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Parent Education

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Exploring How California’s Public TK Has Evolved and Why Montessori’s Proven Approach Offers Consistency for Young Learners Welcome back to our monthly series on early learning choices in California. Last month we covered the big picture: TK is optional, full of potential, and one of several good paths available to families. This month, we take a closer look at the heart of any program, the curriculum, and how it supports (or sometimes challenges) the natural development of 4 and 5 year-olds. Our goal remains the same: to share clear, respectful information so

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A Blog by Colleen Noll Hey Parents, After surviving the first big “No iPad!” meltdown, the next question I always hear is: “Okay Colleen… so what are the rules supposed to be?” Great question. Because vague ideas like “less screen time” sound nice until you’re standing in the kitchen at 7:15 a.m. with a tired toddler and a phone in your hand. I’m not here to hand you a rigid rulebook written by people who’ve never met your child. I’m here to share simple, age-appropriate guidelines that actually stick; the kind that work in real

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Walk into any of our classrooms this month and you will find children practicing how to push in a chair. That small moment is one of the first lessons we give, and one of the ones we care about most. Grace and courtesy is the part of our Montessori curriculum where children learn how to move through a room and how to treat the people in it. Our guides give lessons on sitting at circle time, pushing in a chair, carrying a water pitcher down the hall without spilling a drop, and

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(For parents of young children who are currently living through the great screen standoff) A blog by Colleen Noll Hey Parents, We have all been there. You’re in the car. The morning is already running five minutes behind. Your two-year-old is strapped in, and the second the engine starts, they ask, “Phone? Cartoon?” in that sweet little voice that somehow carries the weight of a full courtroom demand. Or worse… you’re walking into school, and that same tiny human has their face buried in your phone, eyes glued to a cartoon, completely missing

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Hey parents, welcome to the conversation we all secretly dread (and then secretly love). You know the moment. The one where your child looks at you like you just canceled Christmas, birthday, and ice cream for the rest of their life combined: “What? No iPad?!” Cue the dramatic sigh, the floppy dramatic collapse onto the floor, and the Oscar-worthy performance of “I’m so bored I might actually die.” In this topic series, we’re going to laugh our way through one of the biggest modern parenting battles, screens; while keeping it real, light, and

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Empowering Families with Clear Information for the 2026–2027 School Year As a parent or caregiver in California, you want the very best start for your young child. With the continued expansion of Transitional Kindergarten (TK) in public schools, many families feel overwhelmed by mixed messages, enrollment deadlines, and questions about what truly supports healthy development at ages 3–6. This is the first in a monthly series designed to help you cut through the noise. We’ll explore the realities of public TK programs alongside the proven benefits of a full-day Montessori 3–6

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Reflections by Colleen Noll. Hey there, fellow parents, guardians, and professional snack distributors! I’m Colleen Noll; founder of MSOSV, Montessori lover since 1992, and the slightly sleep-deprived mom who opened her first school in 2000 when my oldest was still in diapers and I clearly had no idea what I was getting myself into. Since then I’ve opened five schools across the Bay Area and Austin, Texas, and teamed up with my partner Michael Harding (who jumped on this crazy train in 2016). Together we’re raising our blended crew of two

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On Saturday, April 4th, our Cantera Montessori campus in Georgetown will host a Spring Community Egg Hunt, open to any family in the area. Community is one of MSOSV’s core values. The Georgetown neighborhood is part of what makes this campus what it is. An event like this is one way we acknowledge that relationship directly. For many visitors, Saturday will be their first time on a Montessori campus. That matters to us. Our prepared environment, our approach to child-led learning, and the way our guides work with children are things that

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On Friday, April 3rd, our Cabrillo Montessori campus in Santa Clara will host its Spring Egg Hunt. Two communities will gather across the afternoon: the Sequoia and Yellowstone Primary communities at 2:45 PM, followed by our Pinnacles Pre Primary community at 4:00 PM. From the outside, an egg hunt is a simple activity. Children search, find, collect. But in a Montessori context, the layers of development happening in that half hour are worth looking at closely. For our Pinnacles Pre Primary children, this is an exercise in whole-body engagement. They are coordinating

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Following our Parent-Teacher Conferences on Friday, March 13th, we want to take a moment to express our sincere gratitude to our families and staff for making this time so meaningful. To our families, thank you. Your presence, engagement, and openness are essential to your child’s success. When families and educators come together with a shared purpose, it creates a powerful foundation for growth. The insights you shared, the questions you asked, and the care you show each day reinforce the strong, connected community we are proud to be part of. To our

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