Today is Solidarity Day. A day to stand up and be counted.
Even if you cannot physically be with anyone else, you can join
in the unity with your mind and heart. It doesn’t matter what
PARTY you belong to, you are an American and many of our
ancestors died to give American people a voice in their futures.
Our history is chock full of stories of the ordinary people being
taken advantage of because there was no way to unite the force
they were. They had no way to make their voice multiply to let
the politicians know just how strong a force they could be.
Egypt set the precedence of unity in a voice that has gone all
around the world. Can we do any less? It does not matter
what color, creed, culture or demographic that you belong to.
In fact, I believe in my heart that is time to do away with all the
PARTIES. So many politicians sacrifice what is good for the
majority just to follow the lines of a PARTY, Democratic or
Republican.
Let us unite and stand behind the person and what he/she stands
for. Let us vote for the person and not a well-oiled political
machine that spends most of its valuable and taxpayer paid time,
opposing the other PARTY. Is this UNITY?????
As I write this, the whole country is unifying to stand behind
Wisconsin and what the true meaning of the United States is.
Let us give value to every human being regardless of his/her
stature or so-called value. YOU have the power to affect the
outcome of this glorious country. Let us not stand for less than
what we are. Let every person have the power, not just a few
people who are only concerned with their bottom line.
If we can bail out Wall Street and the Banks and the mortgage
companies who are now showing a huge profit, why not bail
out the everyday working person who is actually the one the
country depends on. Why are not the companies who are now
showing profit, giving something back to the common taxpayer
who bailed them out?
BRING OUR MONEY BACK TO OUR COUNTRYMEN/WOMEN
.
Today is going to be huge. Tens of thousands of people nationwide are attending Wisconsin solidarity rallies in cities across the country, including every state capital.
You can follow it all live starting at noon eastern time here:
A woman who is part of my newsletter list has asked for my help to spread information about a project that is close to her heart. She is hoping that one or more of you may be able to assist her in some way. She has a vision that will affect our children . I wish I knew how to consolidate this into a link. < br />
Can you give me clue as to how to do that?
New School: The Greening School (working name)
Concept:
The Greening School will be a boarding school in Williston, VT for 7th through 12th graders with an emphasis on integrated studies, project-based learning, and individual skills-based mastery helping each student develop their fullest potential academically, physically, socially, and emotionally. An environment of mutual respect will be paramount.
The school will be based on the developmental philosophies of Montessori, Vygotsky, Howard Gardner, learning and sleep theories, and the international standards for an academic curriculum.
Students learn best when they are fully engaged in the learning process. The Greening School will allow each child to develop their abilities and skills from where they are, growing as quickly as they are able with nurturing staff. The school will have a rigorous academic program with measurable goals. Students will be taught to be responsible for setting their own goals and achieving them. Excellent written and oral communication skills, as well as a strong understanding and working knowledge of math and science will be basics in the curriculum. Students will learn to work in teams as collaborators and leaders.
We believe that all students are interested in realizing their fullest potential. We facilitate each student’s growth. The program is designed to maximize each student’s abilities in written and oral communication, research, analytical thinking, incorporating technology, science and math in both practical aspects and accuracy of execution. Foreign languages will be taught individually with help from native speakers. Since right-brain development is just as important as left-brain, the curriculum includes studio and dramatic arts. Testing skills development will be part of the practical living skills program.
The school will have a year-round schedule. It will have 4 quarters that run through the summer, but will have a program that will allow students to come either 3 or 4 quarters. This is accomplished through special Saturday classes.
The school will start classes at 9:30 am. Along with the academic curriculum, the students will enjoy sports, either group or individual on our fields, gym, or on the 127 acres. In the winter they can go skiing in the ski resorts close by. The school also has individual exercise equipment.
Practical life skills are important for all students and not always taught. We feel these skills should be taught for future confidence. These include, but are not limited to, cooking, finances, taxes, and other skills needed to live independently during or after college. At the Greening School the students will have an opportunity to cook dinner for their small dorm groups once every other week. The students will all have chores and a variety of opportunities for their mandatory community service projects.
Students
This school is designed for anyone interested in an alternative education, anyone interested in participating in a more useful education designed for the 21st century. It is an appropriate program for:
~ Any student who has grown up in an alternative school interested in continuing in that style of education.
~ Any student experiencing frustration with their current educational situation, either from a program that is not fast enough, one that is too fast, or one that does not incorporate the student’s learning style.
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Finances
The Greening School, Inc. seeks to buy the former Pine Ridge campus, 126+ acres with 14 school buildings, including dorms, classroom buildings, and a gym, for $3,500,000 from the bank.
The school will charge $15,000 per student per quarter. This is in the middle range for schools of this nature in the North East. Regular boarding schools generally charge from $35,000 to $50,000. Schools with lower ratios and more specialized programs as ours charge $45,000 to $70,000 for what we would consider three quarters. Due to the individualized programing and quarterly project units, students will be able to join the school at the beginning of any quarter. The school accommodates 100 students now with pre-approval for another dorm in place.
Although the economy has been tight, education has been and will always be of importance to all parents. Specialty schools like the Greening School will always have a place in the market.
Funding Scenarios
1. Most ideal would be a donor or donors giving the non-profit operating the school $ 6 million to buy the property and having enough to operate the program smoothly until the school is full.
2. The next best scenario would be for a donor or donors to give the non-profit organization $ 900,000, so that the school could get an SBA loan for the remainder of the purchase price of the campus.
3. Another option would be for a person or group to loan the $900,000 for the non-profit to purchase the property with an SBA loan. In this scenario it would be most helpful if the $900,000 didn’t have to start to be paid back until students started and then paid back on a per pupil bases, understanding that the interest on those funds would continue to accrue.
4. A person or group could also buy the whole property from the bank and lease it back to the school on a sliding scale basis, at a lower rate and then increasing with the number of students enrolled. This would also be with the understanding that the school would eventually like to buy the campus at a reasonable price.
5. Open to other ideas.
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About the Executive Director: Andrea Faurot founded Cary/Sterling Montessori (sterlingmontessori.org) in NC and was the executive director for 13 years. She degrees in education, special education, and an MBA and is dedicated to starting new schools that will meet the needs of all students in an environment of mutual respect and joy.
Please contact me if you would like a copy of the complete business plan.
Thanks,
Andie Faurot
[email protected]
781-929-4280
Love and Light
Mary Grace
www.TheWoundedChalice.com
www.TheWoundedChalice.com/blog
[email protected]
PO Box 403
Wales, MA 01081, USA
413-245-3977