CALIFORNIA MONTESSORI PROJECT - CAPITOL CAMPUS
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Mission Statement
California Montessori Project-Capitol Campus is an independent Montessori charter school sponsored by the Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD) serving around 330 students from Kindergarten through 8th Grade. Our mission is to offer a quality, tuition free, Montessori education that challenges our students to reach their full potential. We opened in 2001 and are in our 14th year of operations. We are located at 2635 Chestnut Hill Dr. Sacramento, CA 95826, which is a SCUSD facility.
About This Cause
The California Montessori Project-Capitol Campus educates students in Kindergarten through Eighth Grade from diverse cultural, academic, and socioeconomic backgrounds in the greater Sacramento area. As a public charter school, we offer an open enrollment policy. We offer an environment which has the tools, programs, resources and support to prepare students for college and career readiness. CMP is committed to the goal of developing self- motivated, competent, life-long learners. All stakeholders are focused on student success. Families and students will find they are a match for our program who are motivated to be educated in the Montessori methodology; who have the ability and capability to work independently; and who are responsible and accountable for their own actions. CMP’s Expected Student Learner Results: • Students make safe, respectful, and responsible choices for themselves and empower others to do so, as well. • Students are Montessori learners who work independently, demonstrate initiative, utilize the power of concentration, and think critically. • Students are ambassadors of grace and courtesy who celebrate the diversity in our global community. • Students are agents of change who have a strong sense of community, are socially responsible, are connected to their environment, and are advocates for themselves and others. Who was Maria Montessori? Maria Montessori was a medical doctor, research scientist, and educator who opened her first school in 1907 in Rome, Italy. The Montessori approach to education is based on Dr. Maria Montessori’s life’s work of observing children. She observed children to have a natural desire to learn and recognized distinct stages of development. She designed corresponding educational environments with purposeful, hands-on materials, and devoted her life to educating teachers on the developmental needs of children at each stage and how to prepare these environments. The Montessori Approach to Education The primary goal of a Montessori program is to help each individual child reach their full potential in all areas of life. Activities promote the development of social skills, emotional growth, and physical coordination, as well as, cognitive preparation. The curriculum and the environment empower children, encourage their creativity, and build a strong sense of self, allowing them to enjoy the process of learning and the excitement of accomplishment. • Prepared Environment- Children learn by utilizing all of their senses. A prepared environment ignites a child's natural desire to learn through exploration and discovery. The Montessori classroom encompasses the following: o An orderly and beautiful environment that encourages the child to explore and learn o The placement of Montessori and supplemental materials on shelves for easy accessibility in a sequential order o The fostering of independence which is the vital foundation for the development of freedom and self-discipline • Sensitive Periods- The Teachable Moment - A sensitive period is a time in a child's life when he or she is deeply interested in and highly motivated to learn a particular skill or understand a piece of information. It is during this unique time that he or she learns a task easily. It is the role of the teacher to identify these sensitive periods in each individual child and link the child to the appropriate learning activities and materials found in the prepared environment. • Montessori Materials- Montessori materials are beautiful and enticing. They are designed to spark the child’s imagination, isolate the concept to be learned, and self-correct for a specific activity or skill. The materials are multi-sensory, and demonstrate concepts first at the concrete level and then move to the abstract. • Multi-Age Classroom- Multi-age spans in classrooms are based on the philosophy of the family unit. Just like in a family environment where younger members learn from the experience of the older ones, children in a multi-age group setting learn from each other. Children develop the skills to negotiate, cooperate, and accept ideas other than their own. Since all children are at different stages in their learning and development, negative competition between children is practically non-existent. Younger students benefit by having mentors and role models, and learning from peers as well as adults. The older, more advanced student gains confidence and leadership skills. By mentoring the younger peer, the older student reinforces his/her own academic knowledge. • Peace Education-The Montessori philosophy and educational model emphasizes respect for all individuals which is a key component in building a strong