Sammamish Montessori

Educating Preschool, Kindergarten & Elementary Students in Redmond, WA.

8 Principles of Montessori Education

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In her analysis of Montessori education, University of Virginia Professor, Angeline S. Lillard, Ph.D. notes eight fundamental ideas central to Montessori education that in her words, help provide students with superior educational outcomes:

  1. Movement and cognition are closely intertwined; physical movement can enhance thinking and learning.
  2. Choice and perceived-control promote children’s concentration and contentment in the learning process.
  3. Personal interest enhances learning in a context where interests build on prior knowledge and the children’s own questions.
  4. Extrinsic rewards negatively impact long-term motivation and learning.
  5. Collaborative (child–child) arrangements are conducive to learning.
  6. Learning situated in and connected to meaningful contexts is more effective than learning in abstracted contexts.
  7. Sensitive and responsive (nurturing) teaching is associated with more optimal outcomes. (Multi-age classrooms where children stay with the same teacher and many of the same peers promote continuity and close relationships.)
  8. Order in the environment promotes and establishes mental order and is beneficial to the child.

More information about Montessori education:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQl-7Lmm4hE (Superwoman was already here)

www.montessori-science.org

www.amshq.org

 

Congratulations to 7 SMS Alumni Honored as National Merit Scholar Semifinalists!

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We wish to give special congratulations to the seven Sammamish Montessori School alumni, now high school seniors, who have been named as semifinalists in the 64th annual National Merit Scholarship Program.

Alexia N. Friedman (Nikola Tesla STEM High School)

Sahas Goli (Redmond High School)

Meera M. Hoar (Redmond High School)

Shreya Kedia (Redmond High School)

Haeli N. Knox (Redmond High School)

Melissa Lin (Redmond High School)

Hamsa Shankar (Nikola Tesla STEM High School)

These seven of the 32 Lake Washington School District students named as National Merit Semifinalists are all former Sammamish Montessori School students.  We are so proud of our alumni students and excited to see their future academic achievements and success in life.

According to the Seattle Times, approximately 16,000 semifinalists across the nation had the highest scores on the PSAT taken by 1.6 million juniors this past year. Roughly 90 percent fo those students will be named finalists in February.  To qualify, each student must submit an application that includes academic transcripts, an essay, and a letter of recommendation.  About half of the finalists are awarded Merit Scholarships, which in total are worth about $31 million.

National Merit Scholarship Program

Click here for more information about the National Merit Scholars program and all semifinalists in Washington State.

 

After School Club Staff Member

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Seeking a confident, friendly and organized teacher, teacher’s assistant, or intern who is able to collaborate effectively with colleagues, loves children and is able to multitask. Excellent verbal and written communication skills a must.

Daily schedule M-F 2:30PM to 6PM, or as mutually agreed.

Beautiful school and campus. Classrooms are well organized and fully equipped with teaching materials and supplies. Our school has a small gym/multipurpose room, library, multiple spacious playground areas and offers foreign language and music led by specialist teachers.

Supportive administration and professional, approachable staff. Competitive salary determined according to experience and education.  Janitorial service provided nightly.

Established in 1977. Family owned and operated.

Conveniently located near the end of 520 in Redmond close to the Microsoft Campus.

Please send cover letter and resume to Janet Villella, Director.

janet@sammamishmontessori.com

 

Practical Life – A Foundation For Academic Growth

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Why Practical Life activities?

Amit has just started school and his parents watch their little boy endearingly as he attacks real-life chores with serious determination. They are so proud to see him carefully spooning dried beans from one dish to another and concentrating hard to pick up the beans he has spilled. However, Emma’s parents watching their five year old following the steps to sew on a button are impatient to see some “real work” being carried out like reading, math or spelling. Even the best-informed Montessori parent may wonder whether the practical life activities may be using up time better spent on academic pursuits. Of course, Emma’s day is not spent solely on practical life activities but this is the area of focus to her parents.

