In 2003, Beaux Arts School of Creative Learning opened its doors with visual arts, music, and performing arts. An integrated program with Christian Montessori School is taking place now in 2005. Christian Montessori School is a division of VISION Christian School , which is a non-profit, charitable school registered with the Ontario government. They share the same mission statement and philosophy of education.

We believe that education should be positive and truthful in order to encourage learning; that is why we encourage our students to respect God, others, and themselves. We also know that effective Christian discipline is a necessary key to building a firm character and good self-esteem. We enrich our students' educational development with the Word of God (Bible) and co-curricular activities that will help them to grow spiritually, physically, and socially.

Christian Montessori School & VISION Christian School are elementary and middle schools of evangelical Christian belief. The Bible is used as an integral part of our daily curriculum and in all matters of counseling and discipline.

We endeavor to ensure that this Christian education will be a benefit to our students in all their tomorrows. Each day, they experience the pleasure of developing as whole people. Each day, they have an opportunity to learn to live to glorify God, both individually and in community.

Educational Program

Christian Montessori School is a member of the (ACSI) Association of Christian Schools International. We offer a Christ-centered academic program starting from Preschool and Junior Kindergarten through Grade 8, following the guidelines of the Ontario Ministry of Education and Training.

Students are given a strong foundation. Christian Montessori School successfully uses a proven Montessori approach to phonetics in teaching primary children to read. Students learn strong problem-solving skills. They also benefit from the individual care and concern expressed by the staff and teachers.

Our school year extends from September through June; the school day begins at 9:00 a.m. and ends at 3:30 p.m. We also have a before and after school program available from 7:30-8:30 a.m. and from 4:00-6:15 p.m.

Two existing programs may be integrated into the Christian education curriculum. Beaux Arts School of Creative Learning offers an after-school and Saturday morning program in visual arts, music, and performing arts for children of all ages. A well-designed Summer Program is offered during the month of July and the first two weeks of August. Christian Montessori School also offers a hot breakfast and lunch program.

Christ-Centered

Christian Montessori School helps students learn to think from a Christian perspective by grounding them in the Word of God through Bible classes and by integrating a Christian worldview into all courses. Presentations on cross-culture outreach and mission broaden their vision, while devotions, chapel, and involvement with caring adults nurture personal spiritual development. As students learn the foundations of faith, they also learn to respect religious differences.

Socially, students are taught to respect peers, those in authority, and everyone's property. This approach, coupled with the closeness between staff and families, helps create a safe learning environment. Students also benefit from the diversity of ethnic groups and church backgrounds represented by students and staff.

A commitment to help students and parents live out their faith in Jesus Christ is reinforced by the Principal/Pastor in our school.

Personnel

Christian Montessori School administration, faculty, and staff are chosen for their ability to reflect the principles and values as outlined in our Mission Statement. These caring men and women provide valuable Christian role models. The faculty comprises university-trained, experienced, certified teachers, many with advanced degrees and special training.

The seven-member School Governance Council includes parents and represents several church affiliations and a variety of backgrounds.

The School Governance Council, administration, faculty, and staff work closely with parents/guardians in an educational partnership to benefit the students. The Governance Council is Chaired by the Principal/Pastor.

Co-curricular Activities

Students have opportunities to develop personal, social, ministry, and leadership skills. They may cultivate gifts in worship art ministry, drama, art, singing, and playing musical instruments. They learn service to others through community service, off-site ministry, class devotions, and chapel services. They gain leadership experience from student government, sports, worship ministry teams, and class monitoring.

Opportunities are also given to develop physical life skills. In addition to the regular physical education classes, students may participate in intramural and extramural sports such as basketball, soccer, and swimming. Enrichment activities such as skiing, racquet sports, and outdoor education and camping are also available.

These co-curricular activities also provide a forum for building life-long friendships.

Transportation

Christian Montessori School is conveniently located on a major transit route. The Yonge subway and bus run frequently. From the Yonge subway station, take the Eglinton bus to Laird Drive . The school is located just one block south of Eglinton Avenue off Laird, west of Leslie Street . There is parking for pick-up and drop-off.

