List of 6 items.

• Program Structure

  Our lower elementary program serves students 6 – 9 years of age in mixed age classrooms.  Our upper elementary program serves students 9 -12 years of age in mixed age classrooms.  

   

  We are open Monday through Friday from 7:30 to 6:00. In addition to our school day program that operates from 8:30 to 3:30 we offer before and after school programming as well.  

   

  Each classroom has a lead teacher and an assistant teacher with a maximum of 26 students.  

   

  No desks, no rows, no homework, no grades, no limitations, no failing, no hurry 

  Here is our daily schedule:

   

  Communication matters so we have multiple vehicles for sharing information including Transparent Classroom, conferences, email and of course face to face. These are in addition to our weekly Friday Notes and Final Friday schoolwide newsletter.  

• #1 Highly Qualified Teachers

  Highly qualified:  Our elementary team is highly qualified. All lead teachers are either Montessori credentialed, state licensed or both; many have advanced degrees. This means they are highly skilled in implementing the Montessori method and a 21^st century curriculum. They have the expertise and knowledge to provide the curricular experiences your child needs to be successful in both school and life.  

   

  Nurturing and kind:  Our teachers are special. They recognize that children are highly influenced by the emotional climate of their environment. They know that the tone of their voice, their facial expressions, and the messages they give are impactful. They are aware of the power of identity and cultural messages recognizing that everything they do gives your child a message regarding how they should feel about themselves. Your child’s emotional experiences affect their personal health, well-being, and their learning readiness. 

   

  Power of observation:  Our teachers are always watching, observing, and documenting; sometimes informally and sometimes formally to establish individual learning goals for your child. We utilize a developmental screener to better understand where your child is developmentally and share this with you. We use all this information to guide and adjust what materials and experiences are necessary to promote your child’s optimal growth. This information is readily available to you in real-time through our use of Transparent Classroom, an electronic portfolio that documents your child’s progress over time. 

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• #2 Mixed-Age Classrooms

  Relationships: Respectful and responsive relationships are at the heart of our work. Our continuity of care model supports optimal development. Because our teachers are with your child for up to three years, they get to know your child well and as a result can individualize curricular experiences promoting their growth in ways that are more difficult if your child transitions from teacher to teacher every 6 to 12 months. 

   

  Learning with and from each other:  Mixed-age classrooms are a key component of the Montessori method. Children stay together for up to 3 years. The benefits of the three-year cycle are many. It promotes deep relationships between families and teachers, teachers and children, and the children with each other. These early connections are the genesis of lifetime friendships. Finally, the children learn from each other. They get to be both nurtured and the nurturer, growing as learners and leaders together. Learning that collaboration is more advantageous than competition. 

  Community

   

  Grace and Courtesy:  In Montessori we don’t leave learning interpersonal skills to chance - instead they are taught. Children at this age are naturally social and learning how to get along with others can be tricky especially in a mixed-age classroom that’s why our teachers present Grace and Courtesy lessons. These practical life lessons have a way of being implemented at home in addition to school. 

   

  Gives students the opportunity to be the youngest, middle and oldest among peers as they move through the three-year cycle 

• #3 Prepared Classroom Environment and Montessori Materials

  Students who achieve higher levels of cognition, make connections, and experience AHA moments – such learning comes not from quiet classrooms and directed lectures but from classrooms with an atmosphere of exuberant discovery” Kohn 2004 

  Third teacher: Dr. Montessori believed that a prepared environment is a third teacher. She believed that during these early years of the first plane of development (0-6 years), your child’s personality is being formed because of their social relationships and environments. Meaning that the primary role of the teacher is to construct an environment that promotes motivation, experimentation, curiosity, and social relationships often blending in with the children. As a result, children learn to respect themselves, others, and their environment. Our Children’s House classrooms encourage freedom of movement, allow for choice, provide comfort and are child sized. They are rich in materials for exploration and discovery. 

   

  21^st Century Education: educational technology, self-paced, duo lingo. KHAN Academy, adaptive technology, experiential, 

   

  Curriculum aligned to state and national standards often exceeding standards in science and math. 

   

  Cosmic education:  explore the universe through the power of their imagination the whole of human knowledge:  the history of ancient civilizations, the mechanics of language, biological and geological classifications, the intricacies of physical and political geography, the methods of mathematics from basic operations through cube roots and basic algebra 

   

  The Great Lessons:  The teacher tells stories which lay out the a general organization for knowledge, then invites the children to investigate the details.

   

  The Absorbent mind: Dr. Montessori believed that this is the time that a child’s own sense of self begins to emerge. She identified six sensitive periods during this time where children are innately focused and have a special aptitude for developing a particular skill or knowledge area. The sensitive periods are order, language, coordination of movement, sensory development, interest in small objects, and concepts related to math and music. Our prepared environments promote growth in each of these areas utilizing hands-on materials that are as motivating as they are beautiful. 

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• #4 Student Directed Work

  "Love of learning more predictive of success than grades"

  -The Atlantic 

  Learn to Learn:  Mastery learning, lifelong learners, learner driven, 

   

  Learn to Do:  project based, hands-on, freedom of movement, learning by doing 

   

   

  Learn to Be:  character, social justice, personhood, 

   

  4C’s – communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity 

   

  Experiential, student centered, personalized, 

  Follow the child and choice:  Children are active, self-motivated learners. Core principles of the Montessori method are that children make individual choices and teachers follow the child and offer the least amount of help needed in the process. We leverage children’s intrinsic motivation by helping them learn how to learn so they can develop a life-long love of learning. A hallmark of a Montessori education. 

   

  Independence, autonomy, and social responsibility: Everything we do from day one is to support your child’s independence while being part of a community - their right to choose to work with others or alone (autonomy), to value others uniqueness, and learn peaceful resolution strategies. These are powerful attributes that are often underscored in a world focused on grades and competition. Our children become strong academically but just as important they are prepared to be global citizens. 

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• #5 Uninterrupted Work Cycles

  Montessori magic:  It is during the uninterrupted work cycles that the real “magic” of Montessori occurs. Our skilled teachers prepare their environments so your child can work uninterrupted for a long period of time concentrating on stimulating self-chosen works that they pursue. People who say young children don’t have long attention spans haven’t observed a Montessori classroom. Our teachers know when to join in, when to hold back, when to help, when to watch, or join in if they want us to. This is an art and based on respect for and the observation of your developing child. 

   

  OCCI: This is a Montessori acronym that stands for order, concentration, coordination, and independences. OCCI are the powerful attributes that your child will develop because of a Montessori education. OCCI are foundational for school and life success, and it all begins during this very special time of development. We believe our children become strong academically because of OCCI. You must observe one of our classrooms to fully appreciate how important this is for your child. 

   

  Life long learners, successful alumni, transition successfully, portrait of a CMEC graduate 

  Global society 

   

  Portrait of a Graduate

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