Primary Program

“Montessori Country School is a place where kids are free to be themselves, where wonderful teachers treat every child with respect and kindness. I love that my kids are learning from a young age to be global citizens who care about their community and environment. Seeing the kids at the Country School, joyfully learning together, gives me so much hope for the future.”
- C.S., MCS Parent
“Montessori Country School is a place where kids are free to be themselves, where wonderful teachers treat every child with respect and kindness. I love that my kids are learning from a young age to be global citizens who care about their community and environment. Seeing the kids at the Country School, joyfully learning together, gives me so much hope for the future.”
- C.S., MCS Parent
Primary icon

Class Size

22

Adult / Student Ratio

1 / 11

Age

3 - 6 Years

Schedule

Age: 3 Years
Monday -Thursday  Morning Session: 8:15 - 11:30
Age: 3 or 4 Years
Monday - Friday Morning Session: 8:15 - 11:30
Age: 5 years (Kindergarten year)
Monday - Friday Morning Session: 8:15-12:30
plus 4 or 5 afternoons (full day session is 8:15 - 3:00)
Two primary-age boys stringing up pinecones

Lunch Hour Option*

An optional lunch hour (11:30-12:30) is available for our Primary children who are 4+ years old. Lunch is brought from home and the children enjoy this special time with the lunch guides and their MCS friends.
*Availability of lunch hour option is limited

Kindergarten Schedule

All Kindergarten students are registered Monday through Friday for a morning class (including the lunch hour) with a required minimum of 4 afternoon sessions each week. Children bring their lunches from home and enjoy this social time with their classmates.

Full Day Option

Our Kindergarten program includes 4 or 5 full days.  The full day affords the students the benefit of more time with the Montessori materials, small group instruction, and the opportunity to delve deeply into a project for a longer period of time than a half-day class allows.  It is wonderful to see the “big work” the children often choose on the days they are in class for a full day.

Specialists

All Kindergarteners join together for afternoon Specialists including art, music, and outdoor education. This time allows students an opportunity for more in-depth study in these subjects.
Kindergarteners playing outside together
Kindergarteners in an outdoor classroom
Kindergartener reaching for letter blocks
Kindergarteners carefully carrying a globe together

Visitors to the program will notice a calm hum of activity. Children of mixed ages are learning and growing together - counting, scrubbing tables, feeding the fish, writing stories, creating art, singing songs - finding ways to engage in learning that is as natural as breathing.

The Primary program includes the Kindergarten year.

The Environment

The primary classrooms are dynamic, wonder-filled spaces that are designed to meet the needs of the young child.  The classrooms are beautifully prepared, keeping in mind the child’s emotional, social, physical, and intellectual development.  We address the child’s need for beauty, order, movement, independence, and the freedom to make choices and discoveries for him/herself.

Materials

The Montessori materials are ingeniously designed to give the child the opportunity to explore and learn about the world.

Mixed Age Classes

The three-year age span of these classes helps to create a community in which children feel a strong sense of belonging. Cooperation and collaboration flourish as children of various ages work together.  At the same time, children are given the freedom to choose to work on their own.  The Kindergarten children take on a leadership role in their final year in the program. Through the experience of mentoring the younger students, they develop confidence in themselves as leaders and as learners. The younger children learn a tremendous from their older classmates.

Three Year Program

The Primary program is a three-year program.  The curriculum is designed to meet the developing needs of students from three years through the Kindergarten year. It is expected that students will stay at MCS through their Kindergarten year.

The Kindergarten Year

The Kindergarten year at MCS is encompassed in the 3-6 Primary Program.  It is the culmination of the preparation the children have had in the preschool years.  During this important year, when the child is moving from concrete to abstract learning, the program provides beautiful materials with which to explore and learn concepts through a hands-on approach.  The Kindergartners' excitement for learning is obvious to anyone spending time in the classrooms.

Confident Learners

As class mentors to the younger students in class, our Kindergartners develop a strong sense of themselves as leaders within the learning environment.  The Kindergarten children leave the Primary Program as confident learners filled with a joy of learning and a sense of their importance within the community.

A Lasting Impact

Early childhood is a time of immense growth and development. The foundation for a child’s emotional, intellectual, social, and moral life is formed during these crucial years, and the MCS Primary Program honors the importance of nurturing the emerging personality of each child.  Our graduates often return to visit this special place where they felt loved, honored, and respected as they went about their work of constructing the self.

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