Rose Hill Montessori School

Our Teachers

Each classroom at Rose Hill Montessori School has a credentialed Montessori teacher, along with an experienced assistant teacher at all times. Special teachers instruct in Spanish, Physical Education, Music, and Art.

Julie Douglas - Head of School AMI Administrator and AMS Elementary Credentials

Originally from Bend, Oregon, Julie has lived in Boise since 1997. Her two children both attended Rose Hill Montessori through 6th grade. Julie holds a BA from Eastern Oregon University, AMS Montessori Elementary I and II certifications from the Montessori Education Center of the Rockies, and AMI Administrators certification from Montessori Institute Prague. Her experience working with children expands across many ages. She has enjoyed working with children in preschools, elementary schools, an alternative high school, as well as, scouting programs, and residence camps. Traveling, camping, hiking, archery and listening to live music are just a few ways Julie enjoys spending time with her family. Julie has been with Rose Hill since 2002, taking on her current leadership role in 2016.

Laura Martin - Elementary Lead Teacher AMI Elementary Masters Degree

Laura received her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education with a minor in Special Education from the University of North Dakota. After completing her degree in 2008, she and her husband moved to Nevada (to get out of the cold). She took classes for an ESL certification and shortly after, stumbled upon a Montessori environment and fell in love with it. After completing her ESL certification, she decided to enroll in Montessori Training. Laura attended the Montessori Training Center of Minnesota where she earned her Montessori certification. Laura continued her studies and received her Master’s in Education from Loyola University in Maryland. She has taught at both public and private Montessori Schools before moving to the Boise area. Rose Hill Montessori welcomed Laura in 2020. During her free time, you’ll find Laura playing and reading with her two young girls and hiking with her dog. Laura enjoys traveling to new places and traveling to see family.

Jordyn Turney - Lead Early Childhood Teacher AMS Certification

Jordyn was born and raised in the mountains of Arizona. She loved reading early on and went to a small public school that emphasized the importance of community, impressing on her the impact of caring teachers and close-knit, peaceful classrooms, which fall perfectly in line with the Montessori philosophy. Upon entering into the educational field, she quickly fell in love with the varied and unique personalities of the 3-6 age group. Helping young children learn grow into the people they will later become is one of the greatest privileges, and Jordyn couldn’t imagine working with a more motivating and inspiring educational philosophy. Since moving to Idaho in 2013, Boise and the surrounding area has become Jordyn’s adopted hometown. Jordyn spent a few years as a Montessori assistant and substitute. She went through AMS training for the 3-6 year old classroom in Montana, and is fortunate to have landed at Rose Hill Montessori, doing her internship under the guidance of Christel Nordhausen, the school’s founder.

Testimonials

“As a parent of 4 children who attended Rose Hill Montessori before we moved from the area, we are grateful for the excellent start Rose Hill provided our children. The program, from primary through upper elementary, is strong on academics, while also supporting the child’s socio emotional needs. It is a wonderful community and one we still miss!” -Jennifer Weaver

“I can’t say enough great things about Rose Hill Montessori, their teachers and administrators! We have been at this school for 5 years and I can’t imagine our life away from the RHM community. My two kids are thriving and so happy. I’m so thankful for the support they have.” -Elizabeth Belts-Kauffman

“Rose Hill Montessori was the most powerful gift we could have given our children. This is where they learned how to read and write and solve complicated math equations. This is where they learned, through the five great stories, a fuller understanding of the world. This is where they learned how to be responsible, respectful citizens. Thanks to Rose Hill my children are organized, responsible, creative lifelong learners–truly what could be a greater gift?” -Elizabeth Barnes

Philosophy

Early Childhood Education For the 3 to 6 year old child, the goal is “normalization.” A normalized child has the capability, tools, and desire to explore and participate in the universe. They can demonstrate:

A love of work which included the ability to choose work freely.

Concentration and focus.

Self discipline which includes perseverance and the ability to complete an entire cycle of an activity.

Sociability which refers to patience, respect, help and sympathy towards others, and harmonious working relationships in a group.

The Montessori classroom is a “Prepared Environment.” Children learn more directly from it than from the teacher so it must aid every area of their development. The Primary classroom contains activities and material that meet the needs of the 3 to 6 year old children. The material are grouped into 5 main areas:

SENSORIAL The Sensorial material help the child develop all of his senses. The child will learn to discriminate objects based on color, size, shape, length, taste, sound, texture, etc. Internalizing these concepts also provides a basis for development of other skills, such as music, math, and language.

PRACTICAL LIFE The Practical Life activities help develop independent living skills. A child will learn to hang up their coat, open their own lunch box, fold their own blanket, put away their own mat, sweep or sponge up their own spills, and to pour their own juice or milk.

The Practical Life activities also develop fine motor and gross motor coordination. The child will learn to pour grains and then water from large and small pitchers with no spillage. The child will carry large, heavy objects as well as tiny, delicate objects without dropping or breaking them. They will use large objects such as ladles, and small objects such as tweezers to transfer objects from one place to another. This area also includes exercises in Grace and Courtesy: saying please, thank you, excuse me; offering and accepting politely; waiting patiently to take turns.

LANGUAGE The child first works with various pre-language activities. The child learns certain terminology: “on, under, under, behind, first, last, etc.” They will practice exercises that increase the auditory memory span. The child will work on matching, categorizing, sequencing, rhyming. They will learn the letter sounds, names, and sequence in the alphabet. The Montessori language program is phonetically based and it meets the needs of both left and right brain learners.

MATH Math explores the properties and manipulation of numbers. The material illustrates the dynamics of our base 10 number system and teaches the child to carry out the various mathematical operations. Math is demonstrated to the child by first introducing quantity, then the symbol, and then their association.

