Forty-one years ago, in 1972, Judy Pemberton started Arcadia Montessori in her home. She’s still running the school, currently located at 5115 E Virgina Ave. in Phoenix.
Arcadia Montessori serves Valley families with children ages 18 months to through kindergarten. It offers music, yoga and Zumba instruction, along with flexible schedule for working parents. The program is year-round and swim lessons are offered in the summer.
The school is hosting an open house from 10am to 1pm on Saturday, Feb. 9 and Sunday, Feb. 10. For more information, call 602-840-2342 or visit arcadiamontessori.com.
Catholic Schools Week
Catholic Schools Week begins Sunday, Jan. 27. Schools will celebrate with masses, open houses and activities for students, families, parishioners and the community. On Wednesday, Jan. 30, Catholic school students from around Arizona will rally at the State Capitol for a noontime rally in support of school choice legislation.
According to a press release from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix, the diocese has 29 elementary schools, six high schools, and seven stand-alone preschools.
The press release says that Catholic secondary school students in the Diocese of Phoenix have a 99.9 percent graduation rate, with 97 percent going on to college.
Icing the test
Scottsdale Education Center (SEC) is now providing tutoring and homework support at the Ice Den.
“On any given day you will find figure skaters, hockey players and their siblings doing homework and studying at the tables in our lobby, and finding time to get extra outside help if they need it may be hard in between lessons, practices, games and performances,” says Ice Den president Mike O’Hearn.
Tutoring and homework support will be on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 3 to 7 pm and Saturdays from 10am-2pm.
“This is when the Ice Den is the most congested with skaters and siblings,” says Kim Duckworth, SEC president and co-owner. “Skaters are either waiting to get on the ice or just getting off. We look forward to helping them study and finish their homework before going home, enabling them to manage their time wisely in an environment conducive to focusing on their studies without distractions.”
Recognizing a world-class education
Expect More Arizona is asking Arizonans to submit examples of “world-class” education on the Expect More Excellence Tour web page. Submissions from around the state are in the form of short videos describing the programs. Visitors can vote on their favorite programs.
Below is a screen shot from the Western Maricopa Education Center (West-MEC), video. West-MEC is a public high school district providing career and technical education (CTE) programs for what it calls “career-driven education.” Listen to a podcast interview with Expect More Arizona’s President and CEO Pearl Chang Esau, who describes Expect More’s efforts to improve education in Arizona.
