Chateau School diplomats (left to right) Maya Menikoff, Kitty Kondo, and Callia Koshiba during their recent explorations of Africa and the Middle East. DAR FATIMA
April and May were focused on Africa and the Middle East at Chateau School, with diplomats starting their first class at dar Fatima, a Moroccan café/store in Omotesando (http://www.fatimamorocco.com).
Activities followed those held during a “normal” school day, starting with morning circle time and then some time working on academic materials that reflect the Montessori method. After the academic period, activities were linked to the cultural excursion, and used Morroccan materials covering a wide range of areas, including sensorial and practical. At Chateau School, diplomats are expected to explore the local customs and experiences of the country they checked into with their passport.
So far this spring, diplomats have experienced Morocco, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Saudi Arabian, Israel, and Turkey. They enjoyed a cultural excursion to Tokyo Mosque as well as a Shabbat dinner with the Jewish community.
The diplomats took the initiative in selecting their most favourite works for a group project, The Chateau Times — their own monthly newspaper. This in-house publication is reviewed by an Honour Ambassador, who adds a special comment to each individual work.
The Honour Ambassador for Spring is Sali Sasaki, an artist based in Paris, and manager of Creative Cities for UNESCO, an agency of the United Nations. Creative Cities is an international network of 25 cities from 17 countries. Sasaki’s latest work was to protect an ancient heritage site. Sasaki holds a Master of Arts degree in Communication Design from the Royal College of Art (UK). More information on Sasaki can be found at http://salisasaki.com/home.
Applications are now being accepted for Spring Camp (May 21–25) and Summer School (June–August) for children who would like to explore the world of Chateau School during their school holidays. See the “school” page on http://www.chateaubonbon.com for more information. — MARIA KONDO
