Kindergarten at Newburyport Montessori

Children enrolled in kindergarten at Newburyport Montessori School experience a prepared, child-centered environment that encourages active learning through exploration and discovery.  Children have access to multilevel experiences and activities of varying degrees of complexity.  They are able to use concrete materials that allow for individual differences and natural variations in their ability.

Friday’s are often a day for field trips.  Children have learned how to make pizza at Anchor Stone Deck Pizza, how to make whoopie pies at Chococoa, and they have learned about cheese at Grand Trunk Old World Market.  The children have also visited places such the Customs House Maritime Museum, Fire Station, Police Station, and US Coast Guard Station.

We offer two options for kindergarten: five mornings and four afternoons (Monday through Thursday), or five full days.

Our four children had extraordinary Kindergarten experiences at NMS and we cannot speak more highly of the importance of that year for them.  They loved going to school each day.  As parents, we loved watching them soak up every experience and seeing their confidence and independence build.  The year solidified the learning that had started in the pre-school classroom and gave them an opportunity to take it to a more advanced level.
Each of our four children had slightly different experiences during the Kindergarten year since the teachers tailored the content depending on the interest of the children.  However, there were some common themes.  All four left NMS reading, comfortable with math concepts, inspired, and eager to learn.  They formed bonds with their same-aged classmates that were new and extremely close.
After attending Kindergarten at NMS, entering first grade at our local public elementary school went smoothly.  Our children were academically well-prepared, self motivated, and used to working independently. They entered the new learning environment with skills to handle potential conflicts in a peaceful and productive way, skills that they will draw on for the rest of their lives.

 

Sally Milliken and Jim Dooling

Parents