Mathematical concepts are also worked with: spatial relationships, patterning, counting, time, calendar, etc.

CULTURAL SUBJECTS The activities that fall into this category provide a fun and easy way to learn geography, science and art. The child matches and grades the bells to train her hearing of music. They will manipulate puzzles and matching cards to learn the continents, planets, plant parts, and animal parts. The child colors special drawings to identify parts of a flower or bird. The child learns that the earth is made of land, water, and air. The child will learn to recognize the animals and life forms that live within those elements. The child might observe living creatures, such as a hermit crab or turtle, brought into the environment. All of these enhance the awareness of the world around the child.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE All primary students receive 2 half-hour sessions each week studying Spanish. Through songs and movement, they learn the words for the colors, numbers, foods, simple common expressions, and other basic vocabulary.

THE ELEMENTARY MONTESSORI CURRICULUM The Montessori Elementary Curriculum is an open-ended curriculum based on a three year cycle. Rather than a yearly list of subject areas taught in a scheduled linear fashion, pre-determined by a school board, all areas needed by the student will be covered sometime within a three year time frame. This allows the student to independently explore areas following their own interests.

Lessons are given based on need and interest. Besides teaching basic skills, they are intended to stimulate curiosity for further self-directed investigation. Providing guidelines on how to research using books, printed materials, and resources and experts in our community is also an important part of the curriculum.

The Montessori materials are still an important part of a student’s learning. The materials offer concrete experiences of abstract concepts, especially in math, geometry, and language. Demonstrations, experiments, charts, maps, and time-lines are regularly used in history, biology, and geography. Repetitive use of the materials help internalize the concepts and provides a means of independent learning.

Most lessons that teach basic skills are generally taught in small groups based on ability and readiness, not on age nor grade level. This ensures that a student will progress at their own rate, and also encourages cooperative learning. The students can turn to each other, rather than to the teacher, for help.

The lessons are not lectures that require rote learning. Instead, the lessons themselves need to allow the reasoning power of the child to work. The child is required to observe, speculate, and think. Every answer or idea offered in a lesson by a child must be defended with reason and logic.

A goal of the Montessori method of teaching is to keep an interest in learning alive and to prepare the child with the skills that allow them to become a life-long learners.

THE MAIN AREAS OF THE MONTESSORI ELEMENTARY CURRICULUM INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO: History: Includes the Creation of the Universe, the Coming of Life, the Coming of Human Beings, the Needs of Human Beings, Phases in history, and 4th grade Idaho history.

Language: Includes the History of Language, grammar and syntax (including parts of speech, types and parts of sentences, and word study), writing, composition, creative writing, vocabulary, discussion, reports, poetry, and literature.

Mathematics: The Story of Numbers gives the student a historical background to our number system. The student also studies place value, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, multiples and factors, percents, probability, graphing, squares and cubes of numbers and polynomials, powers of numbers, fractions - common and decimal, square roots and cube roots, signed numbers, non-decimal bases, introduction to algebra, ratio and proportion, measurement - standard and metric, and word problems.

Geometry: Includes congruence, similarity, equivalence, polygons, angles, lines, nomenclature, Pythagoras and Euclid, area of plane figures, circle, and solid geometry.

Biology: Here the student explores the world of plants, animals, and human beings: their parts, the function of all the parts, their interdependence, their specialization, classifications, etc.

Geography: In political geography the student learns to recognize the countries, major cities, waterways, and land formations of the world. Physical geography takes the student on an exploration of the nature of elements, the sun and earth, the work of air, and the work of water. For human geography the inter dependencies of human beings and societies are researched.

Music and Art: The lives of composers and artists are studied as well as their major works. Sound, instruments, the orchestra, and musical genres are investigated. Various activities introduce the child to the basics of the C Major scale. Artistic processes are explored with hands-on activities led by artists from our community.

Foreign Language: All elementary students receive twice weekly Spanish instruction.

Physical Education: Time is spent developing and improving physical skills, agility, endurance, and good sportsmanship.

Location

Rose Hill Montessori School is nestled in the heart of the Central Bench in Boise, offering a warm and welcoming environment for children’s early education. Situated conveniently near Cassia and Franklin Parks, our location allows children to enjoy the beauty of nature and outdoor play. The school is strategically positioned within a tranquil residential neighborhood, providing a safe and serene setting for learning and growth. Our campus is easily accessible, just around 2 miles away from I-84, making it convenient for parents to drop off and pick up their little ones. Additionally, we are located in close proximity to Boise State University, making it a convenient choice for families from diverse backgrounds. At Rose Hill Montessori School, we provide a nurturing and accessible space for children to thrive and explore.

About our program

What sets Rose Hill Montessori School apart is our commitment to providing a truly exceptional educational experience for children aged 3 to 12. Our hallmark is our rich Montessori curriculum, meticulously designed to foster a love for learning and independence in young minds. We take great pride in our dedicated team of credentialed Montessori teachers and administration, who bring a wealth of experience and expertise to our school. What truly makes our institution special is the active engagement of our Parent Teacher Organization, a vibrant cornerstone of our unique school community. This dedicated group plays a pivotal role in supporting our classrooms, offering scholarships, organizing engaging family events, and facilitating ongoing teacher professional development. At Rose Hill Montessori, we take pride in our remarkably low teacher turnover rate, creating a stable and nurturing environment for your child’s growth. Our school is also privileged to have a wonderful community of long-term families who have been part of our journey, offering valuable continuity and a sense of belonging for every new family that joins our close-knit community.

Admissions

https://www.rosehillmontessori.com/enroll-today