We need to understand why these practical life exercises are so important in the primary Montessori classroom (ages 3-6) and how they relate to the child’s overall development. We should realize that mastery of the task itself is not the primary goal of these exercises.

Practical life activities may well be the most important work in the 3 – 6 classroom.

These activities lead a child to make intelligent choices and become physically and then mentally independent and responsible. The child learns to concentrate, control muscles, move and act with care, focus, analyze logical steps and complete a cycle of activity. This is the foundation for mental and physical work in all other areas, not just in early childhood but also throughout life.

Practical Life activities hone concentration and fine motor skills.

Practical Life activities hone concentration and fine motor skills.

Children follow a sequence of prescribed directions, which include choosing the work on the shelf, finding a space at a table, following steps to complete the task, cleaning up and replacing the work exactly where it belongs on the shelf so it is ready for the next person. It is the small muscle coordination, motor sequencing, inner discipline leading to good social skills and work habits and ultimately self-esteem, which are so important and directly prepare for and support development in math, reading and writing.

Every child instinctively strives to grow and develop skills to the limit of his/her ability. A child’s love of the routines found in practical life activities, stems from a strong biological need to gain coordination. That need is especially strong between the ages of three and six years. At this age, the mind still runs faster than the abilities of the body. An older child may remember the steps needed to thread the needle, knot the thread, choose the button and piece of fabric and sew the button from front to back and then back to front without going around the edge of the button, but this knowledge may not yet match his/her developing physical ability. In this carefully prepared and stimulating environment children can respond to their inner need to work on a wide variety of skills until their physical abilities can keep up with their hands. Children are developing eye-hand coordination, upper body strength, balance and spatial perception. It is no coincidence that these are the basic prerequisites to successfully learn to read and write.

The practical life exercises have precise and orderly movements and are divided into steps, which are completed in a certain sequence that follow a logical progression (essential skills for understanding mathematical concepts). The concentration and inner discipline required to carry out multi-step procedures on their own help to prepare children for all of the complex academic materials they will encounter as they progress through the Montessori curriculum.

One of the greatest driving forces in the maturation of young children is the overwhelming desire to be independent. “I can do it by myself” is a phrase we hear over and over again. These practical life exercises reinforce this sense of self-sufficiency. Children discover they can exert control over their environment and such control carries with it certain responsibilities. What a thrill they feel when they have mastered a useful activity. They feel privileged as they gain the skills to progress to more and more complex tasks as they feel it implies respect for their skill and good judgment.

We can be sure that children of all ages, having experienced a continuous flow of small successes as they accomplish the exercises of practical life, will not only have the skills in place to continue with even more complex tasks, but will be happier, more confident and well-rounded individuals. They will be ready to progress through their school life with pride and the self-esteem to accept challenges, both practical and academic, with optimism and self-confidence.

Pouring work develops concentration and hand-eye coordination.

Pouring work develops concentration and hand-eye coordination.

About the Article’s Author: Joan Starling, Founder, Sammamish Montessori School serving preschool, kindergarten and elementary students in Redmond WA.

Joan established The Sammamish Montessori School in 1977.  She began her long career in Montessori education more than four decades ago training under two Montessori trainers who were themselves trained directly by Dr. Maria Montessori. One of them, a wise and practical woman, Margaret Homfray, when young in the late 1930s, accompanied Dr. Montessori on trips to translate her lectures on her speaking tours.  Joan has been a pioneer of Montessori education in the greater Seattle area, establishing what is now one of the oldest Montessori schools on Seattle’s Eastside and one of the largest Montessori schools in the state.  Joan’s two daughters (Janet Villella Director and Hilary Prentice, Business Manager) now share the running of the school and are supported by a wonderful group of teachers, assistants and supporting staff from all over the world. 
 