THE SCRIPTURE: We believe that "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God" (2 Timothy 3:16-17), and we understand this to mean that the whole Bible is inspired in that holy men of God "were moved by the Holy Spirit" (II Peter 1:21) to write the very words of Scripture.

THE TRIUNE GODHEAD: We believe in one God (Mark 12:29) eternally existing (John 1:1-4) in three persons (II Corinthians 13:14, I John 5:7-8), namely Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

VIRGIN BIRTH: We believe that Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:27-35), born of the Virgin Mary (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18), and was truly the Son of Man (John 12:34) and the Son of God (Luke 1:35).

THE RESURRECTION OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST: (Romans 10:9-10) We believe in the literal resurrection of the crucified body of the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 4:24-25), that He ascended into heaven (Acts 1:10-11) and is presently in heaven acting on behalf of believers as their High Priest and Advocate (Hebrews 4:14-15).

MAN CREATED IN THE IMAGE OF GOD: We believe that man was created by, and in the image of, God (Genesis 1:26-27, John 1:3) and that man sinned, and in his natural state is lost, alienated from God and incapable of attaining salvation by any personal effort or merit (Romans 3:24-25).

ATONEMENT FOR SINS: We believe that Christ died as a sacrifice for our sins and that because He shed His blood, the salvation of man is a free gift of God by grace, through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and his death for us (Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9).

SALVATION: We believe that salvation is a free gift by God's grace through faith without works of any kind (Ephesians 2:8-9) and that all who accept the Lord Jesus Christ by faith are born again by the Holy Spirit and become the children of God (John 1:12).

THE HOLY SPIRIT: We believe that the Christian life is impossible apart from the indwelling presence and enabling of the Holy Spirit. Simultaneous to our salvation we were 'sealed by the Holy Spirit for the day of redemption' (Ephesians 4:30), we were 'baptized by One Spirit into one body' (I Corinthians 12:13), and we are to live each day in the fullness of the Holy Spirit by yielding all that we are to his control (Ephesians 5:18). The Holy Spirit equips us to live holy lives, producing the 'fruit of the Spirit' (Galatians 5:22-23), and giving Spiritual Gifts to enable us to serve God effectively by bringing blessing to others (I Corinthians 12:4-7). We are warned not to 'grieve the Holy Spirit' by sinful activity (Ephesians 4:30) and therefore to confess our sin in order to maintain a wholesome and effective relationship with God (1 John 1:9).

THE CHRISTIAN WALK: We believe that the Christian is called with a holy calling to live a life of obedience to God and separation from evil and to faithfully identify with, and serve through, a local church to fulfill the great commission to go, teach, and baptize and do the Lord's work until He returns.

BODILY RETURN OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST: We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust (John 5:28-29; Daniel 12:2), the everlasting blessing of the believer (the just) (Romans 8:23; 1 Corinthians 15) and the everlasting conscious punishment of the unbeliever (the unjust) (Psalm 90:3-4); Revelation 20:12-15; Matthew 25:31-46).

THE GREAT COMMISSION: We believe that, until the return of Christ, it is the Christian's privilege and duty and the supreme task of the Church to evangelize the world (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8). Every partner and subsidiary ministry of Christian Montessori School / VISION Christian School must actively support the work of loving others as Christ loves us. We hope that you will join us in this wonderful work! (Acts 5:42).

Year 4 - September 2012 (Learn to Read the Bible Effectively)

Our Prayer for Our Students is that

• they will know the love of God, of family, of friends, and of their teachers.
• their hearts and minds will be open to learning and to the inner wisdom to observe, discern, and express the love of God to those around them.
• they will come to know the God of heaven as the Redeemer of their lives.
• they will seek and find the direction of God for their futures.
• with the guidance of this school, they will excel in all areas of their lives.
• they will be able to serve as Christian leaders in their communities.

