Learning Areas

List of 6 items.

• Practical Life

  Through practical activities such as grasping, spooning, using tongs, pouring beans and water, scooping, opening and closing, stringing beads, and care of the environment through the use of sponges and a broom and dustpan, children develop the skills of order, concentration, coordination, and independence. The activities are designed to enable the child to explore his environment through movement while gaining harmony with his brain, senses and muscles; give the child direction and movement through repetition; and promote confidence to face challenges and change.

• Sensorial Activities

  The sensorial area activities help the child develop his awareness of the different characteristics and qualities of objects around him/her by using the senses. The area includes Knobbed Cylinders, Knobless Cylinders, Pink Tower, Brown Stair, Color Tablets, and various sorting exercises. As the child explores the world around him/her through the senses, he/she develops a keener eye for discrimination of contrasts and minute details, gains a sharpened sense of perception, learns basic problem solving, and has the opportunity for abstract learning.

• STEM

  STEM is emphasized at the earliest ages as students learn the foundations of numbers, math, and science, including participation in a Monarch Butterfly life cycle project. Exposure to STEM concepts continues in Kindergarten and includes the introduction of robotics. Students begin by programming a Beebot, but the program provides opportunities for differentiated instruction. Students can advance to more complicated components and design as they master concepts along the way. Understanding of major physical science concepts is enhanced and that knowledge is extended to use and application in problem solving.

• Modern Language

  The Lower School language program begins with the introduction of French across all Montessori Program age groups. The fundamentals of French, including greetings, days of the week, numbers, animals, colors, and weather are taught throughout the year. These new vocabulary words are woven into the classroom in a variety of enjoyable activities - reading books, singing songs, and interactive games - that engage young minds and help students master the fundamentals of the French language.

• Technology

  Technology is integrated into the curriculum beginning in Kindergarten to promote an environment focused on 21st century learning. The use of iPads, computers, and other technology provides students more ways to enhance their education. Kindergarten students get hands-on experience with the Seesaw app, using it to be creative and to document and share what they are learning in the classroom with their parents. Important skills like coding are learned while programming robotic mice during STEM classes.

• Spirituality

  The importance of a spiritual life is stressed as students learn about moral values (honesty, patience, and respect) and participate in informal prayer (praise, petitions, and thanksgiving for God, family, and the environment). Each class begins with a prayer and students learn the Sign of the Cross, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Hail Mary. Additional spiritual opportunities include celebrating feast days and holy days; attending church activities; listening to Bible stories; and singing religious songs. At age three, children participate in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, a Montessori-based approach to the religious formation of children.