Now accepting applications for 1st-6th grade for the 23-24 school year

Elementary: Kindergarten - Sixth Grade

We are delighted to partner with Kaleideum Downtown for the Elementary School at SMS this year. We plan to offer both upper and lower elementary for the 2023-2024 school year, serving students through 6th grade. 

The school hours are 8:45 am to 3:00 pm.

We will be offering 6th grade as a part of our Upper Elementary program beginning in the 2024-2025 school year.

6th grade is the third year of the Upper Elementary cycle so this allows us to continue the multi-age framework that we have in Lower Elementary, Children’s House, and Toddler, and aligns with best practice in Montessori education.  Older students are able to provide leadership and support to younger students and provide the ability to achieve a more heterogenous mixture of learner profiles in the classroom.  A multi-age framework is at the heart of our approach and I am so glad that we will offer the full spectrum of the elementary program.

The American Montessori Society has some great information on the elementary years including the video below. I hope you enjoy them and will join me in celebrating this additional offering at Salem Montessori School.

This expansion could not have been possible without the support and enthusiasm from YOU, our community. The interest that we have seen in our elementary program is inspiring and we continue to hear from families about their interest in seeing the school grow. To read more about the growth of our school and our new location, please visit www.smsforeverhome.com, and share this great news with your family and friends!

 

Learn More About Our Elementary Program

Higher-education and business leaders cite soft skills such as the ones above, as being the most important driver of success in higher-level courses and in the workplace.
Higher-education and business leaders cite soft skills such as the ones above, as being the most important driver of success in higher-level courses and in the workplace.

What sets Montessori apart in the Elementary years – ages 6-12 – is our individually paced curriculum that simultaneously challenges children academically and safeguards their well-being and sense of self. Engaging as contributing members of a respectful community, they learn to question, think critically, and take responsibility for their own learning—skills that will support them for the rest of their lives.

At all Montessori levels, the Elementary program is based on the belief that children learn best through movement and work with their hands, and provides the cognitive, social, and emotional support to help them reach their full potential.

This includes addressing their needs as they enter a new period of development characterized by:

  • A transition from concrete to abstract thinking

  • Growing interest in socialization

  • Cognitive skills, such as memory and problem-solving that are enhanced by creativity and imagination

  • An interest in fairness, social justice, and compassion

The Elementary Classroom

In a Montessori Elementary classroom, students work both individually and in small groups, at tables and on mats on the floor. Children who are new to Montessori quickly grow to feel at home with the inspired teaching that appeals to their deepest interests, and with the distinctive, hands-on learning materials that teachers introduce sequentially according to the students’ developmental needs. Expectations are clear while still remaining open-ended enough to be engaging.

Multi-Age Learning

Multi-age groupings of children ages 6 – 9 and 9 –12 (or 6 –12) provide a diverse mix in which children can collaborate and socialize. These inter-age relationships strengthen the entire community.

Older children are seen as role models within the community. They support the growth and development of younger children through socialization, assist with new work, and teach skills they have personally mastered. They can also work with younger students in areas of the curriculum in which they struggle to improve together without fear of social stigma.

Younger children follow the example set by the older students, while still allowing them to be role models for peers who may not have as tight a grasp on curriculum materials. This multi-age community provides opportunities for all individuals to learn to appreciate differences and learn from each other, at times leading, sharing, or serving as role models. Within this supportive, inclusive community, children work through the curriculum at their own pace, accelerating during some tasks or taking additional time with others.

Montessori Learning Materials

Montessori students don’t just memorize facts and figures. They also learn the “hows,” “whens,” and “whys,” ensuring that learning takes place on a more fundamental level. To facilitate this, we use specially designed learning materials that use real objects and actions to translate abstract ideas into concrete forms.

Teachers introduce materials to students according to their level of development and readiness. Students then work with the materials to make exciting discoveries—such as why, when dividing fractions, we invert and multiply. A core of Montessori curriculums is the understanding of the power of discovering answers on one’s own.

Email Patrick Velde at smsvelde@gmail.com if you would like admissions information about our Elementary program.

Elementary Tuition

Elementary:

ProgramAnnual Tuition12 Payments
5-Day$9,737$811.42
The teachers!
I have never met a more passionate, caring, dedicated, nurturing and more knowledgeable group of teachers and staff. Every child is loved and respected for their own individual personality, talents, and needs. My children have grown so much - socially, emotionally, and academically - in their time at SMS. They can’t wait to go to school in the morning. They have fostered a love of learning and growth that I hope my children with continue to carry with them for years to come.
Liz Williams - Parent
Letting kids direct their own learning,
experience the power of deep concentration, and feel loved!
Francisco Gallegos - Parent
The amazing teachers. The environment that cultivates curiosity and learning.
I trust my children are being nurtured in a safe and loving way to develop not just a love of learning, but also healthy social skills, healthy creativity, and even healthy habits of movement and nutrition.
Sylvia Laurence - Parent
We love SMS because of its intimate, supportive, and familial setting.
The community is composed of caring, warm, thoughtful, and loving teachers and staff. It is truly a one of a kind educational experience. We love how SMS fosters and encourages the love of self, others, and the environment and how SMS meets the child where they are with an individualized work plan. Above all else, the supportive and collaborative SMS community is the school’s most valuable asset!
Ellie Morales - Parent
The loving community...
...and our shared passion for our children.
Claudia Paden - Parent & Teacher
I love the SMS environment...
... of nurturing, learning, curiosity and care.
Jessamyn Kirkwood - Parent
I love the community of this school.
Community for me is the support I feel as a teacher from my co-workers, the administration and parents. I know how special this is and I am grateful for it every day.
Betty Hastings - Teacher
I love that each staff member is here because they truly respect children and want to do what is best for each individual child.
As teachers I love that we are firmly grounded in the Montessori method, yet recognize the value and implementation of outside strategies and methods in order to best reach each child.
Jessica Feus -Teacher
In all of the schools I have served in, I have never seen an organization where relationships are as strong as they are here.
The care with which teachers approach students, the support that staff provide to one another and the partnership between the school and parents creates a connection that is unique. This is the foundation for the joy that students feel and exude each day!
Patrick Velde - Head of School
At SMS, the people show genuine kindness towards one another.
I see how well the staff listen with open hearts and minds to what others bring to the table. This community works together and supports the children building their independence.
Katie Brackney - Teacher
SMS radiates warmth and embodies a peaceful presence.
In a world of unknowns, the SMS community is consistently nurturing. Salem Montessori offers a philosophically grounded and genuine approach to education and socialization that inspired my Montessori certification and led to my teaching career. Presently, I am at a place of coming full circle as my children attend and thrive in the fellowship of our devoted school community.
Salem Parham - Teacher
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