Toddler through 8th Grade

Potty Training Tips & Resources (PDF)

Importance of physical interaction for brain development

Click a link (below) to see the subjects and depth of knowledge taught at each grade level:

Classrooms and What Students Learn

Montessori Academy at Spring Valley provides a solid, balanced program for Toddler through 8th grade (ages 2½ - 14).

Mathematics is taught using the proven concrete Montessori materials. Students learn abstract concepts through concrete work.

Language work includes: reading, writing, spelling, creative writing, and grammar.

Science is explored through a hands-on approach, as well as in our natural environment, making it fun and exciting!

Social/Cultural Sciences are taught to broaden the horizon of your child's understanding of the world cultures, ethnicity, and diversity.

Practical Life activities prepare children for life.

Arts and music provide stimulation for creativity and imagination.

All subjects are enriched by concrete Montessori materials. The goal is to instill good citizenship values through practical life, grace, courtesy, social, and communication skills.

Multi-Age Classrooms

All of our classrooms have multiple ages/grades; this is a Montessori fundamental that benefits students.

  • Entering a brand new class, with a brand new teacher can be scary. When there are multiple grades, students don't have to make this transition as often. Students know their classroom, their teacher, and the rules. That creates an automatic comfort level.
  • Teachers get to know all of the students well -- what their strengths are, whether sitting by their best friend helps them be productive or hurts their productivity.
  • Older students can take younger students "under their wing" as a mentor.

    The benefit to the younger student is an automatic comfort level, because the younger student has a new friend that he/she can ask for help.

    The benefit to the older student is that you can't show someone how to do something unless you really understand it; helping the younger student reinforces/solidifies the older student's learning and mentorship skills.

Toddler Program (2½ - 3 years old)

Potty Training Tips & Resources (PDF)

Our Toddler program is individualized to fit student's needs.

To register, your child must:

  • be 2½ years or older
  • have started potty-training (wears Pull-Ups during the day).

Students have daily group and individual study times. They explore Practical Life, Sensorial Exercises, Language, beginning Math, and music and movement.

Through the year, students are introduced to science and enrichment areas with group lessons in Geography, Botany, Zoology, etc.

Students have lunch, recess, and classical or soft music, story time, naptime, snack time, followed by art and crafts, and indoor and outdoor games for the rest of the afternoon.

We offer Monday - Friday, full day or mornings. Other options are available, call for details and availability.

Subject Activities and Purpose
Practical Life Activities prepare children to become independent in daily life, so that students can take care of themselves and their environment. These activities also help students learn concentration.
Sensorial Students explore sensorial materials and their outdoor and indoor environments through their senses, learning about sound, weight, color, taste, smell, and touch.
Language Students learn the sounds of letters through poems, stories, and other materials. They learn to write letters, focusing on specific letters each week.
Math Students learn to associate quantity and symbols, and to write numbers.
Social/Cultural Sciences Students study: Geography, Land and water forms, Continents, and History (based on the upcoming holiday, such as Thanksgiving).
Science Students study Botany (plants) and Zoology (animals).
Music Students sing with their teachers.
Movement Students go on nature hikes around our lovely 14 acre campus. Students dance and play outdoor non-competitive games.

See also:

Early Childhood Program (3 - 6 years old)

Early Childhood students explore the Language, Science, Mathematics, Social sciences, art, and music, going deeper into each subject area. Students have music, and crafts.

A fundamental part of a Montessori classroom is that each student works at his or her own pace; each child has his or her own talents, and they quickly advance through those subjects.

Subject Activities and Purpose
Practical Life Activities prepare children to become independent in daily life, so that students can take care of themselves and their environment. These activities also help students learn concentration.
Sensorial Students explore sensorial materials and their outdoor and indoor environments through their senses, learning about sound, weight, color, taste, smell, and touch.
Language Students learn the sounds of letters through poems, stories, and other materials. They learn to write letters, focusing on specific letters each week.
Math Students learn to associate quantity and symbols, and to write numbers. Students work in groups to learn about the operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division).
Social/Cultural Sciences Students study: Geography, Land and water forms, Continents, and History (based on the upcoming holiday, such as Thanksgiving).
Science Students study Botany (plants), Zoology (animals), Astronomy (our solar system), and Geology/Earth Sciences (the layers of the Earth and the volcano).
Music Students sing with their teachers.
Movement Students go on nature hikes around our lovely 14 acre campus. Students dance and play outdoor non-competitive games.

See also:

Lower Elementary Program (1st - 3rd grades)

Lower Elementary students explore the same subjects, going further and further into each subject.

Subject Activities and Purpose
Math Students learn Math Facts, Measurements, Geometry, and Fractions. Students work in individually to learn about the operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division).
Language Students work on reading, creative writing, comprehension, grammar, and journaling.
Science Students study Botany (plants), Zoology (animals), Astronomy (our solar system), and Geology/Earth Sciences.
Social/Cultural Sciences Students study: Geography, PreHistory, History, and US History.
Practical Life Students learn about cooking, and daily life skills like cleaning, pouring, sorting.
Movement Students go on nature hikes around our lovely 14 acre campus. Students play outdoor non­competitive games; they also participate in Jump Rope for Heart.

See also:

Upper Elementary & Middle School Program (4th - 8th grades)

In Upper Elementary and Middle School, students are learning and advancing in each subject.

Subject Activities and Purpose
Math Instruction and practice in basics of the operations of whole numbers, fractions, decimal fractions, Geometry, Pre-Algebra, Algebra, problem-solving strategies and Logic is based on each student's readiness and level of ability. The students learn to budget, maintain a checkbook, follow the stock market.
Language Reading novels, poetry, essays, plays, and other assigned reading provide a basis for discussion, journal writing, and other class projects. Students write compositions, reports, poetry, creative stories and essays, interviews and research papers. We emphasize refinement of sentence and paragraph structures, grammar, word and sentence analysis, revision and editing processes. New words are introduced weekly and students are expected to incorporate these words in oral presentations and written work.
Science The scientific method is applied to the studies of Earth Science/Geology, Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Environmental Sciences, and Ecology.
Social/Cultural Sciences Geography, History, Cultural and Arts research provide the basis for year-long inquiry. Practical application of Economy and Banking System (balancing checkbooks, etc.), money management are introduced.
Practical Life Students learn to plan, budget, and prepare menus, cook and serve different types of food from around the world. In sewing the students learn basic hand sewing, mending, and how to use a sewing machine.
Art and Music Art projects provide the student with experience in a variety of media including painting, art appreciation, chalk, charcoal, drawing, sketching, clay and paper mache. Projects are coordinated with social studies where applicable.
Study Skills Personal organization of notebooks, text analysis, study strategies, reference skills, note-taking, and test taking strategies are developed.
Movement Students go on nature hikes around our lovely 14 acre campus. Students play outdoor non­competitive games; they also participate in Jump Rope for Heart.

See also: