School Programs

Infant Program

The aim of our infant program is to foster the development of basic trust and assist in the normal development of the personality. Basic trust develops in an environment where people respond appropriately to the infant’s communication of needs to be loved, respected, and accepted. Infants learn through their senses.They learn by watching and moving freely.

Freedom to move is essential to the development of the infant’s potential. The Infant is considered a whole person and is affected by the quality of holding and feeding, as well as the quality of physical care. Learning, which leads to independence, occurs when infants participate in their daily routines of care. Infants must be spoken to in the language with which they will communicate.

A Montessori infant environment must have these basic characteristics:

• Adults educated in the Montessori philosophy and methodology education appropriate for infants.
• A partnership established with the family. The family is considered an integral part of the individual’s total development.
• A variety of interesting objects to look at, and experience – which are designed to meet the developmental stages and sensitive periods of infants.
• A flexible sequence of routines and activities that reinforce the rhythmic patterns of activities of individual infants and not a rigid schedule.
• An atmosphere that communicates unconditional love and acceptance.

Toddler Program

Toddler Montessori Curriculum

Montessori Scholars Academy offers the Montessori curriculum during the Toddler Years (approximately 18 and 36 months of age). Children in this level form a community and have ample opportunities for social experience with peers younger and older than them. The pillars of the Toddler Curriculum are the strong link between physical activities and intellectual development, as well as the pursuit of independence, all within a nurturing, safe and loving environment.

The classroom offers opportunities in the following areas:

Practical Life:- Great emphasis is placed on the development of the child’s practical life skills. This portion of the curriculum includes activities such as lacing, spooning, pouring, food preparation and scooping. The child is offered work with wet and dry ingredients, as well as with different textures. The Practical Life area is designed to help develop their attention span and focus, gross motor skills, spatial awareness and hand-eye coordination. The activities shared in the Practical Life area are also opportunities for development of a child’s social skills due to the constant interaction with their peers.

Although at this stage children are perfecting their gross motor skills, many of the Practical Life area work materials allow for growth and refinement of fine motor skills as well. Parents will notice that their children will start caring for self and the environment, by trying to clean up, dress and preparing food by themselves.

 Language:- Montessori Scholars Academy’s Toddler curriculum understands that language acquisition happens everywhere in the environment, and this is why language development for children in the toddler classroom is not limited only to the Language area. Guides read to the children often through the day. In this classroom, the toddler is introduced to the Sand Paper letters, one letter at any given time associated with an object from the shelf. This way, there is always a strong reinforcement between the sound, the symbol and the tangible object. Conversation skills are developed by the use of other materials such as the Globe and the Barn with animals. Children gain knowledge, vocabulary and language components. Growth and development of language is achieved by repetition of activities, so toddler children often use and reuse the same materials many times. In the repetition, they seek mastery of the skill, and at the same time build their confidence.

Sensorial:- The Toddler Community is offered basin and simple materials, such as the color tablets, stairs, knobbed cylinder blocks, geometric tray and solids, brown stairs and the pink tower. The brown stairs and the pink tower allow the toddler to classify from thickest to thinnest and from smallest to biggest. The geometric tray and solids helps the child learn the basic shapes. The color tablets help the child identify the different colors, while also teaching him/her how to match. The knobbed cylinder blocks help the child develop his/her pincer grip while learning to sort based on size.

 Math:- The sand paper numbers are presented in the toddler environment with the purpose of developing numeral recognition. This is done in progressive sequence, so only a few sand paper numbers will be available on the shelves at the beginning, to allow for mastery before advancement to other numbers. Counting, numeral and quantity recognition are basic math skills developed in this classroom by practicing counting activities, in which concrete objects are used to match with the numbers being counted.

 Art:- Objects and themes from nature are the focus of art in the Toddler Montessori room. Children are allowed to experiment with paint and sculpture using objects from nature wither as models or as tools. Children can collect leaves or flowers and utilize them in their works of art, or use them as inspiration. In a specific holiday or season, natural elements such as pumpkins, fall-colored leaves, hollies or fresh spring flowers, are options toddlers have to do art.

 Free Play:- Weather permitting, children in this community play outside every day. This is crucial for the development of reflexes and muscle tone. When there is bad weather, children plan organized games with the guides inside, allowing ample opportunity for movement.

 Grace and Courtesy: Good manners and positive behaviors are learned since the time of birth. In the toddler years, the Guides in the class model courtesy and grace, and expect good behavior from them. There are no punishments for misbehavior, but will be gently reinforced with the consequences of their actions. Their behavior is then redirected to something appropriate for the current frame of mind. Proper communication used by the teacher models the expected language. Children understand the expectation and learn respect through the limits set by their Guides. The teacher also gently insists upon the use of kind words such as “sorry”, “please” and “thank you”.

