SMITHVILLE
MONTESSORI
ACADEMY II

Iris Community (3-6 Years)

“Children live in a world of their own interest, and the work they do there must be respected, for although many activities of children may seem pointless to grownups, Nature is using them for her own ends. She is building mind and character as well as bone and muscle .” – Maria Montessori

Our Early Childhood Classrooms

Our Early Childhood Classrooms range from ages 3-6, however a child at the age of 2 ½ could be considered for transition to a primary room if they are emotionally and socially ready. The teachers fully prepare the classrooms. We understand and acknowledge that children have an innate sense of what they need in order to learn and develop. As teachers, we are constantly observing each child, paying close attention to what their needs are, what lessons they need to be introduced to, what stage the child is at in the course of a curriculum area, social and emotional needs, fine and gross motor needs, and much more.   We have 7 set curriculum areas in our classrooms.

The areas of our classrooms include:

Practical Life- Children learn practical skills that will last a lifetime. These activities foster independence, concentration, self-care skills, grace, and courtesy, and care for their environment.

Sensorial-  Sensorial lessons help to develop hand-eye coordination, visual discrimination, sense of smell, and sense of touch and prepare children for further work in math and language.

Math- Montessori math curriculum is all hands-on and concrete materials for children to work with. The area starts with Numbers and Quantities 1-10 and gradually increases to more complex ideas, including the Decimal System, Four Operations, and Memorization.

Language- Children work throughout the day developing their language through stories, songs, finger plays, circle time activities, and pre-reading skills such as classification and rhyming. Our language area in our classroom follows the Montessori pink, blue, and green series, as well as the complete sets of Sandpaper Letters.

Geography– The Geography area in our Primary rooms includes studies of all seven continents, people, food, and artifacts from all around the world. We also study countries’ flags, traditions, land and water forms, and how to make a map.

Botany, Science & Nature- Children will learn about our natural world through hands-on material and an outdoor classroom environment. We study multiple things, including the life cycles of animals, parts of the animals, and planet and moon studies. We also work on parts of the body and skeleton, rocks and minerals, float or sink, microscopic organisms, weight, and much more.   

Art- Children develop their creativity through the process of our art activities, focusing on their own natural ability instead of the end product.

 

Iris Community Teachers

Kassidy
Ms. Kassidy
Lead Iris Community Guide
Iris Tricia
Ms. Tricia
Iris Community Guide

We compiled our frequently asked questions here. Please feel free to ask us about anything you need to know, so we can add more answers right here. Thanks in advance!

Children will transition into our Primary rooms at three or when they are developmentally ready. We require your child to be potty trained before transitioning to the Primary rooms.

Daily necessities such as, diapers, wipes, creams, milk, bottles, snacks, crib sheets, blanket, pacifier if needed, and weather appropriate extra clothes.

When weather permits, children will take walks in the stroller outside and enjoy outside activities within their playground area.

If your child is sick, we will contact you for pick up via phone call, your child may not return until fever and/or symptom free for 24hrs without medication. See the parent handbook for further information about our illness policy

  1. Hours of operation are 7 am-5:30 pm Monday through Friday, except for weekends and holidays or weather-related days.
  2. We do not provide lunch or snacks at our school; however, we provide juice and water.
  3. Tuition is due on Monday of each week unless you are approved to pay monthly.
  4. Withdraw: We require a 30-day written notice; your 30 days must be paid out whether the child attends.
  5. Late fee: Late fees will be issued when tuition is not paid on the payment date. See the parent handbook.
  6. Holidays and continuing education: Scheduled on our school calendar. We may close for inclement weather, and parents are notified in advance.
  7. Communication apps: Transparent Classroom, Remind, School Email, Phone Calls, Facebook and Instagram
  8. Toys: Please do not allow your child to bring toys, candy, gum, etc. to school.

Our School-aged Program Rates

  • Before/After – $87.50
  • Early Dismissal-$15.00
  • Before Only-$72.50
  • After Only -$72.50
  • Drop in Only $25.00
  • Summer Program $155.00
  • (Summer activity fees$200.00)

Questions? Drop us a note