Guidepost Montessori at Hollywood Beach

I have two children attending this school, one in upper elementary and the other in lower elementary. Both of my children have attended this school since they were 18 months old. The programming and community that Guidepost provide is something that you will not find anywhere else in South Florida. I highly recommend this school and will be sending my kids here until they have graduated high school.

If your kid is different this is NOT the school for you.

My name is Simona Zion, and I’m the mother of Noah Boris Zion who used to attend Guidepost Montessori in Hollywood.

How do I even start with this, I’m so disappointed and so frustrated. My son is a 5 y/o boy who has a speech delay and is not as verbal compared to his peers.  All of which was explained at the interview before starting the school year. At the interview, I was assured that the staff was prepared ( after all that is why that is a private and not a public school ) and I was told that the school had kids with much more serious disabilities, which are doing amazing in the program.

Yes, but not exactly. Five months into the school year, we had a parent-teacher conference in which we were informed by Miss Viviana (Head of School) that our son needs extra help and more one on one attention, and they cannot provide it because their staff is cut in half because of COVID. (Which I’m not sure how is our fault since we’re paying 100% of the tuition. Which is $2100 per month.) I want to add to this, that our son goes to speech therapy 4 times a week after school. So Miss Viviana suggested that we have to hire a “Shadow Teacher” Monday-Friday who we have to pay out of pocket on top of the school tuition. And for your information, a shadow teacher costs between $40-$50 an hr. And she basically said that if we do not agree, we would have to find another school.

No need to explain how frustrated my husband and I were after this meeting, but we were trying to find a solution that would work for both parties since our son was loving the school and his teachers. And he was (at least in my eyes) progressing so much. He is five, and he knew how to write all letters and numbers, and how to write short words too.

So we decided to hire a professional therapist since no one in the school is a specialist and hire the shadow teacher based on the suggestions the therapist gives us.

Before the therapist even got the chance to go for evaluation and a few days after the first meeting we got called for a second one, in which  Miss Viviana informed us that we have to find a new school for our son (please keep in mind that this is in the middle of the school year!). When asked why, she explained that they cannot support our son the way they want and she also added that our son is not socializing like the rest of the kids, and is basically not a good fit for their community.

So I want to ask, and please correct me if I’m wrong, what example does your school gives to the kids that attend it? That when someone is different or has challenges in something we’re not helping, but we’re kicking them out and ostracizing them, so we don’t have to deal with it.

And is this what you stand for as a teacher, to give up on those who need you the most… I guess I will never find answers to my questions.

This is a review from the perspective of a parent. My two daughters attend this wonderful school, one in Toddler House and one in Lower Elementary. They both love going to school and are well cared for during the day. The teachers are warm and well trained. They teach the whole child, not just the basic curriculum. I'm proud and grateful that my girls have Guidepost as their home away from home. Thank you!

Marblue Montessori is a great school. My son attended right after the school first opened and he loved it. Everyone was very attentive and caring. They treated him like he was their own. He enjoyed the hands on learning and made great friends while he was there.

Marblue Montessori was an absolutely wonderful school. My son was there for 3 years and loved every day. The teachers were very attentive and truly cared about each student. There was a good balance of teachers to students in each class and the school directors were very good at informing us of the Montessori teaching approach and the ways we could carry this through at home. I couldn't have asked for more. Thanks

If your kid is different this is NOT the school for you. My name is Simona Zion, and I&#39;m the mother of Noah Boris Zion who used to attend Guidepost Montessori in Hollywood. How do I even start with this, I&#39;m so disappointed and so frustrated. My son is a 5 y/o boy who has a speech delay and is not as verbal compare to his peers.  All of which was explained at the interview before starting the school year. At the interview, I was assured that the staff was prepared ( after all that is why that is a private and not a public school ) and I was told that the school had kids with much more serious disabilities, which are doing amazing in the program. Yes, but not exactly. Five months into the school year, we had a parent-teacher conference in which we were informed by Miss Viviana (Head of School) that our son needs extra help and more one on one attention, and they cannot provide it because their staff is cut in half because of COVID. (Which I&#39;m not sure how is our fault since we&#39;re paying 100% of the tuition. Which is $2100 per month.) I want to add to this, that our son goes to speech therapy 4 times a week after school. So Miss Viviana suggested that we have to hire a &#34;Shadow Teacher&#34; Monday-Friday who we have to pay out of pocket on top of the school tuition. And for your information, a shadow teacher costs between $40-$50 an hr. And she basically said that if we do not agree to that we have to find another school. No need to explain how frustrated my husband and I were after this meeting, but we were trying to find a solution that would work for both parties since our son was loving the school and his teachers. And he was (at least in my eyes) progressing so much. He is five, and he knew how to write all letters and numbers, and how to write short words too. So we decided to hire a professional therapist since no one in the school is a specialist and hire the shadow teacher based on the suggestions the therapist gives us. Before the therapist even got the chance to go for evaluation and few days after the first meeting we got called for s second one, in which  Miss Viviana informed us that we have to find a new school for our son (please keep in mind that this is in the middle of the school year!). When asked why, she explained that they cannot support our son the way they want and she also added that our son is not socializing like the rest of the kids, and is basically no good fit for their community. So I want to ask, and please correct me if I&#39;m wrong, what example your school gives to the kids that go to it? That when someone is different or it has challenges in something we&#39;re not helping, but we&#39;re kicking them out and ostracize them, so we don&#39;t have to deal with it. And is this what you stand for as a teacher, to give up on those who have the most need of you... I guess I will never find answers to my questions.

As a parent, I&#39;m so happy my girls have a home away from home at Guidepost Montessori. The teachers are caring and well trained. They teach the whole child, not just basic curriculum. The staff is also warm and welcoming. One of the best schools around!!

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