Related articles/information:
The Importance Of The Hand In Language Development
Montessori Scope and Sequence: Practical Life

Resources About Montessori, Brain Research & How Children Learn

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If you are interested in learning more about Montessori education, you may wish to check out one or more of the following books:

  • Montessori’s Own Handbook by Dr. Maria Montessori
  • The Child in the Family by Dr. Maria Montessori
  • The Absorbent Mind by Dr. Maria Montessori
  • The Science Behind the Genius by Angeline Stoll Lillard
  • Montessori: A Modern Approach by Paula Polk Lillard
  • Montessori Today: A Comprehensive Approach to Education from Birth to Adulthood by Paula Polk Lillard
  • Montessori and Your Child: A Primer for Parents by Terry Malloy
  • At Home with Montessori by Patricia Oriti
  • Education and Peace by Dr. Maria Montessori
  • From Childhood to Adolescence: Including Erkinder and the Function of the University by Dr. Maria Montessori
  • The Secret of Childhood by Dr. Maria Montessori
  • To Educate the Human Potential by Dr. Maria Montessori
  • Montessori Play and Learn: A Parent’s Guide to Purposeful Play from Two to Six by Lesley Britton
  • Montessori Madness! A Parent to Parent Argument for Montessori Education by Tevor Eissler
  • Understanding Montessori: A Guide for Parents by Maren and Dana Schmidt

You may also wish to peruse the following websites that contain a wealth of information about Montessori education:

We have found the following books on brain research and learning to be excellent resources for parents and educators alike:

  •  Zero to Five: 70 Essential Parenting Tips Based on Science by Tracy Cutchlow
  •  Your Fantastic Elastic Brain by JoAnn Deak, PhD
  •  What’s Going On in There? How the Brain and Mind Develop in the First Five Years of Life by Lise Eliot PhD
  •  Pink Brain, Blue Brain: How Small Difference Grow into Troublesome Gaps – and What We Can Do About It by Jane M. Healy, PhD
  •  Your Child’s Growing Mind – A Practical Guide to Learning and Brain Development from Birth to Adolescence by Jane M. Healy, PhD
  •  Different Learners – Identifying, Preventing and Treating Your Child’s Learning Problems by Jane M. Healy, PhD
  •  Endangered Minds – Why Children Don’t Think – And What We Can Do About It by Jane M. Healy, PhD
  •  Failure to Connect – How Computers Affect Our Children’s Minds – And What We Can Do About It by Jane M. Healy, PhD

History of the Montessori Method of Education

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Dr. Maria Montessori (1870-1952) was the first woman physician/surgeon in Italy.  She also had a degree in biological anthropology which honed her powers of meticulous observation, and formed the basis of her system of education.  She was not trained as a teacher, although she did take some education classes so that she could observe the schools of the time.  This freed her up to study how children learn, in a detached and rational manner.  Her talent was to see children as they really are, not as adults think they are or ought to be.

Her first job was the director of a residential institute for developmentally delayed children who, because of superstition and shame in those days, were ostracized from their families. Believing that these children might be capable of some learning, she developed diagnostic and teaching materials based on the work of Itard and Sequin (researchers and educators) and continued to observe and experiment.  Many of these children were eventually able to pass the state exams.  Montessori remarked, “If these children are able to do so well, then typical children must surely be capable of achieving so much more.”

In January 1907 Montessori was asked to supervise fifty 3 to 7 year olds who were running wild in the slums of San Lorenzo, a district of Rome.  She was given an room in a tenement building and one unqualified teacher.  She provided the children with some toys and her diagnostic materials (the basic sensorial materials) to give them more to play with. In time the children discarded the toys and go the diagnostic materials out of the cupboard on their own.  Over time more sensorial materials were added, using what was at hand (the color tablets are based on cards of colored embroidery thread).  Montessori taught them life skills, even how to blow their own noses.  They were excited to learn and progressed by leaps and bounds, even learning to read and write.  Montessori introduced child-sized tables and chairs, which were unknown at that time.  This whole phenomenon of children working at their own pace, using materials selected for their abilities and designed to stimulate independent exploration was new.  To see children’s natural curiosity satisfied and begin to experience the joy of discovering the world about them sparked worldwide interest.

