why cms for elementary
The Elementary Program at Country Montessori School
Give your child every opportunity to develop a life-long love of learning.
Imagine your child having...
- Academic success
- A positive self-image
- The capability to overcome challenges
- Problem-solving ability
- Excellent communication skills
- Ease in adapting to change
- Respect and appreciation for community
Fostering these qualities is the goal of the Elementary Program at the Country Montessori School, where your child has the opportunity to reach his or her full potential.
The curriculum — divided into Lower Elementary for children ages 6 to 9 and Upper Elementary for children ages 9 to 12 — builds on the foundation of concrete information learned in the Primary Program. Through hands-on activities that explore abstract concepts, your child learns more than facts. CMS students are motivated to discover the "hows and whys," leading to true understanding and academic success.
Time-tested Montessori principles help your child grow as an individual and as a member of society.
The Elementary Program at Country Montessori offers your child the opportunity for intellectual and social growth, at his or her natural pace. The curriculum is interdisciplinary — subjects are studied as an integrated whole, not in isolation. Science, geography, social studies, the arts, languages, and math converge in studies guided by your child's own questions. Often, something learned in one subject will help foster a new or deeper appreciation of another. In each classroom, a mix of age groups (up to a three-year differential) promotes your child's individual and social development. The give-and-take of one child's experience and another's discovery is the key to growing as a person and finding one's place in a community.
The Elementary Program at Country Montessori offers an exciting, research style of learning. The curriculum of the Lower and Upper Elementary divisions corresponds to what conventional schools teach in grades 1 through 5. Beyond the "3Rs," it includes computer science, Spanish, music, art and art history, physical education, human history and culture, science, and the roots of language. In addition our 3rd Level students and above participate in the National Stock Market Game, where they learn the basics of macro-economics and personal finances by ‘buying’ and ‘selling’ stocks and managing a ‘portfolio’ online.
Our elementary program is also distinguished by our field trips which integrate hands-on learning with new and exciting experiences. Examples include a “Floating Lab” in the San Diego Bay, where students calculate the depth, clarity, and temperature of water, wave movement and other science experiments. Our Upper Elementary students travel to Catalina, where for three days they “operate” a three-masted "Tall Ship" in the channel waters. They are engaged in sailing instruction, marine science and team-building aboard this unique sailing ship.
By becoming part of the CMS Elementary program, your child will receive:
- The opportunity to learn in small groups, free to respond to the natural drive to learn and work.
- Individual attention from teachers, who receive rigorous training in building an atmosphere of calm, order, and joy in the classroom.
- Guidance in discovering specialized subjects, such as the fine arts and computer science.
Children from a variety of cultures and backgrounds all over the world have benefited from a Montessori education; your child will as well.
For more information or to schedule a tour of the facilities, please contact the Admissions Office at (858) 673-1756 ext. 101.
