What are the advantages of attending school four or five days per week?

In keeping with the standards of the American Montessori Society and our many 22 years of experience we find that a four or five day per week schedule is best for the Early Childhood (3 to 6 year old) student. There are many reasons for this.

1. Consistency is important to a young child. Between 3 and 6 years of age the child is just beginning to grasp the concept of time; today, tomorrow and yesterday. In order to ensure a smooth transition and normalization period the child needs to attend school consistently so there is no confusion each morning as to whether this is a "school day" or not. We find this is important to toddlers as well, but we offer the partial schedules for them to ease the transition into the school routine for the whole family.

2. Our comprehensive curriculum covers a different topic each day of the week. This curriculum is designed to begin with the most basic concepts at the start of the school year and slowly build on each of them, integrating each subject into the rest of the classroom so that the child can discover how each is interrelated. For instance, at Thanksgiving we combine Monday's lessons on art with Tuesday's lessons on seasons and the Thanksgiving Timeline, Wednesday's study of North America, the original inhabitants and endemic species, Thursday's literature including stories about Native Americans, Pilgrims, and North American plants and animals and Friday's study of Botany which includes parts of the plant and which edible plants will be included in our Thanksgiving Feast. If a child has missed only Tuesdays and Thursdays, she has missed a huge portion of this lesson.

3. Our teaching methods are based on the concept of allowing the child plenty of time to practice each skill. In Early Childhood we have found that if a student is attending sporadically his academic, social, and emotional progress will be sporadic as well.

4. Each day the entire class is introduced to new lessons, participates in community roles, such as caring for the pets and updating the calendar, and listens to announcements, often told in storyteller fashion about upcoming events. The class assumes a family like closeness with each member relying upon the others to perform their role, and all working together toward a common goal such as putting on a play or planning a party. A child who is frequently absent often feels left out.

5. Parents occasionally worry that their child is not yet mature enough to attend school five days each week, or simply that the parent will miss the child too much. Over time we have seen that when the child is allowed to attend school every day, she quickly becomes more confident and delights in her independence. With the child in school the parent has time to get work, shopping, and other adult oriented tasks out of the way so that the rest of the day can be spent on more child oriented activities.

When is my child ready for school?

When your child is walking independently and beginning to use and respond to verbal cues she will benefit enormously from spending some time in our Toddler Classroom. Toddler Class is for children 11/2 to 3 years of age. As the child's first school experience, the nurturing classroom environment offers many enticing activities that facilitate the child's growth and independence. The teachers are skilled at easing the transition for the new students, introducing them to the possibilities of making their own decisions and moving at their own pace. The child soon recognizes the classroom as a place where everything is to be touched, experimented with and explored.

The Toddler student is free to choose from a variety of activities carefully prepared to offer experiences in large and fine motor control, discerning shapes, colors, textures, tastes, and sounds. The child enjoys didactic materials which focus on developing independence skills such as pouring, sweeping, sponging, and buttoning. The child's confidence grows noticeably with her autonomy.

As in every Montessori classroom, the entire room is designed to meet the needs of the child. Everything is safe and meant to be touched. Adults use simple, respectful language and always get down to the child's level to communicate. Fine art and music are a part of the rich classroom experience.

The student emerges from Toddler Class with a strong sense of self. The child is responsible for making choices, putting things away, dressing himself, and taking care of his own hygiene. He feels confident in trying something new and knows how to ask for help when he needs it. He has explored many concepts sensorially and creatively and is ready to build upon these as well as social and academic skills in the Early Childhood Class.

What is Montessori?

The Montessori education system is based on the philosophy of Maria Montessori. She was the first woman to graduate as a doctor of medicine in Italy at the turn of the century. She began working with poor children, establishing a school, or "Casa de Bambini", which provided a child-oriented environment in which the children worked on specific skills such as buttoning, sweeping, reading and math. This class of underprivileged children soon exceeded the goals for children in the traditional schools. The Montessori method today is world-wide and very much the same as it was 100 years ago.

Is Montessori a franchise?

Since "Montessori" is a person's name it cannot be copyrighted. Anyone is free to use the name whether or not their program includes Montessori techniques, equipment or certified staff. The test of a true Montessori school includes asking for American Montessori Society (AMS) or Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) credentials for staff members and for the school as a whole. Parents should be welcome to observe classes and will notice a happy, harmonious atmosphere, respect of teachers for children, respect of children for teachers, and a full complement of well-cared for, authentic Montessori materials in each class.

Is Montessori education religious in nature?

