My son started attending this school in August of 2012 when we moved from another Montessori…read moreschool. Montessori Scholars Academy was only one year old then, but we decided to register because the Elementary teacher had over 18 years of experience from two other well known AMI accredited Montessori schools, and had been trained in one of the best Montessori training centers in the world.
This is his second year at MSA and he is growing into a sensible, caring, smart and academically well prepared young man. He just started second grade (second year of the Elementary level), we plan to keep him in this school through the last year (sixth grade). The Elementary classroom is well equipped and his teacher is experienced, deeply understands the Montessori approach, and practices it with complete ease and confidence.
Parents and families are very active, and there are many opportunities to participate. Some of the initiatives moved forward by parents are the formation of the Families Association (now one year old!), book drives for the classroom's libraries, addition of enrichment activities, introduction of technology in the classrooms (in a way that supports the Montessori approach), new training programs for parents and family members (parenting, nutrition, first aid, special needs and education, are among the proposed topics for training). Parents in one of the Primary classrooms fundraised, purchased and built the playground equipment which is in accordance to Montessori curriculum for gross motor skill and muscle tone development.
Yoga and Violin/Music Theory are now part of the school Curriculum at all levels, and are taught one during recess (Yoga) and Violin as an after-school enrichment activity, at no additional cost to the families. The school is looking to incorporate Robotic Explorers, which is way to introduce children to the fields of physics and programming through building structures with Legos. There are many other enrichment activities as well, such as Art, Soccer, Tennis, Amazing Athletes, Ballet, Chess, Ping Pong and Piano.
The administrators are accessible and attentive to detail. The teachers constantly express their appreciation of the support they receive from the school management/administrative staff.
One more thing: We left the previous Montessori school because their Elementary teacher suggested that we submit our son to a Psycho-educational evaluation (he was five and very typical for his age and gender), and also mentioned the option of taking him to a Neurologist for brain scans. (Clarification: Our son was learning English that year). Later we found out that this request was being made to many other families in that school for children about to enter the Elementary level. Many boys were not allowed to move up to her class, and currently the class is out of balance in terms of gender: Many more girls than boys, as boys apparently don't fit the profile that this particular teacher was looking to let into her class. We left that school when it was made obvious to us that the teacher didn't want our son there, and that the administration gave her the power to pick who would go into her classroom.
Our son's current teacher at MSA, and other experienced Montessori teachers have explained to us that when schools have waiting lists, even Montessori schools, which were created precisely thinking of teaching children of all learning styles, then teachers can get choosy and select those students who will require the least amount of work on their part. They have explained to us that is much easier to teach a homogeneous class of children who learn in the same manner, than it is to teach children with different ability levels.
We left that school and never looked back. The Elementary instructor at MSA is a hard working person, who welcomes children of all learning styles, genders, cultural and language backgrounds. She is genuinely interested in offering her students a real-world experience (as specified in the Montessori philosophy), rather than a homogeneous hand picked group of children, who are mainly all girls, and who have the same learning style and abilities.
This year, two children moved from traditional schools to the MSA's Elementary Program, as they were not thriving in the public school environment, and in only two weeks those two children are now engaged, have friends and a new found confidence in themselves, which is translating in a rebirth of their love of learning. Their parents are amazed at how quickly the transformation happened.
Having our son so engaged in all aspects of his life at school is what makes Montessori Scholars a perfect match for our family. I would encourage any family looking for an excellent school, from Toddler years to 6th grade, to visit the school, and schedule a 30-minute to 1 hour observation, and see the high quality, the independence, the self confidence, the positive approach to child development of this small and wonderful school.
