Our Motto “Children First, Always” It was the year 2001, and I had spent the previous three months trying to turn around a small Montessori school in the south bay that I had just taken over.  Prior to my involvement the school had so many problems that it was on the brink of being shut down by state licensing. So it was then – after those three very long and difficult months of working on the floor of the classrooms in this troubled school constantly searching for solutions to the seemingly endless

Welcome to the Primary Classroom! We would like to give you an introductory overview of our Montessori program. Our goals and methods align with the traditional Montessori approach to learning. Our foremost goal is to provide a prepared environment where your child is able to respond to his or her natural instinct to work and learn. Young children learn best through movement and their senses thus the children are moving their bodies and engaging their senses in each area of the classroom. Within this setting the teacher is a facilitator as she

For those of you who are new to the Montessori School of Silicon Valley, double welcome! To those families who have been with us, thank you for entrusting us with your child for another year. This year has seen MSOSV grow to four beautiful campus locations.  This September we opened Cabrillo Montessori in Santa Clara with 18 wonderful children, two classrooms and a fantastic dedicated Montessori staff including our Site Director, Ms. Erin and our Lead Guides, Ms. Karen (Primary) and Mrs. Nelly (Pre-Primary). Now that we have Cabrillo open and as we

Alignment of Common Core Standards?  Montessori is already there! Is my child ready for Kindergarten/First Grade? One of the most frequent questions teachers hear is “Is my child ready for Kindergarten?” Considering that Kindergarten teachers simply ask that a child can sit still at circle and write their first and last name with a capital letter at the beginning of Kindergarten, well the simple answer is Yes!  Montessori four year olds far exceed most expectations in the second year of Montessori education. Can you imagine what a child who stays in a Montessori class for three

We know that children’s eating habits and their ability to make independent choices around food is an important conversation.  As parents you worry.  We are asked every day if a child has eaten their lunch and how to make them do that. Our classrooms offer the best opportunity to teach the children about nutrition, manners, and care of their environments.  We are paying close attention to enjoying the lunch time meal and snack time with the most grace and courtesy practice we can provide.  Our lunch time provides them opportunities to practice independence,

Young children may have charming characteristics, including curiosity, impulsiveness, and a desire to explore. As young children explore their surroundings, the likelihood of coming into contact with germs and infection, increases. Young children with disabilities and chronic illness may be especially vulnerable. The American Academy of Pediatrics has stated firmly that properly washing of hands is the most important strategy in the prevention of disease. Clean hands limit the spread of diarrhea, staph infection, eye infection, colds, and gastrointestinal (stomach) diseases common in early childhood programs. The more often you wash

“It is the child who makes the man, and no man exists who was not made by the child he once was.”—Dr. Maria Montessori Last May, I had the opportunity to observe a kindergarten and first grade class at the local elementary school my then 5-year-old daughter would have attended in fall, if we went the public school route. The school I observed is about as good as it gets in ​​public education. It’s a “Blue Ribbon”, “California Distinguished” school, with standardized test scores in the top 5% of the state. It

Proper Nutrition, exercise and learning go hand in hand in nurturing the development of the young child. If lacking any one of these elements, the child cannot possibly develop to his/her fullest potential. By establishing a foundation of proper eating habits and regular physical exercise the child will be far more capable of completing a task and focusing. The childwill also have emotional stabilityas well as the energy needed to sustain a purposeful day at school. Starting off the morning with a fiber, protein and vitamin rich breakfast is very important for all of

“Would you like to hold my pocket?” This is a technique we use in our schools that is very effective. As a parent or visitor of the school, you might see one or more children walking around with a teacher with their hand in the pocket of the teacher. Both teacher and child can be successful with this method of discipline in the classroom or playground. It in no way harms the child nor humiliates them in any way. The child is right there with the teacher who can continue to work with other children,

The Montessori environment is rich in language.  Whether through conversation or language games the young child is surrounded by vocabulary and the sounds of the English Language.   At our schools we use a phonetic approach to writing and reading.   Phonics is a method of teaching reading and writing by developing the ability to hear and identify sounds of the English language. The Montessori Approach to Early Education prepares children for word composition and reading through the use of our curriculum materials in five areas of the classroom. For the young child