2015 Brickton Annual Report - Brickton Montessori School

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Donors
Brickton Montessori School’s 2015
Annual Fund
Thank you to everyone who participated in the
Annual Fund Campaign. With your generous support,
we were able to raise $35,377.
Major Donors $2,500+
David Anthony and Mariann Lemke (P/D)
David Duffy and LaDonna Taylor (P/D)
Leadership Donors $1,000 - $2,499
Sari Anthony – In memory of Telly Anthony (GP)
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Steve and Mary Disse (P)
Philip and Suzanne Ergastolo (PA/D/M)
Dihan Fernando (D)
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Dr. Paul Lisnek and the Contursi family(P/PA)
Michael and Dora Messina (P)
Daniel and Heidi Natura (P/D/M)
Community Givers $500 - $999
Michael and Lara Austrins (P)
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Elizabeth Norman (Fa)
Chandra and Suneetha Pendyala (P)
The Family of Matthew and Agnes Plaza(P)
Sergey and Olga Shafran (P)
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Givers $1 - $499
Robert and Molly Arnoldt (P/PA/Fa)
Melonie Arroyo (P/Fa)
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Megan Bucaro (P)
Marusia Calderon (P)
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Daniel and Shashona Chau (P)
Efrain Cintron and Mirvette Badal (P)
Edward and Denise Cortez (PA)
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Patricia Cribben (Fa)
Michael and Sharon Damore (Fd)
Leo and Ann Davin (GP)
David and Cindy Degand (P/D)
Deborah DeYoung (P)
Olina Dolly (P)
Ivana Drazic-Cunningham (P)
Annual Report
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Frances Franzke (GP)
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Georgi Gergov (P)
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Peter and Sara Gregory (PA/Fa)
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Erica Lane (P/Fa)
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Charles Martin (Fa)
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Raymond and Amanda McPartlin (P/M)
Liz Menczynski (Fa)
Phil and Patricia Moran (Fa)
Robert Murphy and Verma Veenu (P)
Ryan Noe and Deena Reyes (P)
Beth Peachey (Fa)
David and Lori Plier (P)
Steve and Donna Pollizze (P)
Michael Pugliese and Dorothy Schweitzer (Fa)
Matthew and Meghan Ricard (P)
Marie Rodriguez (Fa)
Mauricio and Ana Rodriguez (P)
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Alice Rowland (PA/D)
Herman and Rosa Sanchez (P)
Satyendra Sarmah and Renu Gupta (P/D)
Rick and Liz Skrodzki (Fa)
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Larry and Diane Steinert (PA/Fa)
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Megan White (Fa)
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Paul Wrezel and Lisa Spragia (A)
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Annual Fund Corporate Matching Donations
All-Over Pest Solutions
Living Habitats
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Verizon Foundation
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A = Alumni
Fa = Faculty/staff
Fd = Friend
GP = Grandparent
M = Matching gift
P = Parent of current student
PA = Parent of alumni student
D = Board of directors
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“… the first thing his education demands is the provision
of an environment in which he can develop the powers given him
by nature. This does not mean just to amuse him and let him
do what he likes. But it does mean that we have to adjust our minds
to doing a work of collaboration with nature, to being obedient
to one of her laws, the law which decrees that development
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Dr. Maria Montessori, The Absorbent Mind, Chapter 8, p. 89
Dear Brickton families and friends,
It is with great pleasure that we share with you our Fiscal Year 2015 Annual Report.
While the educational landscape has continued to evolve in the Chicagoland area
since Brickton was founded, our commitment to our mission has not. It is as true now
as it was almost 30 years ago – “We are a community of learners working together
to provide a Montessori educational experience that engages and inspires students
to become life-long learners and responsible participants in our diverse global
community.” As we lead Brickton into the future, our efforts are centered on
educational best practices in the classroom and long-range strategic planning
so we are best positioned to support our students’ growth – today and tomorrow.
Selecting “collaboration” as our year-long theme provided opportunities for our entire
community to explore what that means at Brickton Montessori School. Thank you to the
students, faculty, parents, volunteers, and donors for their collaboration and contributions
to making this such a successful school year. Let’s take a walk through 2014-2015 to see
collaboration in action, from long standing traditions to unique experiences!
Sincerely,
Cheryl LaCost
Head of School
David Anthony
Board President
Donors
2015 Annual Benefit
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We gratefully acknowledge the following
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individuals and businesses for their generous
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support of our Annual Benefit through finanErica Lane
cial contributions and in-kind donations to the -RHDQG.DUHQ/XERPVNL
auction. Contributions totaled: $41,163.
