Kiva Montessori School

It’s a testament of our Kiva families, teachers, support staff, students, and educational community to see so many comments from Montessori families past and present. Keep school choice and alternative schooling options alive in our community! We are sincerely grateful for the educational foundation our 3 children gained while attending Children’s House and the Kiva Charter. We are behind you all the way!

I believe that if given a chance this school will shine. They've just had tough times these past few years, but they are strong and willing to commit to becoming great. The teachers and kids didn't cause the mess they are in. Please give them one more chance.

Keep Kiva alive!! Don't give up on our kids, families and future!

My grandkids go to this awesome school. Let's not take it away from the kids

I love the school and I believe our community needs it.

This school has helped our Hunter so much!

Our son enjoyed being part of the Kiva Montessori family in the early 2000s. We moved away, but chose Montessori again later for our daughter and niece. In addition to stellar academics, we all learned lessons about respect, diversity, effective communication, different approaches and realizing potential. Montessori instilled a lifelong love of learning in three wildly different students. Through our travels, we have enjoyed a wide variety of school experiences. From metro area gifted programs to online coursework, small island classrooms to massive public high schools, charters and private offerings, we have appreciated and utilized our options. I always recommend a Montessori platform to parents searching for quality education. We have found charter school parents to be strong advocates for their children, engaging with their communities and putting in extra effort to help maximize positive outcomes. School choice is important in any area, but especially critical in this district. RE-1 is plagued with issues, from socioeconomic hardships, shrinking population, student and parent apathy, dismal test scores, on and on. After teaching college, my mother substituted frequently for the district. She was disheartened by the low morale, basic lack of knowledge, poor attendance and participation, and the number of students unprepared for college, even in upper-level AP classrooms. Loading more students onto an already sinking ship seems counter-intuitive, at best. This district is desperately in need of an educational overhaul, a reworking of the entire failing system. My hope for all affected families is that the district will not choose to condescend and revoke but to humbly acknowledge its own mountainous issues. A shift in thinking, a move toward inclusion, would be fantastic. This Montessori community is weathering the storm, working hard to ensure area students have choices on their educational journey. Best wishes and strongest support going forward!

Montessori education as an opportunity is so important for some children. Please consider that different children need different opportunities, help, and activities to be stimulated and feel like they’re in a healthy learning environment. The parents at Kiva have found a place where education works for their kid. It would be a terrible experience to lose.

Keep the school open

Kiva Montesorri is an important asset to our community! Give the school time to recover from recent challenges and offer children this important alternative!

Cortez is extremely lucky to have Children’s Kiva, and Montessori, as an option. Now is the time to support this school - not to shut it down.

Please allow this school some time to recover from recent challenges. I am so grateful to have Montessori as a community resource and school option as my daughter becomes school-aged in the coming years - and for other children in our community who thrive in the Montessori environment.

I am in support of educational options, we are all individual learners. It may also very well be in the best interest of each student.

Please keep Kiva Montessori open. The new board need more time to get the school moving in a strong direction. Having a Montessori option for families and children in this community is important.

In favor keeping it open

Signing to keep school open.

I fully support this petition.

I have friends educating their kids at kiva.It is an important education option for many.

Since becoming a charter program, the Children’s Kiva Montessori school hasn’t had the luxury of even a year without growing pains, from finding an affordable and workable location, to enticing trained and knowledgeable teachers and administration to a rural area. Yet. Yet, a dedicated and tenacious group of teachers, families and community members continue to struggle to for the maintenance and development of a quality school of choice. Such involvement and perseverance makes clear the need and desire for alternative educational methods and facilities which are available to all (public, not private) in our community. Montessori is a proven method. Given time and support, the Children’s Kiva will reflect just how successful Montessori can be as an educational approach through growing enrollment , community interaction and, yes, test scores. An improvement plan, as would be the line of action in any of the other district public schools, is the appropriate measure, not closure.

Closing a school mid-year is extremely disruptive to students in particular. If the school must be closed, at the very least students and staff should have the time to effectively transition.