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Our Mission Statement
Washington Montessori is committed to the
development of the whole child, enabling him to draw upon all his gifts
and reach his greatest potential. We encourage personal
responsibility both socially and academically. Each child is
allowed freedom of choice and is offered guidance in setting individual
goals. Our mission is to inspire academic excellence; to nurture
curiosity, creativity, and imagination, and to do so within an
environment rich with warmth, kindness and respect.
A little about WMPCS…
Facilities
 Washington
Montessori, Inc. was granted a charter by the State Board of Education
in February 2000 to operate an elementary Montessori school in Beaufort
County.
At present, the school has 270 students enrolled
with a staff of 35 teachers, assistants, and administrators.
Stacey Shepherd serves as our Head of School and Jen Hales as
Associate Head of School. When all phases of construction are
complete, the school will house approx. 360 students.
Currently there are three
buildings. The 9-12 building is an environmentally friendly
structure designed by Innovative Designs of Raleigh, NC. The
design of this building incorporates a day-lighting system of sky lights
and rain water barrels to
irrigate the planters, and solar panels. The 3-6, 6-9, and 12-15 levels are housed in two
commercial grade modular buildings. The school is scheduled to begin
construction on another permanent building for the 6-9 level in the spring of 2008.
Nature Trail
The campus has so many wonderful
treasures of nature. There is an old oak tree that has overlooked
the small pond for over one hundred years. There is a stream that
is home to many turtles and tadpoles. Thanks to the efforts
of Mr. Larry Hodgkins, Director of Administrative Services, and the
wonderful parents of WMPCS there is now a trail that leads through the
woods, by the outdoor amphitheater, over two bridges, down by the pond
and back. The environmental study area will be completed by
the addition of an outdoor science center to be built near the pond.
Teaching Technique
As a Montessori school, the classrooms are always
busy with children purposefully moving about the room working and
learning. Early lessons are taught with hands-on materials
addressing the child's developmental need for information to be
presented in a concrete manner. Later, as the students become
older the materials follow their intellectual development and become
more abstract. Lessons are given in small groups thus allowing the
teacher to present the information at the skill level of the students
and to ascertain each child's comprehension of the material presented.
If you are interested in
becoming a part of our teaching staff simply fill out the application
and return it to WMPCS. Click on the link here for the
Application for employment.
Violin and Music Classes
Another
wonderful addition to the learning at Washington Montessori is the use of the
Suzuki method of music. Dr. Shinichi Suzuki of Japan developed
this technique that allows a child to learn music by following the same
process that a child employs when learning to speak her mother tongue -
simply listening and repeating.
Ms. Michele Rhem directs the WMPCS music program which includes almost
200 violinists. Lap harp, rhythm sticks and singing are also offered.
Each year our students perform at the annual
Holiday Concert and at the spring KidsFest celebration. Of course, they
can also be heard all over the campus any day of the week practicing and playing the new
pieces they are learning.
Admissions
WMPCS
is a public school open to all children. There are no fees or tuition.
To enroll a student an application must be submitted to the
administrative office. The annual lottery is held January 15th
before the upcoming school year. Applicant’s names are pulled from a
hat at random to fill any available slots. Siblings of currently
enrolled students are given priority in order to ensure that brothers
and sisters can attend together.
Parent Handbook
Click the link above to
view the 2007-08 Parent Handbook. |
