Academics

Practical life is where students begin their primary education. They work independently with shelf work designed to develop many skills including concentration, fine motor skills, and pre-writing skills. Some works they can choose from include tonging, multi step washing, transfer works, and preparing food. Practical life lives up to its name by providing work that the child will do in real life, such as self care and care of the environment. 

In the sensorial area, students engage with shelf work that focus on gradation, geometry, and the refinement of their senses. Here students explore materials such as the binomial cube and the pink tower.

The math area in primary is cohesive and extensive. The shelf work begins with number recognition and one to one correspondance works and progresses through skills for fractional work and the decimal system. The math area builds upon the sensorial area, and the works are sequenced so that each child is working on the skill that they are ready for. 

The literacy area contains a library full of enticing children's books. You might also see the moveable alphabet, which is in cursive. While our children read in print, their writing instruction will be in cursive. Cursive is a life skill that is easier for young children to do due to their fine motor skills; the transition to print comes naturally later on. Other works in literacy include shelf works that hone the skills of decoding, word families, matching, and retelling.

In addition to the formal art class children will have during specials time, each classroom is equipped with an arts area. This area is sequenced so that primary children can work on skills such as using scissors, gluing, and creating in an area that focuses on fine motor development, creativity, as well as cognition. It is in this area that they will investigate secondary and tertiary colors by creating their own color wheels, or they may investigate geometry by using the metal insets to create a collage of overlapping shapes.

Cosmic education is referred to as the heart of the classroom. It is in this area that the stories of our collective world histories are retold. This is the area where students investigate the world around them through works and studies of biology, zoology, physics, and chemistry. In this area you will see our many globes and maps that students work with to understand the different biomes of the world and the different countries and continents. 

Since it has been ... necessary to give so much to the child, let us give him a vision of the whole universe. The universe is an imposing reality, and an answer to all questions.... All things are part of the universe, and are connected with each other to form one whole unity. The idea helps the mind of the child to become focused, to stop wandering in an aimless quest for knowledge. He is satisfied having found the universal centre of himself with all things. Maria Montessori, To Educate the Human Potential.

Peace education is a thread of learning that underscores all of our academics. This is where students learn how to work with others in the classroom, how to express themselves respectfully, and how to resolve conflicts. From this area we observe great strides in emotional independence as children begin to use the tools to talk to each other in helpful, peaceful ways. This work creates a classroom community of kindness and respect, and also allows room for hard conversations and finding solutions together.