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IVMS Does the Arts!
Gondolier article by Skylar Sellitti - 2008 IVMS Graduate

A school that celebrates the arts; do you find that surprising? I just graduated from IVMS. It has inspired me and a majority of the other graduates to realize their talents in the fine arts. Everything from ceramics to singing, foreign languages to painting is celebrated at Island Village Montessori School.

Fine arts are part of Kindergarten through 8th students every day curriculum. There are Art classes for ceramics, drawing, and painting. Because of art class, the hallways are an art gallery. For some this may be a glance into the future, their art being admired by all. With so many different aspects of art offered, there is bound to be an art class for every student to enjoy. Music classes are extremely popular as well. In music you can learn to play basically any instrument you want! Piano, guitar, and drums seem to be favorites with the students. Dance is an enjoyed class too. Students exercise both mind and body, choreographing dances, learning different styles, and learning how to work their muscles.

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Letter From A Parent

   This letter is from a parent of a middle school graduate. She has given permission to share her impressions of the middle school with you so that you all may have a better understanding of our goals at IVMS. Names were removed to protect privacy. All else is how she sent it.

    Dear Kym,

    The year has unfortunately come to an end. We leave Island Village and move on to high school, with tears in our hearts. I hate that our time here is over, but I am happy that my son has gained so much from Island Village. I have watched as he transformed into the unique, gifted, independent young man he is. I, myself, have learned so much from you and his educators. Thank you, Kym, for the vision you had to start a school for all our unique learners. Thank you for your wisdom, your creativity, and your endurance.

    When we first moved to Florida, I was excited to be in the States, to be in a new place and unfortunately, that excitement ended as my son moved through the school system here. I am sure the public schools strive to do their best at reaching their goals but, they have seemed to forgotten the goal of teaching.

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"If education is to be an aid to civilization, it cannot be carried out by emptying the schools of knowledge (wisdom), of character, of discipline, of social harmony, and, above all, of freedom." - Maria Montessori

Remembering the Original Vision

Island Village Montessori School opened its doors on August 13, 2001 to 175 students as the first charter Montessori school in Sarasota County.

In 2001, our vision was to create a public Montessori elementary program open to all children regardless of income, race, or ethnic background.

A History of Our School

• In 2001, we also opened an early childhood program to serve children from the age of three, serving 35 children.
  
  
• In 2003, we partnered with Children First to give a Montessori opportunity to families not able to afford a private tuition before kindergarten.
  
  
• In 2005, we elected to participate in Florida's Voluntary Pre-K program to help families afford the cost of the four year-old year.
  
  
• In 2005, we opened a middle school on our Venice campus as well as satellite Montessori programs in Sarasota.
  
  
• In 2005, we began developing an online teacher training program for Montessori teachers called Montessori Live.
  
  
• In 2005, we began developing a student tracking program for Montessori schools called Montalign.
  
  
• In 2007, we have over 500 students in our programs combined.

What is the Vision of IVMS Today?

• Developing public Montessori programs open to all children regardless of income, race, or socio-ethnic background.
• Working toward the highest standards in public and Montessori education.
• Being a model of responsible leadership for the community; sharing best practice with the world through affordable professional development programs.
• Creating a school of optimal size where a sense of family makes students feel safe, and will not allow them to fall between the cracks; where families choose a point of view rather than simply attending a school.
• Becoming a community where individuals are equally important and where differences are respected; creating a sense of belonging for all.
• Connecting children to their civilization through the Montessori cosmic curriculum; training gardeners of the human potential who contribute to a peaceful world.
• Working with students to foster independence, self-motivation, self-discipline, creativity, responsibility, citizenship, autonomy, competence, tolerance, and kindness.
• Treating education as a holistic journey of self-discovery; establishing patterns for lifelong learning; focusing on the process of learning.
• Developing sister schools worldwide in an effort to make cultural studies real to our students. Our school currently has partnership with schools in Vladimir, Russia and Perpignan, France through the Sister Cities program.