What is the Capstone Year and why does my child deserve to have one?We often refer to the 3rd Year a child is in a Montessori program as the Capstone Year. But, what is it really that makes that year so special/important? While the reasons to leave can be compelling and are worth every consideration, we believe the reasons to stay are worth your careful and thoughtful consideration.Below is a list of 24 reasons we recommend keeping your child in Montessori for the Capstone Year:Does your child look forward to attending school? If so, consider yourself lucky. Why tinker with a winning situation when so many other families are frustrated or disappointed with their child’s school experience.Your child has waited for two years to be a leader in their class. The third year students are looked up to as role models for the younger students, and most children eagerly await their...

Wow, what a great morning here at MCS! First thing this morning, our entire staff and student body came together for a wonderful assembly.  We began by singing one of our favorite peace songs, Light A Candle for Peace, and then two MCS parents gave a wonderfully exciting science presentation.  It was so lovely to see all of our students, from our young Toddlers to our big Upper Elementary students, show excitement and interest in the experiments.  

“…Most highly creative achievers don’t begin with brilliant ideas, they discover them.”Peter Sims, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, April 2011Enjoy this wonderful video on the beauty and benefits of a Montessori education. Click here.

The Montessori math curriculum is quite unlike the traditional approach that each of us experienced.  It is based on developing a strong foundation through concrete experience and manipulation until the time a child reaches the age of abstraction, typically around nine years old. As they engage in the Cosmic Curriculum, children are given a basis for the interconnectedness of all things and encouraged to engage in the wonder and magic of mathematical concepts.  Various activities and materials develop the mathematical mind, preparing the child for their inevitable explosion in to abstraction and connection to the power of relationships. The following was written by Lower Elementary Spanish teacher, Diana Haro Reynolds.Mathematics is the study of quantity, form, and magnitude. We live among it. It is in the position of the sun and in the shell of a snail. We carry math in our pockets, in our devices. It is what makes our communication...

"Children will be smarter, better able to get along with others, healthier and happier when they have regular opportunities for free and unstructured play in the out-of-doors."—American Medical Association, 2005Spring has arrived! I can't help but be excited by the thought of sunshine, hikes, water and fresh air! This article written by Jane M. Jacobs, M.A., a Montessori Educational Consultant at Montessori Services spoke to me in considering how outdoor time is such a powerful tool for our children. In the article, Jane offers a variety of ideas for making the best of your outside time with your little one. Enjoy!Were you told to "go out and play" when you were a child? Now, as a parent, do you give your children the same instructions? Perhaps not, but even for the urban, over-scheduled family, there are ways to give our children more opportunities to explore the outdoors.For centuries it was common wisdom that...

Marcus tongs plastic cubes in the Toddler Suns classroom. This work develops small motor coordination, prepares the hand for writing, and encourages control of movement and independence. Kenzee places pictures on the Timeline of Life in the Lower Elementary Oquirrh classroom. Margaret presents the Checkerboard to Rebeka and Mary.  Bobbi engages with the Long Chains, used for skip counting, squaring and cubing work, in the Lower Elementary Oquirrh classroom.  Rebeka and Corey analyze a square in the Upper Elementary Uinta classroom.  Mindy gives husband, Aaron, a knitting lesson. Melissa identifies and analyzes the Seven Triangles of Reality.  Jeff researches Land Forms as part of the Lower Elementary Geography curriculum. Margaret shares a lovely extension of the Pink Tower, a very popular and well recognized piece of Sensorial material which refines visual discrimination, preparing the child for further reading and mathematical work while developing a sense of order, concentration, and control of movement.  Dear 2015 Silent Journey and Discovery Participants,Our staff...

