Philosophy and Program

Aria Montessori School follows the Montessori method to deliver education to children between the ages of 2 years 10 months and kindergarten ready children. Before the age of 6 children are the most absorbent that they will ever be in their lives. Our role as teachers is to guide and observe the students and encourage them to be independent and successful learners. Our teachers build an atmosphere of calm, order and joy in the classrooms and encourage the children in all their efforts to promote self-confidence and discipline. At each level of learning the teacher introduces and demonstrates the use of the Montessori material and presents activities based upon a daily assessment of each child's needs. Knowing when to observe and when, and how much, to intervene is a skill that our teachers have developed during the many years which they have taught at the school.

Each child comes into the world with a unique set of abilities, precious gifts, and a beautiful personality ready to unfold. It is through exploration, appropriate challenges, intelligent choices, and concentration on meaningful activities in life that the child develops fully and happily. The way for us to build a healthy, happy and successful society is to meet the needs of the very young child in the most formative stages of development.

The parent is the first teacher and the most important element in the child's life. Our task is to create a loving, safe, and healthful environments which support the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual development of each child. At Aria we encourage all parents to take an active role in their children's education. We believe that children learn more when they believe that their parents are comfortable with the environment; seeing parents involved in the daily life of the school confirms this belief.

The young child is attracted to activities that give them independence and control of their own life. Special materials enable them to tie, button, snap and use fastening devices. The purpose of these exercises is to develop concentration and attention to detail as they follow a regular sequence of action, finishing each task and putting away all the materials before going onto another activity.

Another important need of the young child is to develop muscles and coordinate movement through such practical life exercises as sweeping, polishing, carrying water, pouring and washing a table. These activities provide the very foundation on which the child approaches more intricate academic exercises.

The young child is attracted to activities that give them independence and control of their own life. Special materials enable them to tie, button, snap and use fastening devices. The purpose of these exercises is to develop concentration and attention to detail as they follow a regular sequence of action, finishing each task and putting away all the materials before going onto another activity.

Another important need of the young child is to develop muscles and coordinate movement through such practical life exercises as sweeping, polishing, carrying water, pouring and washing a table. These activities provide the very foundation on which the child approaches more intricate academic exercises.

The Montessori materials for mathematics introduce the concept of quality and the symbols for quality for the numbers 1 through 100. The quantity is introduced by a series of rods which the child can count and compare. Children match sets of symbol cards with the rods.

Using a variety of beads and symbol cards, the child becomes familiar with the numbers as the decimal system. The child therefore has concrete experiences with the operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. .

These exercises not only teach the child to calculate, but they provide a deep understanding of how numbers function. While learning concrete mathematical concepts, the materials guide the child to the abstract, so that the child’s understanding has substance. Because of the concrete nature of the materials, the child is able work with the basic concepts of fractions, geometry and algebra.

The Montessori materials for mathematics introduce the concept of quality and the symbols for quality for the numbers 1 through 100. The quantity is introduced by a series of rods which the child can count and compare. Children match sets of symbol cards with the rods.

Using a variety of beads and symbol cards, the child becomes familiar with the numbers as the decimal system. The child therefore has concrete experiences with the operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

These exercises not only teach the child to calculate, but they provide a deep understanding of how numbers function. While learning concrete mathematical concepts, the materials guide the child to the abstract, so that the child’s understanding has substance. Because of the concrete nature of the materials, the child is able work with the basic concepts of fractions, geometry and algebra.