Our Lower & Upper Elementary Programs

MONTESSORI ELEMENTARY SCHOOL FOR AGES 6 – 12 YEARS OLD IN WILLIAMSBURG, VA

Lower Elementary

The Lower Elementary is based on the unique needs of children between the ages of six and nine. WMS offers students the intellectual, social, and spiritual tools they need to flourish not just in school, but in life beyond school. The curriculum is both broad and deep, fully integrating rigorous academic study with practical work in an atmosphere that fosters social, emotional and intellectual development.

Children entering the elementary years combine vigorous stamina and curiosity with the excitement that comes with mastering the basics of reading and writing, time management, independent work, and harmonious community life. Children spend their days working both individually and collaboratively on a variety of highly engaging projects in the core subject areas of math, language, cultural studies (geography, history, sciences), and practical life. Highly skilled teachers customize research activity, field study, and art and music instruction based on a balance of student interest and the core goals of the curriculum.

The Montessori Lower Elementary Curriculum is based on the following subject areas:

Mathematics

  • Students gain a concrete understanding of concepts through materials, then move on to abstraction
  • Individualized studies allow students to learn at their level – moving ahead when they are ready
  • Math studies include: number sense, fact memorization, math operations, word problems, fractions, geometry, measurements, time and money
  • Children acquire a mathematical vocabulary to identify the operations with which they are familiar as well as those they are just learning
  • Emphasis is placed on accuracy in computations and on the memorization of number facts
  • Children work to understand the interrelationship of number operations and to differentiate mathematical concepts

Language

  • Elementary children use language to explore their imaginations, to aid their research about the natural world, and to develop communication skills with friends and teachers
  • Language studies include: encoding and decoding skills, reading comprehension, novel study, word study, grammar, sentence analysis,  spelling, composition, poetry, drama, and public speaking
  • Ample opportunities for research build a solid foundation in problem solving, innovation and communication skills and allow students to pursue their interests

Cultural Studies

  • Requires students to think critically and analytically about the world and their place in it
  • Appeals to the imagination and intense curiosity of the elementary student
  • Cultural studies include: history, geography, world cultures, biology, botany, physical laws, the interdependence of life and the scientific method

Practical Life

  • Builds on the child’s natural interest in peer relationships and in the world around him
  • Students share responsibility for maintaining their school environment, from weeding outdoor gardens to caring for classroom animals to planning special projects.
  • Lessons in assertive communication and opportunities to work with one another allow students to  become effective problem solvers and team members
  • The “Going Out” program encourages students to plan small field studies to support individual or small-group research projects

Art, Music, Physical Education, and Other Enrichment

  • Students have weekly lessons with specialty teachers in music, art, physical education, and Spanish are offered in the afternoons.
  • Classroom plays and presentations and an annual Spring Concert give students an opportunity to perform

LOWER ELEMENTARY PROGRAM INFORMATION

LOWER ELEMENTARY PROGRAM HOURS
Full Day: 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Before Care: 7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.
After Care: 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

LUNCH/SNACKS
Students bring their own nutritious lunch and snacks.

FACULTY
Nicole Ellis, Lead Teacher
Alyssa Weaver
Vickie Hook

Upper Elementary

The Upper Elementary student is continually moving into more abstract thinking. They weigh options, examine contradictory evidence, tolerate differences of opinion, and make connections among different learning concepts and personal experience. They are avid consumers of knowledge and deliberate critics of logic. They love to work in groups but also need to work privately.

The WMS Upper Elementary Curriculum balances rigorous skill development with constant opportunity for self-expression, exploration, and support from carefully trained adults. The values of independence, cooperation, and self-discipline are emphasized. The abilities to concentrate fully, to think critically, and to work productively – both individually and as a part of a peaceful, cohesive community – are goals of the Upper Elementary program.

Our beautiful facility, located at the Cundari House on our main campus, offers a dynamic learning environment, where endless opportunities for a scholarship are literally waiting just outside the door.

UPPER ELEMENTARY PROGRAM INFORMATION

UPPER ELEMENTARY PROGRAM HOURS
Full Day: 8:30 a.m. – 3:15 p.m.
*Before Care: 7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.
*After Care: 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

LUNCH/SNACKS
Students bring their own nutritious lunch and snacks.

FACULTY
Leset Sales, Lead Teacher
Okie An
Hira Tajwar

 

*Available at Cundari House on our main campus.

The Montessori Upper Elementary Curriculum is based on the following subject areas:

Mathematics

  • Increasingly capable of abstract thought, students become less dependent on materials as they broaden and deepen their working knowledge of hierarchies, numerical operations, and geometry
  • Students extend and apply acquired skills, exploring preliminary concepts of algebra
  • Students eagerly observe mathematical properties and functions in the world around them and apply new concepts to studies in other areas, such as science and culture
  • Mathematics studies include: operations with whole, decimal and negative numbers; fractions, percentages, squaring, cubing and number bases

Cultural Studies

  • Through rigorous research, students refine their critical thinking capacities.
  • Upper Elementary students trace the story of the evolution of humans
  • Students compare and contrast world civilizations, and they begin thematic studies of American history.
  • The interdisciplinary, research-based thrust of the curriculum culminates in the sixth year as students undertake a yearlong research project.

Physical & Life Science

  • Our science program brings students into direct contact with the central work of scientists: our students identify, question, explore, and conclude.
  • Students in the Upper Elementary Program study the Sciences as part of a broadly focused exploration. Comprehensive, thematic studies of “Water,” “Fire,” and “Earth/Air” comprise the three-year, rotating core of students’ studies in life science, physical science, and earth/space science.
  • The thematic approach encourages students to make connections across the sciences; it generates profound curiosity; and it allows them to design investigative projects that express their interests and their styles of learning.

Practical Life

  • Builds on the child’s natural interest in peer relationships and in the world around him
  • Students share responsibility for maintaining their school environment, from weeding outdoor gardens to caring for classroom animals to planning special projects.
  • Lessons in assertive communication and opportunities to work with one another allow students to  become effective problem solvers and team members
  • The “Going Out” program encourages students to plan small field studies to support individual or small-group research projects

Enrichment Programs

  • Special lessons in music, physical education, Spanish, Latin and art are offered in the afternoons.

After School Program

Students in the Children’s House and Elementary programs can take advantage of our After-School program.  With activities ranging from crafts and games to talent shows and free outdoor play, the After-School program is a bridge between school and home where students can relax, learn and have fun – all within a nurturing Montessori environment.

After School Program Information

PROGRAM HOURS
3:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

LUNCH/SNACKS
Students bring their own snacks.

FACULTY
Riley Pruitt
Caitlin Weaver
TBD

Spaces are available to WMS families on a first-come, first-serve basis.

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Our two kids couldn’t be more different—different genders, personalities, interests, learning styles—but both of them have thrived at WMS because of the school’s commitment to a flexible and rigorous education. We chose WMS for our children because the extraordinary teachers from pre–K to middle school meet students where they are in their educational journeys, then show them how to go beyond what they thought they could achieve.

– WMS Parent

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