Primary School Program
The Westside Montessori School’s Primary Program is for children ages 2.9 years to 6 years old.
Our Montessori Primary School Program is based on the three-year cycle, with the third year serving as the culmination of the preparatory work during the first two years. This results in exciting leaps in reading, writing and math concepts. The student brings together practical life and sensorial experiences in botany, geometry, and geography to an intellectual level of conscious understanding.
The class is ungraded and as a result, the children have the benefit of social interaction with their peers but may choose to work alone or with older children. The opportunity to lead and teach as they master materials enhances self-esteem.
The Primary School Program is divided into four main categories:
Primary School Focuses
Practical Life
Sensorial
Language
Mathematics
Other Primary School Activities
Art
Geography
Science
As mastery of each stage of learning is gained, a healthy self-concept fosters independence and responsibility. Therefore, parents should understand that a Montessori school is neither a babysitting service nor a play school that prepares a child for traditional kindergarten. Rather, it is a unique cycle of learning designed to take advantage of the child’s sensitive years when they can absorb information from an enriched environment.
To accommodate the various ages of students, Westside Montessori offers half-day and extended-day schedules. For the younger children, the three-hour morning session from 8:45 – 11:45 a.m. is well suited to their attention span and physical endurance. Admission to extended day, 8:45 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., is by invitation of the child’s teacher.
For parents wanting before and after-school care for their children, Home Environment care is available before and after the half-day and extended-day sessions.