 "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6

• Bible Story Telling
• Preschool Phonics
• Preschool Numbers and Skills
• Preschool Letters and Sounds
• Circle Time
• Show and Tell
• Visual Arts with Beaux Arts School
• Music & Acting
• Quiet Time

• The Book Genesis - The Beginning of Learning
• Interactive Phonics
• Reading Skills I
• ABC Writing with Phonics
• Science (Discovering God's World & Creation)
• Circle Time II
• Visual Arts with Beaux Arts School
• Quiet Time

• The Bible as the Textbook
• Advanced Phonics
• Exploring Biblical Numbers Skills
• Writing with Phonics
• Readiness Skills
• Science and Creation
• Physical Education/Health Science
• Social Manners and Habits
• Technology

"It is not enough for the teacher to restrict herself to loving and understanding the child;she must first love and understand the universe." (Maria Montessori)

• Biblical Study I
• Advanced Phonics
• Circle Time
• Adding, Subtracting, Multipying
• Social Studies
• Science and Creation
• Physical Education/Health
• Visual Arts with Beaux Arts School
• Technology

• The Life of Jesus Christ
• English (Language/Vocabulary)
• French
• Mathematics
• Social Behavior Studies
• Science (Enjoying God's Creation)
• Physical Education
• Outdoor Education
• Health and Safety, Manners
• Visual Arts at Beaux Arts School
• Computer Studies

• Learn to Read the Bible Effectively
• Advanced Phonics & Bible Language
• Spelling & Vocabulary
• Mathematics
• Social Science (Exploring God's World)
• Physical Education/Health
• Visual Arts & Music at Beaux Arts School
• Technology

"Tell me, I forget. Show me, I remember. Involve me, I understand." Ancient Chinese Proverb

• Bible Perspective and World Religion Study
• Biblical Applications
• Language Study (French II, Hebrew Grammar)
• Spelling & Vocabulary
• Mathematics
• Social Studies (History and Geography)
• Science (Discovering God's World)
• Physical Education/Health
• Outdoor Education
• Visual Arts & Music at Beaux Arts School
• Computer Applications

• Christian Ethics and Application
• Biblical Approach to Study
• English
• Language Study (French III, Hebrew Grammar, Greek)
• Mathematics
• Social Studies (History and Geography)
• Science (Investigating God's World)
• Physical Education/Health
• Visual Art & Music Study at Beaux Arts School
• Computer Applications (Navigating the Bible Information Highway)

• Old Testament I
• Bible Self-Direct Learning Process
• Biblical Approach to Ethics in Christian Education
• Life of Christ
• English
• Language Study (French V, Hebrew, Greek, Spanish)
• Mathematics
• Social Studies (History & Geography)
• Science (Order and Reality)
• Physical Education/Health
• Visual Arts, Music & Performing Arts at Beaux Arts School
• Computer Applications

• New Testament I
• Essential Law and the Bible
• Christian Ethics & Practice
• English (Grammar, Composition, and Speaking)
• Shaping Christian Education into Missions
• The Acts of the Apostles
• English
• Language Study (French VI, Hebrew, Greek, Spanish)
• Mathematics
• History & Geography
• Science (Matter & Motion)
• Physical Education/Health
• Visual Arts, Music & Performing Arts at Beaux Arts School
• Computer Business Applications

Each student is assessed on the basis of his previous academic record, an entrance examination, a personal interview, and a family commitment to support the educational philosophy of Christian Montessori School & VISION Christian School .

Please get to know us by reading the enclosed material. If you agree with our Philosophy of Education, please fill in the enclosed application form, sign where applicable, and return with photocopies of the necessary documents to the school office.

If space is available, we will then arrange a test date and an interview. A one-time, non-refundable testing fee of $150 is required at the time of testing. (Please refer to the enclosed "Application Procedure" document for full details on how to apply.)

If you have any other questions or would like a tour, please contact the school office at (416) 421-0773.

We look forward to serving you and your child.

PLEASE DO NOT FORGET TO

CHRISTIAN MONTESSORI SCHOOL APPLICATION PROCESS

1. The school office receives completed applications.

2.  If no space is currently available, applicants are placed on a wait list.

3.  If space is available, applicants are contacted to set up an interview and testing date.

4.  A NON-REFUNDABLE registration/testing fee of $150 per student is required at the time of registration/testing.

5. An interview for both student and parent(s) is scheduled with the Principal/Vice-Principal. At this interview, the Application for Admission form, academic records, and test scores are reviewed, after which a decision is made regarding the admission of the student.

6. Upon acceptance, a $400 tuition deposit per student is required to guarantee a place.

The before and after school program begins at 7:30 a.m. and concludes at 6:15 p.m. You may drop your child off any time after 7:30 a.m.

