FAQs

List of 8 frequently asked questions.

• Is Adams Montessori School certified or accredited?

  Adams Montessori School is accredited by the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI), the organization founded by Dr. Maria Montessori in 1929. We have consultations with AMI every two years in order to maintain good standing. AMI guidelines can be found at amiusa.org. We are also affiliated with the Association of Independent Schools of New England (AISNE), and maintain memberships with the Montessori Schools of Massachusetts (MSM) and the North American Montessori Teachers' Association (NAMTA).

• What is the three-year cycle?

  Based on her observations, Maria Montessori determined that children pass through different planes of development in three year cycles. In the primary, this includes the traditional kindergarten year and may be extended to a fourth year depending on a child's birth date. Whether in toddler, primary, lower elementary or upper elementary, first year children learn both from their teachers as well as from observing, imitating and emulating the older children. By the time children reach their third year in each cycle, they have developed a sense of responsibility and mastery and share their knowledge and skills with their younger classmates.

• Do you have a kindergarten?

  Adams Montessori School does not have a separate traditional kindergarten class. The primary classrooms are made up of a mixed age group of children aged two years, nine months to six years old. The five year old children complete their "kindergarten year" in the primary class, serving as role models for their younger peers. They spend time in the afternoons working on collaborative projects and independent work, thus preparing them for the first grade.

• What's up with the beads?

  Montessori materials are carefully designed to teach children specific skills that can be built upon as the child masters an aspect of the material. These scientifically designed materials are multi-sensory, sequential, and self-correcting. The beads help the children understand abstract mathematical concepts. We provide Parent Information Events as well as a Journey and Discovery Workshop that discuss the curriculum and materials in detail.

• When and how do Montessori children transition to public schools?

  Some parents opt to have their child enter public school after the primary program. Children in the elementary program normally enter public or private schools after spending three or six years in elementary (ie. after finishing the lower elementary or upper elementary program). Teachers at other schools often comment on the Montessori child's unusual ability to focus and work independently as well as collaboratively. They are excellent problem solvers and manage their time well. Since Montessori provides assessments other than traditional grading, we help our children develop portfolios of work that can be used when applying to other schools and for placement in public schools.

• Do the elementary students take standardized tests?

  No, but we do adhere to the state curriculum guidelines and we teach test taking strategies so that our children are prepared to take standardized tests in the future.

• How do you incorporate current technologies in the classroom?

  While we provide access to computers in the elementary classroom, we see the technology as a tool like any other. Children are able to use computers in the same way they use a dictionary, an atlas or a journal.

• Do you offer any extracurricular activities?

  Yes, we offer several enrichment classes that take place one day a week for approximately twelve weeks. The enrichment classes have included art, Spanish, yoga, STEM, karate, science and crochet. There is a separate charge for these fall and spring programs that are offered immediately after school dismissal. During the summer months, we also offer an eight week summer camp for primary and elementary aged children as well as a four week summer camp for toddlers.