The Greensboro Montessori School

2856 Horse Pen Creek Road | Greensboro, North Carolina, 27410

P 336.668.0119 | F 336.665.9531 | www.thegms.org

Accredited by the American Montessori Society, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools,

and the Southern Association of Independent Schools.

© 2010 The Greensboro Montessori Schoolwww.thegms.org

engage.learn.grow.

“We cannot create observers by saying ‘observe,’ but by giving them the power and the means for this observation and these means are procured through education of the senses.”

- Maria Montessori

hands-on discoveryWelcome to The Greensboro Montessori School where infants through eighth graders develop a love of learning through

individually guided, hands-on discovery and exploration. Subjects are learned and reinforced by the life-like environments

we create on campus—indoor and outdoor—which trigger our students’ curiosity, engaging them and encouraging them

to try, do, and discover.

The Montessori philosophy of teaching each child what he/she is ready to learn when he/she is ready to learn it, has been

proven to increase academic scores and to instill independence, self-confidence, critical thinking, problem solving skills

and social and ethical awareness.

The Greensboro Montessori School maintains a highly qualified staff, many of whom have been with us for ten years or

more. Teachers and administrators are deeply committed to our students and the Montessori way of teaching and learning.

Our student body of over 300 children enjoys a nine-acre campus which includes classroom buildings, a gymnasium,

a teaching kitchen, a series of gardens and playgrounds designed for several age levels, a sports field, as well as a nature

area offering walking trails, an amphitheater and shelters. Our campus is unique and fully supports the development of

the whole child.

Welcome to The Greensboro Montessori School

“I liked the fact that you were allowed the freedom to think outside the box.”

- Francis Wong, GMS Alumni, Class of 2006 2010 Morehead-Cain Scholarship Winner

“Montessori has been a life changing experience. From Primary all the way until now I’ve loved coming to school almost everyday and I never realized why all of my friends from other schools hated going. This school has been the best experience of my life.”

- Allie Allen, GMS Class of 2010

Studies Come To Life

The Greensboro Montessori School prides itself in offering a well-rounded, integrated

curriculum beginning in the infant years and continuing through elementary and

middle school. Lessons emphasize the interrelationship and interdependence of all

things, and are presented in engaging, multi-sensory ways that challenge and inspire

our students.

Life today and in the future demands confidence and innovative thinking. It requires

a person to be able to work both independently and collaboratively; to anticipate

problems and to find solutions, to manage time and resources, and to see the big

picture without ignoring the details. The Greensboro Montessori School nurtures each

student to be a creative, eager learner. Students are acknowledged for their efforts and

successes, building the confidence and independence that will position them for

success on any path they choose.

Montessori? Dr. Maria Montessori (1870 – 1952) was dedicated to helping children discover and nurture their innate human potential. Natural environments, a sense of community and peace, a culture of respect and independence combine to engage and empower children to learn and grow.

“The Greensboro Montessori School provides an outstanding education that works. We love the low teacher-student ratio, the experiential learning, which comes especially to life at the Land, and the Montessori philosophy that focuses on the child’s intrinsic motivation to learn and not on external pressure or rewards such as grades or money. We see the successful result in both of our daughters: Hannah, who graduated from GMS in 2009 and now attends the Early College at Guilford, and Ines, who is currently a GMS Middle School student.”

- Angelika and Fabian Kausche, GMS parents

“I had no idea that when I was visiting GMS during the summer of 2005 what an amazing transformation the life of my family was about to make. GMS has helped teach us how to be calm, more patient parents, and the community has become our village of friendship, love and support. Because of our experience at GMS our lives have changed for the better.”

- Lisa and Joe Jenkins, GMS parents

What does aMontessori education provide children?Observers of children in Montessorischools have described the studentsas having developed self-discipline, independence, self-knowledge, academic skills, enthusiasm for learning, and excellent critical thinking and problem solving skills.

Different, But Effective

There are many differences between a Montessori school and a conventional school.Montessori students are:

Taught through individually guided, hands-on learning & discovery, which takes the place of textbooks.

Grouped together in 3-year age spans so that the older students can serve as role models for the younger students.

Allowed to learn at their own pace versus all students learning the same material at the same time.

Exposed to a rich nature-based curriculum supporting the Montessori belief that the outdoors is a natural extension of the classroom.

Assessed daily on mastery of skills and concepts rather than relying only on tests.

Taught peaceful ways to resolve differences and expected to treat others with empathy and respect.

Focused On The Child

When you enter a classroom at The Greensboro Montessori School, you are

immediately aware that the classroom is the child’s domain. The environment and

materials are sized appropriately, the children are engaged with each other and the

teacher is working with individual children down on their level; never as the center

of attention.

The Montessori teacher understands that the impulse to learn comes from within each

child. It is not the teacher’s role to direct learning at all times, but rather to orchestrate

opportunities so that students discover the joy of learning for themselves. As a child

masters certain skills and concepts, the teacher will invite him/her to new lessons.

Concepts and skills are built upon and reinforced as teachers revisit and integrate

the preceding grade’s lessons when presenting new material.