Payment Option 1 (for children who come occasionally, drop off)

Daily Rate: $12.00 per day

Payment Option 2 (for children who come regularly on a daily basis - monthly - yearly)

Daily Rate: $5.50 per day (Post-dated cheques required)

We would ask that parents submit all post-dated cheques before July 1 of the current school year. Please note that we are unable to give refunds for individual days missed from the program. Should you wish to remove your child from the before for the entire month, your cheque will be returned to you.

Payment Option 3

Daily Rate: $9.50 per day (for parents who prefer to be billed on a monthly basis)

Should you choose to enroll your child in the before and after school program just occasionally, this payment option is for you. We will send you an invoice each month detailing the number of days that your child participated in this program.

Terms of Payment

Tuition Deposit: $400 per application

This tuition deposit is due on acceptance to guarantee placement for the coming school year. It is accompanied by a written and signed application form and is non-refundable.

Payment Plans

Full payment for the current year must be made by the first day of the school year.

Please submit ten months of posted-dated cheques all dated the 1 st of each month from September to June of the current school year.

Any students required to pay cash must pay by the first of each month.

The school administrator, before the start of school, must make any other financial arrangements.

Our academic year runs from September through June with an additional summer program over the summer holidays.

For more information regarding our summer program, please call our school office.

Biblical Principle: "But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." (Matthew 6: 20-21)

So much of what we struggle to pay for is of limited benefit in this life, and has no value in the life to come. The investment made in a Biblical education has the potential to pay dividends in this world and the world to come.

Is Christian Montessori Elementary Right for your Child?

You have made a sound investment in the Christian Montessori education program. You now face the choice of whether or not to continue with the Montessori experience your child has gained.

Here is a set of educational principles in the Christian Montessori tradition. They may help facilitate your choice by giving you a birds-eye view of your child's next stage of educational needs and development into a Christ-like character.

Here is what your elementary-age child will find in a Montessori environment

Learning at Your Own Pace -- Individualized Instruction

This implies that the child may work, and be helped, on an individual basis. Individualized learning establishes more intimate contact between child, teacher, and work. The teacher can become involved with the child in other than a talk-and-chalk stance before an entire class.

Montessori individualized instruction deals in the concrete. The child is doing an exploration using metal fraction insets at age six. Many of our abstractions stem from colorful and sculpted 3-D materials. The program permits a variety of approaches using at every turn dynamic and colorful manipulatives which materialize the abstract. The elementary child moves from the vivid material experience to the abstract by visualizing mental concepts once demonstrated by the concrete.

Individualized learning, as it exists in other schools, may use some manipulatives, but the focus is on "programmed approaches" which are usually two dimensional -- in workbook or loose-leaf form. Many of them entail strictly a fill-in-the-blank approach.

We ask these questions!

After all, the child's primary interest is in the why , the how , and the wherefore!

What About Basics?

"The three R's" -- The Montessori program concerns itself with basic concepts at a very young age when basic skills are compatible with the development of the child. By the time the Montessori child is elementary aged, he is ready to explore culture -- the sciences, the arts, the Universe, the Creation. The Montessori elementary child has already acquired enough basic reading and writing skills to initiate research into the profound questions and interests already emerging at age six.

It is not that our Christian Montessori children are superior to children in other school systems, but, rather, that our children have been exposed to cognitive developmental materials for three years by the time they enter first grade. Many first graders without Montessori background are being exposed to cognitive tasks intensively for the first time.

What About Social Development ? -- Making Friends

Children must make an effort to get along with each other because they will be together for more than one year. Relationships and their complexities are supported by alert and sensitive adults who are trained to observe and enhance social interaction, not to repress it.

The social life of the Christian Montessori elementary is also enriched by the free verbalization and movement (no assigned seats!). Work is shared, and learning is vitalized by social life. Each child's work is unique. At Montessori elementary level, the children's exchange of academic facts and discoveries makes learning fun and exciting!

Adding to the community spirit is parent involvement. The school is a community celebration and all are involved with events such as campouts, discussions, workdays, and community projects.

