ACADEMICS
We love Montessori because it puts the child at the center of education and focuses on the physical and mental development of each student.
Core Curriculum
Early childhood focuses on exercises for daily living skills (Practical Life), math and language, materials that enliven the child’s exploration of touch, texture, sound, color and shape (Sensorial), and cultural subjects including Art, Music, Science, Geography and Botany.
Elementary students spend half the school day focusing on core subjects: reading, writing, language arts, math, geometry, spelling, grammar, penmanship and critical thinking skills. During the other half of the day, they will focus on the cultural and artistic curriculum, encouraging curiosity about the world and artistic expression.
Montessori on the Lake’s Middle School is a unique space for the adolescent child. It is an academic preparatory program for children in 6th, 7th and 8th grade. Our philosophy is to help students navigate three critical areas: academic, social and emotional growth.
Enrichment Curriculum
The academic emphasis is balanced with a rich immersion into cultural studies. Blending these as early as possible within a child’s education allows them to absorb and grow as a well-rounded individual.
Classrooms include cultural and physical geography, history, physical science, zoology, botany, environmental studies, computers, music, Spanish, drama, choir, art, woodworking, and physical education. Our facility contains a library, a computer lab, an art room, a teaching kitchen, a science lab and a theater/dance studio in addition to our eight classrooms.
In addition, the Middle School takes two special trips each year. Early in the year, we take an overnight trip to Joshua Tree National Park, where we help each other pitch tents, hike, learn about homesteading and the Native American tribes who lived there. Towards the end of the year, the students participate in an extended 10-day trip to a destination we have studied during the year. If we studied Medieval Times, we may go to England, Croatia or Spain. If we studied ancient civilizations, we may go to Italy, Turkey, Greece or Egypt. If we studied the Americas, we may go to Washington D.C., New York, Alaska or Costa Rica. This trip is considered field study and there is no better way to learn about the pyramids of Giza than to stand before them.