Programs and Curriculum

Dr. Montessori structured exercises for the classroom to help children satisfy the need for meanigful activity.

Valley Montessori Academy Programs Run

 

5 Days a Week (Monday – Friday)
Full Day Program 8:00am – 3:00pm
Morning Program 8:00am – 12:00pm 

Extended Day Morning Program

Extended Day Afternoon Program

7:00am – 8:00am (extracurricular activities)

3:00pm – 5:30pm (extracurricular activities)

VMA program offers your child a step toward independence in an environment specially created for your developing young learners. This setting gives your child an opportunity to develop strong social skills as well as explore language, music, practical life skills, art, math, geography, science, culture and large motor activities.

Practical Life

Practical life in the Montessori environment consists of real-life tasks with intelligent purposes that aid the child in gaining independence. The exercises develop skills in caring for oneself, others and the world. Each material and exercise provides an opportunity for the child to adapt to the environment. All activities in the practical life area are introduced in a sequential, ordered, logical and developmentally appropriate manner, thus creating the foundation for all future learning.

Sensorial Exercises

Maria Montessori believed that nothing exists in the intellect that was not first experienced in the senses. The materials in the sensorial area are designed to help children sharpen their senses by isolating particular qualities such as size, shape, composition, color, flavor, smell, pitch, texture and weight. Each of the materials in this area is auto didactic and allows the child to work at their own pace with minimal interruption from the teacher. Children enjoy working with these materials repeatedly and often develop their own variations on the standard lesson.

Language

Dr. Montessori always pointed out that a young child has a natural sensitivity for language development which follows closely on the years when she learns to speak her native language. The child at three, four and five has a unique fascination for words, both printed and spoken. This fascination often enables her to begin reading and writing before the age at which it is traditionally taught. The individual presentation of language materials in the Montessori classroom allows the teacher to take advantage of each child’s greatest periods in interest.

Mathematics

Math in the Montessori environment is based on the idea that we all have Mathematical minds. In every area of the classroom, the child encounters indirect preparations for math by developing precision, order, concentration, measurement, and exactness. In Math, the child first experiences concrete materials. Maria Montessori believed that sensorial manipulation is essential for the child to begin to understand size difference, quantity, sequence, and patterns. All of these ideas are essential for math. It’s important for the child to have strong and exact impressions to be able to develop clarity and a firm foundation for mathematical principles.

Spanish Immersion Program

Valley Montessori Academy is extremely proud to offer our students opportunity to effortlessly master Spanish while obtaining a rich Montessori education. Spanish emersion curriculum is available for children attending the Full Day Program as well as the afternoon sessions. Our language immersion program provide English speaking children a chance to acquire a second language naturally – with the goal of becoming bilingual by their kindergarten year – and thus enjoy the life-long benefits of early bilingualism. Children enjoy stories, songs, and games from Spanish-speaking teachers. The curriculum integrates key elements by theme, such as numbers, colors, animals, school, and home, using these themes to introduce new concepts and vocabulary, actions and verb phrases. There is no additional fee for the Spanish lesson. All costs of the additional materials, staffing, and books are already included to the monthly tuition.

Mindfulness Education

We are so proud to introduce Mindfulness as an essential tool at Valley Montessori Academy. What is mindfulness?  Mindfulness is present-moment awareness and understanding of what is going on in the and around you. Being mindful helps children to cope more easily with feelings such as: anger, anxiety, low self-esteem, stress, peer conflicts etc. We will teach and encourage them to address these feelings with calm minds. Some of the examples of the mindfulness activities are: breathing technics, meditation, listening to poems, listening to silence, singing calming songs. All these activities will help redirect children’s behavior and avoid unnecessary conflicts. At our school we believe that your presence, your calm and your peace are the best and the biggest gifts we can offer to young people.