What About Prepared Environment ? -- The Classroom

The prepared environment is a Montessori concept. The environment is designed to maximize independent learning and exploration on the part of the child. In the elementary, there are familiar materials from the preschool -- golden bead arrays, map displays, movable alphabets, Bible charts, and storyboards. The elementary environment should strike the imagination, lead to abstraction, and provide a system of information storage and retrieval.

The concept is that the total environment design conveys the essential principles of all disciplines through sequenced order and aesthetic appeal. We ask: Do other schools utilize a classroom which physically embodies the curriculum? Is there an arrangement of books and materials, which anchor the curriculum concepts and sequence?

The Christian Montessori classroom has a memory. It holds the sequences of study in its physical order. For example, the child can perceive at a glance colour-coded wooden boxes, which produce the parts of speech. Each discipline has its representational sculpture in the environment inviting the child to learn.

Enlightened Generalist -- The Teacher

The Christian Montessori teacher is an enlightened generalist, trained point for point with the curriculum. He might teach the concept of parallel geometry first. And he knows that he can bring it back again with the study of leaf venation, i.e., botany. And because the teacher knows his curriculum and is trained to use new points of interest, the child can repeat concepts without repeating drills, thus learning from a new vantage point.

Having the same teacher for all subjects, for three years, allows for intimate knowledge of the child. The teacher who has a child for three years discovers the child's weaknesses and strengths. The teacher and child know where they left off from year to year. They build strength by affirming what the child knows best.

At traditional schools, when a child has new teachers from year to year, what must be done to be understood by the teacher? The child shows us how to teach. This takes time, even months, to master. Most teachers need more than one year to know how and what each child needs individually.

What About Multi-Age Groups?

Christian Montessori School groups children in three-year age groupings. This affords maximum stimulation for the young child, enabling him to imitate and internalize skills before he even receives the lesson. The classroom has a heritage. Knowledge and behavior are passed on from one level to the next. The oldest children provide leadership, reliable friendships, and academic learning, which peers don't always provide.

The older child benefits from helping the younger. He reinforces his knowledge by teaching the younger. He can humanize his character by empathizing with the needs of children who are smaller and more expressive. Many times, shy and introverted with children their own age, the older children can become outgoing and confident with those younger. They return to their own age group with new-felt direction towards friendship. Because of the open-endedness of the Christian Montessori environment, there is no ceiling to what a child can do. Multi-age groupings mean more group options respective to ability and interest. Because there is a wider program for varied levels, there are wider options for the child's individual pace.

Elementary - Preschool Integration

Christian Montessori School views life as a series of rebirths. Each stage of life is indirectly preparing for the next. The elementary child's experience follows closely upon the preschool child's development.

The Elementary Counterpart To Movement -- Imagination

The elementary child has a sensitive period for imagination, which is not present in the younger child. The three-year-old learns hand-eye coordination, large motor movement, practical life, and care of self. In the elementary child, imagination is the "flaming ball of human consciousness," the mental push whereby the child explores his world and God's creations.

The Elementary Counterpart to Order -- Abstraction

Physical order is the basis for the preschool, for the relationships of things, and for the purpose and use of objects in the environment. The elementary child learns a new level of order -- abstraction. Christian Montessori uses a beautiful metaphor: The spider's web occupies a much larger space than does the animal itself. The web represents the spider's field of action in acting as a trap for insects. Paleontology, zoology, botany, mineralogy, geology, physics, chemistry -- all attempt to organize certain aspects of our planet's functioning. The elementary classroom is stocked with the ABC's of the sciences and God's Creation.

The Language of Naming Becomes the Language of Knowing Why

Every child coming into the elementary years begins to ask questions about himself. "Where do I come from?" "Where am I going?" "How does this work?" "Why do anteaters have sticky tongues?" Before, in the preschool, language was learning the names of things. Now, language with the elementary child defines the relationship between the acts, including moral questions of right and wrong. Language expresses the conscious development of human will with the use of reason.

The Story of Creation and the Universe

In order to evoke the imagination, which is intensely developing in the child at this age, the Christian Montessori curriculum begins with the Story of Creation in Genesis 1:1-5. WHEN GOD BEGAN creating the heavens and the earth, the earth was at first a shapeless, chaotic mass, with the Spirit of God brooding over the dark vapors. Then God said, "Let there be light," and light appeared. And God was pleased with it, and divided the light from the darkness. So he let it shine for awhile, and then there was darkness again. He called the light "daytime," and the darkness "nighttime." Together they formed the first day.

