What Parents Are Saying

Class Teacher G1-G8 2002-2011

11/27/22

Dear Mary Jo,

I hope you are well! Samantha was just home for Thanksgiving and had a few of her Cedarwood friends over for her birthday (Alma, Maya, Sophia, Ava, and Coeli). They are all so bright, engaged and grown up!! Thank you for being such a marvelous teacher and giving them their core learning experiences!

With Love,

Jay

PS. Sam is a Communications Coordinator in Boston at Harvard's Radcliffe Institute. She is interviewing authors, writing articles and is doing so well that other departments are trying to recruit her! You gave her knowledge and courage to speak out!

Thank you again!

One:One Reading and Writing

"Since the start, Mary Jo has been an excellent tutor for our son (8), who was behind in reading & writing after the pandemic school era.

Mary Jo’s approach has been to warmly wrap around the fullness of our son. She’s supportive, encouraging & fun with him while also pushing him to do better each day. Not only is he improving academically, but he's also more confident & proud of his skills now — he feels safe with her and she is teaching him that he can be successful at things he tries. We full-heartedly recommend Mary Jo to anyone."

Paul & Lydia, parents of their 8 year old

SUMMER ADVENTURES 2022

Week #1 "Who's in Rabbit's House"

My daughter had a blast. She met new friends in the neighborhood, did art, played outside, had water adventures. It was a great place for her to let her social butterfly wings soar!

~mom of a five year old

Week #2 "Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain"

I am the mom of a nine year old with ADHD who normally can find it hard to stay focused and engaged in activities for more than a few minutes. He absolutely loved Mary Jo's program and was eager to go every morning. He was engaged in her course offering and was happy to share with us what they did each day. Her individualized attention works well in these small group settings and she has great, positive classroom management skills. We definitely will be interested to attend again next summer!

Week #3 "Coyote Juggles His Eyes"

My son was so excited to retell the story of Coyote Juggles his Eyes that it just came gushing out of him. The problem solving adventure captivated his imagination. And he loved being with the other kids every day. ~mom of nine year old

Small Group Creative Enrichment Virtual G3/4 Pentatonic Flute

We really enjoyed Ms. AbiNader's presence in our home as a family. We believe she brought great concepts to teach so my child learned well, better than other platforms we have used. My child developed such a joy for her subject matter, it was picked up in free time to continue (instead of begging for tv time!!). My other child learned her songs by osmosis and we, as parents enjoyed hearing these songs when the children chose to sing (car rides, etc) over some mainstream/annoying songs that are more typical or popular with kids.

I can't be thankful enough for our time with Ms. AbiNader.

Katie, parent of children enrolled in Lotus & Ivy Virtual Classes

One:One Developmental Movement Integration and Academic Tutoring

"Mary Jo is exactly what my child needs. She is able to meet him just where he is (which changes day to day), motivates him to learn and grow, provides him with so many different ways of learning and different activities to keep him engaged. Her energy is amazing and she is obviously doing this because she cares about children and is excited herself to see them learn and improve. We are so lucky to have her helping our son."

Elisa Saphier, parent of 10 year old

Small Group Creative Enrichment

"Mary Jo is such a remarkable human being that I try to get my girls around her as much as possible. There is a richness and a wiseness that you don’t come across as often anymore. One of my favorite things about her is her natural gift to come up with an idea and then bring that idea into reality. She is always creating and manifesting. When she works with my girls, I know they are growing physically, intellectually, emotionally, artistically and even spiritually. Thank you Mary Jo for all you have brought to our family!"

Adrienne Dale, parent of 6 year old and 8 year old

One:One Developmental Movement Integration

"Ms. AbiNader is enthusiastic, engaging and knowledgeable. She is able to meet my child where he is, make him feel comfortable and help him to take steps forward."