PARENT
HANDBOOK
About Dr. Maria Montessori
Maria Montessori became the first woman medical doctor in San Lorenzo, Italy at the turn of the century. She began by working with children with disabilities. When these children passed exams with their non-disabled peers, she applied her approach to disadvantaged children in a ghetto in Rome. Her results were so dramatic that her “method” (a term she thoroughly rejected) spread rapidly all over the world. In America, Alexander Graham Bell was among her supporters; in England, the Royal children all attend Montessori Schools; in Switzerland, Jean Piaget headed the Montessori Society; in India, Gandhi helped spread her work; Mussolini asked her to turn Italy’s state schools into Montessori school, and she fled the country; in Nazi Germany, her books were burned. Dr. Montessori later held chairs in anthropology and psychology at the University of Rome. For her work in education for peace, she was twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. After her death, her work was revived in the United States and has continued to grow and flourish. It has also suffered considerable adulteration in some places, as the term “Montessori” is not protected. Her work covers in detail two “planes of development:” the first plane is grouped into ages 0 to 3 and 3 to 6; the second plane is grouped into ages 6 to 9 and 9 to 12. Dr. Montessori outlined the work of the third plane (12 to 18), and some work is now underway with Montessori children aged 12 to 15. She also wrote briefly about the fourth plane, ages 18 to 24, in The Function of the University. Montessori uses universal fundamental principles of development in children and is easily adapted to any group of children in any culture. Montessori is a continuing and developing system of education with a background of shared experience for over 60 years on all continents of the world through the organization she founded in 1929, the Association Montessori Internationale. Much of what is considered “new” and “experimental” in education today has long been a part of Montessori practice.
The Montessori Approach
The Child’s Work
Play is the work of young children. The object of their efforts is the creation of the adults that they will become. The children show clearly an inner need to learn to know themselves and their world. They want very much to develop their intelligence, to learn to control movement precisely, to explore and order their impressions of the world, to become independent and responsible. In the first two months of life, the infant, having moved from the comfort of the womb, learns to trust the new outside world. During the rest of the first year of life, infants learn to trust in themselves: “I can do; I am able.” In the next two years they confirm that they are able to act in the world: “I am worthwhile; I can contribute.” In the next phase, from 3 to 6, children acquire coordinated movement, articulate language, independence, and a healthy self-image; they will be children who are contented and happy with themselves, and know they are capable, worthwhile individuals. The overall goal, one that overshadows the particular goals of “curriculum areas,” is a profound self-esteem and a healthy, happy, strong self-image.
The Prepared Environment:
All new human beings, from conception to maturity, form themselves, taking from the environment (the womb, the home, the school, and the community) the materials for self-construction. We adults prepare and provide these environments, upon which the children’s work depends, to aid in the fulfillment of their potential. The Montessori classroom is prepared to help children accomplish their goals in their own manner, whether we call it work or play. Gradually, the children reveal qualities for which they are not usually given credit, such as intense concentration and surprising attention span; exactness and precise movement; a sense of order; maximum effort even by very little ones; self-discipline and respect for others; peacefulness and kindness; and an obvious joy in “work”. Each classroom is a prepared environment designed to support the child’s need for purposeful activity. It is a children’s house: the child-sized furniture is easily moved, pictures are hung at the child’s eye-level, children easily water plants. The sink is not a toy, but a real, child-sized sink. There are many carefully designed materials to meet the child’s natural interests. The atmosphere is positive, supportive, and non-competitive. Part of the prepared environment is the Montessori teacher, who serves as a link between the children and the environment. Older children help with younger ones, just as they would in a big family, and in doing so reinforce what they have already learned and strengthen their own integrity and responsibility. The younger children in turn benefit because children often learn better from their peers. There is much spontaneous sharing among the children, who work individually, or in small groups, at self-chosen activities and at their own pace. Sensitive Periods: Sensitive periods are times of intense interest and activity around a particular area of development of learning. If the period is not fully used, development will never be fully realized. An example is the sensitive period for language acquisition, which is present at birth and continues through the first plane of development (0-6), and then gradually wanes through the second (6-12). You know that if you and your child traveled to a foreign country, your child would acquire the country’s language easier than you because as an adult you are long past your sensitive period would struggle for many years and probably never achieve the exact accent. Dr. Montessori observed many sensitive periods in young children – for order, movement, for each of the developing senses. Montessori classes are especially attractive to children because they appeal to their sensitive periods. Prescribed Spiral Curriculum: Montessori materials and activities lead the child gradually from