 The Silent Journey and Discovery is coming up on February 7th from 9:00am - 1:00pm. Sign up in the office, space is limited. Attendance is free of charge, brunch will be served & child care will be provided to those who sign up in advance.The MCS Silent Journey and Discovery is an event dedicated to parents to provide the meaningful experience of visiting each of our programs, from Toddlers through Middle School, to experience for yourself the magic of the Montessori materials and discover how the lessons learned in our early programs set the tone and lay important foundations for later learning. This is a wonderful opportunity to gain a sense of how the Montessori Curriculum unfolds through the eyes of a child to guide and nurture the natural unfolding of the whole child to inspire a lifetime love of learning and peace.Click on the following link to read about last...

Parent Education Night is coming up next Thursday, October 2nd from 6:30-8:00pm.  Toddler, Early Childhood and Elementary parents are invited.  Child care is provided, free of charge, but must be signed up for in advance in the office. Scroll down for more information about each programs presentation details for the evening. This is a great way to earn Parent Participation Hours AND stay in touch with your child's Montessori experience!  TODDLER PARENT EDUCATION NIGHT     EARLY CHILDHOOD PARENT EDUCATION NIGHT     ELEMENTARY PARENT EDUCATION NIGHT 

 Montessori parents have often voiced concerns about creativity in a Montessori classroom. They just don’t see it. The concern is very similar to the fact that they also see few “academic” papers coming home. They don’t receive many brightly painted pictures to adorn their refrigerators. And so naturally wonder if a Montessori classroom is giving their child an opportunity to express their creative side. As concrete and hands on as a Montessori classroom and a Montessori learning experience are it requires a good measure of faith to await the outcome of a Montessori experience. Every Montessori teacher (and parents too) for the last one hundred years have often held their breath waiting to see the fulfillment of this amazing process. And then they exhale with great relief and satisfaction. After a while you no longer hold your breath because you know it is going to work – and even better than you...

As you may already know from your communications with your child's teachers, MCS classrooms begin the year with a heavy emphasis on our Grace and Courtesy curriculum.  The article below, written by Edward Fidellow, will help you understand the benefits of a Grace and Courtesy curriculum and might offer some ideas how to reinforce the lessons at home!Happy Reading! Why is Grace and Courtesy a big deal in Montessori?Edward Fidellow www.crossmountainpress.com You cannot observe a Montessori classroom for even a short time without coming away with an impression that Montessori children are by and large very polite, orderly and impressively quiet and serene. This atmosphere is created by the lessons of “grace and courtesy”. Grace and courtesy – good manners, caring about each other, putting others first – are solid virtues that make possible the extraordinary academic gains of a Montessori classroom. Grace and courtesy is one of the non-traditional academic foundations of...

  Montessori Community School offers a unique outdoor education program at each level.  We value the opportunity for children to become stewards over the earth and explore their natural environment. You can read more about our Outdoor Classroom and Great Outdoors programs here.

The most beautiful thing about this video is that while Jackson might be an exceptional child, his documented experience (shown below) is not the exception....it is a true example of what happens in a Montessori Early Childhood classroom!  As you watch, take note of his independence and self-direction. Pay close attention to his interaction with teachers and peers and opportunities for collaboration balanced with independent work time (and don't forget about his community contributions.)  Watch him choose a variety of activities in a variety of areas of the classroom and notice how he cleans up every piece of material before choosing a new activity!   These are all life skills that a child in an Early Childhood Montessori Classroom has the opportunity to experience simply by being in a prepared environment with a loving guide.    MCS is still accepting applications for the 2014 - 2015 Academic Year. Schedule a tour today! 

Toddler students from MCS practice Yoga.  Current research and various studies support Maria Montessori's approach to Early Education. She discovered that children 0-6 years old were in an absorbent mind, where children absorb information from their environment with little to no effort. Montessori wrote and spoke about "Sensitive Periods", which are periods in a person’s development when they are more responsive to certain stimuli and quicker to learn particular skills. She also taught us that when these crucial stages are missed (which she referred to as "dropped stitches", learning becomes a more difficult process.  For example, children who are exposed to a second language in their first six years have an advantage over people who learn a second language later in life, when the sensistive period for language development has passed.   Simply put, a child’s early years lay the foundation for all that is to come. In recent years, researchers have learned that...

