Joyful Learning. Freedom to Explore.
Primary
Ages 3 to 6 Years
Our primary program is led by Montessori-credentialed guides using a full complement of Montessori materials in a classroom designed to offer a choice for hands-on exploration following each child’s interests, learning style and pace. We provide a balance of encouraging independence and concentration along with building positive social skills and relationships within a group. Children are exposed to individual, small group and large group activities that allow them to grow their minds, strengthen their bodies and develop confidence in their growing mastery of skills and knowledge. Each child’s natural development is followed, and children are given the structured freedom to work at their own pace and pursue their own love of learning.
Parents are often surprised to see the calm environment of a Primary classroom. Children are engaged purposefully in a wide variety of activities and materials that captivate their attention. Your child will learn to work with a high level of concentration, free from interruptions, and enjoy the peaceful, homelike community of the classroom. Students in a Montessori classroom are excited to learn, self-motivated and engaged.
Curricular areas include Practical Life, Sensorial, Language, Math, and Cultural Studies, Geography, Science and the Arts.
Lower and Upper Elementary
Lower Elementary – Ages 6 to 9 years
Upper Elementary – Ages 9 to 12 years
Children continue to benefit from mixed-age classrooms, and work individually and in small groups as they progress toward abstract concepts and logical reasoning. The Elementary curriculum features strong academics including the study of Math, Geometry, English/Language Arts (ELA), Biology and Cultural Studies, including physical sciences, geography, history, art, music, and PE.
Our Elementary Program is a warm community providing a stimulating environment with teachers and materials that invite exploration and research. It grows out of respect for the mind of a rapidly developing child. No longer content to simply gain physical independence, a child of this age now strives for intellectual independence. This is a time of insatiable curiosity and excitement for learning. Our program provides opportunities to capture this energy. Ready to grow, stretch their wings, and understand the world around them, Elementary learning often extends beyond the room to include time outdoors, on our property or in the community.
Secondary
7th through 9th Grades
The purpose behind a Montessori secondary program is to support the adolescent through the process of emerging into adulthood–an incredible metamorphosis which we as adults all went through. Just imagine if you were surrounded by supportive, understanding and engaging teachers through your teen years, cheering you on in the classroom as you explored all the options life had to offer. Well, the sad reality is that many adolescent students just don’t experience that version of education. Here at HVMS, we see our students–truly see them. We have studied and trained and understand the planes of development of human beings. We know their needs at each level, and how to best meet them.
Montessori at the secondary level provides meaningful and authentic work in a developmentally appropriate learning environment. It’s important that teens have opportunities for both independence and collaboration with peers. In addition to the typical academic subjects of math, sciences and humanities, secondary students also take part in regular Socratic Seminar discussions that require preparation and deep thought, a process that hones crucial critical thinking skills. Microeconomy pursuits give adolescents the chance to explore economic independence, to develop an entrepreneurial mindset, self discipline, and the drive to succeed in real world endeavors. Study guides support their independence and drive inquiry, helping them find their strengths and learn to master goals.
In addition to strong academics that will prepare your teen for life beyond the classroom, we give secondary students a place for authentic experience, strong community, a respect-filled environment and the expectation that they are capable of transforming themselves into resilient, peaceful and purposeful adults.
