Primary Program …………………………………………………………………………………………………….. Ages 3-6 years
“Our aim is not merely to make the child understand, and still less to force him to memorize, but so to touch his imagination as to enthuse him to his innermost core.” – Maria Montessori
The Primary Community
The Primary program at St. Paul’s includes children in the age range of 3 to 6 years together in a mixed-age classroom.
The student–teacher ratio is 1 teacher for every 11 children, with a Lead Guide and an Assistant Guide in each classroom.
Goals:
- Provide a Montessori experience for students which includes learning experiences in the major curriculum areas:
- Practical Life – practicing real life skills, strengthening fine motor abilities and sense of order.
- Sensorial – refining senses through experience with materials
- Mathematics – understanding concept of quantity, learning number symbols, experiencing place value, introduction to mathematical operations
- Language – verbal, auditory, letter sounds, fine motor skills, phonograms, building words, creating stories
- Cultural Subjects – exploring the day to day experiences of humans around the world
- Geography and Science – exploring animals, plants, land, water, simple scientific laws, and maps
- Art – self-expression through a variety of mediums: playdoh, clay, crayons, paint, water colors, chalk, cutting, gluing, colored pencils
- Music – daily singing in the classroom and weekly music classes with our Music Director, Ms. Rebecca
- Movement – practicing gross motor skills through purposeful movement with the whole body, both inside and outside of the classroom.
- Provide Outdoor Education as an extension of the Montessori curriculum