california montessori project downtown campus (Sacramento, Orange: credit, jobs, house)

[daybreak9]

Does anyone have any PERSONAL info about this campus/charter school? What are the chances of getting in and is the carmichael or fair oaks campus better? My is 4 with a Oct. birthday so he can start in 2007 or 2008.

[mqueen]

Run! Run as fast as you can! These schools are a joke. Unfortunately anyone can use the name Montessori and this school is misrepresenting itself. It is a public school with no Montessori preschool that feeds into it. Many of the private Montessori schools in the area are refusing to recommend it to their families.

The executive director has no Montessori background and they are training their own teachers. The only reason the school has accreditation is because they got it when a real Montessorian was running things. As soon as they were approved, they ran the guy off. Now the school is being run by people who only care about money and getting as much as they can before they run off.

If you are in Sacramento there are only a few options for a private Montessori elementary education. If you are truly interested I suggest you check them out. If you are just looking for an alternative to public school then you should check out the magnet schools in the area. True Montessori programs cannot be successful in the public setting because the state is ultimately in charge and passing the star test becomes the goal.

I'm sorry to be the one to break the news to you. I've been involved with CMP both as a parent and as staff.

[Mumof3]

I have to completely agree with mqueen, The Montessori name is being used and abused to con us parents into thinking that is what we are getting for our child - a Montessori education - it couldn't be further from the truth - you do really get what you pay for. They are just after money - nothing is more important to them. My daughter was at a 'Montessori Charter' in the SAC area, Charter schools are public schools so they are free - (not the one referred to I might add) and it was clear to me very quickly that the teachers had no clue about the Montessori philosophy - not many were credentialed because to be credentialed costs money and they just didn't want to spend it training their staff. No decent facilities either - it was a dire situation. So, find a good private school if you can afford to spend on education - that is the only way you will get your child to have a great Montessori education.

[tapgirl]

I have to disagree with both of the postings about cmp. I have had 3 of my children in the cmp program for the last 4 years. We did two years at the Carmichael campus and then the last two years at the Elk Grove campus. You have to find a good campus with teachers who do want to utilize the montessori philosophy in their classroom. My children are in 3rd and 5th grades, and the youngest one started out in Kindergarten at Carmichael. I was very please the first year, but then the staff changed and the principal moved to another campus. I noticed that a lot of the kids that started to come in were kids that were kicked out of other public schools. We left Carmichael two years ago and started at Elk Grove. I absolutely love the way they use the montessori philosophy. No child is ever far behind because they get to work up from the level they start at. Basically they are taught how to manage their time and get the jobs done that they need to do. Some of the kids don't do very well in this kind of setting because they don't have the direction that they need. Others do very well. I had kids that started out behind and worked very hard all year to get to the top of the class. They were able to spend a lot of time with the teachers, since their are 3 teachers in their class, and definitely had teachers pushing them to work harder. If you think that your kids need to be sitting in a desk all day and doing exactly the same work as all the other kids, then this kind of school isn't for them. As far as where they are academically compared to other kids, my fifth graders are doing the same work that is being done by friends kids in the 8th grade. Not all of the cmp campuses are the same. You really have to look around and find one that works for you. Elk Grove has been great and I would absolutely recommend their program.

[MamaToThree]

I'm very interested in hearing more opinions about this school. My oldest will be starting Kindy in a couple of years and this was one of my first choices (either Carmichael or the American River campus that is moving to Fair Oaks/Kermit Ave. for 2007/2008 school year). My other choices are Orangevale Open and we are also considering Sac Waldorf, Green Valley Charter (don't have much on this school yet, but somebody told me it's a Waldorf charter school), Del Dayo, Deterding, and a private school called El Rancho.

Just bumping this thread in case anybody else could chime in with info! Thanks!

[montessorianmom]

I am hoping to respond to some of these comments that are posted. I am very familiar with the downtown campus. I support the comments from mqueen and mumof3 simply because if you look at the purpose of Montessori, it cannot be facilitated as intended. If a truly informed person were to educate themselves on the Montessori teaching and philosophy, a true Montessori student would not be adequately represented in a system dictated by the start testing; the start testing defeats the purpose and destroys the philosophy of its Montessori education. I have been involved as a parent and as a staff member and can support mqueen's statement regarding the downtown campus.