"It is not enough for the teacher to restrict herself to loving and understanding the child: she must first love and understand the Universe."

When you say "in the beginning" to a young child, eyebrows raise. The six-year-old, immersed in the story of his own growth, finds interest in the origins and growth of his world. "Where do I come from? Where does the earth come from?" Taking the story of Creation and the Universe, we can trace the inter-relationship of God and science. When we present the story of Creation, we establish an overview, a set of first principles, which provides a unifying medium for the study of detail.

Why Can't a Child Do Philosophy?

In order to fully understand the story of Creation and the Universe, the child needs a time connection. We begin with one of the happiest times of a child's life -- his birthday. He makes a simple graph. Then the timeline of his life is compared to those of his family. His family lifeline is grafted onto the history timeline of man, which is marked by Christian divisions, B.C. and A.D. Units are no longer birthdays but centuries. Finally, human time is projected onto geological eras -- Paleozoic, Mesozoic, etc. The geological timeline sets off the study of man. The timeline of human development sets off the study of civilization and relates it to the Old and New Testaments. The timeline of civilization sets off the study of Canadian History. The Christian Montessori School 's curriculum helps the child to find meaning in his life and in biblical history.

Art, Music, and Drama

In a Christian Montessori School art, music, and drama have a unique opportunity to become a vital part of the already integrated academic program. They can be part of the student's day by utilizing the individual and uninterrupted time of the student so that uniqueness and originality might emerge. Art projects are natural extensions of the classroom work. Musical presentations and plays provide occasion for dramatic integration of all the arts -- drama, speech, painting, and literature.

"To confer the gift of drawing we must create an eye that sees, a hand that obeys, and a soul that feels; and in this task the whole of life must cooperate. In this sense, life itself is the only preparation for drawing. Once we have lived, the inner spark does not rest."

What Happens After Christian Montessori Elementary?

In spite of the frustration of existing institutions, Christian Montessori graduates interviewed showed that the spark of learning was still being nurtured and the quest for truth and relationship was never completely turned off. They have learned how to learn.

When Montessori children go into various Junior High schools around the city, they find everything new and exciting -- grades, large peer groups, eating pizza and hamburgers in the school cafeteria. After all, they used to learn just for the intrinsic rewards of knowing. Now, at the secondary level when all others are becoming grade weary, Christian Montessori graduates usually view competition with a new vigor and freshness. Their attitude is confident, and although the artificial stimulus of grades is pervasive, the Christian Montessori graduate still works to understand what he knows.

"My vision of the future is no longer people taking exams and proceeding then on that certification…but of individuals passing from one stage of independence to a higher, by means of their own activity through their own effort of will, which constitutes the inner evolution of the individual."

Source: What Is Montessori Elementary? By David Kahn

Maria Montessori, born in 1870, was the first woman granted a medical degree by an Italian university. At the age of 28, she was engaged as a medical professional to assess the physical needs of "defective children." Maria Montessori designed materials and techniques which allowed the children to work in areas previously considered beyond their capacity. Montessori concluded that if retarded children could be brought to the same academic level as normal children, something must be drastically wrong with the education of normal children. Through her observations of, and work with, the children, she discovered their remarkable, almost effortless, ability to absorb knowledge from their surroundings. Children teach themselves!

Montessori schools are not only found in the private sector, but are increasingly implemented within public school systems and federal daycare programs. Montessori's focus on the individual child, the peaceful unfolding of self, and the prepared classroom environment offer opportunity for renewal in the appreciation of family life.

"The Child should love everything that he learns, for his mental and emotional growths are linked. Whatever is presented to him must be made beautiful and clear in its creation."

Opening its doors in September, 2005, Christian Montessori School was founded by Larry Lee as Principal/Pastor. Mr. Lee believes that biblical teaching for the growth of children must start at as early an age as possible. Christian Montessori School sees itself as an extension of the home. Our purpose is to assist parents in their Biblical responsibility to educate their children. We strive to uphold traditional, Christian values and to support parental authority. Christian Montessori School is ultimately centered on the life, teachings, and person of Jesus Christ and the biblical promise of the Kingdom of God . All dimensions of school life must be measured against, and be compatible with Christ.

