530 East Day Road

Mishawaka, IN 46545

Phone: 574-256-5313

Fax: 574-256-5493

www.tma-el.org

THE MONTESSORI ACADEMY AT EDISON LAKES

ANNUAL REPORT 2010-2011

MISSION STATEMENT

The Montessori Academy at Edison Lakes

is true to the teachings of Dr. Maria Montessori.

We create an environment that

cultivates the child’s intellect,

instills responsibility, fosters respect,

and inspires care for the community.

CORE VALUES

Academic Excellence

Diversity

Integrity

Independence

Leadership

Gracious Community

2010-2011 STAFF AND FACULTY

BOARD OF TRUSTEES REPORT

The Montessori Academy Board of Trustees Mission Statement

The Mission of the Board of Trustees is to ensure the vitality and values of The Montessori Acade-

my’s institutional mission for present and future generations of students. We do this by fulfilling our

fiduciary and governance responsibilities for the well being of The Montessori Academy at Edison

Lakes.

The Montessori Academy at Edison Lakes has been known, respected and admired for over forty

years for its exceptional standard of education. It is the responsibility of the Board of Trustees to as-

sure that this exceptional standard of education is upheld.

Guided by its mission for the school and following a strategic plan to maintain and improve the

school, this group of individuals must be visionaries who work together for the common goal of

providing our families the best education in the Michiana area.

There is no more important task for the Board than choosing a new Head of School. The 2010-2011

year began with a Board Retreat focused on launching the search for a new leader for the Academy.

Reflecting on the outstanding tenure of Mary MacIntosh, and prepared for Mrs. MacIntosh’s retire-

ment at the end of the academic year, a search committee was established to secure a highly quali-

fied Head of School. After a thorough and wide-ranging search, the road led back to a good and

proven friend of the Academy, Deborah Drendall.

As the school year ended, and the Board gave our farewells and gratitude to Mary MacIntosh, we

held a reception to welcome Deborah Drendall back to our Montessori family. Mrs. Drendall returns

to the Academy bringing not only her extensive background in Montessori education, but also her

outstanding record of work in the Michiana community and the business world.

It has been a privilege to serve as president of The Mon-

tessori Academy Board of Trustees; I was honored to

serve with these true ambassadors for our school. The

Board meetings are open and I encourage you to attend a

meeting to witness the work of this group whose unwaver-

ing dedication to our children is evident in all they do.

Susan Stangebye, President 2010-2011 Board of Trustees

HEAD OF SCHOOL REPORT

The Montessori Academy at Edison Lakes was founded to provide a Montessori education for

children and we continually examine our adherence to the principles of Dr. Maria Montessori.

This year the faculty and board refined the school’s mission statement with the two-part goal of

keeping the school’s founding purpose and explicitly placing the child at the center. The revised

statement and the identification of our core values shine a clear light for our daily work.

Along with this focus on our mission statement and core values, we framed the portrait of who our

graduates are at the end of their tenure at the Academy. Montessori is a continuum educational

method and we have defined developmental outcomes for the completion of each program cycle.

Academic excellence is only part of the preparation for the child’s future. Students also need to

be able to think critically and creatively. Their personal and professional success will depend on

the attributes of confidence, independence and self- motivation. The Montessori Academy devel-

ops all these attributes and one can see our graduates exhibiting them as they go on to succeed

in high school, college, and life.

Preparing a child-centered educational environment alongside a commitment for good learner

outcomes requires continued professional development by our Montessori faculty. Each year an-

nual professional goals are achieved through ongoing in-service experiences coupled with partici-

pation in regional and national conferences. This year all faculty and many staff members attend-

ed the American Montessori Society’s annual conference in Chicago. The stimulating conversa-

tions during and after the conference led to expanded knowledge and to immediate implementa-

tion of new ideas in the classes.

This year The Montessori Academy expanded its use of the electronic world and social media to

market our programs to a broader audience. In addition to a new website, the school increased

the use of a school Facebook page, an alumni Facebook page, and launched a school You Tube

account. You can expect to see many more postings in the next year that will give current par-

ents more information about school programs, events and activities. In addition these postings

also allow our friends and neighbors to know more about your child’s school.

As I reflect on my last year at TMA, I am reminded of the very special nature of the community.

