Core Values

Our values look to develop the highest vision of the whole child.

We promote growing independence with an excellent learning environment.

We celebrate, model, and encourage virtues and morals central to the higher American culture.

We create opportunity to develop self-knowledge, stewardship and respect for each other, the earth and its living creatures.

*

Philosophy of

Peaceful Heights Montessori School 

The Montessori PreSchool program offers independent, small group and collective instruction. This type of learning takes place in a multi-aged environment and allows the child the opportunity to remain with the same teacher for three years. These years establish close relationships among children, teachers and work. It permits a variety of learning skills, using dynamic and beautiful manipulatives which help learning through the hand and demonstrates abstract concepts.

Rich materials are used throughout the curriculum, which includes practical life, sensorial, mathematics, language, geography, art science and music.

*

Montessori Education Children's House 

Dr. Maria Montessori created the Montessori Method of Education. Through her observation and work, Dr. Montessori believed that a person is educated by the environment to a significant degree. The young child gains major part of his/her information through the rich environment. Our environment richly supports a curriculum that allows the child to develop his/her own potentialities through activities based on skills essential for a life time of creative thinking and learning.

Her work is documented as a science today, Books and instructions about the method are plentiful.  Remarkably, her method is still leading the child development times.

This environment is called the Children's House. Dr. Montessori believed that the hand was the vehicle for learning. The child's hand creates concentration on specific activity and learning so the child attend to his /her own development. This young child has an "Absorbent Mind". He/she absorbs all information from this environment.

It is with materials in this special environment, that the child learns to self-correct and set about on a path of lifelong learning. The child is allowed to develop self-discipline, be independent and respect staff, peers and the world around him/her.

x

Montessori is More than a Rich Environment of Special Materials 

Over 300 individual and group presentations are used in the following early learning areas. Many presentations use self-correcting rich high quality materials so the child "self-learns" with the hands and repeats with the heart and mind until he or she moves to the next activity.

Practical Life The purpose of these activities is to achieve sense of order, refine motor skills and become independent. The children learn to care for self and the community. They are guided through the social skills daily.

Sensorial The purpose of these activities is to refine the child's senses through manipulating scientifically designed materials. The child learns how to absorb abstract qualities and increases his/her ability to order and classify the environment.

Language The development of language starts with speech and progresses from writing to reading. The children are taught the sounds of the letters and then shown how to use various materials to blend sounds to make and read words.

Mathematics Numbers are introduced by figure identification and quantity. The child learns the value of 1, 10, 100, and 1,000. The use of concrete materials for learning addition, subtraction, multiplication and division leads the child from concrete to abstract computing.

Cultural Geography, botany and zoology are parts of the child's environment. Globes, puzzle maps, flags and land and water forms allow the child to learn about the world.

Art/Music The child learns cutting, gluing, tracing, blending of colors and punching. They work with multiple mediums in a variety of activities at their own level of ability. The child is exposed to many types of music. They have the opportunity to experience music by using musical bells, music maker and xylophone. They will be led in singing many different types of songs.

*

Staff

Julie Wolfgram

Experienced Montessori Teacher here since 2006

Credentials:

Primary Diploma, Montessori Training Center of Minnesota, Association

Montessori International May, 1998

Minnesota State Teaching License K-12, Full time 1997

Wisconsin State Teaching License - Life License 1978

B.S. Degree Physical Education, University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse

Continuing Education:

Yearly attendance at NAMTA National Conventions and Workshops

PROFESSIONAL TEACHING EXPERIENCE

 LEAD DIRECTRESS, Jonathan Montessori, Chaska, Minnesota 1998 - 2006

 LEAD TEACHER in Extended Day - Little Voyageurs Montessori, Columbia Heights, Minnesota 1996-1997

 E ll CLASSROOM AIDE Bluffview Montessori, Winona Minnesota 1994-1996

 Other Teaching Experiences 1974-1994

Nancy Ringer

CDA Credential from Professional Career Institute 6/2000

Lead Teacher- Preschool Room Peaceful Heights 2006-present

Teacher Aide from 1994-2006 various Child Care Centers