“The greatest gifts you can give your children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence.”
~ Denis Waitley
Ages 3-6 Primary School Program
WPMS is a dual-licensed school certified by the PA Department of Education & PA Department of Public Welfare
WPMS is affiliated with the American Montessori Society and also working to obtain accreditation through the International Montessori Council (IMC).
Program Options:
Primary School Day & Kindergarten Programs (8:30 am-3:15 pm)
A la Carte care options: Before Care 7:30-8:30 AM, Aftercare 3:15-5:30 PM & Additional Calendar Days when the school is closed
The Montessori Primary school program, including the developmental learning aids and the work activities which go with it, is sequential and meant to be experienced over a three-year time span and not in an individual, successive, one-year capsule. The third year is the culmination of this process. The 3 year cycle ensures completion of the work necessary to the development of the whole child at that particular age. Failure to complete the 3-year cycle results in the child not achieving the “total possibility” offered by the program and many loose ends or partially developed skills may be obvious. To receive the full benefits of a Montessori education, it is our expectation that a child who enrolls should remain in the program for 3 years or more. Each step of a child’s development and learning from the time he/she enters the Montessori classroom serves as a solid foundation for the next. The 3-year Montessori experience tends to nurture a love of learning that adequately prepares them for their future educational experiences.
The three to six-year program is a unique preschool experience; it is a complete program through kindergarten. Mixed age grouping is a basic tenet of the Montessori Method, which means that children 3-6 years of age are in the same classroom together. Students work at their level of competence. At the same time, the younger student can challenge her/himself in relating to older students, and the older student can reinforce their learning by guiding a younger student through work.
Children construct knowledge by interacting with the environment (classroom of materials). The prepared environment includes practical life, sensorial, math, and language. Materials are arranged on the shelves to match a learning progression moving from the concrete toward the abstract in conceptual understanding. Classes meet five days per week. Children also enjoy Friday special classes in foreign languages and cultures activities, physical education, STEAM activities, and music classes.
This learning cycle provides an enriched environment for age-appropriate development in all classroom areas. The classroom is divided into areas:
- Practical life/daily living
- Sensorial
- Language development
- Math
- Geography
- Science
- Art