Openings for children 18 months to 6 years old
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Westshore Montessori School
As the west side’s premier Montessori preschool, specializing in early childhood development, Westshore Montessori understands the importance of a strong educational foundation. Lifelong learning skills, character development and independent thinking are the ABC’s of our program.
Multi-age groupings are the basis of the Montessori Method: younger children learn from older children, and older children reinforce their mastery of previously learned concepts by teaching younger children. This arrangement also imitates the real world where adults work and socialize with people of all ages and dispositions.
“Imagine a place where your child is always greeted warmly and made to feel welcome with a parent-communication experience that keeps you informed and confident that your child has fallen in love with learning.”
Mission & Values
The mission of Westshore Montessori School is to provide an authentic Montessori learning environment where every child may establish a lasting foundation for achieving their full potential in learning and in life.
An “authentic Montessori learning environment” is one that:
✅ is inclusive and welcoming
✅ contains beautiful, quality materials
✅ comprises multi-age groupings
✅ includes specific materials organized into particular work areas
✅ involves teacher-supported, self-directed learning
A “lasting foundation” means a child develops the following traits:
✅ interest in purposeful work
✅ focus
✅ self-motivation
✅ peacefulness
✅ love of learning
✅ self-control
✅ self confidence
We value:
✅ working from where the child is
✅ a beautiful environment and quality materials
✅ an experienced, committed, well-trained staff
✅ community responsiveness
✅ parent and family education
✅ global perspective and impact
A Little About Our Programs
Toddler (ages 18 months through 30 months)
The Toddler Program at Fountain Valley Montessori is a specialized curriculum for children ages 24 to 36 months, serving as a preparatory program for transition into a Montessori preschool. Children are exposed to Practical Life activities and the beginnings of the Sensorial materials which are appropriate for the emergent two-year-old. Water work, puzzles, math activities, manipulatives, and language tasks round out the choices available during the daily work time. The concept of grace and courtesy is introduced and implemented during morning snack and lunchtime.
Each month, the children explore a different Color of the Month, Book of the Month, and Song of the Month. The work activities, art projects, and circle time selections all reinforce the monthly curriculum. The ratio in the classroom is one-to-eight; i.e., one teacher per eight children, ensuring that children who have not yet had an academic experience will make a successful transition into a group care environment. Toilet training is also an important component of the Toddler Program and teachers work closely with parents to guarantee a painless progression to independent toileting.
Primary (ages 2.5 yrs to 6 years)
The Primary program promotes the physical, emotional, educational and spiritual development of the child from ages 2.5 to 6. It is a three-year program wherein a child normally enters at age three and remains through Kindergarten. Each room is supplied with materials designed by Dr. Maria Montessori in the areas of Practical Life, Sensorial, Math, Language and Cultural Studies. You can learn more about each of these areas of the classroom by visiting the page on our website devoted to Montessori Education.
A trained Montessori Directress introduces the lessons and guides the child in this prepared environment over the course of the three years. Westshore Montessori School’s Primary program is five days per week and operates from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. for 3 and 4 year old children, and 9:00 to 2:30 for 5 year old/kindergarten children.
The Primary program serves children age 2.5 to 6, preschool through Kindergarten. This program is a half-day Montessori program for preschool children and full day for Kindergarten. It is offered five days a week during the school year.
Elementary (ages 6 years through 12 years)
As at all Montessori levels, the Elementary program is based on the belief that children learn best through movement and work with their hands, and provides cognitive, social, and emotional support to help them reach their full potential.
This includes addressing their needs as they enter a new period of development characterized by:
A transition from concrete to abstract thinking
Growing interest in socialization
Thinking and memory that is enhanced by creativity and imagination
An interest in fairness, social justice, and compassion
The Classroom
In a Montessori Elementary classroom, students work individually or in small groups, at tables or on mats on the floor.
Natural lighting, soft colors, and uncluttered spaces set the stage for activity that is focused and calm. Learning materials are arranged on accessible shelves according to curricular area, fostering independence as students go about their work. Everything is where it is supposed to be, conveying a sense of harmony and order that both comforts and inspires.
Children who are new to Montessori quickly feel at home with the inspired teaching that appeals to their deepest interests, and with the distinctive, hands-on learning materials that teachers introduce sequentially according to the students’ developmental needs. For students who have completed Montessori Early Childhood programs, the environment offers continuity with familiar routines and learning materials that offer new lessons and opportunities for more complex exploration and discovery.
The classroom is a happy community. Students are focused. They take joy in their work. They invent, explore, experiment, confer, create, prepare snacks, and curl up with books; sometimes they might even reflect in a peaceful, meditative corner. Meanwhile, teachers circulate throughout the room, observing the students and making notes about their progress, ever ready to offer support or introduce new material, as appropriate.
Expectations are both exquisitely clear and engagingly open-ended.
The elementary program is an individually paced curriculum that challenges children academically and safeguards their well-being and sense of self. Engaging as contributing members of a respectful community, they learn to question, think critically, and take responsibility for their own learning—skills that will support them in later education and in life.
Before and After Care (ages 18 months – 6 Years)
This program provides educational and social enrichment that complements the Montessori methods. The program allows for the child’s growth as a whole child in an environment of consistent expectations. The Before & After Care program is open to all current students.
The curriculum consists of a balance of quiet and active work periods, reading, music, foreign language, art and gross motor enrichment. Before & After Care is a flexible program allowing for a variety of days and times of enrollment. It is open before school from 7:30 am to 9:00 am and after school until 6:00 pm.
Before and After Care provides students the opportunity to participate in crafts, story time, outdoor play and indoor games which enrich their time in loving home like environment.
The daily Before Care program, 7:30 am until 9:00 am, and daily After Care from 12:00 until 6:00, offer our parents the flexibility they need for their jobs and family while meeting the needs of each child. This program operates during the regular school year.
Hear it from our parents!
“We had had a wonderful experience at Westshore Montessori. We are so thankful to have found it. The children, including ours, thrive and become enmeshed in strong, foundational approaches to learning, integrity, and empathy.”s first experience in school a very positive and rewarding one!”
Laura M.
Parent
“Our son has had an amazing experience at Westshore and we are so happy we found them! We can’t wait until our daughter is old enough to attend. The quality of the education and the dedication of the teachers is unmatched.”
Matthew P.
Parent
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