Our Philosophy

Philosophy & Curriculum

Our mission at FSM Montessori School is to create a nurturing, fun, and learning Montessori environment for each child. This blended environment meets or exceeds both AMI (www.ami-global.org ) and AMS (www.amshq.org ) standards. Our philosophy is to “Follow the Child,” so every child can grow physically, emotionally, cognitively, and socially at their own pace.

Our program follows the Montessori philosophy, based on Dr. Maria Montessori's Whole Child approach. We offer Preschool, Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten classes for children ages 3-6 years old. We follow the Montessori curriculum for ages 3-6. Our classroom is divided into six areas: Practical Life, Sensorial, Language, Mathematics, Cultural (Geography and Science), and Art. A full description of each area of the classroom can be found here. We are equipped with Montessori materials in all areas of the classroom.

Montessori education is ultimately about fulfilling the needs of each individual child. We maintain a very high teacher-to-student ratio (1:6), enabling the teacher to provide personal attention to each child. This in turn allows the teacher to tailor activities to the needs and interests of each child. We aim to provide a joyful and nurturing learning environment for each student - Dr. Montessori considered happiness a metric for the success of education, and so do we.

Outdoor Learning

We believe that outdoor free play is extremely important for children to build their motor coordination and social skills. We have a private backyard where the children can run, drive tricycles, choose to play at the sand table, or just enjoy being surrounded by nature. Children learn how to water plants and learn the importance of caring for plants and flowers. We have an apple tree, two lemon trees, and one lime tree. Children enjoy picking, washing, and preparing fruit for snack. We encourage creativity in our outdoor activities, such as children creating their own artwork. The children love eating outside so when the weather permits we eat lunch or snack outside at our picnic table with an umbrella!

Disciplinary Policy

FSM Montessori uses “Positive Discipline” in our classroom. This concept is based on setting limits by communicating our expectations of the child and the related natural/logical consequences. The limits and expectations are the safety rules, routine of the classroom, and the socially acceptable behavior towards the teacher(s) and classmates. The natural consequences happen as a result of the action while the logical consequences are the privileges that are taken away as a result of choosing to test or cross those limits.

The first 4-6 weeks of school are devoted to helping students learn the school routines and safety rules, and to model how to treat others with respect. During this time and throughout the school year we introduce children to Grace & Courtesy lessons. These lessons help lay the ground rules for the classroom and give the children the tools to interact positively with their peers. The conflict resolution strategies modeled by teachers enable children to learn how to get along with others, express their emotions, and become able to resolve conflicts in a peaceful manner. This also helps in the development of empathy for others and respect for the classroom materials they use every day.

(Sources: Personal Experience, Standard Montessori Techniques)