Montessori classrooms are designed so that children see and understand how what

they learn in one area can be applied to others. For instance, the practical life area

of a Toddler or Primary classroom will have activities that are designed to build and

enhance fine motor dexterity needed for strong pencil grip and early handwriting

exercises. In an Elementary classroom, children may learn how to use an abacus for

mathematics and also learn the historical and cultural significance of similar math

tools in Chinese history. In Middle School, students may perform a science lab

experiment on the properties of sound and light, and transfer that knowledge to

a rehearsal or recording in theater and music.

Our teachers monitor the development and readiness of each student, daily. Academic

expectations are based on an individual’s ability rather than age because children

develop according to their own unique readiness for growth. Not all children will be

ready to read at the same age, or be ready to learn multiplication concepts at the same

time as others. Montessori teachers are trained to recognize sensitive periods of growth

and to be ready to step in with a lesson as soon as a student shows the signs of

readiness for learning a new skill or concept.

Is Montessori forall children?We have observed that the children who work well in our environment are those who have an internal sense of discipline and can work independently. Our classrooms have an abundance of hands-on materials, accommodate children at many different learning levels, and encourage freedom of movement within the classroom.

Why do Montessori classrooms have mixed age groups?Children learn cognitive and social skills by observing others. Older students act as role models for the younger students. Multi-age grouping also helps children develop a sense of community, aiding the development of personality, collaboration, and cooperation.

Montessori classrooms are organized around a two or three-year

developmental cycle of learning designed to respond to the needs

and characteristics of each specific stage of a child’s growth. Our

programs relate to traditional grade levels in the follow manner:

Montessori Programs Traditional GradesInfant Program (4 to 18 mos)

Toddler Program (18 mos to 3 yrs)

Primary Program (3 to 6 yrs) Pre-Kindergarten to Kindergarten

Lower Elementary (6 to 9 yrs) 1st, 2nd, 3rd grades

Upper Elementary (9 to 11 yrs) 4th and 5th grades

Middle School (11 to 14 yrs) 6th, 7th, 8th grades

As children age up through each level of our school, older children become role

models and leaders for the younger children. The teachers set higher expectations

for the older children so that they understand how important it is that they model

respectful behavior and act as helpers for their classmates. A final year in any

Montessori classroom (Kindergartner, 3rd grader, 5th grader or 8th grader), also

represents a year of academic mastery. The child is exploring deeper academic

areas, making connections with previously learned concepts, and knows some

of the materials well enough that he or she is called upon to demonstrate work

for the younger children. Once a person has had the experience of being a leader,

especially at such a young age, it is much easier to step into that role later in life.

Individual Assessment, Daily

At The Greensboro Montessori School students are expected to work toward

mastery of a skill or concept rather than to simply achieve a passing grade on a test.

Our teachers monitor individual students daily and report growth through progress

reports and parent/teacher conferences. Traditional testing is a minor part of the

Montessori experience.

Often, mastery is determined when a child is able to apply a given skill or concept

to a project or independent assignment, and do so successfully. There are also

opportunities for children to demonstrate what they have learned by either teaching

a lesson to another classmate or giving a formal presentation to a group. Students in

the Elementary and Middle School programs also collect a portfolio of work samples

to present to their parents during conferences.

Students in the 3rd through 8th grades take a nationally-normed standardized test

each year in the spring. The primary purpose of the test is for students to practice

test–taking strategies. While individual test results are shared with parents, they are

not used to determine a student’s grade level placement.

What happens when Montessori students goto a traditional class?They usually adjust readily to new classroom situations because they have developed a high degree of self-discipline and independence in their Montessori environments. Also, children have a high degree of adaptability and can assimilate into and accommodate different situations, including sitting at desks arranged in rows.

The Three-Year Cycle

“We discovered that education is not something which the teacher does, but that it is a natural process which develops spontaneously in thehuman being.”

- Maria Montessori

What does theteacher do?Teachers work one-on-one and in group lessons with students introducing materials and giving guidance when needed. Their primary task is to carefully observe children, determine individual needs and prepare the classroom environment accordingly. Teachers also guide children in developing daily and weekly work plans, and actively work to help the children achieve his/her goals.

In the upper levels there are more group lessons in reading and math. Teachers design units of study that integrate subject areas across the entire curriculum. This integration reinforces the relevance, connections, and importance of all study areas.

Teaching Peace

Teaching and advocating peace is fundamental to Montessori philosophies and

curricula. At The Greensboro Montessori School, each classroom functions as a

community, engaging students in the celebrations and concerns of their classmates

and learning the beauties and challenges of working together.

At the beginning of each school year, students are involved in composing the

agreements that describe how their community will be run. This process gives

each child a greater investment in the community and helps him/her understand,

in age-appropriate terms, the meaning of respect. Ongoing discussions about

relevant community issues create a level of expectation for behavior and helps

students to experience the challenges and satisfaction of working together.

Classrooms include a Peace Table where children are invited to come together

to listen to each other and discuss how they will solve difficult social situations

that arise. Each child gets a turn to tell his/her story about the situation without

interruption. Students learn empathy by listening to each other’s stories and different

perspectives. Together, they generate ideas for how they will behave differently the

next time a similar situation arises.