Our Toddlers, ages 18 months to 3 years, are having a very busy and productive summer.  We are always amazed at these little ones and all they are capable of!   MCS still has space in our Toddler program for fall.  Give us a call to schedule a tour and learn more about the magic of Montessori at the Toddler level. 

This article made me smile.  As a parent I often have a difficult time seeing past my own expectations of how things should be.  Spills, messes, fighting...they make me crazy and I forget that my boys are simply practicing, in the safety of my home, how to manage these simple realities of life in preparation for the bigger and greater things that are in their (hopefully very bright) futures.  While I appreciate pristine floors and the sounds of laughter and kindess amongst my three children, I am trying each day to embrace their journey and experience. My hope for them is that when I allow them to really experience mistakes and explore solutions on their own, they are experiencing a gift that they will carry with them always.  I hope you enjoy this blog post from a fellow Montessorian as much as I did...Click here.

  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.

Many working parents are looking for a safe and healthy environment for their very young children. Options for child care are limitless and varied in what they have to offer a young child.  However, current research shows us that the most crucial part of a child's development happens in the unconcscious absorbent mind, from 0-3 years old.  That being said, why wouldn't any nurturing parent want the most prepared and beneficial environment for their child?  This article, Montessori Infant-Toddler Programs; The Best Beginning, from The Montessori Way will help you determine if a Montessori Toddler program is the best fit for your child.  "This is a time of great sensitivity to language, spatial relationships, music, art, social graces and so much more. If, during this time, the mind is stimulated by the child's exposure to a rich environment, the brain will literally develop a much stronger and lasting ability to learn and...

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! 

 "Let us give the child a vision of the whole universe.  The universe is an imposing reality, and an answer to all questions.  We shall walk together on this path of life; for all things are a part of the universe, and we are all connected with eachother to form one whole unity."-Maria Montessori

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...

 With the addition of solar panels to the roof of our building we are generating more energy than we are consuming; which means all the excess power gets fed back into the grid as green energy. This is one way Montessori Community School is helping reduce emissions in our valley. If you are interested in joining us to make an immediate difference please visit Rocky Mountain Power's - Blue Sky Renewable Energy page. https://www.rockymountainpower.net/bluesky By purchasing Blue Sky Energy from Rocky Mountain Power you will help facilitate other schools, offices, and residents installing their own solar panels. May 2014 Total: 9.29 MWhPrevious Month Total: 7.76MWhYear to Date: 30.6MWhYour Cabon Offset for this month is 6.42 tonsYou have offset the equivalent of: 165 Trees

The MCS lego robotics team made this movie for phase I of the moonbots competition (moonbots.org, part of the google lunar xprize). As part of the competition, we need an awesome quote from someone in our community who watched it. Feel free to like it as well. Thank!Stephanie Thatcher

  "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. 

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“The human hand, so delicate and so complicated, not only allows the mind to reveal itself but it enable the whole being to enter into special relationships with its environment…man ‘takes possession of his environment with his hands.’ His hands, under the guidance of his intellect transform this environment and this enable him to fulfill his mission in the world.”-       Maria Montessori, The Discovery of the ChildThank you to MCS’s Art Instructor, Kindra Fehr for organizing and implementing the painting of two murals on our school grounds. Mural 1 A garden theme designed and executed by our Middle School class. Oquirrh, a Lower Elementary (1st – 3rd grade) class and two Early Childhood classes, Sequoias and Willows (ages 3 – 5), contributed to the design by adding various bugs, butterflies, and flowers. Mural 2 Mural 2 is being painted on MCS’s new traversing wall. Designed by our Upper Elementary (4th – 6th grade) class, the...

Montessori Community School is in full bloom as we move into our last month this 2013 - 2014 school year. The end of a school year can be stressful time. The weather is warmer, summer break is in sight, and both students and teachers are reflecting on the work accomplished, materials learned, and planning for the summer and the next school year.We are so proud of our students, teachers, and families for the dedication, involvement, and passion thus far demonstrated within our school community. We are so grateful to have such a great environment in which to educate, grow, and explore with each other. This year, we have watched our students blossom. As we make this last push through the remainder of the school year, we hope there will be time for reflection and appreciation toward our incredible student body. 

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.

One of the great attributes of success is confidence. While success breeds confidence, confidence also breeds success. However, there are no real courses on success, no seven easy steps, no magic potions, so how do we help our children build this important component into their lives? The first level of building confidence is the ability to finish a project. In Montessori you introduce activities that are reasonable for the child to achieve. Second, you then give the child the time to achieve. Third, the project has to have value; it has to be worthwhile. (Learning to tie your shoes for a young child meets this need.) For confidence to build the project also has to have an element of real challenge – not one that can be accomplished in a moment or a day – learning to read fills this bill. Real confidence has to take you through all kinds of situations...

The Willows and Sequoias Music and Dance Performing Arts Showcase “Commotion in the Ocean” on Tuesday night was a great show! The performance began with both classes singing a variety of songs and this was followed by four group dance numbers - two from each class.As usual, we had our little extroverts who danced and sang with such enthusiasm and on the other end of the spectrum those who were more shy and reserved. It is all a learning experience and we were absolutely delighted to see them growing and celebrating together.Many thanks to all the parents, grandparents, and family friends for coming out to support your children. They are all beautiful and talented. We are very grateful to be working with them!Aspens and Magnolias Music and Dance Performing Arts Showcase “Commotion in the Ocean” on Tuesday was absolutely delightful!*Please watch for an announcement of upcoming Arts Showcases to display Art...

The theme for Winter Camp this year was “Icy Oceans - the Antarctic and Arctic Oceans." With Corey heading the camp and Kellie assisting her the children had the opportunity to be involved in many fun-filled activities.There were science experiments where the children learned how snow turns to ice, why icebergs float, how glaciers move and how temperature and salinity affects the melting of the ice.The children also learned more about the location of the Arctic and Antarctic Oceans and why they are so cold. They participated in exploratory activities about Giant Jelly Fish, Polar Bears, Narwhals, Emperor Penguins, Ring Seals, The Northern Lights & the conditions that create such amazing colors, plants and organisms that grow in ice and on the ocean floor, and so much more!This was definitely a fun filled six days and all the children had a wonderful time. Our thanks to Corey, Kellie and all the...

An MCS Kindergarten student works on the Addition Strip board discovering "Ways to Make 10"Kindergarten is the harvest year for all the planting and intellectual tending that has gone on for the preceding years in preschool. The kindergarten child’s learning explodes into an avalanche of reading and writing and math. All of the earlier preparation (practical life, sensorial) now finds academic outlets. The kindergarten child not only gains a wider breadth of knowledge but a deeper understanding of what she has learned and now is able to use this knowledge to enhance her own intellectual pursuits.A Montessori education is not just cumulative in its learning; it is exponential in its understanding. The learning that happens in kindergarten is not just adding another year’s knowledge but multiplying what is learned and applying it to what is to come.It is common for Montessori kindergarten graduates to be able to read well (and write)...