Lower Elementary

From first through third grade

With our Montessori curriculum and philosophy, we support and engage the inquisitive young minds in our care.

Our lower elementary program , is a natural continuation of the foundation formed in our pre-primary communities. With multiage classrooms, children can engage in work at varied academic levels, challenging themselves by setting – and reaching – goals with careful guidance from teachers. We allow students the time to internalize concepts before moving on to greater complexity, while strengthening their areas of mastery.

From age six to nine, children are naturally curious. Our classrooms encourage active, engaged learning by harnessing this inherent inquisitiveness through stories, interactive presentations and hands-on exploration. Our authentic Montessori environments demand that students have protected, uninterrupted blocks of time for their work, encouraging each child to make choices and engage in deeper levels of concentration and focus. Want to learn more?

Hallmarks of a Montessori Education

Respect & Responsibility

The greatest benefit of the lower elementary environment is that students bond into a community where individual opinion is valued and personal responsibility is expected. Children are treated fairly and with respect by their teacher, and they are expected to treat each other and their environment with the same level of respect they are shown.

Character Education

Children are growing up and beginning to look outside themselves to find their place in a community of learners. They get the opportunity to advocate for themselves, to actively listen and take responsibility for their role in conflicts and achievements, and successfully resolve their issues with the guided support of adults in their environment.

Investing in Each Other

The respectful relationship between teachers and students helps children learn to organize and plan so they can take advantage of the entire breadth of the Montessori curriculum. Children keep careful track of their work – this is the stage where we plant the seeds of organization and time management. As they are able, students are allowed greater freedom – coupled with greater responsibility.

An Authentic Montessori Elementary School

Lower Elementary students are encouraged to take risks – mistakes are thought of as opportunities for focused growth. Learning processes that set them up for success are valued more than achieving specific scores. Our goal is that all children work to satisfy their academic, social and emotional needs, and that they become competent judges of their growth and understanding.

Our curriculum offers a wide range of subjects that extend well into higher levels of knowledge and perception. We follow the interests and abilities of each child with the goal of nurturing self-directed, enthusiastic learners. Every activity, action and lesson is aligned to your child’s changing needs – and each level of advancement.

Over the three-year cycle, lower elementary students explore the broad areas of Montessori study known as the “Great Stories,” five key areas of interconnected lessons taught by inspiring, dramatic stories: how the world came to be, development of life, the story of humankind, development of language and writing, and development of math. These stories are the foundation for further studies in the history of the universe, Earth and early man.

At this lower elementary level, students continue to take in both our Loveland campus and the Montessori curriculum through the use of its wonderful physical materials. These materials are beautiful and engaging – the keys to exploring and synthesizing important concepts in math, geometry, language, botany, zoology, geography, history, music and art.