St. Mark's Montessori School

Our Teachers

Our Director Ms. Caitie (she/her) has served as an early childhood administrator at traditional early childhood schools before becoming a Montessori Guide here at St. Mark’s Montessori School. Ms. Caitie became the director in 2023 and has developed the communication and family engagement at the school.

Our Teachers All of our Teachers are Montessori Certified Guides and have extensive backgrounds in Montessori.

Philosophy

The Montessori Method is an inclusive educational method that was formed by Dr. Maria Montessori in which it delves into the perception of children’s preferred learning modalities as they develop. The classroom environment consists of attractive manipulatives, educational toys that involve children in academic learning. “The Montessori classroom is a “prepared environment” planned in advance to support independent, student-initiated work.” In the classroom, children are free to select manipulative’s of their preference and through curiosity and innate interest engage in learning activities of their own individual choice. In the traditional Montessori environment, children manipulate objects and discover the joy of learning while a teacher guides them and “… by making discoveries with the materials, cultivating concentration, motivation, self-discipline, and a love of learning.”

Location

Located in St. Mark’s Church

About our program

Toddler Program

(Starting at 18 months-3 years)

Our beautiful Toddler classroom is intentionally designed to create an ideal environment for a first-time learning experience. Many social, emotional and physical developments are made during this time frame in a child’s life, including potty training and foundational language development. The classroom Guides encourage each child to become familiar with the practices of sharing and waiting their turn, all while nurturing independence and a lifelong joy in learning. The Montessori materials follow the development of each child and support an intrinsic desire to learn. Primary Program

(3 Years-Kindergarten)

The bright and open floorplan in our Primary classroom is a warm welcome to children ages 3 to Kindergarten. The prepared environment, self-guiding Montessori materials and daily lesson demonstrations support a natural curiosity for learning and exploring. The focus of our Guides is to follow the lead of the child and allow all potentials and possibilities to blossom in their own timing. With older students eagerly mentoring the younger, a key ingredient in a Montessori classroom, a learning circle and bond are built among the students resulting in the experience of a “school family.” Music, Spanish, Movement, Art and Literacy

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Our school offers Enrichments in Art, Literacy, Movement, Spanish, and Music that supplement our daily curriculum. Each afternoon, the Primary children attend these special classes with opportunities to explore instruments and singing, move their physical bodies through dance, develop foundational reading skills, and develop and nourish their individual artistic expression via themed arts and crafts activities.

We bring field trip experiences to the school rather than taking the children off campus. Farmer Leonard bring his farm animals in the fall, Explora visits us in the spring, and a Hawaiian dance troupe over the summer. Parents are also invited to share their culture, profession, traditions, or skills with our children to enrich the sense of community and representation.

Admissions

Please contact us directly for information