PART 1 The Individual Child

The child under six has an ingenious capacity for mental absorption. The "absorbent mind" will never repeat its miraculous ability to absorb the native tongue, to perfect movement, or to internalize order. The entering child is gentle and vulnerable with a need for love, protection, friends, and intellectual stimulation. These are serious needs. To serve children directly is not what they need; to give help is sometimes an obstruction. Therefore, the Christian Montessori School prepared environment allows children to act freely on their own initiative, meeting needs through individual, spontaneous activity.

The children learn to work quietly and intently on their own tasks. They use the materials with a sense of perfection and order seldom found even in adults. They are building concentration and self-discipline. Reading and writing are treated as an extension of spoken language. Young children have a singular mathematical interest, and therefore, with the use of concrete materials, they can be exposed to all four mathematical functions with large numbers before they are six. And because these children are characterized by "absorbent minds," the work seems untiring and effortless.

The Montessori Classroom Forms A Community

The Christian Montessori classroom is not merely a place for individual learning. There is a mix of ages. A three-year-old may be washing clothes. A four-year-old nearby is working with alphabet cutouts. The five-year-old down the way is performing a Bible play. The children work freely and when they choose to complete their task, they return the material to its proper place. The Christian Montessori preschool is a community of workers building a heritage of mutual enrichment. The older 5-year-old learns through teaching the younger child. The younger child is inspired to do more advanced work by having older children working in the same environment.

Children at this age enjoy and need social courtesies. They are interested in knowing how to greet, to shake hands, and to excuse themselves, for example. They like to see well-dressed people and they like to be well-dressed themselves. Classrooms have low mirrors and special aids for self-care. In this free environment, children learn Christ-like character and to express the best of themselves by improving their social skills as they acquire manners and consideration for others.

Is Christian Montessori For Your Child?

Children -- rich and poor, gifted and special -- from a variety of cultures, have benefited from Christian Montessori School 's unique system. Your child will also prosper in his or her own subtle, creative fashion. The teacher is interested in the whole child, the child's ability to communicate and cooperate, and most importantly, the child's willingness to accept and master new experiences. When your child is ready for an experience apart from you, he or she will benefit and grow in this new kind of independence.

At Christian Montessori School , we begin with practical and social skills, not just academic. Keeping track of belongings, putting things away, dressing oneself, sharing an adult, sharing materials, and respecting the limits of the community are some of the many aspects of total development which are the initial benefits of the Christian Montessori preschool class. These are the foundations for growing independence.

PART 2 The Adult

The Christian Montessori Parents As Primary Educators

You must realize that as parents, you have the greatest influence on your child's life because of your unique love. No one knows and cares for your child as well as you do. Educate means "to lead." The school will be a natural extension of your home and will help in establishing a balance. As your child starts out on this great adventure called Christian Montessori, remember that you are the most important adult, and for your effort there is no substitute.

The Christian Montessori Teacher As Guide

The Christian Montessori teacher is a child advocate in the deepest sense and has cultivated respect for the child's total being. The Christian Montessori teacher responds to the essential needs of the children through careful observation first. The child may repeat a certain activity, reinforcing knowledge of materials. The teacher knows when to intervene or not intervene so that concentration and involvement are encouraged and not interrupted. The emphasis is on "work cycle". The child is his own timekeeper. The trained teacher allows for a natural pace, which facilitates unconscious absorption and better retention.

Collaboration - Parents and Teachers

Parents and teachers need to work together in order to support and follow the whole Christian Montessori process. The school is not a drop-off place; effective use of the school comes best through communication. Children often confide in their parents, and it is important for the teacher to know how the child perceives the day. The Christian Montessori program also offers parents creative principles for redesigning aspects of their home, for approaching the child with new kinds of tasks and challenges, for discipline, and general understanding. Parent education gives parents another way of looking at things, which may enhance decisions related to child development.

PART 3 The Prepared Environment

"The objects surrounding the child should look solid and attractive to him in the 'house of the children': It is almost possible to say that there is a mathematical relationship between the beauty of his surrounding and the activity of the child."

