Primary
The Portland Montessori School offers a three-year program for children aged 2.5 to 6 years. This program carries the child through their kindergarten year. These are our Primary classrooms.
Classrooms are mixed-age environments, and they remain in the same class for their whole time in the Primary program. Children build strong bonds with their peers and guides. Older children serve as mentors, modelling behavior and giving lessons to younger members of the class. Younger children benefit from having experienced role models as they move towards mastery during their time in the classroom. These relationships provides children a special opportunity to develop compassion, leadership skills and an attitude of service as they grow and learn.
Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) certified guides help children develop a strong academic foundation built on language skills, math, geography, science, music and art. They also help them acquire practical life skills such as caring for themselves and their classroom environment. By design, the Montessori classroom sparks curiosity, while promoting learning, self-discipline, independence and responsibility.
A guide and a dedicated assistant lead each Primary classroom, working together to provide each child the individualized guidance they need to reach their fullest potential. At the end of their kindergarten year, children transition naturally into our Elementary program.
"If it's true what Maria Montessori said, that the test of the correctness of an educational approach is the happiness of the child, then this school is succeeding beyond our wildest dreams. Both our boys are so happy to go to school and so proud of their work."
"The Portland Montessori School is a school with a heart. Each year, parents raise money to sustain scholarships that make the dream of a Montessori education a reality for families who could not otherwise afford it. That shows the true spirit of community at our school."
"The Portland Montessori School has given my children such an appreciation for learning and an extensive fund of knowledge. It has been a nurturing, appropriately challenging environment for them to reach their potential."
"I have taught in public schools for the past ten years, including six years in kindergarten, and I can attest that Montessori is different, special, and provides an optimum setting for children's growth and development."
"Our son sincerely loves his guide, who shows him authentic kindness, warmth, and non-judgmental acceptance. Under her guidance, he has become a self-directed, competent, and curious learner who cares about the world and others around him."