Children, family, staff, and board are united by the warmth and care shared among the people

who make up our school. Visitors frequently comment on the friendly atmosphere they experi-

ence on our campus; parents remark on the clear focus on children they observe during their tour

of the school. That feeling of community and that focus on the child are at the heart of the school.

On a personal note, I want to thank each of you for making my tenure at The Montessori Acade-

my at Edison Lakes a highlight of my professional career.

Mary MacIntosh, Head of School

DEVELOPMENT REPORT

The Montessori Academy at Edison Lakes gratefully celebrates and acknowledges the long tradi-

tion of parent involvement and financial giving to support our school’s programs, goals and mis-

sion. It is through this tradition that we ensure a legacy of the highest quality in education and

personal development for our children. Thank you for your constant and unending support of our

community.

The 2010 Annual Fall Frolic took place Saturday, October 2nd.

The event welcomed over 600

runners, walkers and obstacle course participants, (over 250 of those were children) to our cam-

pus on what was a beautiful October morning. We would like to thank Claire Delano and Kendra

Clayton for their leadership and countless hours of hard work as well as acknowledge the 125

volunteers that donated their time to make this event a success. The money raised from the race

supports our Montessori preschool classroom at the South Bend Center for the Homeless….the

only Montessori classroom in the nation to serve homeless preschool children.

The 2010-2011 Annual Giving Campaign, under the leadership of Jeff Dee and Amy

Heintzelman Dee, was kicked off at the all parent meeting the first week of school. Through the

commitment of our generous community we raised over $55,000 to meet our budgeted goal for

the 2010-2011 school year. The monies raise from Annual Giving go directly to our operating

budget. As an independent, private school, The Montessori Academy at Edison Lakes does not

receive federal or state funding. TMA’s operating budget relies on three main sources of revenue:

tuition and fees, its annual Windfall Auction and Annual Giving. Contributions raised through the

Annual Giving allow the school to maintain its superior education by providing strong academic

programs, a low student-faculty ratio, technological programs and faculty enrichment. It helps

bridge the gap between tuition and the school’s operating expenses

The 2010 Windfall Dinner and Auction, “Festival of Colors”, was a fun, adults-only evening

with good friends, fine food and opportunities to bid on great donated items. Thank you to our cre-

ative leadership team of Kate Lawton and Melanie Como-Dits, the decorations embraced the spir-

it of TMA by capturing the “colors of our community.” The silent auction took place early in the

evening while friends and family engages in friendly bidding wars and good conversation. The

gourmet dinner and live under the direction of professional auctioneer, Carl Kaser, followed. Our

TMA community generously showed commitment to our school and our children by exceeding our

goal by over 40%. The monies raised are part of our yearly budget and go to directly to fund our

classrooms through professional development and classroom supplies and materials that are

unique to a Montessori education.

Suzette Hudak, Director of Development

FINANCIAL REPORT

ANNUAL GIVING HONOR ROLL

2010-2011

If we have made an error or omission on this list, please

let us know so we can make the correction. Contact the

Development Office at 256-5313.

Guardian Level ($2,500 and higher)

Anonymous Grandparents

Bill Anzelc and Kiernan Anzelc

Matthew Brennan and Tracy Brennan

Jeff Dee and Amy Heintzelman Dee

David and Kasi Hornback

Michael Leep and Karen Leep

Eric Ludwick and Becky Ludwick

Chris Tapper

SteveWyland and Tamara Wyland

Edward Yang and Celia Yang

Patron Level ($1,000 to $2,499)

Abul Basher and Parveen Basher

Jack Borowski and Joyce Borowski

Stefan Borysiak and Irene Borysiak

Kevin Bradford and Tonya Bradford

Marc Bussan and Julie Bussan

Milton Clayton and Kendra Clayton

David Dits and Melanie Como-Dits

Kevin Geary and Annie Geary

Bruce Harley and Valerie Harley

John Hudak and Suzette Hudak

Daniel Lindley and Lucia Woods Lindley

Mary MacIntosh

Jacob Mark and Jill Mark

Doug Morris and Julie Morris

Naseer Nasser and Yusra Baker

Richard Pierce and Leigh Hayden

Michael Poole and Roxane Poole

Paul Romanetz and Melinda Romanetz

Ron Stangebye and Sue Stangebye

John Voor and Donna Voor

David Yoder and Jeanne Yoder

Supporter Level ($500 to $999)

