The Children’s Paradise Montessori School marked its 18th year through the holding of the CPMS Debut, the coming out Fiesta celebrating 18 years of Montessori inclusion.
CMPS President Marivic Bathan said that they use the words CPMS debut to signify the school’s coming out in the world. That’s how we want to celebrate 18 years of CPMS, she said.
The CPMS Debut, with the theme “Spark Joy! GRIT Together,” was scheduled on January 28, 2023, which featured performances during the opening program to celebrate the school’s past, the present and the future.
Ms. Bathan noted the need for an antidote to our experience during the pandemic that has affected our mental health due to sadness, loneliness and disconnection. “Our intention is that 2023 is about creating opportunities and moments of joy,” she said.
On the other hand, GRIT is an acronym for Grow, Reconnect, Ignite and Thrive, which symbolizes our experience at the height of pandemic (the past); the transition (the present) and moving forward (the future). GRIT is popularized by author Angela Duckworth who wrote the book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.
“We felt that “Grit” was the experience of what we had just to get through the pandemic and giving us opportunity to really thrive. Our 18 years really about growing together, reconnecting, igniting and more reason for us to exist and thrive together,” she explained.
The celebration’s opening program featured original songs, one of which is “Stronger Together” to mark our coming out.
There will be four breakout workshops to be conducted by renowned coaches. The main thrust of the workshops, which Ms. Bathan said will be a mini-summit, will have something to do with the well-being and a touch of education.
Learning Session 1A will tackle the subject “A Strength-based Living: Maximizing Our Natural Gifts” with Coach May Soriano. Ms. Soriano is Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach, a Pioneer of Life And Corporate Coaching in the Philippines, a 2019 World Women Leadership Awardee and has been recognized as among the 2017 Best 100 Global Coaching Leaders.
The Learning Session 1B, which will be held simultaneously, will focus on “The Spirituality of Joy: Youth & the Path to Love” with Fr. Loreto Jaque as the speaker. Fr. Jaque is the 1st Biodanza Practitioner from the Philippines, has been trained in Play and Expressive Arts Therapy, is a member of the Philippine Mental Health Associaion and was a Missionary Priest in Lima, Peru.
Following these, two more workshops will be conducted simultaneously.
The topic for the Learning Session 2A will be the “Education for a New World: Relevance of Inclusion.” The speaker for this workshop is Mark Saballa, co-founder of Coaching Space
Inclusion, Specialist and Consultant as well as a sought-after trainer and resource person.
On the other hand, Coach Ricky Jhon “RJ” Goyeneche will discuss the topic “Learning Session 2B Emotional Mastery 101: How to Fight Negative Thoughts and Live a Happier Life.” He is the 1st certified Brain Health Coach and Trainer in the Philippines, the founder of Prodeuz Training and Tools for Personal Development, a Neuro Linguistic Programming Trainer and a Neuro Semantics Genius.
Ms. Bathan explained that she decided to celebrate the school’s 18th anniversary because it’s time for them to show the world the school’s thrust of providing quality education for all, including children with special needs.
She recalled that they were able to highlight this during an international training organized by the Montessori Medical Partnership for Inclusion (MMPI) and for Montessori schools all over the world, which drew the participation of more than 100 Montessori teachers, administrators and medical professionals.
CPMS asked for scholarship so they would be able to join the training. When they shared what CPMS has been doing, the other participants were impressed and even expressed that what the school has been doing is “very rare in the world,” Ms. Bathan said.
Dr. Maria Montessori developed the Montessori Method in the early 1900s when she was appointed co-director of a training institute for special education teachers. The Montessori method was a combination of educational and medical component, she pointed out. The CPMS is going back to the advocacy of Dr. Montessori with the education component combined with medical part and intervention.
What makes CPMS unique is its effective Montessori inclusion model. “It’s a system we have put together which includes integrating children of different needs. The school opened its doors to children with different needs, giving them intervention so they can be integrated in a bigger society,” Ms. Bathan explained.
The school hired six occupational therapists and two speech and language pathologists.
Another opportunity the school is considering is the promotion of its adult training program. The school has encouraged parents of the students to participate in a series of workshop which aims to help parents create an environment at home that nurture and help children realize their potential.
“Our direction is we want to become an intentional learning community, one of our thrust is promoting adult training program,” Ms. Bathan said. The school is looking at the possibility of expanding the program to include parents, educators and medical professionals outside the school community.
The school is also doing community projects in partnership with the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. by providing workshop on special education for child development workers or teachers.
Eventually, the school’s goal is to become a center of excellence in 2025, when it celebrates its 20th anniversary, she revealed.
CPMS hopes to achieve this in partnership certification-wise and course-wise with international organizations, Ms. Bathan said.
