Primary
Functional Independence
The Primary program for children 2.5 to 6 years old is characterized by the construction of the individual person, both physically and "spiritually". It is distinguished by a core curriculum where each child acquires and applies a breadth of skills during a three-year learning cycle.
I Can Do it Myself
Striving for independence, the child at the Primary level desires to be free to work alone, choosing real activities with an intelligent purpose, to fulfill the fundamental need for academic and social autonomy. The acquired skills are intended to prepare each child not only for success at the next level, but also for success in life.
Individualized Educational Plan
Well-planned lessons are presented in a carefully prepared learning environment filled with specifically designed, age-appropriate, hands-on Montessori materials. The teacher is trained to respect your child’s unique potential and connects him with the lesson best suited at that precise moment of development. Each student learns and achieves at a rate which meets their particular need and allows their talents to emerge, not following a generic standard.
The Absorbent Mind
The absorbent mind is the sponge-like capacity to absorb from the environment what is necessary to create an individual from a child's specific culture. It is a quality of the child's mind up to the age of about six, when there is a transition to the reasoning mind we have as adults. Because a Montessori classroom is a mixed age community, the younger child learns by observing the behavior and activities of the older children, rapidly gaining knowledge.
Kindergarten Included
Your child will stay in the Primary classroom, including the traditional “kindergarten year” – when the seeds of learning come to fruition. When a child has already spent one or two years in a Montessori Primary class, the kindergarten year is an amazing experience – one that simply cannot be matched in a traditional setting.
Montessori is a continuum of education that allows children to build upon their experiences each year. Those students will also strengthen their self-confidence, leadership skills, and knowledge by mentoring and teaching the younger children. They leave the program with a strong set of academic skills; but, far more importantly, with the attitude that learning is fun, exciting and boundless.
As a result, the Montessori Kindergarten year is both the culmination of the Primary experience and a great foundation for our Elementary Program (ages 6-12).
“There is in the child a special kind of sensitivity which leads him to absorb everything about him and it is this work of observing and absorbing that alone enables him to adapt himself to life. He does it in virtue of an unconscious power that exists in childhood… The first period of the child’s life is one of adaptation.”
~ Dr. Maria Montessori (The Absorbent Mind)
