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Montessori elementary education is self-directed and inquiry-based. The individually paced curriculum challenges children academically while supporting their well-being and sense of self.
Montessori goes beyond academics to educate the whole child. Students learn to question, think critically, take responsibility for their own learning, and to be contributing members of a respectful community. The MIR Elementary Program supports your child’s:
Montessori’s approach for the Elementary child is called “Cosmic Education,” and it responds to the sensitive learning periods of children this age. These are:
Within this framework, students learn geography, biology, history, language, mathematics in all its branches, science, music, art, and more by exploring their interests to mastery.
Maria Montessori
"Our experience with children in elementary schools has shown us that the age between 6 and 12 years is a period of life during which the elements of all sciences should be given. It is a period that, psychologically, is especially sensitive and might be called the "sensitive period of culture" during which the abstract plane of the human mind is organized." (From Childhood to Adolescence, p. 85)
Maria Montessori
"Our experience with children in elementary schools has shown us that the age between 6 and 12 years is a period of life during which the elements of all sciences should be given. It is a period that, psychologically, is especially sensitive and might be called the "sensitive period of culture" during which the abstract plane of the human mind is organized." (From Childhood to Adolescence, p. 85)
Elementary classes are divided into two multi-age groups: Lower Elementary is grades 1 to 3, and Upper Elementary is grades 4 to 6.
School hours are 8:30 am-3:30 pm. Morning childcare is available 7:45-9 am, and afternoon childcare is available 3:30-5 pm.
MIR follows a traditional school-year calendar. We offer summer school for families with confirmed enrollment for the following school year. Elementary summer school is designed to reduce summer learning loss while offering social connections and fun.
The two videos below give you a window into the MIR Lower and Upper Elementary classrooms.
Montessori classrooms are very different from conventional classrooms. A Montessori Elementary classroom is spacious and open. It is designed for small-group lessons and for students to work in pairs, small groups, or individually.
Students are free to move around the room as needed. They may be working at tables, on the floor, or tucked away in a quiet corner. MIR has ample outdoor workspaces to allow students to take advantage of California’s beautiful weather and learn from the outdoor environment.
Each classroom includes a student bathroom. We believe children understand their biological needs and are fully capable of addressing them without disruption to their education.
“Psychologically, there is a decided change in personality, and we recognize that nature has made this a period for the acquisition of culture, just as the former was for the absorption of the environment.”--Maria Montessori
Montessori classified the Elementary ages as the “second plane (stage)” of development. She noted that this stage offered the greatest potential for intellectual development.
Learn more about your child’s development at the Elementary age and the difference from the previous stage of development.