The Christian Montessori classroom is a "living room" for children. Extending out from all directions are open shelves with bright arrays of geometric solids, knobbed puzzle maps, colored beads, metal templates, and various specialized blocks and rods. In another corner are a small child's sink, a cutting board, a dishpan, and real china dishes. Nearby stand an ironing board, a clothes rack, and a wash basin with a scrubbing board. The room invites activity. The clear availability and self-correction aspects of the materials shape independence.

Practical Life - A House For Children

When a child enters the casa at 2 1/2 to 3 years, the area and aspect of the Christian Montessori classroom called practical life may be considered the link to the child's home environment and thus an extension of the child's developmental process. The practical life materials involve children in precise movements, allowing them to concentrate, to work at their own pace uninterrupted, to complete their work, and to gain internal satisfaction.

The practical life materials also fulfill specific purposes in the real world for children: they learn to button their shirts, tie their shoes, and wash their hands, free from adult help. The child also cares for the beauty of the environment: polishing wood, scrubbing the floor, dusting the shelves. He chooses work as his needs unfold. In addition, practical life centers the child in a social atmosphere where "please" and "thank you" and polite offers of "Do you need help with your work?" are learned. The child is treated with respect and is therefore respectful.

Sensorial: Building Imagination With The Real

"Imagination can have only a sensorial basis. The sensory education, which prepares for accurate perception of all different details in the qualities of things, is the foundation of all observation. This helps us to collect from the external world the materials needed for the imagination."

Children live in a world of senses. Through sight, touch, sound, taste and smell, the sensorial materials "throw a spotlight" on reality. For example: the concepts of longness and shortness are derived from the red rods of varying lengths. Language is clarified and vocabulary is sharpened. Because these rods are rendered in unit lengths from one to ten, they also provide a basis for mathematical gradation. Another example: touching rough sandpaper and smooth polished wood allows the child to experience roughness and smoothness. Sensorial materials are used for clarification of large, small, heavy; thick and thin; loud and soft; high and low; hot and cold; colors, tastes, smells; and for plane and solid geometric forms. The sensorial materials are really a key to the world and are the basis for abstraction.

Mathematics - Materializing The Abstract

The Christian Montessori approach to math is special for many reasons. All operations emerge from the concrete manipulation of "materialized abstractions", such as rods, beads, spindles, cubes, cards & counters, etc. The children do not merely learn to count; they are also able to visualize the whole structure of our numeration system and to perform the operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division with an overview in mind. Materials are sequenced so that conditions for mathematical discovery will always occur. Children retain better any information which they "figure out" on their own.

Reading And Writing / Pathways To Culture

Reading and writing are the keys which can uncover, conserve, and synthesize knowledge. Using simple alphabet cutouts and sandpaper letters, young children are able to effortlessly link sounds, symbols, their shapes, and their written formation. The classroom is filled with pictures, labels, and puzzles bearing the names of animals, plants, geometric figures, and countries. From the very beginning, reading and writing are tied to culture. Interest and love of the environment propel the mastery of skills.

Art, Music, and Drama Integrated into the Day

So must we link stages of development with the arts? With relative ease, art and music exercises are introduced into the environment. The more experiences the child is given in art, the more he is able to express himself. Music is the same. "The primary class offers, through the use of instruments, widened avenues for musical exploration: sameness and differences in timbre, of rhythmic gestures through walking on the line, of culture through the music as related to history and geography." The arts give children another dimension of the curriculum and of themselves.

Looking Ahead To Christian Montessori Elementary

Christian Montessori Elementary provides a smooth transition, with an overlap of some material in the first year. However, the elementary objectives are different from the preschool. The child is directed towards abstraction, away from the pedagogical materials. The curriculum is interdisciplinary where concepts of biology, geology, and history converge on the study of life's evolution from the origin of the universe to the emergence of man and civilization. The study of God's creation gives the child a base from which to answer these questions: Who am I? Where do I come from? What is human about humans? What are universal human needs? How do I cooperate with the world?

Emphasis is not placed on mere presentation of detail, but rather on the association between different areas of study. The natural sciences lead to the social and physical sciences. Math and geometry concepts flow from basic number operations moving through Euclidian geometry to solid geometry, always on a fully integrated basis.

Source: What Is Montessori Preschool? By David Kahn

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