Montessori noted that many children were frustrated by lack of proper stimulation and inadequate opportunities to achieve.  She observed that children can have long attention spans when not interrupted.  They become happier and more self-controlled after a period of time in the orderly environment she had created, working with their hands and making their own discoveries. Here they were introduced to challenging tasks that not only absorbed their energies, but also resulted in a sense of achievement.

This led Montessori to develop the planned system of education that bears her name.  Many Montessori schools were established during her lifetime and today there are thousands of private Montessori schools in the United States, hundreds of Montessori public school classrooms and countless Montessori schools operating throughout the world.

Principles of Montessori education:

  • Movement and cognition are closely entwined; movement can enhance thinking and learning.
  • Learning and well-being are improved when children have a sense of control over their lives.
  • Children learn better when they are interested in what they are learning.
  • Studies have shown that linking rewards to an activity (like gold stars or stickers) negatively impacts motivation to engage in that activity when the reward is withdrawn.  (It shifts the focus from the activity to the reward.)
  • Children have a great sense of order and are more secure when there are no surprises.
  • Until children develop at their own speed, they are not put in group situations where they could be perceived as fast or slow.
  • The environment is conducive to children being able to casually observe lessons being given to the older children; this piques their interest and desire to progress.
  • Older children are able to help younger children and this consolidates the older children’s knowledge and fosters kindness and good social skills.
  • Older children act as role models for younger children (how to sit, follow directions, stand in line, etc.)
  • The work in the classroom is sequential; a child does not progress onto the next step until the first set is fully mastered; in this way a child never encounters work that is too difficult and is never left floundering.
  • A child encounters many small successes along the way and these build a child’s self-confidence.
  • School should be a happy and positive experience to which a child looks forward with happy anticipation.
  • Children who acquire basic skills in a natural way have the advantage of beginning education without drudgery, boredom or discouragement.  They gain enthusiasm for learning, which is the key to becoming a truly educated person.

Sensitive Periods:

Through keen observation, Montessori found that children have sensitive periods, a window when they are tuned in to certain stimuli.  These intense periods, when a child can learn instinctively, happen in the early years when the brain is forming itself.  They Montessori system is based on the unique cycle of learning that takes advantage of these sensitive periods.

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About the Article’s Author: Joan Starling, Founder, Sammamish Montessori School serving preschool, kindergarten and elementary students in Redmond WA.  
 
Joan established The Sammamish Montessori School in 1977.  She began her long career in Montessori education more than four decades ago training under two Montessori teachers who were themselves trained directly by Dr. Maria Montessori. One of them, a wise and practical woman, Margaret Homfray, when young in the late 1930s, accompanied Dr. Montessori on trips to translate her lectures on her speaking tours.  Joan has been a pioneer of Montessori education in the greater Seattle area, establishing one of the oldest Montessori schools on Seattle’s Eastside and now one of the largest Montessori schools in the state.  Joan’s two daughters and husband now share the running of the school (Janet Villella is now the school’s director) and are supported by a wonderful group of exceptionally talented, well educated and experienced teachers, assistants and supporting staff from all over the world. 

Montessori 3 to 6 Teacher or Intern

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The Sammamish Montessori School is a dynamic and multicultural school, providing Montessori education to a diverse student body in the Redmond area for 40 years.

SMS is currently seeking a MACTE certified 3-6 Montessori Teacher or intern.

Applicant must be confident, friendly and organized and who is able to collaborate effectively with colleagues, loves children and is able to multitask. Excellent verbal and written communication skills are required. Duties and responsibilities include curriculum and lesson planning, record keeping and developing and maintaining relationships with student families.

Our school and campus is spacious and beautiful. Classrooms are well organized and fully equipped with teaching materials and supplies. Our school has a small gym, library, large playground areas and offers foreign language and music led by specialist teachers.

Our administration and teaching staff are professional and supportive. A competitive salary will be determined according to experience and education. Benefits for staff who meet the hours requirements include medical and dental and 401(k). PTO, disability, professional development support and paid classroom preparation time also provided. Janitorial service provided nightly.

Conveniently located at the end of SR520 in Redmond, WA near the Microsoft campus. Established in 1977, our school is family owned and operated.

