send us your good vibes, keep your fingers crossed and keep an eye out in the coming weeks for more detailed information!!!

Thank you so much to Jane, Loreen, Corey, Richard, Eric, Lance, Mike, Janey,  Duane, Steve, Faith, Larry and Richard (a different one than the first mentioned) and always S and C.  All of these people took time out of their professional and personal schedules to discuss options, regulations or rules with us this week.  We so appreciate everyone who has helped us learn the process during our journey.  We would also like to thank Lila. Thank you for sharing 25 years of your school with us at the  (outside) storage unit on Saturday.  We will give your treasure a great new home and many new stories.

Also, THANK YOU to our amazing families, friends and supporters who continue to help us on our journey.  We are SO GRATEFUL! Thank you for believing in us.

April and Teresa

“There is no telling how many miles you will have to run while chasing a dream.” ~Author Unknown

And… I think we are on mile twenty-nine!!!

Turns out our Plan B location in Factoria that we thought was a guarantee, wasn’t.  Oh, the things we are learning.  Thank goodness for positive, helpful Department of Early Learning Representatives.  They had great suggestions for our forming Plan C.  Thanks to Tom, Jane and Shirlee.

You may be asking… Now What?  Our only direction is forward.  We are not going to stop this journey just because we can’t solidify something as small as a location.  =-)  We are actively pursuing new locations this week with new eyes and interpretations of the regulations.  (For example, it looks like we may be able to begin our small school in locations that we thought previously were out of the picture based on Fire Codes!)  This weekend, we have been blessed with more support, (eyes and ears in the community) all helping us to find a location for Blossoming Hill Montessori.  We both know that we will find a great home SOON for BHM to open in the Fall of 2011!

If you have any suggestions for great locations, please send us an email to blossominghill@gmail.com!  We appreciate the ongoing support!

April and Teresa

Location Update

Thank you to everyone who has been supporting us and sending good thoughts! 

We are waiting to hear from our Top Choice location in Maple Valley.  They have asked for a few more days; we should have an answer by Sunday or Monday at the latest.

Our second location has said yes.  We will need to finalize details with them and have the Department of Early Learning give us an initial approval before that deal is sealed.

We are grateful for a yes on from the second property but are really pulling for a yes from the location in Maple Valley! 

Please send us an email if you have any questions!   blossominghill@gmail.com

Updates on BHM and some more Q and A!

Blossoming Hill Montessori has been busy this month.   A couple of Saturdays ago, we held our first formal informational meeting about our school.  It was great to have the support of our family and friends as well as people interested in Blossoming Hill Montessori School.  THANK YOU!!!!

We would like to give a recap of our meeting by sharing some of the great questions that came up.

1. Where will BHM be located?   We are currently still in the process of securing our location.  We are looking for a space to lease for a year while we look for a property that would allow us to build the school that we need.  Our ideal location would be in the May Valley area (between the Renton Highlands and Issaquah).    We are looking for a flattish/useable property with between two to four acres.  We will keep everyone up to date in regards to when we secure a space for fall of 2011 as well as our permanent home. 
2. You are talking of a small school with a close community.  How do you see this being nurtured on a daily basis?  This can be answered with multiple options.  One thing we know for sure is that we want our school to have a space where parents can congregate and socialize either before or after school.  Relationships need time and space to grow and we want to allow for that within our building.  Also, we would like to develop meaningful ways for families to contribute to the community through volunteerism.  If a parent is passionate about cooking than we would love to have them help us develop components of our nutritional program, etc. 
3. If you are planning to have Lower and Upper Elementary together in the beginning,  how do you serve the needs of such a diverse group of students? What would the classroom look like?  The classroom will look like many other Montessori Elementary classrooms.  It is not unusual for a teacher certified for both levels of elementary to teach a mixed group.  The elementary aged child is moving through materials/concepts towards abstraction.  For the Upper Elementary child (grades 4-6) they are working primarily independently with time each week to check in with the teacher.  Much of their academic work is project based.
4. Will you continue teaching Elementary based on a three year cycle?  Yes, as this is allowing children to experience different things at different times within their elementary year.  
5. Does Blossoming Hill Montessori offer a discount for siblings within a family?   Yes.  We apologize for this oversight on our brochure.  We will offer 10% off the second child’s tuition and 15% off a third child’s tuition.
6. Will Blossoming Hill offer a financial aid program or scholarships?  This is something very important to us!  We hope to be able to begin a scholarship program within our first five years. 
7. Does the tuition cover the operating costs of the school?  Will additional fundraising be required to meet the expenses?  We plan to have all expenses covered by the tuition.  We do plan to have fundraising that meets a specific goal in mind (for example – an auction to raise funds to construct a playground).  We are also applying for grants that match different components of Blossoming Hill Montessori’s mission. 
8. Your nutritional program sounds great – serving breakfast, lunch and snacks each day with the children taking an active role in the preparation, serving and cleaning.  How will this work for a child who has food related allergies?  The mission of Blossoming Hill Montessori states that we will educate the whole child.  For a child with food allergies we will need to count on our partnership with the parents to make a plan that will fit the specific child.
9. Will there be food preparation/cooking beyond meals?  Yes, we are excited to offer regular cooking opportunities that tie to our curriculum.  We also want to offer each child an opportunity on his/her birthday to assist in making a birthday snack to share with the classroom community.
10. You have mentioned a science specialist, foreign language specialist, PE specialist and a music specialist.  Will you offer formal music?  We would like to have formal music instruction with a specialist.  We are not sure exactly what this will look like until we hire the right person.  We do know that we will have singing and dancing, a school holiday concert and a drama production. 
11. Have you considered offering other specialist/classes during the before or after school extended care time?  It would allow our children to experience these lessons without requiring parents to add that to their driving day.  This is something we hadn’t previously discussed.  We will look into this once we have our leased space and plan for the appropriate types of space in our permanent building.  We could consider different types of classes including music, art, movement, martial arts, etc.  
12. What foreign language do you plan on teaching?  We will focus on Mandarin Chinese.
13. How many students do you plan to have your first year?  We are looking for a leased space that would allow us 40 students (20 Early Childhood and 20 Elementary).
14. What are your thoughts on siblings in the same classroom?  This is something that we have considered with opening a small school.  We will have siblings in the same classroom.  Once we grow and have two Early Childhood classrooms, we will allow a family to help us make the best decision for their children.
15. How will you integrate the Service Projects into the curriculum?  Obviously it depends on the level of service.  We have outlined four levels – the school community, our neighborhood community, the Puget Sound community and our global community.  We want the children to engage in some service each day.  If we are collecting food for the animal shelter we would like a representative to speak with the children about how they help the animals.  The children (age appropriate) could go on field trip to meet the staff and animals.  We would collect the food and then deliver it.  We would encourage parent/family involvement every step of the way.
16. How do you see the community working?  We would like to have different events that would allow families to come together – potluck dinners, movie nights, garden clean-up, classroom gatherings, etc.  We want each family to participate in a meaningful way.  Everyone has something to offer and share with each other!