We honor the spirituality of the child at Soaring Wings but do not espouse any particular religious belief. As a school we celebrate human diversity and incorporate traditions from many different cultures and religions into our classroom studies.

How is Soaring Wings different from other schools?

Credentials: We are stickiem for excellence. Soaring Wings Montessori School was the first American Montessori Society (AMS) school in the state of Utah. We require that all faculty members, including assistants, hold at least a Bachelor's degree in addition, all teachers are required to have formal American Montessori Society Training.

Experience: Soaring Wings has been under the same ownership and management for 22 years and has graduated hundreds of happy, successful children. Our graduates stand out as leaders in academics, fine arts, sports and leadership.

Focus: We do not offer daycare, so we can focus our energy on providing a quality education program. We know from first hand experience and from anecdotal reports from other schools that it is not possible to provide children with a superior education if the staff is distracted by the endless anomalies of a daycare program.

Low Student / Teacher Ratios:
5 to 1 for Toddler Classes
10 to 1 for Early Childhood, Elementary Prep and Elementary Classes.

Effective Curriculum: At Soaring Wings children learn more. Each classroom is equipped to offer learning opportunities for children at an advanced level compared to what peers are learning in the other schools. Since each lesson begins with a concrete experience and progresses logically, children are able to grasp concepts more easily and quickly than with other learning systems. Also, those who have trouble with a subject are afforded the time to work on the concept from many different angles until they have mastered it and are ready to move on. Each member of the class works at an individual pace rather than having to move along with the group. Our SAT scores show that the typical Soaring Wings graduate tests far above average.

The Prepared Classroom: The first thing you will notice that differentiates a Montessori classroom is how carefully it is prepared. Everything in the classroom is designed to address the academic and developmental needs of the child rather than for the convenience of the teacher. There are no teacher desks, bulletin boards or white boards. The classroom truly belongs to the child. Children are in charge of, and take great pride in, caring for plants and animals, keeping the room orderly, even cleaning and polishing wood. Fine art and music are selected for the children's enjoyment. Exquisitely crafted equipment and materials are arranged on shelves from easiest to hardest, left to right, top to bottom like words on a page. This reinforces the left to right movement of reading and enables the child to see her progress as she masters each activity.

Eligibility: Children over the age of 18 months are eligible for the Toddler Program. Those who are 3 years old and toilet trained are eligible for the Early Childhood Program. Those who are 6 and older are eligible for the Elementary Program, contingent upon assessment. Normally children begin school at Soaring Wings by age three. If a child has attended a day care, preschool or another school, s/he may have developed behaviors and/or work habits which are not compatible with the Montessori approach to education; therefore, children over age three must visit with the teacher and spend a day in class before being admitted.

More Than Academics: "Education for Peace" is our slogan. In addition to learning literacy, math, science, fine arts, geography, etc., students learn conflict resolution skills, to share limited resources, and to appreciate and respect other cultures and religions. These skills are key to raising a peaceful generation.

The Equipment: The Montessori materials are exquisitely crafted so that they fit together precisely, and each activity is designed to provide an opportunity to practice an individual skill. The teacher gives each child a lesson with each piece of equipment and the child is encouraged to practice with the equipment over and over again until mastery is gained. These didactic materials are also designed to provide new challenges as the child matures. The brown prisms, for example, are a set of ten oblong wooden blocks which are used in the Toddler Class to learn thickest to thinnest. In Early Childhood there are many variations using these same blocks that lead to understanding math and geometry. In the Elementary Class the same blocks are used to illustrate grammar.

Age Groups: Montessori classes are grouped according to their developmental levels rather than by age. Toddlers are 11/2 to 3 years old, Early Childhood accommodates 3 to 6 year olds and Elementary is for 6 to 8 year olds. During class time you will observe a wide variety of lessons and activities going on. The younger children are learning new things by watching their older classmates at work, and older children are becoming more confident and independent as they recognize their own mastery of skills and are called upon by classmates for help. Each child is learning at his own pace. The teacher's skill lies in identifying the needs of each particular child and knowing when to direct, when to challenge and when not to interfere with the child's progress.

Academic Success: Because students are allowed to learn at their own pace they very often move ahead of where their peers would be in traditional schools. When a child is ready to learn to read, the materials she needs are ready for her. Dr. Montessori found that if the appropriate materials and lessons are given at just the right time, called a "sensitive period", in the child's development the child absorbs the concept easily, like a sponge. If you try to teach a concept outside the sensitive period, it will be much more difficult for the child to learn. If a child is having trouble with a particular concept she is free to work on it from different angles until she has mastered the skill. Every lesson begins with a concrete example so that, for instance, children are counting rocks, sea shells and beads before they move into the abstract and do mathematical operations in their heads.

