Our Mission & Philosophy
Our Mission
Our mission is to provide the highest quality of well-rounded education, socially, emotionally, intellectually and artistically, for children from all over the globe and from all walks of life, so that they may achieve their fullest potential as critical thinkers, learners, explorers, inventors, artists, leaders, and, ultimately, citizens of the world.
Our Philosophy
We believe that each child is a unique and extraordinary individual with his or her own set of gifts, interests and needs.
We believe that if we encourage the natural curiosity of the child, the child will develop confidence in his or her ability to master any subject or skill.
We believe that if we respect and nurture what is already within each child, the child will have the opportunity to become everything he or she can be.
We believe that even very young children have the capacity to absorb astonishing amounts of information and to develop extraordinary skills.
We are parents. We have seen this with our own children.
We say we have chosen to be a Montessori school because the Montessori philosophy mirrors our own beliefs. Maria Montessori believed that within each child lie the seeds of who the child will become. Her educational methods were designed to foster the unique and highly individual development of each child.
The real reason we are a Montessori school is that we have not found anything better. We are a community brought together by a passion for education. We are constantly searching, questioning, learning, and tweaking and would drop Montessori in a heartbeat if we found a way to better educate our children. We have not. Becoming an IB World School offering the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program from Sixth to Eighth Grade does not change what we do: It merely gives us a formal framework in which to do what we expect will be our best Montessori work to date.
The Montessori environment is designed to foster a high level of the cognitive, sensory, motor and social development reflected in each stage of child development. It invites children to engage in independent learning activities of their own choosing, to make their own discoveries about how the world around them works and to cultivate concentration, motivation, and self-discipline -- all qualities that are hallmarks of what we now call executive brain function. The multi-age classrooms provide a social context for learning. Children learn from each other and, often, because of each other; younger children aspire to mimic their older peers and the older students strengthen their learning by teaching and mentoring their younger classmates.
Montessori children also take responsibility for themselves. They play an active part in maintaining the classroom’s physical order. Responsibility and respect for the materials in use become a part of the daily routine. Children progress at their own pace, one that suits their internal rhythms and readiness for the next level. The child is given the time and latitude to embark on a self-fulfilling cycle of achievement, developing self-confidence and self-worth through the process. Learning becomes a joyful experience, and the distinctions between work and play become blurred.
We value these qualities for our children. It is our gift to them, our contribution to a strong foundation for personal growth and the sense of community that they can carry through to their adult lives.
International Mindedness
We consider ourselves fortunate to be located in a neighborhood with extraordinary diversity of ethnicity, culture and national origin, and our school reflects that diversity. Our goal is to embrace and to encourage it, and to celebrate it in the many ways that are open to us.