Primary Program

Early Childhood Program (Ages 3 – 6)

“Never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed.” – Maria Montessori

The Primary Education Program at Montessori Scholars’ Academy nurtures the child’s quest for independence. In this program, they learn to refine their gross and fine motor skills, as well as control themselves physically.  In this classroom, they have the opportunity to experiment and learn using a broad range Montessori materials, especially those that will become the foundation for future abilities such as reading, writing, and mathematics. In this level, they experience being part of a community, making friends, and developing positive socialization skills.

The Classroom

The Primary classroom at MSA is multi-age for children 3 to 6 years of age. The third year is equivalent to “Kindergarten”, when the child is 5 and will be turning 6. This is a very important year that completes a three-year cycle. In this classroom, the child is able to advance at their own rhythm and will experience being the “learner” first (when they are 3 and 4 years old) and, later on in the cycle, the “teacher” (5 and 6 years old).

The classrooms are beautiful, bright, and transmit a sense of calm and order which are qualities needed by the children to concentrate in their work and respect the work being done by others. Each Primary classroom has one full-time Montessori trained and certified lead teacher, as well as a full time assistant, who work with the children from 8:30 am – 3:30 pm. The children have two 3-hour periods of uninterrupted work: one in the morning, and one in the afternoon.

Curriculum

Research demonstrates that the period of life between birth and six years of life is the most influential to define a child’s personality and ability to learn. During this period of time, life-long patterns are established and the skills acquired become the foundation that will be the basis for their future independence. Dr. Montessori calls this attribute of a child the “absorbent mind”.

The Primary classrooms are divided into four areas of learning and those are: Practical Life, Sensorial, Language, and Mathematics.

Practical Life Area

The Practical Life area of a Montessori classroom allows the child to learn to take care of themself and of their physical surroundings. The child learns how to set the table, prepare their own snacks, clear and clean the table, wash dishes, tie their shoes, zip and hang jackets, and clean up after themselves. A child in this age group desires to be independent and learn how to do these things for themself. This section of the classroom was designed with the specific purpose of helping the child gain the independence they so much desire. The environment is safe and conducive to exploring, helping them grow in self-confidence.

Sensorial Area

In the Primary classroom, the child will learn to assimilate, understand, classify and comprehend the world that surrounds them.  The sensorial area materials uses all the senses: Smell, sound, taste, sight and touch to put the student in direct contact with their environment, and to transform abstract concepts into concrete realities.  The manipulatives found in the sensorial area are the foundation for the future development of skill.

Language Area

The materials in the language area provide a full range of language-acquisition opportunities, which include sight words, linguistic materials, hands-on learning experiences such as sandpaper letters, and phonics. The materials approach language acquisition from a variety of angles, such as visual, auditory and kinesthetic, which make learning language attractive to the different learning styles of the child.

Mathematics Area

The mathematics area offers the child the opportunity to physically “experience” math through manipulative materials. The Mathematics area includes concrete materials such as the counting beads for counting to 1,000, the concepts of place value, beginning addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and fraction materials, as well as basic problem solving exercises. They start with concrete mathematics and this gives the child the foundation to progress to more abstract concepts later in their educational life.

Cultural Studies Area

Cultural Studies is a key element of the Primary classroom, and it is here that the child covers material such as basic geography, physics, botany, anatomy and zoology. In this section of the classroom, the child will learn about the solar system and earth, the animals and plants that live on earth, as well as the different cultures of the world. This is done through puzzle maps, music, food, song, and flags for different countries as part of the learning of Cultural Studies.

Enrichment Classes

Montessori Scholars’ Academy offers a variety of enrichment classes to complement and enhance the child’s learning experience, and support her whole development. Enrichment classes offered are: Art (drawing and painting), Ballet, Soccer, Karate, Piano, Gymnastics and Robotics. The majority of the classes are taught after regular school hours and last between 30 minutes and 1 hour.

Advanced STEM Curriculum

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Piano Classes

We offer special piano classes for your children here. They will begin learning the basics from a very tender age and would become experts by the time they grow up. The growing minds have great learning potential and we try our best to help them take advantage of their learning capabilities and teach them how to play this beautiful instrument.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Advanced knowledge of musical technology
• Basic keyboard techniques
• Better compositional techniques
• Adoption of various musical styles

Other Programs

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