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Elementary Community
 Full Day Elementary Program The Elementary Full Day Program is uniquely designed to meet the developmental needs of the child from 6 - 12 years of age. Extended Day Elementary Program The Extended Day Elementary Program accomodates dual-career families who need extended hours. Elementary Program Description The Elementary Montessori program is uniquely designed to meet the developmental needs of the child from 6-12 years of age. This is a time of great social and intellectual growth. Now, the questions asked by the child begin to change from a focus on the what to the why. Elementary children explore the universe through their emerging power of imagination and given the proper environment, will develop enlightened scholarship and responsible leadership.
Our prepared environments emphasize an integrated, interdisciplinary approach. Children are encouraged to explore as individuals and within small groups through stories, impressionistic charts, and evocative hands-on materials. Children work within long, uninterrupted work cycles, freeing them to explore areas of personal interest. They participate in individual and small group lessons, enabling each child to learn at his or her own pace. Multi-age grouping facilitates continuity within the community from year to year, as children remain in each classroom for three years. Additionally, younger children look to their older peers as mentors, while the older children have many leadership opportunities.  Elementary classrooms harness the child’s urge to know and learn about our world through exposure to the entirety of human knowledge, including the history of ancient civilizations, the mechanics of language, biological classification, the details of physical and political geography, and the methods of mathematics from basic operations through cube roots and algebra. In every case, children are given key lessons, allowing for open-ended exploration in areas of specific interest to the child. Ours is a community that supports and appreciates each child’s abilities and contributions. Small group projects and reports are enhanced by self-initiated and planned trips to museums or visits to various professionals in different fields. Children are encouraged to share what they have learned with the whole community and thus create a rich culture of discovery in which everyone is constantly exposed to a wide variety of information. The acquisition of knowledge is its own reward. This is why our students tend to be self-disciplined and intrinsically motivated in their work. Responsibility is fostered as students maintain work journals and meet regularly with the guide to review work and discuss possible approaches to further study. Through careful observation, the guide is able to introduce each new lesson at the ideal time and to supplement and reinforce the child’s learning to ensure mastery of core concepts and skills. Montessori students learn how to negotiate the inner world of ideas while balancing the social interests of their community. They develop real world skills of negotiation, compromise, and a solid work ethic driven by an inner sense of self-awareness and purpose.
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