Daily Schedule
School Hours
Half Day: 8:40 AM – 1:10 PM
Full Day: 8:40 AM – 3:00 PM
Kindergarten: 8:40 AM – 3:00 PM
Weekly Schedule
3 Days: Tuesday – Thursday
4 Days: Monday – Thursday or Tuesday – Friday
5 Days: Monday – Friday
Before Care
Before Care is available beginning at 7:30 AM.
A wholesome breakfast is served between 7:30 and 8:15 AM.
Our Before Care menu includes fresh fruit, bagels, waffles, pancakes, muffins, or toast. Please note, we are a nut-free facility and happy to accommodate other food allergies, sensitivities, or your child’s favorite breakfast items.
Prearranged Before Care accommodations qualify for a reduction in daily rates.
After Care
After Care is available until 5:30 PM.
Nutritious afternoon snacks such as fruits and veggies are included. Please note, we are a nut-free facility and happy to accommodate other food allergies or sensitivities.
Prearranged accommodations qualify for a reduction in hourly rates.
Morning Arrivals
Each morning begins with opportunities to foster independence. As you pull up to the main gate, staff will assist your child from the car. Children then carry their own belongings into the cubby room where they hang up their backpacks, change into their indoor shoes, and use the bathroom. Before heading to the classroom, the children gather in the kitchen to join their friends, socialize, and engage in activities. Once everybody has arrived, there is much anticipation and excitement as Paula “Consults The List” to announce the Weather Watcher for the day.
Circle Time
Our Morning Circle is held in exceptionally high regard by all and always sets the tone for the day. There is a tangible camaraderie. During circle time, we sing songs, strike some yoga poses, observe the calendar, and move our bodies in accordance to the Weather Watcher’s instructions. Daily lessons include presenting materials, demonstrating weekly art projects, or reading a favorite story. We announce what is being offered at Snack Cafe for the day, and the Weather Watcher invites a friend to join them. We end each Circle by holding our bodies as still as we can, tucking our voices deep down inside, and making silence for one full minute.
Snack Cafe, Outdoor Time, & Mystery Bag
Children are invited one at a time to leave Circle. If they are not heading to Snack Cafe, they explore the classroom looking for materials that interest them. This work period is self-directed and uninterrupted by the adults unless the child needs guidance or redirection. At Elements Montessori School, we go outside every day! There is no bad weather, only inappropriate clothing, and we endeavor to spend as much time as possible outdoors.
Outdoor time is followed by another anticipated event: Mystery Bag. We review the sound of the week and children present their clues for their Mystery Bag Object. The children love their homework, guessing the mystery item, as well as stumping their peers.
Community Lunch
At Elements Montessori, we consider it our responsibility to nourish the children in mind as well as body. Please note that our schedule has been arranged so that all our children will lunch together as a community. The children set the tables and engage in polite conversation while using their best table manners. Elements provides all necessary utensils, glassware, plates, and cloth napkins.
Wednesday is pizza day! Pizza is delivered with the exception of the last Wednesday of the month. On Pizza-Making Day, the children create their own flatbread or English muffin pizzas. We offer a variety of toppings, gluten-free crusts, and are able to accommodate all other food sensitivities. Half-day dismissals are at 1:10pm, following the lunch hour.
After Lunch & Kindergarten
Following our lunch hour, the children are invited to join their friends for storytime, followed by another uninterrupted work period. Th elders gather at the Kindergarten table to work on their projects…handwriting practice and mathematics, observations and hypotheses, wetlands and tundras, and tracing the human body. Oh My! The Weather Watcher rings the bell to let their friends know that it is nearly the end of our day. Afternoon dismissals begin at 3:00pm.
Yearly Celebrations
Family participation and involvement is always welcome. Our children love visitors! Family members are invited to attend various events throughout the year including: Meet and Greet, Curriculum Night, Harvest Celebration, Winter Break Movie & Pajamas Day, Family Friendzy, Mother’s Day Tea, Father’s Day Ice Cream Sundae Social, Moving On and Up Day, and Kindergarten Graduation. Additionally, we offer several volunteer opportunities including: All About Me Day, Pizza Making, Jack-o’-lantern Carving, and assisting at the art table.
Montessori Birthday Walks
One of the most joyful of occasions at Elements is celebrating your children’s birthdays. Our direct aim is to further the child’s understanding of the relationship between the sun and earth and the passage of time…one orbit equals one year. As we pay tribute to their lives, we hope that our celebration helps the children to develop a consciousness of how the passage of time relates to their own personal growth and development. And because birthdays are a such a wonderful opportunity to introduce children to their personal histories, we ask that you prepare a brief script about your child’s life.