community. Lessons in “Grace and Courtesy” begin at the earliest grades, and students have the opportunity to learn peaceful ways to work through their conflicts. When issues and misbehaviors do occur, a positive discipline approach, based on respectful, relevant, and related consequences, is utilized. • Normalization- Normalization refers to the focus, concentration, and independence of the children, by their own choice. It means they have acquired the internal freedom to initiate work, be independent, and adhere (by choice) to the rules of the environment. A well prepared Montessori environment facilitates the process of Normalization by offering engaging, hands-on materials, and long, uninterrupted work periods. ACADEMIC PROGRAM LEVELS: The adopted California Common Core State Standards are aligned with CMP’s Montessori curriculum. Kindergarten Program: Kindergarten is the culmination of the Montessori Early Childhood Program which addresses the needs of the child during the first plane of development. The goal is to provide a Montessori education for students, which prepares them for the lower elementary program, focusing on learning experiences in the major curriculum areas: • Practical Life: care of self, environment, grace & courtesy • Sensorial: development of the senses • Mathematics • Language • Handwriting • Science: Zoology, Botany • Geography • History • Introduction to Technology • Peace Education • Visual & Performing Arts / Public Speaking • Physical Education • Introduction to a Second Language • Field Trips: outdoor extensions of the Montessori curriculum Lower Elementary Program: First through Third Grade Levels (ages 6 to 9) The Lower Elementary Program consists of multi-age groupings, which builds upon skills and concepts introduced in the Kindergarten program, focusing on the following curricular areas: • Practical Life: care of self, environment, grace & courtesy • Language • Writing • Mathematics • Geometry • Science: Zoology, Botany, Earth and Physical Sciences, Astronomy • Geography • History • Peace Education • Visual & Performing Arts / Public Speaking • Physical Education • Technology • Second Language Exploration • Field Trips: outdoor extensions of the Montessori curriculum The Lower Elementary students work towards increasing self-direction and independence. In achieving these goals, the students gain strong self-concepts and effective roles of direction in self-responsibility. Upper Elementary Program: Fourth through Sixth Grade Levels (ages 9 to 12) The Upper Elementary Program consists of multi-age groupings, which builds upon skills and concepts introduced in the Lower Elementary program, focusing on the following curricular areas: • Practical Life: care of self, environment, grace & courtesy • Language • Writing • Mathematics • Geometry • Science: Earth and Physical Sciences • History: Ancient Civilizations, California, United States • Health • Peace Education • Visual & Performing Arts • Physical Education • Technology • Presentations / Public Speaking • Second Language Studies • Field Trips: outdoor extensions of the Montessori curriculum culminating in an overnight milestone trip The Upper Elementary program provides opportunities for individual and community service projects, and cooperative group work. Writing, research, and communication skills are further developed. Technology is used as a resource for research, writing, publishing, and presentation. Middle School Program: Seventh and Eighth Grade Levels (ages 12 to 15) CMP recognizes that adolescence is an age of rapid change. It is a time of metamorphosis in the physical, emotional, social, and intellectual growth of the child, leading him or her toward adulthood. A strong part of the Montessori philosophy is to consider the unique developmental stages of adolescent students in order to support their changing needs. CMP’s Middle School Program consists of multi-age groupings, which builds upon skills and concepts introduced in the Upper Elementary Program, focusing on the following curricular areas: • Practical Life: care of self, environment, grace & courtesy, student run business • Language • Writing • Mathematics • Science: Life and Physical Science • History: United States, World • Health • Peace Education • Visual & Performing Arts • Physical Education • Technology • Presentations / Public Speaking • Second Language Studies • Immersion Trips: day and overnight excursions following the completion of each learning cycle In the Middle School Program, cooperative skills are enhanced through community service and community building activities. Class businesses allow students to exercise cooperative and practical applications of skills. Writing, research, and communication skills are further developed. Technology is used as a resource for research, writing, publishing, and presentation. CHOOSING MONTESSORI AND OTHER INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS FOR THE CLASSROOM CMP utilizes the American Montessori Society’s recommended materials list when selecting Montessori instructional materials. CMP has adopted a number of on-line programs that allow students to progress at their own pace. These include: • Rosetta Stone Second Language Program • Accelerated Reader (1st through 8th grade) • Accelerated Math (1st through 8th grade) • Learning.com