concrete concepts to abstract understanding. The curriculum spirals on itself, picking up on direct and indirect preparations for each new step, widening and deepening the child’s knowledge as it continues. The curriculum becomes increasingly integrate, so that what most adults call “subjects” are rather facets of a larger design. While children integrate their leaning experience, adults ten to separate learning into “subjects.” We have thus divided the program to guide you through it, but must emphasize that each experience involves many areas of knowledge and has many links.Practical Life: Practical life activities are basic, vital and continuous, though they take different forms at different ages. They appeal to sensitive periods for order and for the control and perfection of movement. Children help prepare fruit snacks; a wondrous sight is a child not-quite-two carefully putting a table cloth over a little table for snacks, then adding a bouquet of flowers. In the primary class much practical life has to do with adapting to one’s own culture. Children learn to snap, button, tie bows, shine shoes, scrub tables, dust, polish and sweep, sew and cook. They also learn forms of good manners in our culture, such as shaking hands, closing doors quietly and not interrupting. These activities are designed in a sequence of steps, through which the child comes to realize order and logic in activity. Concentration (watch a little one wash a table!), carefulness, exactness and coordination, independence, social awareness, helpfulness and self-esteem are some of the qualities that grow through this work. Sensorial: The sensorial materials appears only in the primary class, where the children are passing through sensitive periods related to perception of form, texture, color, weight, sound, smell, taste, temperature: the ways in which we take in information about the world. The materials are not intended to give new impressions, but to order, classify, refine, explore and realize the sense impressions the child has already had. Each piece of materials isolates a single quality; for example, the pink tower shows only variations in volume – the color, texture and shape of each piece is the same; the mass varies. The sensorial materials serve as keys to other areas of learning. The sound exercises lead into music and composition. Texture is used giving shapes of alphabet letters. Discrimination of forms extends into geometry, botany, geography, and so on. The language of the material is usually given after the child has explored it: long, longer, longest; red, blue, yellow; triangle, square; corolla, calyx; Japan, Ghana; B flat, F sharp… the words crystallize the concept for the child. Language: Language, as we have already seen, is woven into all parts of the program. Infants observe language intensely, and language is very exciting for toddlers. Real objects and photographs of common objects are used for learning names of things. Abstract words are attached to experiences: “Wold you like a sweet taste, or a sour taste?” Stories, songs, conversations, simple explanations and questions add to their understanding. In the primary class enrichment of vocabulary continues through the use of classified cards, sensorial materials, and games. Fine distinctions between words (broom/brush, string/thread) and long words (tyrannosaurus Rex) delight the children. Stories, poems, plays and ordinary conversation are important in the environment, but no one is ever pressed to perform. The aim is to increase children’s knowledge, organizations of thought, and confidence in the ability to use and express their minds. With the sandpaper letters, children sensorially learn the cursive forms and phonetic sounds of the alphabet. They make words with a special moveable alphabet in cursive form, and write words in this way for a long time before they realize that he words can also be read. After this great discovery, various materials and games lead the children through cursive to print and capitals, through phonics and not-so-phonics, analyzing parts of speech and forms of sentences, and finally into “total reading.” Not all this work is accomplished in the primary class. Our aim is to delight the children with the magic of language, not to pressure them. Mathematics: Dr. Montessori proposed that all humans are born with a “mathematical mind.” In the primary class the children are given mathematical concepts in the form of objects that represent abstract ideas; the objects can be felt and moved about so that (as with most all Montessori work) the hand is always involved in the learning process. The children are introduced to counting and arithmetical processes with numbers into the thousands. In Montessori math materials, arithmetic, algebra, and geometry are integrated into a system in which each illuminates the other. Cultural Areas: History, geography, botany, zoology, physical sciences, music and other general subjects are first presented to the children through sensorial materials and stories. In botany, for example, the children analyze a real plant into basic parts: corolla, calyx, stem, leaf, roots. Various cultures are presented respectfully, through stories and collections of pictures, music and celebrations. Religion: Montessori has been used in schools of all the world’s major religions, but the Montessori program itself does not have a specific religious persuasion, nor do the classrooms. Religions of the world are alluded to in multi-cultural studies. Parents are invited to contribute to the celebration of their religious holidays in their child’s community. The Arts: Montessori environments are aesthetically pleasing and enriched with fine art, crafts and music, visiting artists and special programs so that creative energy may be taken from the air. The child’s own creative energy is used everywhere in the program as he discovers and teaches himself. Painting, writing stories and music all begin in the primary class. In an environment that is ordered, beautiful and rich in possibilities, the