Brush Creek Montessori School

Another wonderful BCMS family that suffered a devastating loss. Please help if you can!

More than one BCMS family are a part of this incredible community! Please help if you can!

Dear BCMS School Staff and Families, The Shady Fire has yet to be controlled and evacuations (which include some families and staff) continue, along with uncertainty about further evacuations, air quality and power outages occurring in Santa Rosa. With all of that in mind, all classes (both in person preschool, elementary, and Zoom) at BCMS will be canceled at least through Wednesday Sept. 30th. We will update you by Wednesday evening about the rest of the week and info on mi...tigating the time lost at school. Please continue to monitor these Remind notifications for school updates For the latest information on the fires and evacuations, visit the County’s emergency website: socoemergency.org. You are all in my thoughts as we work through another crisis together. Please take care of your emotional and physical health and be sure to reach out if you need assistance. For immediate emotional support please call the county Warm Line at (707) 565-2652 any day of the week from 10 a.m to 7 p.m. If you would like to speak with Jed, please feel free to call his cell at 707-494-4910 Take care and stay safe, Jed Burchett, Head of School Sent from Jed’s phone

Hi BCMS Families! Our classroom pets are safe, staying with Jed for now. The school is on the edge of the mandatory evacuation zone, and the power is still off. School structures are safe now, though we know one building at Maria Carillo was damaged. First responders are working hard to keep it spreading west of Calistoga Road. We know that several of our families have evacuated. We send strength and love during this trying time. We look forward to seeing everyone when we are safely able to do so. There is a strong possibility we will not have school tomorrow. We will update families by 7pm this evening.

Dear BCMS Families, Our community once again faces the challenges of living in a fire area. Due to the proximity to the mandatory evacuation zone, as well as power being out at the school and likely poor air quality, and at least one staff member evacuated, BCMS will be closed today (Monday), September 28. We will have an update tomorrow morning. We hope everyone stays safe, and we wish your family strength during these trying circumstances! Best, Jed

Created by the children in Amber class!

Dear BCMS Community, As predicted PG&E has shut off power to the school and surrounding area due to high winds and excessive heat. Power is expected to be restored by this evening. We know these unplanned interruptions are not easy. We hope you understand that the health and safety of our students and staff is our highest priority. Please remain safe and vigilant as we enter into another fire season.... We look forward (hopefully) to a return to school on Wednesday, 9/9/20. Best, Jed

Is distance-only TK and Kindergarten difficult (or even impossible)? Are you concerned about too much screen time and a lack of social-emotional development with peers? Our program may be right for your family. Brush Creek Montessori School is enrolling now for students ages 3, 4, and 5, into our well-known and respected program. In-person teaching with rigorous precautions taken for safety during Covid. (Un-mixed cohorts, daily health screening, frequent cleaning, individual... work spaces and materials, and mask wearing by all staff. Please inquire at [email protected] or call at 707-539-7980. We look forward to aiding in your child’s journey toward independence and healthy development!

The long wait is finally over! BCMS re-opened our Primary environments today! We are so happy to be back! We would like to open a 3rd cohort of students on October 1st, so tell friends and family who are looking for childcare that BCMS is open for business, with all of the Covid safety precautions in place! We look forward to a great year!

Difficult times here, and everywhere

Hello BCMS Elementary Families, Gavin Newsom provided an update for the re-opening of schools in California. Counties on the state's watch list (as Sonoma County currently is) will have to begin the re-open as a Distance Only model, until the county is off of the watch list for 14 consecutive days. Therefore, if Sonoma County has been removed from the state watch list by August 3 and remains off the list after that, BCMS can potentially return to in-person instruction on ...August 17. If Sonoma County remains on the watch list after August 3, BCMS will open with a Distance Only learning approach until Sonoma County has been removed from the watch list for 14 consecutive days. The Distance Only program at BCMS will involve families picking up and dropping off sanitized materials and prepared work weekly, a daily zoom meeting with the group, a daily zoom meeting with individual students, with supplemental meetings for Music and Art. Tuition will remain the same for either in-person or distance learning programs, in order to implement either scenario effectively, and with the hope and expectation that we can return to the BCMS campus as soon as possible. An option for distance-only learning will remain for those families who will not be ready or able to return to in-person instruction. There is a new guideline about masks as well, when in-person instruction resumes. Currently, we are still able to open our Primary (preschool) program in August 17, with the safety modifications in place that were detailed in previous communications to enrolled families. Thank you for your patience as we navigate the ever-changing waters during the pandemic.

Pretty nice synopsis of what we do! Enjoy!

I strongly believe that Montessori education can be a huge help to promote social justice and peace in our nation and the world, but not until we take a critical look at our biases and work with our black and brown brothers and sisters to create the systems that will allow for the change. We’ve got a lot of work to do. https://montessoriforsocialjustice.org//black-lives-matt/

Hello BCMS Primary Families, I hope you are enjoying the Memorial Day Weekend! The Board, Administration and Staff have been working on the plan for the re-opening of our program, and how that re-opening will look like. We hope to get more information from our families to better prepare for various scenarios that we are considering. Your honest and thoughtful responses to these questions will greatly help our plans for facilitating a safe and healthy stepped re-opening of th...e campus. Your responses will be confidential. The first of the following surveys was written for families who have already placed a deposit for the 2020-2021 academic year. If you were originally or still planning on moving to another program, please use the 2nd survey link. Please click the link below and complete the survey by Wednesday, 5/27 in order for us to use your responses effectively. Survey for Primary Families who are already signed up for the 2020-2021 academic year https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Q3PYGXX Hello BCMS Families with older Primary children, If you were originally planning on moving your child to another program for the 2020-2021 year, this survey is for you. Given that COVID-19 has changed the educational landscape in the larger community, you may be considering remaining at BCMS. Your honest and thoughtful responses to this survey will help us in planning. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QB3KHM6 Thank you all for your careful consideration of these questions. We look forward to your feedback Brush Creek Montessori School 1569 Brush Creek Road Santa Rosa, CA 95404 T: 707-539-7980 www.bcmontessori.org

From an alumni family (and great friend) of our school! Thank you for the kind words!