In all my years as a Montessorian, I have never met a parent who did not want the absolute best for their child.  Just as adults want to go to work in a place where they feel satisfied doing something they love, many parents are searching for the same educational experience for their children. Most parents are searching for a system that actually works (as in, educates the child) while nurturing the genuine spirit of each child individually!  The great news is...it really does exist!  The video below will show you how Montessori schools, including Montessori Community School - a private Montessori school in the Salt Lake Valley, gives children the motivation and interest to learn, allows for a productive and meaningful learning experience, and creates a peaceful learning environment.    If you think the Montessori approach might be right for your child, please contact us for a tour.  We are currently accepting...

  "I do not believe there is a method better than Montessori for making children sensitive to the beauties of the world and awakening their curiosity regarding the secrets of life."Gabriel Garcia MarquezAuthor, Poet, Nobel Laureate, Montessori Student   Dear Montessori Community School:   The Montessori Foundation works tirelessly to promote the idea that education should be joyful, not a race to nowhere. The proof can be seen in Montessori classrooms, and in our Montessori graduates. Their success and satisfaction in their lives speaks volumes. Since 1992, The Montessori Foundation has worked tirelessly to...· Demonstrate that Montessori works · Prepare Montessori school leaders· Support Montessori schools through times of challenge and transition· Promote Best Practices in Montessori Education  · Encourage collaboration and partnership throughout the Montessori community · Organize national programs for Montessori schools  · Develop truly innovative Montessori teacher education  Every year the Montessori Foundation participates in the 24-Hour Giving Partner Challenge.  We only have one hour to go in this year's 24 Hour...

Support Montessori Community School's Fun Run Fundraiser, Wednesday, May 7th. Proceeds go toward our sponsored girls through the Children of Ethiopia Education Fund, COEEF and our Grandmothers through the Adopt-a-Native-Elder Program. 

Happy Monday, everyone!  

 As parents we have to judge what makes a good educational program for our children. We ask our friends, we look at the school – is it clean and orderly and bright? We look at the children – do they seem happy? We observe the teacher - is she engaged and interested in the children? These are things that we can judge. And then we remember that we’ve heard that a low student–teacher ratio is important for a good educational approach and outcome. (It must be true because all of the governmental agencies are always trying to lower the ratios.)But it is a myth as far as Montessori education is concerned. Traditionally, a low student–teacher ratio is desired if you are trying to make everyone do the same thing at the same time. (It is a lot like herding cats – the less you have, the easier it might be to...

Montessori Cultural curriculum includes learning about Geography, Science, Music, Art, and Yoga. Throughout these studies, our students have become familiar with continents, oceans, and countries including but not limited to specific flora, fauna, flags, and folks.  Montessori cultural education helps students to adapt to their own culture, inspires a love of learning, and offers a new perspective of the world. Within this spectrum, our students get the opportunity to do an in depth study of a particular culture, focusing on specific countries of our world and their uniqueness.Thursday, April 24th our Elementary and Middle School students will be presenting their cultural studies for MCS’s Annual Cultural Fair from 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm in the MCS gymnasium.  Our students’ presentations will remain set up throughout Friday, April 25th until late morning for all those wanting to swing by, view, support, and share in the success and hard work of our students.

MCS would like to wish our community a Happy Earth Day.  What a lovely opportunity to celebrate the beauty of our miraculous earth. Montessori is known as a method that advocates environmental education and invites children to become stewards of the earth.  Maria Montessori herself said that "children are inspired with a feeling for nature" and believed that nature plays a most important role in the development of the whole child. Unconstructed play and exploration in nature foster creativity and independence.  Students learn the value in community and their interconnectedness as they begin to recognize and care for living things.  Richard Louv, author of 'Lost Child in the Woods' and proponent of the need for nature in education noted, “multisensory experiences in nature help to build the cognitive constructs necessary for sustained intellectual development.“ At present, electronics have an overwhelming presence in society and in the development of the child.  Research indicates...