This Thursday evening we will be hosting our second information meeting at the Downtown Renton Library beginning at 7 p.m.  Feel free to join us (kids are welcome to come) or send the invite along to a friend. 

Here is the link to our invite!  Hope to see you there!

http://www.pingg.com/rsvp/pfxn7jkry7t62xkpg

An Informational Meeting About Our New School!

Please check out the link below.  It is your personal invitation to join us on Saturday, January 8th for all you need to know about enrolling your child at Blossoming Hill Montessori. 

If you have questions, please send us an email at blossominghill@gmail.com or call Teresa at 206-225-9291 or call April at 206-618-3041.

http://www.pingg.com/rsvp/8p6an36z22g66578p

Happy New Year!  May your new year Blossom with goodness!  =-)

April and Teresa

Happy Holidays!

We want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas.   Make sure you make new memories with while enjoying family and friends. 

April and Teresa

What’s New?

You may have been wondering… what are Teresa and April up to?  How is Blossoming Hill Montessori evolving?  What is the latest and greatest?

LOTS! That is the short answer. Keep reading for the longer version.

Last weekend we had an amazing time at the Half Price Books Teacher Giveaway.  We were thrilled to be first in line and used the fact that it was Teresa’s birthday to schmooze the staff and walk away with a free tote.  The staff shared Half Price Books mission to support teachers and local schools, they have been doing this since 1972.  No strings attached, we walked away with about two thousand dollars worth of free books including dictionaries, atlases, story books, chapter books and teacher resources.  At least fifty percent of the books are hard backs.  We fought (with compassion) through the crowds of other competitive teachers to get some great finds.  We were so intentional , even in the chaos that we weren’t able to see what the other was putting in boxes.  Once we looked through the overflowing four huge boxes, we discovered no duplicates and moreover, not one book we won’t use!  Thanks Half Price Books for supporting Blossoming Hill  Montessori!

We have also been spending many many Saturdays and Sundays on the road.  With each new property, our process continues to evolve and our requirements are becoming more clear and specific.  This is what we know we want.  READ CAREFULLY PLEASE!

WANTED - Future Home of Blossoming Hill Montessori will have at between 1.5-3  acres of flattish usable space, a building with about 3,000 square feet, at least four bathrooms, a two lane driveway or U-shaped driveway in the Renton Highlands/May Valley area. 

Do you know this property?  Do you have this property? Better yet, do you want to donate this property?  Contact us ASAP!  =-)  We promise to give you free auction tickets for a lifetime!

Also, we are planning an informational presentation of Blossoming Hill Montessori (our mission, curriculum, philosophy, and projections).  Keep an eye out for an Evite coming soon.  We are trying to book the meeting room at the Renton Library for the beginning of January.   

Our amazingly supportive team is getting together to begin the process of writing grants on behalf of Blossoming Hill Montessori.  If this is something you or someone you know is interested in being part of please contact us soon.  We have our grant writing kick-off meeting tomorrow night (Monday, December 20th at 5 p.m.). 

We are also using the next two weeks (our winter break) to complete the paperwork necessary to form a corporation in WA that will allow us to go for non-profit status.  Keep your fingers crossed that the state processes our paperwork with rushed priority!   In fact, if you know anyone that could help us with speeding this along, you can also have free auction tickets for a lifetime.  Or at least once we have non-profit status and permission to raise funds in WA.  =-)

THANKS for the continued support! 

Teresa and April