Our Elementary Program consists of:
- Lower Elementary – grades 1-3
- Upper Elementary – grades 4-6
Montessori’s idea was that successive levels of education should correspond to the inherent characteristics of the different ages. The Montessori Elementary program continues to give children the opportunity to progress at their own pace in an environment that nurtures love and learning. No matter how children are grouped, chronologically or by grade, there will always be a wide spread in normal developmental differences. A two-year span is normal in any area of a child’s growth, whether it is physical, social, language or cognitive development. A six-year-old may have the reading capability of a fifth grader but has trouble making friends. Students take responsibility for their own learning and have daily opportunities to make choices and decisions in a child-centered classroom.
Personality plays a clear and often dramatic role in the way children move through their developmental stages. It is very important to remember that each child is an individual. Their development will be unique even when it fits within a broad developmental pattern.
Children’s growth and development follow reasonably predictable patterns in physical maturation, language acquisition, social behavior and cognitive thinking. This growth is deeply influenced by culture, personality, and environment. No two children are the same, no two families, no two communities; each must be acknowledged and treated as unique.
We aim to prepare children for life, not just to retain information. Our curriculum actively addresses helping children develop inquiring minds, problem-solving skills, interpersonal abilities, and a sense of place and purpose in the universe. While all children experience these predictable stages in the same order, they will not go through them at the same rate.