Welcome to Flat Rock Country Day School!
Cancellation of 2003-2004 Academic Year
To the parents of Flat Rock Country Day students, and to all parents seeking a Montessori-based multi-sensory, child-driven education for their children:
We want to thank all the parents, staff, and community whose positive efforts have allowed Flat Rock Country Day (a non-profit corporation) to provide a high quality day-care and preschool to the area's children, and so doing investing in a bright tomorrow for our local community, our country, and our world. Nevertheless, due to the fact that our most recent teacher became unable to teach for the school in the last months of summer, leaving little time to find a replacement (Montessori-trained teachers are hard to find), and parents needing to place their children elsewhere, we have not been able to secure a new teacher with adequate training for the coming year and it became questionable how many of our parents would be able to return to us and thus allow the school to cover basic expenses. Thus we have decided to delay re-opening for a year. We apologize for the delay in making this announcement, we are committed to trying to bring the improvements that Maria Montessori sought to bring to the world's children to the local community, and did not want to close for the year until all possible opportunities for opening this year had been explored. We need all parents who are interested in having a Montessori-based school in the area to make us aware of their commitment to obtaining a higher quality education for their child: an education which carefully follows the insights and teachings of Italy's first female physician- whose ideas have been imitated, but not used to their fullest potential in day-cares, kindergartens, and preschools worldwide. As soon as we have enough parents who are committed to placing their child at Flat Rock Country Day in the 2004-5 school year we will sign up a fully trained Montessori teacher to help local children teach themselves in full Montessori form. Parents can notify the board of their interest in the school and any manner in which they wish to participate in the intellectual, social etc, construction of the school by contacting Laura Mecale at toobusylaura@yahoo.com or by calling Mary or Don Ray at 828/698-1971. Staff changes and other such growing pains are part of the known pattern of schools and community groups. Those that succeed are those whose members are willing to brave the storms because they believe in the effort and see the need for what they are trying to establish. We can and will be a strong institution with your help. On another front, we are beginning to pursue the possibility of establishing a Montessori-charter elementary. Realizing the difficulties that many parents encounter trying to pay for their children's educations, while knowing that Montessori-education's value does not stop at the pre-school years, we are hoping to be able to set-up a charter Montessori school such as the one in Charlotte. Charter status would bring us funds to pay elementary teachers and staff and would bring in the community of children Montessori classrooms need to function well. Unfortunately at this point Charter schools do not include day care age children. So we will still need to have tuition charges, and fund raisers to cover the cost of that aspect of the school. Yet we could promise a continuation of all that is worthwhile in Montessori education, with some of the funds we as tax-payers have paid toward the nation's educational needs to cover the elementary years when our efforts succeed. Again please let us know of your interest in this second endeavor, and thanks so very much for your continuing encouragement and support.
The Board of Flat Rock Country Day
To all concerned parents of children graduating from Early Childhood Montessori programs in this area:
We have been studying the possibility of opening a Montessori-based elementary school in our area. As a legacy of past programs, we already possess or have the use of a considerable stock of Lower Elementary teaching materials, a pre-established 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, and access to a spacious building in Zirconia, NC on a 10-acre campus with a pre-existing playground, for minimal rent. We are aware that there are presently no Montessori-type programs for elementary pupils in this area between Spruce Pine in the north and Greenville in the south, and between Charlotte to the east and Knoxville to the west. We wish to gauge the extent of local interest in and support for such a venture. We will consider establishing a charter school if it seems feasible and appropriate to do so. If you are interested in participating in such an undertaking, your prompt feedback is important, for it will take time to set up a program for the 2004-05 academic year. Much is possible with your support, but very little without it.
-Clark R. Hecker, Board President, FRCDS, Inc.
Hecker01@aol.com
692-4588
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