by Alex Chiu

Although it may feel as though the school year just started (a mere three months ago!), it is already time to consider educational options for the 2019-2020 school year! MCA will be hosting a series of Open Houses for current families to share information about both the Kindergarten and Elementary Programs we offer. Our Open House dates are as follows:

Kindergarten Open Houses:
Short Hills Campus – Tuesday, December 4th from 3:15 – 4:15PM
Morristown Campus – Wednesday, December 5th from 3:15 – 4:15PM
Chatham Campus – Thursday, December 6th from 3:15 – 4:15PM

Elementary Open House:
Short Hills Campus – Thursday, December 13th from 5:30 – 6:30PM

The Kindergarten Year: Completing the Three-Year Cycle
Parents of preschoolers may wonder why their child should continue in Montessori for the Kindergarten year. The Kindergarten year is the third and culminating year in the Montessori three-year cycle. It is what many children aspire to, and once they reach this level, they are proud of their roles as “upperclassmen”.

Here are just some of the benefits of the Montessori Kindergarten year:

1. Full Day Kindergarten. Students participate in their multi-age classroom activities in the morning session. Here they act as mentors and role models while at the same time honing their academic and social skills. The afternoon portion of the Kindergarten day is a time for the Kindergarten peers to come together in a separate environment from the 3-6 classroom. Here they not only continue to expand on their exploration of Montessori materials across the curriculum, but also are introduced to some of the traditional educational materials they might encounter should they move on to a non-Montessori elementary school. This transitional work complements their Montessori curriculum and is still performed at the rate that each child is ready.
2. Kindergarten Specials Classes. In addition to weekly Spanish and Music classes offered to all 3-6 classes, Kindergarten students also participate in Technology, Health, and Physical Education classes. In Technology, students use laptops, iPads, digital cameras, etc. to explore and grow their techno-literacy skills. In their Health and Physical Education classes, students are introduced to healthy habits to carry with them throughout their lives. They learn basic fundamental skills in a variety of sports, with a focus on activity as a fun way of staying fit and living well.
3. Kindergarten Community Connections. MCA Kindergartners are afforded an abundance of enrichment experiences outside of their classrooms. These include special Kindergarten field trips, community service outreach activities, pen pal correspondence with Elementary students and students from around the globe, being special guest readers to younger students, and much more. Students take on greater roles as organizers and leaders of many events throughout the Kindergarten year.
4. Kindergarten Special Events and Graduation. The Kindergarten year includes a variety of special activities geared specifically for our Kindergartners and culminates with a very special graduation celebration honoring the growth the children have made over the course of their three (or more) years in Montessori.

MCA’s Kindergarten Program is an excellent alternative to public or other non-public Kindergarten options. Our full-day Kindergarten provides our students with immeasurable social and emotional benefits in addition to academic rigor. MCA may accept students from other preschool programs to join its Kindergarten classes after a “Kindergarten Interview”, if enrollment space allows. For more information about the benefits of the Kindergarten year, you might enjoy watching this video by the American Montessori Society, Montessori Kindergarten: Empowering & Essential at https://vimeo.com/109029560.

Expanding into MCA’s Elementary and Middle School
MCA’s Elementary Program serves children through the 8th grade and promotes academic excellence, critical thinking, cooperation, and civic responsibility in its students. Our dynamic program focuses on the whole child and is guided by a team of passionate and experienced teachers who attend to the physical, social, emotional, and cognitive needs of each student. Our Elementary teaching team makes learning meaningful and motivates students in their study of the core subject areas of Language, Math, Science, Social Studies, Geography, and Culture. We also nurture our students’ growth in the areas of Technology, Health, Spanish, Physical Education, Music, Theater, Visual Arts, and Peace Education. In addition, MCA Elementary includes lessons and programs that are unique to our school.

Some of the hallmarks of MCA’s Montessori Elementary experience include:

1. Independent learning and individual pacing without ‘grade level’ restrictions. Montessori education understands and respects that every child learns at a different pace. Students move through their academic studies with materials that complement their ability and facilitate their growth. They may work independently or in small groups depending on the task at hand, and students learn collaboration with others and take ownership of their learning.
2. Progressive learning in traditional Montessori curriculum areas with cross-curricular and real world application. Our Montessori Elementary environment includes all traditional Montessori curriculum areas complete with physical manipulatives and learning materials. As lessons progress, relationships are drawn among the curriculum areas, and understanding moves from the concrete to the more complex and abstract. Work is scaled up in terms of difficulty. Collaboration between teachers and peers becomes necessary and “intangible” skills like critical thinking are employed to solve problems and complete projects which often are related to real life applications.
3. Peace Education and “Service Learning” projects. Another intangible, but critically important, part of the Montessori curriculum is its incorporation of Peace Education. Students become involved in their communities in very meaningful ways. From participating in reading clubs with senior citizens to planning and organizing fundraisers to support local charities, our Elementary students share their time and talents in the service of others. Our students not only become positively contributing members of their local communities, but they also become more globally conscious citizens as they learn about the needs of those in faraway communities, as well. Opportunities such as these gift children with a sense of civic responsibility, tolerance, and empathy, traits that are not easily obtainable in a standard academic classroom.

MCA’s Elementary Program promotes the growth and development of our future leaders through a wealth of meaningful academic, social, and community experiences. As Dr. Montessori said, “The Absorbent Mind is indeed a marvelous gift to humanity”, and giving your child the opportunity to complete the three-year Early Childhood Cycle with a Montessori Kindergarten year or to continue in Montessori through the elementary years, is a gift that will be carried with them throughout their educational journey.

If you would like more information about MCA’s Kindergarten or Elementary Programs, please speak with your Campus Director, or join us at one of our Open Houses this month!