Brett Bauer and Maki Bauer

Binod Balakrishnan and Lakshmi Jayasree

Dean Ernzen and Sherri Ernzen

Christopher Gist and Nechelle Gist

Scott Griffith and Stephannie Larocque

Greg Hartland and Emilia Hartland

John Hudak and Joan Hudak

Robert Loudin and Jennifer Loudin

Roland Pascual and Cynthia Pascual

Robert Stockman and Mana Derakhshani

Umberto Taccheri and Susan Taccheri

Paul Worland and Deidre Mylod

ANNUAL GIVING HONOR ROLL

2010-2011(continued)

Friends Level (up to $499)

Mike Kelly and Lisa Kelly

Karen Klingel

Jim Kolata and Ann Kolata

Daniel Lindley and Jennifer Lindley

Bill Meyer and Linda Meyer

Ronald Minzey and Constance Minzey

Jeffrey Morauski and Terra Morauski

Tony Muffoletto and Helen Muffoletto

Matthew Park and Susan Park

Breno Pessanha and Jaqueline Andrade

Jan Poorman

Judy Pratt

Ann Price

Joseph Reed and Jennifer Wilham

Tom Richardson and Connie Richardson

Donna Rockafellow

Kevin Rooney and Meg Rooney

Bob Schell and Deborah Fleming

Philip Sakimoto

Tom Shelley and Cindy Shelley

Felix Short and Katha Short

Stephen Smith and Rebecca Smith

Ann Stebelton

Amy Steketee

Federico Suarez and Fonda Suarez

Kate Tapper

Ziya Toper and Sibel Toper

Paul Turner and Lindsay Turner

Charles Vaughn and Penelope Vaughn

Eric Wagner and Francie Schmuhl Wagner

Douglas Williamson and Jennifer Williamson

Dennis Wood

Harold Wyland and Wanda Wyland

Chiyuin Yang

Lyle Zynda and Erika Zynda

Wayne Bishop and Cathy Bishop

James Borders and Patricia Borders

Ed Bosworth and Kim Bosworth

Linda Brooks

Richard Bussan and Carolyn Bussan

Larry Christensen and Bev Christensen

James Clark and Suzanne Clark

Ronald Como and Melanie Como

Kevin Cousins and Amy Cousins

Corey Cressy and Becky Cressy

Tim Curtis and Susan Sakimoto

Vance Curtis

Tristram Dashti-Gibson and Jaleh Dashti-Gibson

Trudy Davis

Paul DeLano and Claire DeLano

Becky Dennis

Carl Doherty and Camillia Doherty

Lauren Dunbar

Donna Faulkner

Brian Finch and Kathy Kolata

Bob Feferman and Shoshana Feferman

Tate Foley and Kelly Foley

Terri Foley

Joel Gabrielse and Julie Gabrielse

Tejinder Grewal and Manjit Grewal

Marilyn Grubb

James Hamrick and Simone Hamrick

William Hayden and Catherine Hayden

Greg Hill and Judy Hill

Jared Hochstettler and Molly Hochstettler

Thomas Holton and Teresa Holton

Jon Howard and Paige Como-Howard

Gage Hudak

Mark Jamieson and Linda Jamieson

The Jatala Family

Pink Tower Club- Our Youngest Supporters

Grace Brennan Emilee, Lynsee & Blake Ludwick

Brenden Cook Sam Mark

Colton, Kendall & Kearnan Foley Jaleana Short

Olivia, Auri, Jack & Luke Hudak

Our time-proven ideas and practices have been graduating

students who shine in high school,

succeed in college, prosper in life,

and make a difference in the world.

2011 TMA GRADUATES

Alyssa Abel - Penn High School Kevin Bradford - Adams High School

Josh Kelly - Elkhart Christian Academy Andreana Liew-Spilger - Adams High School

Hannah Lindley - St. Joseph’s High School Sophie Mark - St. Joseph’s High School

Sarah Morris - St. Joseph’s High School Kristen Pascual - St. Joseph’s High School

Avery Pierce - Adams High School Faadil Shariff - Penn High School

Claudia Taccheri - Adams High School

ALUM REPORT

PORTRAIT OF OUR GRADUATES

Confident, independent, and intrinsically motivated

Respectful, responsible, and socially collaborative

Critical, creative, and abstract thinkers

Academic achievers who manage time and work efficiently

Compassionate leaders who are prepared for future success

They have a passion for learning, cultural awareness,

and a commitment to service.