At a Glance

Woodstock Campus

Lower Elementary 1st-3rd Grade

Upper Elementary 4th-6th Grade

September–June, Monday–Friday

• Drop Off: 8:10-8:30am
• School Day: 8:30am-3:00pm
• Extended care is offered 7:30-8:10am and 3:00-5:30pm (space is limited)

Spring, Winter, & Summer Break Care Offered (space is limited)

30 students, one AMI trained Guide, & one Assistant per classroom

Delicious and nutritious lunch made fresh in house daily and available for purchase

Tuition and Fees

Learning Without Limits

Inspired by evocative lessons from their Guide, students choose and carry out work independently and cooperatively, learning to balance freedom and responsibility as they track their work, set goals, follow their interests, and engage in explorations both inside and outside the classroom.

Elementary students study both broadly and deeply, covering many subjects not attempted in conventional schools. Because there is not a rigid schedule or prescribed curriculum that the whole class must follow, your child can focus intensely on their self-chosen work, with minimal interruption. At the same time, they will collaborate with the teacher to ensure that their work is challenging and purposeful and that basic standards are met.

Meeting Developmental Needs

The elementary age child has a strong drive for social connection. They start to develop deeper friendships and a connection to the community around them. Why then, would we want them to learn in rows of desks, isolated in a chair, while the teacher lectures the class as a group? Instead, we embrace your child’s natural need for social exploration by giving lessons in small groups and encouraging children to work with a variety of others on projects and research subjects of intense interest. In a Montessori elementary program, children help children before adults help children, resulting in teamwork, independence and a true learning community.

Engagement is Essential

Real learning occurs when children are engaged – not when the teacher makes a blanket assignment. Curiosity is championed in our Elementary classrooms, and your child is encouraged to explore concepts to a level of detail only limited by their imagination.

Learning in Context for Deeper Understanding

Unlike in a conventional program with a separate time of the day for each subject, your child will gain a much deeper understanding of concepts by learning in context. The starting point for all courses of study is the “Great Lessons;” these impressionistic and scientific stories give your child the “big picture” of astronomy, earth science, geography, physics, biology, history, anthropology, cultural and social studies, language, math, music, and art. Meaningful learning happens when children understand the “why” as much as the “what” – and are inspired to learn more on their own.

Learning Occurs Beyond the Classroom

The scope of the Elementary classroom is literally the entire universe, and Montessori students regularly find that their interests and work take them far beyond the public school curriculum.

We want the children to be comfortable navigating the world, not just our classroom. So, we have a few excellent books, but not everything there is to read about a topic. As a result, the children must ‘go out’ beyond the limits of the classroom to find the information or resource that they need. A ‘Going Out’ is a planned undertaking by a small group of children. They find a resource in the community, schedule the outing, arrange for their own transportation and supervision (by staff or parent volunteers), prepare themselves for the experience and conduct themselves with dignity while out in public. Each Going Out is an entire course of study on independence, responsibility and good citizenship — to say nothing of the intellectual rewards that children get from such experience.

Uninterrupted Work Cycles

Think about how you do your best work. Is it when you are interrupted by others or when you work to an external time table? Probably not. Why, then, is it any different for your child? Our school day consists of long, open ended work periods that respect your child’s curiosity and supports their ability to sustain focus and concentration for prolonged periods of time.

An Elementary student can choose to work on one large project like a research project or a huge math problem, or may choose to engage in several smaller projects. They may choose to work independently or work in a group. Because they are allowed to move freely in and around the environment it’s not uncommon for ideas to spread; children are stimulated not just by the lessons they receive, but by each other.

Intrinsic Motivation

We have high expectations for your child, and believe that rewards and punishments appeal to the lowest levels of their intellect. Given a sticker, they will do their best for a few minutes. Given experiences that help them to believe in themselves and their abilities, they will do their very best for a lifetime.

At Sunstone Elementary students learn to set their own goals, budget their time, choose their workmates, and evaluate their own progress.

Ready to Move Up

Montessori elementary students grow into confident, capable learners by developing a strong foundation of both academic knowledge and essential life skills.

At the same time, they strengthen executive functioning and social-emotional skills allowing them to navigate challenges with resilience and a growth mindset.

This balance of independence, responsibility, and critical thinking prepares them to move into middle school with the confidence to advocate for themselves, the discipline to manage increasing demands, and the curiosity to continue growing.

At this point, your child is ready to move up to the Middle School.