Page 21 - parent handbook 2024-25 FINAL FLIP

Our Young Scholars - Elementary
The Montessori Elementary Community grows out of respect for the mind of developing the child. The 6-9 year old child now strives for intellectual independence. This is a time for insatiable curiosity and excitement for learning. The children in this age group are starting to realize that the world is an interesting place.
They are primed to study continents, cultures, scientific concepts and great literature. The world is their classroom.
The carefully developed elementary curriculum guides the child through identifying, classifying and researching all the fascinating concepts in each chosen field of study.
The areas of practical life, language, math, geometry, botany, zoology, geography and history are all represented in the classroom, with materials that lead the child to abstraction of the fundamental concepts in each area.
An elementary Montessori classroom is a warm community: a multi-aged, stimulating environment with highly- trained teachers and materials that invite exploration and research. Children learn to face challenges with confidence and begin to find their place in the world around them.
Maria Montessori summed up the 6-9: “The elementary child has reached a new level of development. Before he was interested in things: working with his hands, learning their names. Now he is interested mainly in the how and the why...the problem of cause and effect”. It is the job of the elementary teacher to provide the child with the materials and information to discover the interconnectedness of the universe.
Ready to transition to a traditional classroom: At the end of the Montessori elementary program, the child is well-equipped to transition into new environments. He has experienced the challenges and rewards of working with a group of other children of different ages and has seen
his skills and talents put to use in many group projects. He has developed proficiency in all academics and has learned invaluable social skills, successfully navigating many experiences. The Montessori child is flexible and adaptable allowing him to easily migrate into new academic and social situations.