Just Do It Montessori is a safe and nurturing school that honors and values each child and their innate desire to learn. We view each and every child as capable and competent, and our mission is for every child to reach their full potential by instilling a lifelong love of learning, independence and self-confidence through hands-on learning and interactions with peers and teachers. We celebrate diversity and foster inclusivity within our community. We strive to create a safe and positive environment where each individual child is known and celebrated for who they are. We cultivate a caring and respectful environment in which bonds are forged across potential barriers of human difference, advancing compassionate, responsible, courageous citizens!
The beautiful and prepared classroom allows children to learn how to care for themselves, the community and the environment. You may see a child sponging their art mat, lemon squeezing to help make lemonade for lunch time or sewing a button onto a pillow that they’ve been working on for several weeks. The children express themselves through art, oral and written language. Math materials are hands-on and concrete to establish a strong mathematical foundation. Science, geography, cultural studies and music are incorporated throughout the day. We embrace all cultures and backgrounds and respect various traditions. Students help care for their community by creating cards for the senior assisted living community and baking muffins for the local fire station several times throughout the school year.
Teachers help students to think and act independently as they learn to explore the world around them at their own pace and in their own way. Every day has the potential to unlock new knowledge and introduce new skills that students will rely upon for the rest of their lives. The students come to “Gathering” each morning, where they explore the calendar, discuss curriculum and participate in meaningful discussions. Curriculum is expansive and the teachers thoughtfully observe and create curricular projects based upon the children’s interests. Projects and activities have the flexibility to take new shape as teachers become learners alongside the children. Children can choose to be a part of these projects and revisit them over the course of days or weeks. They may work independently, with a partner or in a small group, fine-tuning their skills of teamwork, collaboration, problem-solving, self-expression and sense of belonging within a community. Our curriculum is grounded in social-emotional development and by the end of their time at our school, children have learned how to express themselves, their ideas, and their feelings and how to understand and respond to that of others.
The class will attend various field-trips throughout the school year. These opportunities expose the children to real life experiences, broadening their understanding of the world around them, while also providing opportunities to ask questions, seek answers and develop a natural inclination for lifelong learning. The hands-on experiences encountered during these trips serve as catalysts for further exploration and discovery.
Students who are of Transitional Kindergarten and Kindergarten age will participate in more structured activities, such as reading, handwriting, bookmaking, addition, subtraction and multiplication. Our school has the ability to keep children engaged and challenged, so our students may stay with us until they reach first grade.
Finally, the structure of combining multi-ages (2.5 to 6 years) in one classroom engenders a robust sense of community and belonging. Children work at their own pace so they can develop true mastery and then go on to teach others. Students may spend two to three years within the same group, which aids in forming deeper connections and a supportive, familial-like environment. This mirrors the natural social structures found in families and broader communities. This structure also ensures a constantly evolving classroom atmosphere. As older students advance, younger students naturally step into leadership roles by giving lessons, reading stories to younger children, or helping to tie a shoe or zip up a jacket. Students begin to acquire a real sense of responsibility and connection as they increasingly see their own individual value and how they truly benefit the whole group, creating a perpetual cycle of learning and teaching that keeps the environment vibrant and engaging!