child acquires something to paint about, dance about, and write poems about. Physical Education: Free movement is essential to infants and toddlers, who are never confined in their communities. Special materials encourage and help the development of movement. In the primary class, children are interested in refining the skills they acquired during their first years, and materials and activities encourage precision and control. Children spend time outdoors each morning (Toddler) and afternoon (Primary) weather permitting. Observing Montessori Communities The Toddler Community is lively and spontaneous, but you will see the beginnings of concentration and of genuine social awareness. The materials look simple, but are very precisely designed. Most of the activity is individual, or in small groups. There are two adults for each group of ten toddlers. A beginning primary class is small and composed of children ages 2½ to 4 years old. The activities are more traditional at first, as little by little the children are introduced to Montessori materials and begin to make choices, and to work more independently. The work leads them into concentration and is therefore often individual. The teacher moves quietly among the children, presenting activities to individuals or small groups. Large group activities become much less frequent. As time goes on, new children are added to the class, until finally there is a large group of children with a full age range of +3 to 6 years old. Liberty and Limits Very young children test the environment to learn how the grown-up world works, and to learn to make responsible choices. To help them do this, we allow the children liberty and support in learning to make choices; and we give them clear, consistent limits. We use neither rewards nor punishment. Programs San Lorenzo Montessori Academy offers 3 programs:· Toddler Community: for 16 months (and walking) to 2½ years· Primary: for 2½ years to 5 years (a 3 year cycle)· Extensions: for 5 years to 6 years (Kindergarten) Toddler Community Hours are 8:45 a.m. to 11:40 a.m.Primary Hours are 8:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.Extension Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.Before School Hours are 7:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.After School Hours are 11:45 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Children move from one class level to the next when it is agreed that the child will be successful with moving on, and, as space is available. Considerable time is taken in assessing the move and making a gradual and smooth transition. Parents whose children enter the Primary class are asked to make a three-year commitment to this learning community, through the kindergarten year. All that the child has absorbed during the first two years comes to consciousness and flourishes in the third year – a vital gift to the child and to the community as a whole. Admissions Parents are asked to tour the Montessori Academy, and if possible to observe the communities of the children. There will be time to discuss the program with the Administrator. Return your application form and application fee to the school office. Your child’s teacher will arrange for you to visit the School with your child for a personal meeting and orientation. If there is an opening, you will be sent a Student Enrollment Agreement and various State required forms. If there is no opening, your child’s name will be placed on a waiting list, and you will be notified as soon as there is a place. Montessori is an approach to human development from birth to maturity. It enables children, bright or slow, handicapped or able, to realize in their own way their potential as wise and compassionate human beings. The School actively seeks a wide variety of children – in race, color, ethnic origins, nationalities, religions, capabilities – in order to share these rich resources. First Days of School Getting to know each other:Very young children begin in the Toddler Community for just a few hours and then stay for increasingly long time each day. New Primary children will also begin with a shorter day. Returning children and Extended Day children will begin with a regular class day. Often this transition is the child’s first major separation from the secure and familiar world of home and family, and I marks entrance into a new world of friendships learning and adventure. Parting is easier for some than for others. Children easily read the tender hearts of reluctant parents. Your loving, confident, matter-of-fact approach will help your child take this big step positively. Papers, papers, papers:All the forms we have given to you must be completed and returned to us before your child’s starting date. Most of these forms are required by State regulation, and all contribute to the safety and well-being of your child. These include:Registration Application,Enrollment Agreement, Medical Statement, and Family Information Sheet. Please be sure to report any changes to any of these forms as they occur, especially any change to the Emergency information. Coming And Going Hours:Toddler Community 8:45 a.m. – 11:40 a.m.Children’s House 8:45 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.Extended Day 8:30 a.m. – 2:45 p.m.Morning Wrap Around 7:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.Afternoon Wrap Around 11:45 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Mornings begin in the Toddler Community and Children’s House at 8:45 a.m. and in the Extended Day at 8:30 a.m. Please respect your child and the community by arriving no later than these times. Arrivals and Departures:Please escort your child(ren) to and from the classrooms. Children are picked up from the hallway entrance. Children are not allowed to leave school with anyone but a parent (or legal guardian), unless another person has been designated in writing on the Family Information Sheet. If you are not able to pick up your child for any reason, please:· Give the office the name of the person authorized to pick up your child.