Please send a cover letter and resume to Janet Villella, Director janet@sammamishmontessori.com.

 

Ideas for Fun Summer Days

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With summer right around the corner and beautiful blue skies tempting us out you may be thinking of exploring what our community has to offer.  There are plenty of fun adventures just waiting to be had right in our area.  No formal vacation plans required!

We’ve compiled the following list of day trip ideas we hope you will find helpful.  Some of these ideas are geared toward younger family members, some older, while others hold interest for the whole family.

Please let us know if you have something else to add or any feedback about any of these ideas.

The Arboretum and Japanese Garden: www.seattle.gov/parks/parkspaces/japanesegarden.htm

Aviation Center & Boeing Tour (Everett): www.futureofflight.org

Bellevue Art Museum: www.bellevuearts.org

The Burke Museum (Seattle): www.burkemuseum.org

Chihuly Garden & Glass (Seattle): www.chihulygardenandglass.com

Experience Music Project (Seattle): www.empmuseum.org

Farrel McWhirter Park & Farm (Redmond): http://www.redmond.gov/ParksRecreation/Farrel-McWhirterFarmPark

Flower World (Maltby nursery with a small petting zoo area): www.flowerworldusa.com/aboutus.html

Fox Hollow Farm (Issaquah): www.foxhollowfamilyfarm.com

Kelsey Creek Farm (Bellevue): www.farmerjayne.com

KidsQuest Childrens Museum (Factoria): www.kidsquestmuseum.org

Museum of Flight (Seattle): www.museumofflight.org

Museum of History & Industry (Seattle): www.mohai.org

Northwest Railway Museum (Snoqualmie) www.trainmuseum.org

Northwest Trek (Eatonville): http://www.nwtrek.org

King County Parks (link to list of area parks): www.kingcounty.gov/recreation/parks/inventory.aspx

The Pacific Science Center (Seattle): www.pacificsciencecenter.org

Outback Kangaroo Farm (Artlington): www.outbackkangaroofarm.com

Padilla Bay Beach and Estuarine Research Reserve (Mount Vernon): www.padillabay.gov

Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium (Tacoma): http://www.pdza.org

Ride the Ducks Seattle Tour: www.ridetheducksofseattle.com

The Seattle Aquarium: http://www.seattleaquarium.org

Seattle Art Museum: www.seattleartmuseum.org

Seattle Bug Safari: www.seattlebugsafari.com

Seattle Children’s Museum: www.thechildrensmuseum.org

Seattle Waterfront & Ye Olde Curiosity Shop: www.ye-olde-curiosity-shop.myshopify.com

Snoqualmie Falls: http://www.snoqualmiefalls.com

The Space Needle (Seattle): http://www.spaceneedle.com/home

Tillicum Village/Blake Island Tour: www.argosycruises.com

Washington State Ferries: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries

Woodland Park Zoo (Seattle): http://www.zoo.org

Museum of Glass (Tacoma): http://museumofglass.org

Local magazines Parent Map www.parentmap.com and Seattle’s Child www.seattleschild.com/Things-To-Do also contain a lot of articles and ideas for family-friendly excursions.

Enjoy!

 

Famous Montessori Alumni

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A large number of accomplished individuals known for their self-confidence, leadership, creativity, poise, work ethic and their ability to innovate and problem solve are reported to have been Montessori students. We thought this list would be interesting to share with you as we all strive, as parents and educators together, to provide the environment and support to help bring out and hone these traits in our students.