Precocious Knowledge: Dr. Montessori found that children are fascinated with the real world. They enjoy great art, classical music, learning botanical terms and studying the geography of the world. Each Montessori student becomes an expert in his particular field of interest as he is encouraged to read, write, draw, do field studies and conduct research on insects, reptiles or myths. Each Soaring Wings graduate enters his new school with a solid foundation in basic academics, experience in learning more about any area of interest and an exhilaration for learning that accompanies him throughout life.

Emotional Literacy: Emotional literacy and conflict resolution are skills practiced every day in every class at Soaring Wings. In the Toddler Class the children begin by noticing emotions and solving problems with words rather than by grabbing or hitting. In Early Childhood the children are emerging into a social period and need lots of practice at solving difficulties. They employ a peace object such as a stone, a feather or a rainstick, passing it back and forth allowing each to speak from her heart until the problem is worked out. By the time the child joins the Elementary Class the peace object is seldom needed as the child masters the ability to speak her mind while caring for the feelings of others.

Reaching Out: In keeping with our philosophy of learning about our world and helping whenever we can, the students are involved in several on-going projects which they have selected. These projects such as Adopt-a-Native Elder, Recycle Utah and ChildReach add depth to our curriculum and an awareness of how to make a difference in the world. Every student and their family helps with planning, organizing and working at our Park City Children's Fair each June, the proceeds of which make up a good portion of the funds that we contribute to these organizations each year. Our annual Angel Trees in December and Casino Night in the spring also raise funds for these projects. We have given away close to $50,000 since 1988 through this "Children's Planet" fund aimed at making our world a better place for children.

Should I sign my child up for early childhood or elementary prep?

The Elementary Prep Class allows the 4-6 year old to enjoy a morning work period including practical life, sensorial, art, music, science, geography, language, math and penmanship. During lunch the focus is on etiquette, nutrition, and the practical life activities of setting a table and washing dishes. Free time follows lunch and many include sledding in winter, large motor games, and nature walks. During the final portion of the day the child enjoys a work period focusing upon academic skills. This provides the opportunity to practice reading, writing, and math operations. Group lessons, spelling, grammar, and gloden bead math are also presented. The Elementary Prep class also joins the Elementary class for occasional field trips or cultural lessons.

To be eligible for Elementary Prep, the child should be at least 4 years old, competent with the sounds of the alphabet, world building, and numerals and quantities. The child should also be socially and emotionally mature enough for a longer day and the accompany responsibilities.

Do you offer extended care or part-time schedules?

We have found that offering daycare detracts from a high quality educational program.

We have also found that children benefit most from a Monday through Friday program. Young children enjoy a consistent routine. We notice that when a child is ready for school, she is happiest attending five days each week and adjusts quickly and easily to the school routine. Our comprehensive curriculum includes a group lesson each day which progresses from the simplest aspect of a subject to the more complex, and is integrated with the other areas of the curriculum. A child who regularly misses class loses a huge portion of that carefully orchestrated curriculum. The child who attends regularly also typically progresses more steadily than the child who attends sporadically. We offer Tuesday/Thursday and Monday/Wednesday/Friday programs for toddlers in order to ease the transition for their parents.

When is the best time to transfer to another school?

Each program is designed to build upon the foundation of the one before it. The Toddler Class graduate comes into the Early Childhood Class with a sense of independence and responsibility that gives her a head start into the many discoveries awaiting her in the Early Childhood program. After three years in the Early Childhood program the child has worked methodically through many concrete experiences and is in the process of moving into the more abstract world of reading, writing and math. The Elementary program offers the opportunity to continue developing the child's expertise in all areas at her own individual pace. By the time she reaches Elementary, teachers know the student's strengths and weaknesses well and provide her with many challenges to continue her development in social, emotional and cognitive growth. We highly recommend the student complete the Elementary program to enjoy the full benefit of Montessori education.

How will our child do when s/he transfers to another school?

The Elementary graduate is prepared to enter any new school with academics firmly in place, often testing far above grade level, and eager to learn more. She gets along easily with others and knows how to solve a problem on her own. Our graduates, whether in public or private school, stand out as artists, musicians, athletes, scholars and leaders.

Is Soaring Wings Financially Stable?

Soaring Wings is fully funded with registration fees and tuition. We do not 'nickel and dime' parents with other fees or charges. Parents and grandparents are sometimes reluctant to become involved in their child's private school due to expectations of contributions beyond tuition. This is not the case at soaring wings, so feel free to participate to your heart's content.