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Charles Martin
Individual Supporters
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Dan Adams
Omar and Nichole Martinez
David Anthony and Mariann Lemke
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Sari Anthony
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Sunil and Niranchana Anantharaman
Raymond and Amanda McPartlin
Robert and Molly Arnoldt
Michael and Dora Messina
Michael and Lara Austrins
Phil and Pat Moran
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Robert Murphy and Verma Veenu
Mark Treppa and Maggie Bauer
Sandy Murphy
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Daniel and Heidi Natura
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Anna Olech
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Ryan Noe and Deena Reyes
Diana Campbell
Marcus and Elizabeth Norman
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Beth Peachey
Dan and Shashona Chau
Brian and Tracy Peck
Efrain Cintron and Mirvette Badal
Chandra Pendyala and
Suneetha Gottimukkala
Bill Clark and Stacy Norris
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Aaron Cooper and Melissa Ramirez-Cooper
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Adrian and Loredana Pop
Ivana Drazic-Cunningham
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Mary Dalicandro and Michael Doherty
Michael Pugliese and
Michael and Sharon Damore
Dotty Schweitzer
Paul Darksi and Marzena Witmska
Aldis Rauda
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Matthew and Meg Ricard
David and Cynthia Degand
Mauricio and Ana Rodriguez
Debra DeYoung
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Steve and Mary Disse
Alice Rowland
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Blair and Elissa Sarkiss
Olina Dolly
Satyendra Sarmah and
Mike and Renee Doyle
Renu Gupta
David Duffy and LaDonna Taylor
Andrea Scherer
Marcia Elliott
Amish and Nirali Shah
Phillip and Suzanne Ergastolo
Liz and Rick Skrodzki
Dihan Fernando
Lauren Smith
Terry Flechs and Cheryl Russell
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Larry and Diane Steinart
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Richard and Aurea Thomas
Sharon Gooday
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Diane Grassi
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Peter and Sara Gregory
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Vija Viksne
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Bob Weisskopf
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Megan White
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Business Supporters
Ace Hardware
American Science and Surplus
Boho Theatre/Chicago
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Chicago Architecture Foundation
Chicago Botanical Garden
Chicago Recording Company
DuPage Children's Museum
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Gordon Aveda Salon
Harry Caray's/Rosemont
Harley-Davidson Museum
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Life Time Fitness
Lynfred Winery
Lynette's School of Dance
Marriott Theatre/Lincolnshire
Medieval Times/Schaumburg
Mixed Bags
North Shore Center for the
Performing Arts/Skokie
Omni Chicago Hotel
Park Ridge Chamber of Commerce
PRP Wines International
RAM
Renaissance Hotel/Chicago-O'Hare
Rotofugi
Shedd Aquarium
Shoreline Sightseeing
Simply Organized by Meg, LLC
Storytime IO Theater
Super Soccer Stars
The Comedy Sportz Theatre
The Wandering Boys
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Trinity Academy of Irish Dance
WGN Radio
Wonder Works, A Children's Museum
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Brickton 5K Walk & Fun Run
Brickton thanks our vendors for
their generous support our race.
We raised in total $994.
All-over Pest Solutions
Chess Scholars
Dawn's Dairy
Great American Bagel Company
Gourmet Gorilla
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Malatesta Law Offices, LLC
Life-long learning through
collaboration
Financials
Operating Income
Tuition and Fees
$1,338,313
5.4%
Summer Program
$ 110,952
7.2%
Charitable Contributions
$
Total
$1,531,598 (100%)
82,333
87.4%
Operating Expenses
Salaries & Benefits
$ 954,842
5.3%
Student Programs
$ 348,922
22.8%
Facility
$ 146,544
Other*
$
Total
$1,531,598 (100%)
9.6%
81,290
62.3%
* Other includes administration, insurance, accounting, legal fees, technology and reserves.
Brickton Montessori School is audited annually by the accounting firm of Gibbert & Associates.
Board of Directors 2014-2015
David Anthony, President
Cindy Degand, Vice President
Suzanne Ergastolo, Treasurer
Satyendra Sarmah, Secretary
Dihan Fernando, Director
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Heidi Natura, Director
Alice Rowland, Director
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LaDonna Taylor, Director
Cheryl LaCost, Head of School
Our students begin collaborating from the
moment they enter our classrooms. As early
as the Toddler program, the child is pouring
a glass of water for a friend, helping to carry
a chair, setting the table with another student,
taking turns to build a block structure,
and creating their language through song,
dance and conversation within the community.
In Children’s House, the budding independence
expands into confidence, knowing they are an
important member of the community. Together
they prepare snack, arrange flowers, compose
stories with the moveable alphabet, count, solve
equations and explore our world through scientific and cultural experiences. Our well-designed
classrooms and materials facilitate the child’s
development of the required patience,
resilience, and stamina needed for collaborative
activity. Add to this the opportunities provided to
create a plan and complete an activity with a
friend, which foster the development of executive functioning skills we know are important for
success in all areas of life.
