The Infant Community.

The Montessori Infant Community’s purpose is to promote the harmonious growth of the child from birth to around [30] months. Membership in this community helps ensure that the child’s needs and interests are met at this early stage of development. The community provides for the development of the child’s positive self-concept, confidence and self-reliance. This allows the child to consistently adapt to his/her ever-growing environment and act positively in varied situations he/she is exposed to.

The Infant Community of IMS was established in June1995.

The Primary Program.

This program serves two and a half to six year old children. This provides the child with an environment that allows for the refinement of his/her movement, the establishment of the foundation for academic skills [direct and indirect preparation for reading,writing, and arithmetic], social interaction as well as the opportunity to develop independence, self confidence, self reliance, and a sense of responsibility.

The half-day program from 8:00 to 11:30am serves two and a half to four [2 &1/2 to 4] year olds while the four to six [4-6] year olds stay from 8:00a.m to 3:00p.m.

The indoor environment is divided into areas for movement, sleeping [or resting], dining and space for child-sized closets where the children can keep their extra clothes and shoes.

The environment is rich in language, words are constantly introduced to enrich the child’s vocabulary. The proper pronunciation of words is modeled by the adults.

Through conversations, the children are exposed to the shared meanings of words and how the words are ordered to convey logical thought. Thus, he/she gains facility communicating with others as he actually participates in the social interaction that takes place in class.

Through the activities done with the practical life materials, the child develops control of movement, attend to his personal needs as best as he can and help meet the needs of the community as a whole.

Materials designed to help the child develop equilibrium, eye-hand coordination, refine movement as well as refine hi/her senses are laid out on the shelves. These are periodically changed to help sustain the child’s interest and meet his ever-changing needs and skills.

The child is likewise exposed to art and music. They get to know colors using different media and sing, dance, and listen to music as these are incorporated in the environment.

As the child learns to move around his environment and communicate, he is able to continue his exploration with confidence and security.

In the sleeping area are futons on which the children can lie down and rest when they feel the need.

The full day program is also known as the Extended Day Program. The additional time allows the children more time to refine the skills they have acquired as well as pursue in depth learning of topics in science, geography, history, music and art known in the Montessori environment as the Language Extensions.

All these the child makes his own using what he/she has been gifted with, an absorbent mind and the sensitive periods that allow children to learn effortlessly.

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The Elementary Program. The seven year elementary program allows the child to build up on the foundation he/she has established for himself/herself in the primary level.

The child’s learning environment at the elementary level is no longer confined within the four walls of the classroom. He/She is given key lessons that allow him/her launch major projects studying the universe, the earth, and peoples of the world and how man has, throughout time fulfilled his needs, both physical and spiritual.

There are two classes in the elementary level: the 6-9 class and the 9-12 class. Children are heterogeneously grouped but are but are given work based on their individual levels.

We cover the first to third grade curricula in the 6-9 class while the 9-12 class covers the fourth to seventh grade curricula. Children who graduate from our elementary program are qualified to seek admission to the high school program of their choice. The Montessori elementary program is also known the junior program.