Montessori School of Westminster

Sending our children here was the best decision we made

It took months to get someone to respond to get my son and daughter enrolled. I was eager to get started as quickly as possible. Finally, after paying money for applications and independent testing, my daughter was turned down because of a health condition and a temporary disability that would leave her in a wheelchair for 3-6 months. Their school is NOT accessible, despite their claims. My husband and I offered to pay for any modifications that would need to be made, they did not accept our offer. Not only did they wait to deny us, in writing, but they did it AFTER I paid to apply and go through testing. I never received a copy of my son's test results even after numerous request to have a copy.
The lack of follow up was ridiculous. I called and emailed so many times trying to just get started, that should have been my first indication that this school isn't up to par. But my neighbor loved this school and assured me that it was just the enrollment director and they had the same problem.

I have gone to Montessori since I was in preschool, at three years of age. Although I do not remember much of those first three years, I do believe it was fundamental in my education. I was reading fluently by first grade, and had a basic understanding of math. One thing that stood out to me was the fact that not only academic skills were being taught, but also essential life skills, such as slicing carrots or coring apples. The hands-on materials that all children crave made learning concepts much easier. I progressed easily from the primary classrooms (preschool and kindergarten) to Lower Elementary (grades 1-3). My Lower Elementary years solidified my knowledge of the four basic math operations and also introduced new things, such as fractions and decimals. Lower Elementary also brought some new language works, such as sentence construction, punctuation and parts of speech.  We also held &#39;Student Lunches&#39; where the students would spend a week planning and organizing a lunch held for parents. In Lower, I made some friends, almost all of which I still talk to and cherish today (see Naomi C., another reviewer, and a dear friend). After I graduated from Lower Elementary, I moved to Upper Elementary. Upper Elementary (grades 4-6) was when History, Science, and the Arts were really becoming more of the curriculum. Although the aforementioned subjects were offered in prior grades, the teachers didn&#39;t really give any lessons on them, and I do not think that it has hindered my knowledge or confidence in any of those subjects. Finances and money management were also a large part of our activity. We had a game, much like Monopoly, that we played, buying and selling items and &#39;properties&#39; (desks). It was a very fun game, and enjoyed by all. At the end of each year, we go on a camping trip, which is incredibly fun! We bond as  a class and the overnight is very much the highlight of our year. It was extremely hard leaving my sixth grade year and rising up to: (dun dun dunnnnnn!) MIDDLE SCHOOL. Middle school (grades 7-9) has been an extremely fun and rewarding experience so far! Although there are less hands-on works and more worksheets, the Montessori Philosophy is definitely there. The Montessori Philosophy, to me, includes &#39;what you put in to it is what you get out of it&#39;. We go on three week-long trips a year, two to either Lake Anna, VA or Luray, VA. If you don&#39;t complete all of your work by the time we leave, you must take it along and finish it on the trip, when you could be doing more fun activities. Our third trip of the year is at the end of the year, where we choose a location (within budget) and plan our trip. This year we chose Ft. Lauderdale, FL. If you don&#39;t complete your work before our flight takes off, you cannot go on the trip. These trips have taught me budgeting, time management and planning. We must raise money for our trips, and we do this with a variety of businesses, such as selling yearbook ads, pizza for lunches, and mixes for snacks. Everyone takes part in these businesses, and they are super fun to do! In conclusion, I don&#39;t regret anything about my Montessori education, and highly recommend it to anyone. The teachers give students room to explore and learn for themselves, but also give lessons and help to struggling students. You or your child will make lifelong friends at MSW. My words can&#39;t do it justice, so stop by for a visit, to see our awesome school in action! -Madeline L Going into grade 8 Age 13

I have gone to Montessori since I was two years old. Even at that age, primary teachers engaged the mind and encouraged learning on your own. My teacher, Mrs. Burke, taught us how to count in German as well as in English! Good quality materials helped me understand concepts. An example of this is the Golden Beads, which demonstrated to me how ten units/individual beads made one bar of ten units, and how ten of those made one hundred! Lists of reading words helped me tremendously, making me a very strong reader today! In Lower Elementary, you have to fill out a work plan of five works (Math, Reading, Language, Board Work, Cultural) before proceeding to more entertaining works, such as coloring. Teachers offer amazing lessons that explain things in simple but yet thorough terms. Mrs. Welsh-Baer was my Lower Elementary Directress. Upper Elementary, the level that I am now in, is probably my favorite. Mrs. Malcolm, my teacher, is so inspiring and smart! Although I don&#39;t really love math, Mrs. M manages to make it fun! We have really interesting history lessons, the most recent on the Civil War. We managed to impress a tour guide on a trip to Gettysburg because we knew the Gettysburg Address so well! We read fun Book Club books, and answer worksheets on them. We also do a lot of silent reading on our own. Every week there is a quote that we discuss in depth. I think that these quotes let you really explore philosophy and ethics at a young age. Like in Lower Elementary, there is a work plan, only we plan out all the works we will do that day at the beginning of the day and complete them as the morning goes on. Every year, we go on an insanely fun camping trip-- a perk of a smaller school! We travel to the camp site in the afternoon, stay overnight, stop by Hoffman&#39;s Ice Cream Parlor, and return to the school. This teaches us to be independent, skills we will need in college. We have a really fun Espanol program, taught by Señora Sheasby. We sing fun songs, tell jokes, and play fun games. We&#39;ve covered a lot this year, mostly about conjugating verbs. We also have a really cool music program! Besides having normal music classes, kids have the opportunity to enroll in free chorus, strings, or band lessons. I am in the strings and chorus programs. We learn a lot about notes and how to read music. Also in strings, I learned that playing the viola isn&#39;t just a bucket of rainbows-- after a while, your elbow really starts hurting! Ms. Sayre, like all MSW teachers, is super nice! Mrs. Niles, who teachers chorus and music, is as well. Creativity is a big thing at MSW. You can see our art and poems hanging in the halls! So pop in for a visit, and think about enrolling your kids here-- believe me, you won&#39;t regret it! -Naomi C Grade 6 Age 11

Photo of Montessori School of Westminster - Westminster, MD, United States. The sixth year students from Mrs. Malcolm&#39;s class share a scrapbook they have filled with memories of their time together.

Photo of Montessori School of Westminster - Westminster, MD, United States. The Sixth Graders from Mrs. Malcolm&#39;s Upper Elementary class at Closing Ceremony 2014.

Photo of Montessori School of Westminster - Westminster, MD, United States. Closing Ceremony 2014

Photo of Montessori School of Westminster - Westminster, MD, United States. Naomi at MSW Upper Elementary Book Night!

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