Parent Alliance Leadership
2014-2015
Betty Boduch
Nichole Martinez
Shashona Chau
Annual Benefit Co- chairs 2014-2015
Deb DeYoung
Maggie Bauer
At the Elementary level, the development
of collaboration is illustrated by the culture
of literacy at Brickton and our Book Buddies
program. Lower Elementary students grab totes
of freshly packed books, anticipating the arrival
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book buddies. Fueled by the dynamism of the
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Children’s House students. Veteran Middle
School students mentored younger partners
during Children’s Book Week and Poem in
Your Pocket Day.
Middle School students compose their own
classroom blog, providing a student perspective
of field trips, academic concepts and social
happenings. Growing developmentally in independence as they move through the programs
and curriculum leads to the great collaborative
work required for the Middle School’s week-long
agrarian trip to Shenandoah, Iowa, which took
place this past May. Our students planned the trip
independently, figuring out travel, housing, recreation, food, and learning experiences for the
week. While on the farm, they learned about
modern farming, raising livestock, ethanol production, and small-town life. And beyond our classroom doors, our students have collaborated with
the wider community through cross school experiences at Nature’s Classroom Institute, Chicago
area Montessori adolescent gatherings, cross
country meets and more!
Where do our students continue their
educational journeys?
Our alumni have been accepted to the following
high schools:
Elgin Academy
Fenwick High School
Francis W. Parker School
Glenbrook South High School
Gordon Tech High School
Lane Tech High School
The Latin School
Loyola Academy
Maine South High School
Mount Prospect High School
Northside College Prep
Northridge Preparatory School
Notre Dame High School
Oak Park River Forest High School
Rickover Naval Academy
Roycemore School
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St. Patrick's High School
Taft High School
Trinity High School
Whitney Young High School
Wolcott School
Modeling a commitment to
service learning
Service learning, often referred to as community
service within Montessori, is evident in our classrooms, from cleaning up spills or helping a peer
with a lesson, to working as a student server for
pizza and hotdog lunch. Our students take this
outside our school community, cleaning up the
surrounding neighborhood and forest preserve
to removing trees from the river at Nature’s Classroom and the Middle School’s commitment to
maintaining Ohio Street Beach through the
Alliance for Great Lakes Adopt-A-Beach program.
Brickton Montessori School was founded by
a dedicated team of parents and educators
collaborating to provide a Montessori education
for their children and the community. That tradition of collaboration continues with our dedicated
volunteers from our parents, friends, and alumni
communities. Families are invited to commit 5
hours of volunteer effort each year. Guided by the
Parent Alliance (PA), countless hours of collaborative volunteerism were visible from school beautification projects to managing community events.
This year the PA debuted a new program,
Beyond Brickton, to further extend service learning beyond the walls of our school. At their first
event, volunteers worked with Feed Our Starving
Children to fill over 100 food packets that were
packed for distribution to children in Djibouti,
Africa. Additional opportunities were made
possible by the generosity of our volunteers,
including:
Back-to-School Block Party
Picture day
Operation Child Find (Early Childhood Screening
Program)
Scholastic book orders
Effortless Fundraisers (e.g. Box Tops for Education,
and toner cartridge recycling)
Adult Cermamic Painting Party
Family Movie Night
Big Leap (Annual Benefit Dinner & Auction)
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Bowling Bash
Staff Appreciation Breakfast
Peace Picnic
Longitudinal collaboration leads
to life-long learning
The idea that there is a ‘Montessori’, one right
way to respond, one perfect way to prepare our
classrooms, or one correct Montessori training
program runs counter to our true mission. Brickton
staff collaborate with each other and the wider
Montessori and educational community to
expand our knowledge base, strengthen our
relationships, and connect with children, families
and colleagues. As Montessorians we have three
roles: to serve the child by carefully preparing the
environment; to be astute observers in order to
respond to each child’s unique and individual
needs; and finally to celebrate and accept the
child in front of us. Collaboration is absolutely
critical to the life-long learning of a Montessorian.
Collectively our staff completed over 700 hours
of professional development from attending
workshops and webinars on Montessori-specific
topics to seminars on national best practices
in specific curricular areas. Brickton is committed
to the growth of Montessori beyond our doors.
We have the distinction of supporting our local
teacher education programs by providing internship opportunities, classroom observations, and
resources for school visits and lectures. In addition,
our faculty and leadership participate in accreditation visits to support other American Montessori
Society (AMS) and Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS) schools in our
joint goal towards continuous improvement.
Our staff were instrumental in providing their
expertise to help chair, coordinate, market and
facilitate the Association of Illinois Montessori
Schools (AIMS) 2015 conference and were delighted to host 40 heads of school at the quarterly
spring AIMS community meeting at Brickton.