  • Larry Page and Sergy Brin, founders of Google.
  • Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.
  • Jaqueline Kennedy Onasis, former First Lady.
  • T. Berry Brazelton, pediatrician, child psychiatrist, author and Harvard Medical School Professor Emeritus.
  • Will Wright, original designer of SimCity game.
  • Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Nobel Peace-prize winning novelist.
  • Anne Frank, famous child diarist from World War II.
  • Melissa and Sarah Gilbert, actresses, Melissa former SAG President.
  • Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs, famous rapper.
  • Julia Child, first television chef.
  • Katharine Graham, Pulitzer prize-winning author and former owner/editor of the Washington Post.
  • Taylor Swift, Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter.
  • Peter Drucker, author, “Father of modern management.”
  • George Clooney, Academy Award-winning actor.
  • Helen Hunt, Oscar, Emmy and Golden Globe winning actress.
  • Dakota Fanning, youngest Screen Actors Award nominee.
  • Devi Shridhar, youngest American Rhodes Scholar.
  • Joshua Bell, Grammy Award-winning violinist.
  • Anthony Doerr, noted author.
  • David Blaine, illusionist and magician, coined the “modern day Houdini.”
  • Craig and Marc Kielburger, child rights advocates and best-selling authors.
  • Beyonce Knowles, singer, performer.
  • Yo Yo Ma, Peace Ambassador and winner of 15 Grammy Awards, Presidential Medal of Freedom and National Medal of the Arts.
  • John and Joan Cusack, actors.
  • Queen Noor of Jordan.
  • Jimmy Wales, co-founder of Wikipedia.
  • Anne Hathaway, actress.
  • Alan Rickman, award-winning actor.

Links to other articles…

Montessori alumni

Bauso: Julia Child, Will Wright and more famous Montessori alumni

 

Healthy Sleep Habits Make Happier Kids

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As daylight savings makes sunset later and later, it is tempting to keep children up past their normal bedtimes, but doing so can have consequences. Without adequate sleep, children can quickly become cranky and irritable. When overtired some children may have trouble falling asleep; others staying asleep. Sleep deprivation can result in a number of issues such as:

  • Depressed mood
  • Reduced energy
  • Weakened immune system
  • Reduced thresholds for stress
  • Altered hormone production
  • Impaired wound healing

All of us have experienced lack of sleep at one time or another and can appreciate how important sleep is to our daily lives. Children are no different and in fact require more sleep than you may think. Children of preschool, kindergarten and elementary ages need at least 10 to 12 hours per night. Sleep restores the body on all levels: cellular, endocrine, immune, metabolic, physical and emotional.

Fortunately there are some simple things parents can do to help children develop and maintain healthy sleep habits:

  1. Allow your child(ren) a lot of fresh air and exercise in the afternoon.
  2. Keep activities quiet after dinnertime. Avoid television and computer games after dinner. Play a family game or read together instead.
  3. Establish and keep to a set bedtime that allows for at least 10-12 hours of sleep every night.
  4. Establish and keep to a bedtime routine:
    1. Take a warm bath 30-minutes before bedtime. Sipping a warm drink like warm milk or caffeine-free tea helps too.
    2. Put on comfy pajamas and get straight into bed (the body is now ready for sleep due to changes in body temperature).
    3. Read one short story and turn out lights (if using a nightlight, make sure it is dim).
    4. Put on soft, soothing music (or white noise that is soft and consistent).

Consider blackout shades for windows to block out the summer evening sun and make it easier to settle down for the night.  As the temperatures outside get warmer, consider leaving a fan running all night to provide white noise and keep body temperatures cool.

About the Article’s Author: Joan Starling, Founder, Sammamish Montessori School serving preschool, kindergarten and elementary students in Redmond WA.  
 
Joan established The Sammamish Montessori School in 1977.  She began her long career in Montessori education training under two Montessori educators who were themselves trained directly by Dr. Maria Montessori. One of them, a wise and practical woman, Margaret Homfray, when young in the late 1930s, accompanied Dr. Montessori on trips to translate her lectures on her speaking tours.  Joan has been a pioneer of Montessori education in the greater Seattle area, establishing one of the oldest Montessori schools on Seattle’s Eastside and now one of the largest Montessori schools in the state.  Joan’s two daughters, Director Janet Villella and Business Manager Hilary Prentice now share the running of the school and are supported by a wonderful group of teachers, assistants and supporting staff from all over the world. 

 

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F. 425-869-2639
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7655 178th Pl. NE Redmond, WA 98052

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