At the end of this school year Mrs. Utrecht will be retiring. We are thrilled to be able to continue her legacy providing a nurturing environment for student to reach their personal and academic potential. We will be celebrating her priceless impact on all our lives June 19th at 2:30pm to 5:00pm. We are inviting our families past and present to join us on this joyous occasion. If you have any questions about the retirement party please feel free to email Andrea at andrea.gallardo@gmail.com.
To the Glendale Montessori School Community:
It has been my great privilege to shepherd generations of children through their earliest educational experiences, using the wonderful tools Montessori has provided for us. My work has been fulfilling on both a personal and a professional level, and I have always loved it.
The time has come for me to step away from day to day responsibility for the school, to spend more time with my family, to spend more time traveling, and to give myself time to enjoy the coming years without the stresses and strains that leading a school can bring. I have every confidence that Andrea Ventura will prove a worthy successor and that you will find her a delightful and highly competent director for our beloved school.
I want to thank the many people – teachers, staff, students and parents alike – who have created the wonderful memories I will take with me into the future.
Sincerely,
Arnolda Utrecht
Dear Glendale Montessori Families and Staff,
I am honored and excited to take on my new responsibility at Glendale Montessori. Of course, no one can really replace Mrs. Utrecht. For me personally, she has been a director, substitute grandmother, mentor and friend. She visualized our school, guided its growth for over forty years, and created the loving, child centered philosophy that became the school’s hallmark. There are no words to express what we, the school community, owe to her. She has, however, decided it is time for a much-deserved rest. Sad as we are to see her go, all of us here at Glendale Montessori are committed to the continuance and growth of her vision and legacy.
I feel singularly well prepared for this imposing task. This beautiful school has been literally much of my life. While still inside my mother I was here as she created materials and helped the school run smoothly. As a toddler, I more than occasionally careened down its halls, no doubt creating amusement for its students and consternation for its teachers. At two and a half I finally had my chance! I hear I was not the easiest of students, but I might have been one of the most enthusiastic. My formative years were spent on this campus and I completed Montessori through the sixth grade. After graduating I would come back to this school to volunteer during my free time. I continued my part-time involvement with the school until 2009 when I took my Montessori training and began teaching full time. I was especially privileged to learn the care and cultivation of a Montessori school from Mrs. Utrecht herself and my life has provided me with a unique insight into our school, as well as, devotion to its ideals.
I am especially proud to be working with our capable and committed staff, led by our excellent principal and administrator Anita. Anita and I have already worked as an effective team and I have full confidence in her ability to guide and shape our amazing teachers toward the next step in the school’s development. As always, parents will have an essential role in that development. Feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.
Warmest Regards,
Andrea Ventura