· Ask the authorized person have their driver’s license with them to show the teacher at dismissal.If your child is going home to visit another child, please send a written note to the teacher approving the visit. Please be on time:Children are very sensitive about being dropped off or picked up late. If you are unavoidably detained, please call us right away. For safety reasons, the main doors will be locked after 9:00 a.m. No child will be admitted to school after 9:00 a.m. When a child is picked up after 6:00 p.m., you are expected to pay the late fee. Carpools:If you child is in a carpool, be sure the drivers are listed on your child’s family information sheet and please note the arrangements, to keep in your child’s file. Field Trips and Excursions:From time to time a class may decide to venture out on a field trip or excursion. You will receive detailed advance information (date, time span, destination) and an itinerary will be left in the school office. Field trips require an authorization signature from parents. Snow Days:The school follows the Pittsford Public Schools in determining snow days. If they are closed due to weather, we are also closed. If they are delayed, we are delayed as well. You may watch to the radio station for listings of school delays and closings. Parents will be notified by telephone if school must close during the day. Health Medical Statement:Every child must (by law) have a medical statement on file with the school. Please make appointments with your doctor to be sure that your child(ren)’s forms are completed on time. These forms are kept on file in the office and go with the child in an emergency. Sickness:You are asked to keep your child at home if any of these symptoms occur: · During the night or previous day: fever, vomiting or diarrhea.· A rash, runny eyes or ears, or any symptoms of contagious sickness.· Fresh cold symptoms. If your child develops such symptoms at school, we will call you. There is a resting place where your child can wait until you arrive. A child who has had a fever should remain at home for 24 hours after the temperature returns to normal. When your child returns, we strongly recommend full participation in the day – including playing outdoors. Fresh air is wonderful! Please let us know promptly if your child is exposed to anything contagious. All parents will be notified of symptoms to watch for. A child will be asked to leave for health or medical reasons that present risks to the child or other children in the program Medications:SLMA will no administer any medication needed by your child without documentation from your child’s doctor. Medicine must be in its original container labeled with your child’s name. Emergencies:In case of minor accidents on the school grounds, staff members are trained and equipped to respond with first aid if needed. In the case of something more serious, paramedics are called and parents are immediately notified. A staff member will go with your child and bring the medical health form. Lunches and Snack:We are not equipped to prepare group meals. We provide table settings, dishes, glasses and serving utensils. Snacks are provided for children by parents in turn, a week at a time. It is helpful if your child can be involved in the shopping. The children prepare and serve snacks. This purposeful involvement helps your child feel like a contributing, valuable member of the family and the school community. Packing lunches is a daily challenge. Planning with your child the night before can ease morning stress and the temptation to include less nutritious items. Please be sure to notify the teacher of any food allergies or restrictions on the family information form. Toileting:In the Toddler Community, we follow a process that we find is most beneficial to the child: we use “training pants” (underwear) rather than diapers. Because underwear is less bulky, we find that the children have more freedom of movement; and as they begin to stand and walk, they are able to stand straighter, with better balance and grace. Formal “toileting” is initiated by the child. But we find that it happens rather easily, because in training pants the child is more aware of urinating or having a bowel movement. The theory behind our approach is that it is the normal human condition to be clean and dry. Therefore it is very important that we help the child change into clean, dry pants promptly (though we are careful never to say “dirty” about a perfectly natural act). Training pants also give children the possibility of helping to dress themselves at an early age, adding to their self-confidence and independence. In the Toddler Community, training pants and a T-shirt are sufficient in warm weather, making it as easy as possible for children to succeed in personal care. Please understand that this is an approach that we use successfully to help the child acquire useful information and skills that will make toileting come easily and naturally when the child is ready. This is not early or pressured toilet training. Television:Television is a health issue. Childhood is, developmentally, a time for movement, activity, acting on the environment, and interacting with others. We encourage you to limit TV in a matter-of-fact way to not more than a half hour a day for young children. Cartoons are over stimulating and many of the children’s shows create passive learning and a limited concentration span). Belongings Clothes:It is very important for children to wear comfortable and manageable clothes. In general when choosing clothes with your child, look for front openings and simple fastenings (try them out before you buy them). Children take pride in being able to dress without help. Clothes that are simple and functional allow the child to move and work freely. Natural fibers clean more easily and “breathe” better. Also, please remember that the children are working with paints, glue and polish among other liquids and their “school clothes” will get stained. Children learning to walk, or