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Countryside Day Blog

The Gift of Countryside

December 5th, 2014

What Are You Getting Your Child this Year? The meals you are preparing and the gifts you are shopping for this holiday season are how you express your love and care for your child. Why not also invest your resources in a gift that yields lifelong benefit? Get the most powerful qualities for your child's academic and character development. The best gifts are those that don't end up in a toy box--but make a lasting impact on... READ MORE

3 Reasons a CMS Education is a Life Changer

December 2nd, 2014

Several weeks ago we had the former president of the National Association of Independent Schools, Patrick Bassett, consult at our school for two days. He has worked with hundreds of schools and visited schools all over the world. He is a true visionary and spent some of his time with us talking about the 6 Big Shifts in education and what 21st Century Schools were going to have to look like if America is going... READ MORE

Why Do the Elementary Students Love Coming to School?

November 19th, 2014

The Countryside elementary program practices many of the "Big Shifts in Education" that Pat Bassett speaks about at many independent schools across the country. A move from Knowing to Doing is one of the most critical big shifts. As Pat mentioned during his presentation, there is a time and a place to deliver information in the traditional top down, teacher-centered manner. But if teachers deliver knowledge with a chalk-and-talk method most of the day, students are not going to be... READ MORE

Join us on Tues., 1/13, for a Prospective Parent Class!

November 19th, 2014

Join Head of School Wendy Calise on Tuesday, January 13th for this talk and Q&A covering the mission of CDS, how we implement it, and how CDS families can expect to bring it home. Countryside Montessori serves children from 18 months to 8th grade Topic: The Countryside Community Time: Tues., 01/13, 6:00-6:45 PM To RSVP, call 847-498-1105 ... READ MORE

The New Aspinall’s Parenting Class

November 14th, 2014

Hey! Did you Know... that Jim and Michele Aspinall are gearing up for a new series of Parenting Classes that are going to begin this January? Over the weekend, the Aspinalls attended John Rosemond's latest parenting conference. Rosemond, renowned parenting expert, author, and speaker provided invaluable guidance to reinforce what essentially has always been the parenting philosophy of the Countryside community--the importance of parents re-claiming a leadership role in the raising of their children.... READ MORE

“Blah, Blah, Blah, Ginger” vs. Intentional Parenting

November 7th, 2014

How we love to talk! We especially love to talk to our children. But, what are we saying? And what are our children hearing? Lots of Talk We've heard the embarrassed parent in the supermarket threaten to leave the screaming child at the store, or never to bring her again. Or, worse yet, after arguing and refusing to buy some item at the checkout, the parent yields to the pressure of the tantrum and buys... READ MORE

Join Us for an Open House!

November 5th, 2014

Wednesday, January 21st RSVP to Find out the Open House Time Building Character, Pre-K through 8th Grade What if your child loved school? Hard to imagine? You don't have to imagine. See for yourself at our next Open House. RSVP to find out the Open House time: ... READ MORE

3 Educational Myths of Halloween-like Proportion

October 31st, 2014

It’s that time of year when conscientious parents carefully check their children’s candy after returning from trick-or-treating. We even remember our parents scrutinizing the popcorn balls, unwrapping the butterscotches, and pulling apart the taffy--while we impatiently waited to dive into the spoils of our childhood trick-or-treating. Think about how widespread “Halloween Parenting" changed because of the tainted candy rumors--stories powerful enough to change day-to-day parenting behavior on a massive scale! But even more shocking is... READ MORE

Pat Bassett Lit a Fire at CMS!

October 28th, 2014

What an inspiring 2 days it was when Pat Bassett visited our school for observation and consultation! Who is Pat? Pat Bassett is a long-time educator, administrator and former president of NAIS. I think that there are many occasions in Pat's life when he is likely the smartest guy in the room, yet he clearly sees every interaction as an opportunity to learn. What I most admire personally in Pat Bassett is the depth of his knowledge,... READ MORE

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