SCHOOL PROGRAMS
Children's House Programs:
(3-6 year old children)
The Children's House program is a traditional Montessori program comprised of a three-year learning cycle in a well-prepared environment that meets the developmental needs of the 3-6 year old child. The classroom is equipped with specially designed, age-appropriate materials that help the child to learn a variety of subject areas in a holistic manner that involves the senses, incorporates movement, and addresses different learning modalities. The environment encourages the child to gain skills in many areas in order to become independent and self-confident. It encourages the child to explore with the materials, as she/he builds academic and social skills.
MORNING PROGRAM
8:15 - 11:45, Monday - Friday
This program includes community sharing time, individual work time, and outside gardening and playtime.
FULL DAY PROGRAM WITH NAP
8:15 - 3:15, Monday - Friday
This program is for children who need a rest time in the afternoon. It includes the morning time as described above, followed by lunch, story time and nap time.
FULL DAY PROGRAM
8:15 - 3:15, Monday - Friday
This program includes the morning time as described above, followed by lunch, playground time, and an afternoon session during which the children become involved in extended activities, especially in Geography and Science.
A kindergarten program is offered to our continuing students or children with previous Montessori experience at other schools. These children are in the 3-6 classroom but have individualized time daily to meet as a group. These children are then eligible to continue on into our elementary class.
Lower and Upper Elementary Programs
(6-9 and 9-12 year old children)
8:15 - 3:15, Monday - Friday
The Elementary programs are designed for 6-12 year old children. The curriculum is an integrated approach to the different subject areas, including arithmetic, geometry, language, geography, the sciences, history, art and music. Through interactions with the materials and working on projects, the students experience and learn to see the connection between the different areas of study, instead of just learning a series of facts. Spanish, P.E., and yoga are elements of the whole elementary curriculum. Japanese (Taiko) drumming, robotics, and digital multi-media are also part of the Upper Elementary experience. The students learn organizational and time management skills, in order to become more self-directed as learners. Field trips take the students outside of the classroom to provide opportunities for hands-on application of concepts learned.
Middle School/Adolescent Program
(12-15 year old children)
8:15 - 3:15, Monday - Friday
The MSC Adolescent Programl enables students to develop the learning they have begun in the elementary program through a varied and integrated curriculum. While its academic targets are consistent with a conventional middle/high school environment, individual subjects are not segregated within the schedule. Instead instructors aim to facilitate a program that integrates academic knowledge, the skills of self-expression, technical and scientific studies, and community experience. Students consequently learn through a multi-layered exposure to new experiences and information: a synthesis of academic study and practical experience across disciplines, both inside and outside the classroom. For example, a study of Florida’s flora and fauna will include the literature of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings and the modern ecological writings of Bill Belleville, the study of land and plant forms that form the Floridian environment, and opportunities to study at first hand pioneer history and the conservation practices of the Ocala National Park.
The Adolescent program also addresses the student's developmental need for a new level of independence by increasing work level, choices, and planning. It requires considerable commitment on the part of students to recognizing their skills as learners and establishing the appropriate conditions for learning. This involves an increased attention to time-management, a commitment to extending activities outside school hours, a greater self-discipline and a successful line of communication with instructors and parents. Within the school day, the students have open time to collaborate on both self-initiated and instructor-initiated projects, fostering and strengthening their skills as independent learners. They also have designated times each day where they work on pre-assigned independent projects with instructor oversight.