to perfect the way they move and walk, can succeed best in simple, flexible, non-skid shoes (for example, not cowboy boots or party shoes). Because shoe polishing is a popular class activity, leather shoes or sneakers are a good choice. Overboots a size larger than the shoe are easier for children to take off and put on by themselves. Plastic bags over shoes make boots slide on more easily. Consider snow pants in terms of how easily a child can put them on and take them off by themselves. Two pieces are usually easier than one. Please mark in permanent ink everything with your child’s name! Toys and Treasures:Each classroom environment is filled with beautiful materials. We support and encourage a spirit of community and sharing. We ask that no toys, jewelry, money, candy or gum be brought to school, since they haven’t the possibility of sharing or community use, and sometimes distract unsettled children from activities that would be helpful to their development. Exception: a child may bring in a blanket to school for nap time. Primary children are welcome to bring projects, natural or cultural objects to share occasionally, if they choose. Communications We want to be in close contact with you. It is very difficult for teachers to chat during class hours, and more productive if you leave a note or call the office for a time to meet. Also, it is often confusing, sometimes embarrassing for children to be talked about, positively or negatively, in their presence. We like to set aside a private time and place for meeting. Daily News:We are committed to paperless communications whenever possible. The school email is: sanlorenzomontessori@yahoo.com Emails will be checked regularly, but please remember that the primary concern of the teachers are your children. It may take a day or two to get a response. Do not use email for emergencies or dismissal information. When we need to give parents specific papers, we will use a family envelope. Please make sure you return the envelope to us, so that we can use it throughout the year. We will also post snack information, sign-up sheets, and other information in the hallway. Newsletter:Our newsletter will be sent out regularly and will contain calendar updates, planned events, news, article on Montessori and classroom activities, etc. Observations:Parents are welcome to visit their child’s classroom any time after October. We will have an observation schedule for parents to sign-up for a specific date and time. You may also enjoy observing another age group to have a picture of how your child’s work relates to what has gone before, or what lies ahead. We’ll provide an observer’s chair for your comfort. Observers are asked to make themselves as close to invisible as they can, so as not to disturb the flow of the class. Your own child will be very aware of your presence and will almost surely not be his or her everyday self. You may try telling your child before you come in that you’re coming to watch all the children, and quietly appear to do just that. Conferences:Parent/teacher conferences take place in November and April. It is here that we deepen our collaboration on behalf of your child, looking at his or her development from our respective places. It is essential that both parents attend conferences, so that all the adults in the child’s life are informed and working together in a consistent way. Conference dates are given on the yearly calendar in advance to allow you enough time to arrange for time off from work. A sign-up sheet for conference will be posted two weeks in advance. Each conference lasts approximately one half hour. You or the teacher may ask for a conference at any other time during the year as may be needed. Concerns:If there has been some significant change in your child’s home life, please let your child’s teacher know right away. Often we can help with a little added attention, understanding and loving care. Open communication between parents and teacher are truly vital. We promise to respect confidentiality. If you have a question, concern or suggestion about your child’s relationship to the classroom, the teacher, or other children, please talk to the teacher directly and promptly. Traditions Birthdays:Birthdays celebrate the life of a child as a special person. They are also an opportunity to give an impression of how we measure time. Parents of the Toddler Community and Primary class may send in a small photo album with pictures of the child’s life. This will be part of the Birthday celebration. Sometimes parent provide a snack for this celebration time, and/or have contributed a book to the class in the child’s name. We’re new, and we only have one tradition listed here. We are counting on you to help us create many more wonderful traditions. Family/School Collaborations We want you to know more about what we are doing, so that we can collaborate more fully. Knowing the Montessori way of life helps to lighten the stress we all sometimes feel, and allows the children to grow securely according to their own natures. Reading:We ask you to try and read at least one book by Maria Montessori: The Secret of Childhood, The Discovery of the Child, or The Child in the Family are good books to begin with. Parents with children I the Toddler Community are asked to try Understanding the Human Being by Dr. Montanaro. Seminars:We have scheduled afternoon seminars once a month. We want to support your efforts by providing as much information as we can about the school, the classes, and the Montessori approach, which we describe as a way of life. Many basic Montessori ideas, freedom of movement, liberty and limits, order, and the ability to function independently and the Montessori materials, are all discussed. Anyone involved in your child’s life are welcome to join these seminars. San Lorenzo Montessori Academy The Academy opened in July 2007. Administration:Anthony Indorato Toddler Community: Gretchen Cavatassi-Teacher, Anita Monachino, Assistant Primary Classroom: Maria Darby-Teacher, Sarah Travis, Assistant