The core problem is that many of the teachers are not credentialed in Montessori. The staff turn over has been consistently problematic, as well as the students. There was one really good teacher there that left because frankly, I think she knew more about Montessori then the administration that followed and took over a few years ago.

As far as daybreak 9's question. My first question I would pose to you is your child independent. Montessori really only works well with certain individuals. Simply put not all children are able to function well in Montessori and must have the inner self-discipline that will allow them to manage tasks independently with minimal direction during "work time." Parents who utilize the charter school as an alternative to public school because their kids were kicked out of public school or had behavioral problems are using it as a last resort effort and this is not what Montessori is about.

Your chances of getting into the school depends on the number of students that leave; it is in essence a transient school site. It is based on a lottery system, however, if you have all your paperwork in I would say you have a decent chance if you also input that your child has some montessorian knowledge or background.

My biggest concern which has been voiced by prior posts is that change in management has definitely affected the tone of the school. Its all about the fundraising and I have seen that less is about the children's quality of a montessori education; the prior administration really worked with the students and parents and it was less about the fundraising, but the propriety of projecting the essence of the Montessori Philosophy.

[Mossy]

Home

Awesome school!

[MamaToThree]

Originally Posted by Mossy

Home

Awesome school!

I agree.

[ottergirl]

I have to strongly disagree with these negative comments about CMP. I notice that the first few posts aren't from the area, so really have no first hand knowledge of what we are about. California Montessori Project is a public charter whose mission is to provide tuition-free Montessori education to every child in California...or as many as possible. Just because it is tuition-free does not mean that it is Montessori-free. This school district/system provides loving classrooms, peace education, teachers with BOTH California teaching credentials AND Montessori certification from 3-6 years through 9-12 years, and curriculum that exceeds state standards.
The elitist idea that having to meet state standards somehow devalues or dilutes Montessori philosophy and curriculum is in itself counter to what Maria Montessori taught. Peace education is at the heart of all Montessori education and in order to teach peace we must include not exclude, we must erase lines that divide people and embrace diversity of all kinds. There are people who call themselves Montessorians who use the name as some sort of merit badge to identify themselves with what they think of as an elite group, but they obviously haven't really heard the words of Dr. Montessori. She developed her philosophies and of education as a result of teaching children who, along with their families, were on the fringes of society, and she believed that every child could benefit from learning with the Montessori method. And may I remind you that just because a child isn't reading 3 grades above grade level does not mean they aren't succeeding. That's why we follow the child, not the curriculum guide or the state standards or the teacher's manual...or what other people say the child should be doing.
I am a teacher at CMP, as well as a Montessori mom, and I will tell you that we educate children in the way they should be educated. We use best teaching practices, which Montessori methods and materials encompass, to meet and exceed state standards. We meet each student where they are and guide them along to deeper understanding, not only of academic subjects but also of themselves as learners and citizens of the world. When we "follow the child" we are free to use our Montessori materials and methods, as well as all of our creativity to meet the needs of the child.
It is true that children and families come to CMP as an alternative to other public schools. These families have often had many failures before coming to us. Some we are able to help and some we are not. This is true with any alternative education program, public or private. There is no magic wand for troubled students, parents, and families. The only thing that works is a concerted effort on the part of the student and the parents and the educators to learn new ways to meet the child's needs and be open to whatever it takes. If those things aren't ALL in place, then no one succeeds.
What is the quote, "No group of people is perfect. If you find a perfect group, don't join it because then it won't be." CMP isn't perfect; like any organization, it goes through cycles of growth -- "planes of development" if you will -- but each campus is filled with loving, creative, and intelligent people who have a passion for educating children to the absolute best of their ability. It is filled with master teachers who are generously mentoring new teachers, parents and children alike. As an organization it only continues to grow and get better.
So if you are going to run, run to CMP and enroll your kids as fast as you can. You won't find the same caliber or quality of education of any kind anywhere else.

[MamaToThree]

Ottergirl, thank you so much for this post!!! I can only hope and pray that you are a teacher at the AR campus which is where we want to send our children. They are all (or will be) in a private Montessori preschool and I am hoping and praying that we get picked in the lottery so that we may attend the AR or Carmichael campus starting with their Kindy year. Please give us more of your insight!!

By the way, do you have any idea when a parent can tour the school? I have looked on the CMP website, but have never seen any open house schedules.

Thanks again for posting here!