Liviu I.

Springfield Montessori School

After three years of attending preschool and kindergarten, our daughter is more than ready for 1st grade. This has been one of the best experiences that we could provide to her. The school has three levels (toddlers, preschool, kindergarten). Each higher level builds on the previous level in a manner that makes children want to learn and discover a variety of interesting facts from all areas of life.

The curriculum for each level is oustanding, providing children with opportunities to enter areas such as geography, social elements, history, foreign languages, music, arts, crafts, reading, writing, elementary math, etc. All subjects are tailored appropriately for each age and children are gently encouraged to go beyond the introductory facts.

The staff is wonderful. Excellent teaching skills are accompanied by care and dedication as you seldom could see in other schools.

Starting with the toddlers, and continuing with the preschoolers and finishing with kindergartners, children are guided by experienced teachers who are supportive, attentive, and absolutely interested in what children do every day in their class.

The kindergarten level is amazing. Ms. Belinda, Ms. Tina, and Ms. Lori, the three teachers covering the kindergarten class leave an incredible mark on each child's development. By the time the children graduated the kindergarten class, all of them read and write at first grade level, all of them perform elementary math at first grade level, all of them have a wealh of knowledge that is well above the average level for a graduating kindergartner in other schools.

It is just incredible.

The French, Spanish, and Music classes add additional opportunities for children to expand their horizons beyond California's borders.

The school itself is a diverse forum for children and teachers of various cultures and nationalities. While this variety of international flavours is present in each class, this is best summarized in another top class event: the annual Culture Fair, now in it's 11th edition. The Fair, held towards the end of May each year, is a show put toghether by children from the preschool and kindergarten classes, with the help and under the guidance of their teachers, and with parent's participation.

Each year, four classes are decorated with elements from four countries. Parents volunteer to decorate the classes and for the day of the Fair, these four classes become a mini country on their own. Children are all given a passport.

On the day of the Fair, there is a flag parade with the national anthems and the flags from the four countries and the US. Then, children visit each country and get their passport stamped, while attending a 20-30 minutes presentation with games, songs, and other activities specific to the respective countries.

While we had our daughter for these three years, she visited "countries" like Germany, France, USA, Canada, Israel, Romania, Palestine, Iran, China, Phillipines, Brazil, etc.

The Fair ends with the shows of songs and dances, and with a luncheon for all children and parents.

We can't be happier with all the education, and skills that our daughter has aquired throughout these three years. This is a solid base to enter first grade, where she will easier understand all concepts and subjects that she will have to deal with in the year to come.

If we were do it again, we'd be doing it in a heartbeat. We wished that school would also have elementary classes, because we'd have kept our daughter there.

Thank you so much, Montessori!