8:30 am – 8:45 am
Montessori elementary, ages 6 to 12
The next room, after the primary room
Pilcrow keeps what children loved in the primary room: long mornings, work they choose and a guide who knows them. Two mixed-age rooms, one yard and a porch to eat lunch on.
- Ages 6 to 12
- Two mixed-age rooms
The rooms
Lower and upper elementary, by age
Each room holds three ages together, so a child is the youngest for a year, then the oldest.
- 01
Lower elementary
Ages 6 to 9SkillsThe big stories first: the universe, life on Earth, the first people
Counting and the four operations with beads and boards, then on paper
Reading and writing every day, with a guide's help choosing books
Small groups that plan a trip and go out together
Moving upAround age nine, when the guides and the family agree it is time, a child walks next door to the upper room. The two rooms share a yard.
- 02
Upper elementary
Ages 9 to 12SkillsLonger research and writing, with a guide's edits
Fractions, geometry and algebra with materials before symbols
Running the class meeting and the care of the room
Trips planned by the children, with a route and a budget of time
Moving upAt twelve, children move on to middle school. In the last year the guides help each family look at the schools nearby.
Where to startAsk which room fits your child
Sample levels.
A week in the rooms
The work cycle, day by day
Mornings belong to one long work cycle with no bells, and both rooms keep the same week.
A typical week
Monday
8:45 am – 11:45 am
Morning work cycle
11:45 am – 12:45 pm
Lunch and outdoor time
12:45 pm – 2:45 pm
Afternoon work cycle
2:45 pm – 3:15 pm
Clean-up and dismissal
Tuesday
8:30 am – 8:45 am
Arrival and greeting
8:45 am – 11:45 am
Morning work cycle
11:45 am – 12:45 pm
Lunch and outdoor time
12:45 pm – 2:45 pm
Going out in small groups
2:45 pm – 3:15 pm
Clean-up and dismissal
Wednesday
8:30 am – 8:45 am
Arrival and greeting
8:45 am – 11:45 am
Morning work cycle
11:45 am – 12:45 pm
Lunch and outdoor time
12:45 pm – 2:45 pm
Work cycle and read-aloud
2:45 pm – 3:15 pm
Clean-up and dismissal
Thursday
8:30 am – 8:45 am
Arrival and greeting
8:45 am – 11:45 am
Morning work cycle
11:45 am – 12:45 pm
Lunch and outdoor time
12:45 pm – 2:45 pm
Garden and kitchen
2:45 pm – 3:15 pm
Clean-up and dismissal
Friday
8:30 am – 8:45 am
Arrival and greeting
8:45 am – 11:45 am
Morning work cycle
11:45 am – 12:45 pm
Lunch and outdoor time
12:45 pm – 2:45 pm
Class meeting and art
2:45 pm – 3:15 pm
Clean-up and dismissal
Sample classes.
Times shift a little with the season. The office has this term's.
The materials
What is on the shelves
Children take their work from low shelves and put it back when they are done. A few of the things they pick up.
Sample photos.
A plain word
How we use the word Montessori
We use it to describe how the rooms work, and nothing more.
The rooms hold mixed ages. Work cycles are long, and children choose their work from materials on low shelves. A guide gives short lessons to one child or a small group. That is what Montessori means here, in our own words. We make no claim of a certificate or a seal for the school, and we will tell you what each guide trained in when you visit.
Mixed ages in each room
Long work cycles, no bells
Children choose their work
Short lessons from a guide
The year
When to visit, apply and hear back
Families apply a year ahead, and visits start in the fall.
This school year
Early November
Open house
Both rooms are open and the guides talk with families. Children are welcome.
Most Tuesdays, October to March
January
Applications open
The application is a form, a conversation and a morning in the room.
Early March
DeadlineApplication deadline
Families who apply after this hear back as places open.
Mid-March
Decisions
Every family hears by phone, then in writing.
Early April
DeadlineReply to an offer
A place is held when the enrollment agreement is signed.
Late August
First day
New children come in for a short morning before the full week begins.
Sample dates.
From families
What families tell us
“Our son came up from a primary room and found the same low shelves, the same quiet and a guide who asked what he wanted to work on first.”
Kelton M.Parent of a seven-year-old
“We sat at the back of the upper room for a whole work cycle. Nobody looked up, and that told us a lot.”
Abhinav S.Parent of a ten-year-old
“Our daughter tells us what the class meeting decided on Friday, and why. We did not expect to hear about it at dinner.”
Deacon P.Parent of an eight-year-old
Sample reviews.
Visit
Book a visit
A visit is a morning at the back of a room, then a talk with the head of school. Children are welcome to come along.
Phone(802) 555-0114
Office hours
- Monday to FridayToday
- 8:00 am to 4:00 pm
- Saturday and SundayToday
- Closed