In our first Casa dei Bambini classroom there were just 6 students, and most of them were foreigners. Valentina invited Joanne King to help her launch the school, and Joanne played a formative role in what MSM has become. She was the first foreigner in Russia to have AMI diplomas in working with children from 3 to 6 and from 6 to 12 years old.

Valentina turned out to be the first representative of Russia to be trained according to the school administration standard laid down in the USA in partnership between NAMTA and MAA - it later formed the basis of the AMI administrative course.

Susan noted a high level of culture in Russia and at the same time the tendency on the part of parents to overprotect their children. Here are some excerpts from a conversation with her: "... from the very beginning of life, children want to do everything that they see people around them do", "independent acting ... leads to independent thinking and responsibility and very strong self-image. So that's one area, where I think Montessori will have a lot to offer to people in Russia."

International representatives of the MSM parent community began to form the school's traditions in accordance with the best world practices, for which we are very grateful to them! Our first bazaar was organised to support of the Center for Curative Pedagogics in Moscow.

The workshop for Montessori school administrators was held in Russia for the first time and became an unprecedented international event. Among almost 60 people in attendance there were both heads of Russian-speaking schools from different countries, as well as representatives of the USA, France, Romania and the island of Mauritius.

This was the first experience in Russia of organizing an Elementary program with the participation of an international specialist. Despite the difficulties in its implementation, we managed!

We thank Svetlana Chashnikova from Grata Montessori School for her support and cooperation during the second year of this program. By uniting for the development of this program for the benefit of the entire Russian Montessori community, our schools have gained invaluable experience together.

"International Day" unites our community, giving our families a chance to get to know each other better and admire the variety of projects created by children, their knowledge and creative abilities, and is also a testimony to the patience and dedication of our teachers.

This bazaar is combined with a picnic for the entire school community. It becomes a central event for which families prepare in advance. Dancing, games, performances by invited artists - these are some of the activities that accompany us during this festival of our students' entrepreneurship!

Already in the first months of our work, we realized that we should not limit ourselves to this age group and changed the name. And we did the right thing! Ahead of us was a path full of adventures, active growth and deep development. We are grateful to everyone who has been and remains part of our community!

Svetlana Makeeva has been an active contributor to the life of MSM from the very beginning of our work. 10 years after our inception she completed her training and practical internship at the Montessori Center for Work and Study in Sweden. This allowed us to launch the first Montessori adolescent program in Moscow in collaboration with internationally renowned mentors who develop the AMI standard for this age. At the first stage, there were only two students in the program, and together with Svetlana they did a lot of work to shape this wonderful program.

The speakers at the conference were Peter Davidson, Kathy Minardi and Lesley-Ann Patrick. We thank them and our entire team for how effective, professional and high-quality this event turned out to be. You can purchase conference recordings by following the link.