Greenspring Montessori School
2023 Annual Report
Annual Report for the 2022-23 school year
Greenspring By the Numbers
for the Greenspring community.
Students Enrolled
%
increase in the Greenspring Fund
%
Increase in Re-enrollment
We saw impressive re-enrollment into the 2023-24 school year.
Spent on Tuition Assistance
Staff Children
We have a beautiful community of faculty and staff and we are grateful to have 23 of their children attending our school.
After-School Programs
Languages spoken at home
Dollars Spent on Field Trips and Going Outs
%
Students enrolled in Dual Language
Year in Review
At Greenspring Montessori School, we are guided by our Strategic Direction, with six areas we continually focus on each year. Those six areas include:
- Sharing Authentic Montessori values with the world
- Cultivating a Community of Empowerment
- Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
- Developing Effective Communicators
- Enhancing our Campus for Growth
- Inspiring an Allegiance to Nature
Sharing the Gifts of Montessori Education with the World
As we reflect back on the 2022-23 school year, it is uplifting to see how much we accomplished guided by our Strategic Direction in our small but mighty community. The year overall was a resounding success, both in terms of our service to our children and families and the big work we dug into as a faculty and staff. Together we managed to finalize the creation of our outdoor campus plan, become a Maryland Certified Green School, made significant progress in creating a Sister School program, and perhaps most notably, we launched the Greenspring Center for Lifelong Learning to support and elevate Montessori educators and schools around the world.
It is our deep commitment to our children, our families, and the Montessori method that fuels us to take on these lofty initiatives. In truth, this work is bigger than us all. Together, we strive to provide a nurturing, intentional, and joyful educational model to as many children and families as possible; to grow Montessori for future generations through supporting our educators around the world and helping them to know the profound impact they make in the life of a child; and to steward our land and guide our children toward peace. In the words of Dr. Maria Montessori, “The task of educators is immense because human progress and world peace are in their hands.”
The 2022-23 school year provided many opportunities for growth, reflection, and big work. With the children at the heart of each decision, we continue to build a stronger community interconnected with Montessori worldwide. We are grateful to have you with us on this journey. Thank you. We are, as always, better together!
Tamara Sheesley Balis
Head of School
Sharing Montessori with the World
The mission of the Greenspring Center is to elevate and support the critical work of Montessori educators, leaders, and schools. We are pleased to share high-caliber Montessori resources including our Voices in Montessori Podcast and Mentoring Communities for new Guides and school leaders.
Podcast Downloads
Johns Hopkins Education Interns
Experts in Education
The Greenspring Center has partnered with 39 experts in education and leadership from around the world for our Mentoring Communities, Workshops, and Podcast.
Cultivating a Community of Empowerment
Growing Montessori Leaders and Educators
Being an educator is hard work and we believe deeply in supporting our people in studying and refining their craft. This year we spent $82,253 on professional development and training for our staff, including sending four of our exceptional team members to Montessori Training. Take a look at the video here to learn more about their experiences.
Bianca Van Horn – Lower Elementary Guide
Montessori Elementary Teacher Training Collaborative in Lexington, Massachusetts
Tammy Trone – Toddler Guide
Princeton Center for Teacher Education in Princeton, New Jersey
Kalai Ramanathan – Children’s House Intern Guide
Washington Montessori Institute in Maryland
Daina Sievers – Toddler Guide
Princeton Center for Teacher Education in Princeton, New Jersey
Notes from Greenspring Families
Thank you.”
Diversity Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
Welcoming Gray
Our New Equity and Belonging Coordinator
During the 2022-23 school year, Greenspring Montessori School made the decision to invest meaningfully into the work of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging by creating a role to facilitate this work. A Hiring Committee set out in search of the right person to support this work in our classrooms and throughout our school. We are so grateful to share that Gray has joined our team for the 2023-24 school year.
– Gray, Equity and Belonging Coordinator
Gray’s professional values and priorities are grounded in feminist, anti-racist, and anti-ableist practices with the overarching focus of building community connections. They adore children’s literature and feel that picture books, paired with meaningful experiences and a supportive environment, are the best tools for learning and growing. Gray is also a parent of two Greenspring students. They are passionate about supporting, nurturing, and loving their family.
During the 2023-24 school year, they will be diving into the work of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging by building connections within our family and staff community, observing in our classrooms, and preparing curriculum. They are eager to learn about what matters most to your families as well.
Inspiring an Allegiance to Nature
The Greenspring Fund
Giving in 2022-23
Highlights in Giving
in total giving
Grants
Greenspring received four grants in the 2022-23 school year totaling $58,920 for wellness, tuition assistance, and operations.
Heart of Campus
On Grandfriends’ Day, our grandparents and special friends gave $6,675 toward the planting of our new Heart of Campus. Learn more about our Outdoor Plan here.
Volunteering
Thank you to all those who saw a need on campus and volunteered their time and materials to support our community. We want you all to know that you made a difference in the support our staff felt during the year.
Our Fund-a-Need
In the spring of 2023, our community came together to fully fund all of the items on our Fund-a-Need! Take a look below to see some of the new items that our children are so eager to work with from the Fund-a-Need.
dollars given to our Fund-a-Need
Families gave to the Fund-A-Need
Items ordered for our Classrooms
%
percent of items were fully funded
“Greenspring has been a phenomenal place for my son to thrive in and I cannot thank the community and staff here! We absolutely love it here. Thank you so much!”
“I am delighted to be able to give to Greenspring Montessori School. My grandson just started his very first school experience and has adjusted so well! He loves school. I thank his kind and thoughtful teachers and the Montessori philosophy which all together have made this transition for him as easy as possible. Many thanks to all!”
“We want to give back to a place that gives so much to our child.”
“The Greenspring community has given our family so much love and support. We love to give back to our beloved school!”
“We’d like to help the school continue providing excellent education and programming.”