Community · Poway and San Diego
Community Service and Family Events in Poway
At Country Montessori, kindness is part of the curriculum. Our students give back to San Diego all year long, and our families come together for traditions that make CMS feel like home.
Prefer to talk first? Call (858) 673-1756
- WASC accredited
- Full member of AMS
- Nonprofit since 1989
- 5.0 ★ on Google
Service is part of learning
Kindness, practiced every day
Montessori education teaches children to care for their classroom, each other and the world around them. Service grows naturally from that.
Grace and courtesy, then peace education
From age 2½, every child learns that their actions affect others, and practices respect, patience and care each day. In elementary, peace education takes these ideas deeper.
Learning about real needs
Every classroom reads Maddie's Fridge, an age-appropriate way to talk with young children about food insecurity. Then students decide how they can help.
Every age helps
Our youngest students collect donations, and our elementary students sort food, visit seniors and help lead our service events.
Families join in
Parents, siblings and grandparents join our beach cleanups, blood drives and the Firefighters for Hope 5K.
Feeding San Diego
Fighting hunger with Feeding San Diego
Each fall, our students run a food drive for Feeding San Diego, often a peanut butter drive, depending on what the food bank needs most. Then our elementary students deliver the donations and volunteer at the distribution center, sorting and packing food for families across San Diego County.
- 500+jars of peanut butter collected in 2026
- 4,000 lbsof avocados sorted by our students at Feeding San Diego
- 5,000 lbsof food packed by students in a single volunteer day
Firefighters for Hope
Walking for firefighters with cancer
Each January, CMS hosts the Firefighters for Hope walk with retired Vista Fire Captain Bob Stacey. Families, firefighters and neighbors walk along Pomerado Road to support the Firefighter Cancer Support Network (FCSN), which helps firefighters, EMS providers and their families facing cancer.
All of our elementary students walk the 5K, and our youngest students enjoy firefighter-themed stations and get to explore the fire engines that come to the event.
Next walk · 5K
Friday, January 29, 2027
Starts and finishes at Country Montessori School. Check-in at 9:00 a.m., walk at 10:00 a.m. Everyone is welcome.
Register with FCSN →
All year long
More ways our students give back
Every fall and spring
Fletcher Cove beach cleanups
CMS students and families meet at Fletcher Cove in Solana Beach to clean the beach, removing 20–40 lbs of trash each time.
Every fall and spring
San Diego Blood Bank drives
We host a San Diego Blood Bank drive on campus. Each drive collects 15–25 units of blood, helping more than 45 people.
Every month
Visiting Poway Gardens
Our Upper Elementary students visit Poway Gardens, a local memory care community, to spend time with the residents.
Coming this spring
A Pawsitively Ready adoption event
We're planning an adoption event to help rescued animals find loving homes. Details are coming soon.
In the news
Our students' service on TV
KUSI and FOX 5 have followed our students to Feeding San Diego and walked with us for Firefighters for Hope.
KUSI: Country Montessori students give back
KUSI: Our 2026 Peanut Butter Drive for Feeding San Diego
KUSI: Firefighters for Hope comes to Poway
Read “Teaching Kindness” in Hispanos News · See all our news coverage →
Life at CMS
A school community for the whole family
Service is one side of CMS. The other is a calendar full of events that bring families into the classroom and help them get to know one another.
- Mothers' Night, Fathers' Night and Grandparents' Night: students invite their families into the classroom to show them their work.
- Montessori Journey: parents become Montessori students for an evening and learn the method firsthand.
- Back to School Night and Moving Up Night: meet the teachers and learn about our enrichment classes, then get ready for the move to kindergarten, 1st grade or 4th grade.
- Morning Social and Pastries with the Principal: meet other CMS families, and drop in each quarter to talk with our principal over pastries.
Celebrations and fundraisers
Traditions our families look forward to
Halloween Carnival
Students, families and teachers dress up for one of our favorite fall days on campus.
Spring Fling
Our spring concert, when students take the stage for their families.
Rock-A-Thon and School Auction
Our two fundraisers support our nonprofit school. Last year's Walk-A-Thon had a Disney theme. This year, it's the Rock-A-Thon.
Multicultural Fair
Families share their cultures with our students, and all year long parents visit classrooms to present the celebrations their families observe.
Thanksgiving Feast
Students and teachers sit down together for a Thanksgiving feast at school.
Kindergarten and 5th grade graduations
We celebrate two big milestones with graduation ceremonies for our kindergartners and 5th graders.
Art and poetry
Kindergartners share their artwork at the Kindergarten Art Show, and elementary students read their poems at our Elementary Poetry Festival.
Movie nights and pajama days
Movie nights bring families together on campus, and pajama days add a little fun to the school week.
Field trips
Classes head out on field trips that take learning beyond the classroom.
Our partners
Organizations we're proud to support
Feeding San Diego
Food drives and volunteer days at the distribution center.
Visit site →Firefighter Cancer Support Network
Our Firefighters for Hope walk each January.
Visit site →San Diego Blood Bank
Blood drives on campus every fall and spring.
Visit site →Poway Gardens
Monthly visits by our Upper Elementary students.
Visit site →★★★★★ 5.0 on Google
What CMS families say
“One thing I especially loved was how families were encouraged to come share cultural holidays, celebrations, and food with the class.”
“…CMS helped her grow into an independent, curious, and confident learner, and the sense of community has been something really special for our whole family.”
“Her warmth and leadership creates an amazing school community. … We will always cherish the memories, friendships, and incredible education our son received here.”
Community questions
Do Country Montessori students do community service?
Yes. Service is part of learning at every age. Students collect food for Feeding San Diego and volunteer at its distribution center, clean Fletcher Cove beach every fall and spring, and our Upper Elementary students visit Poway Gardens each month.
Can families take part in the service projects?
Yes. Families join our Fletcher Cove beach cleanups, adults can donate at our San Diego Blood Bank drives, and everyone is welcome at the Firefighters for Hope 5K.
Is the Firefighters for Hope 5K open to the public?
Yes. The next walk is Friday, January 29, 2027, starting and finishing at Country Montessori School, with check-in at 9:00 a.m. and the walk at 10:00 a.m. Registration is through the Firefighter Cancer Support Network.
What family events does CMS hold?
Our year includes a Morning Social, Back to School Night, Mothers' Night, Fathers' Night, Grandparents' Night, Montessori Journey, quarterly Pastries with the Principal, Moving Up Night, the Halloween Carnival, a Thanksgiving Feast, our Multicultural Fair, the Kindergarten Art Show, the Elementary Poetry Festival, movie nights, pajama days, field trips, the Spring Fling concert and graduations for kindergarten and 5th grade, plus two fundraisers: the Rock-A-Thon and the School Auction.
How can I see the CMS community for myself?
Book a tour. Tours are offered Monday–Friday during the school day and take about 45 minutes. Book a tour online or call (858) 673-1756.
Come see our community in person
Tour our classrooms, meet our teachers and see why Poway families feel at home at CMS.
12642 Monte Vista Rd, Poway · (858) 673-1756