Principal: Melinda Harris
Parkview Montessori Handbook
Philosophy of Montessori Education
Montessori Education is a philosophy based on the work of Dr. Maria
Montessori. She felt, through her research, that the goal of education
should be to cultivate a child's natural desire to learn. This is
accomplished in the Montessori classroom in two ways. First, by allowing
each child to experience the excitement of learning by making choices
and second, by helping children to meet their full potential by
preparing the environment to meet the individual needs of all children.
History
Parkview Montessori Magnet School began in 1992 as a Montessori Magnet
School with 88 kindergarten and 1st grade students. Each year a grade
was added to accommodate a K-5 program and 1996 was the first year to
complete the cycle. Sixth grade was added in 2002, pre-K was added in
2003. Each year Parkview has met the requirements to be affiliated with
the American Montessori Society (AMS), an international organization
based on the studies of Dr. Maria Montessori. Each teacher is state
certified and AMS certified. The AMS certification is received after
approximately 400 hours of class work, along with course requirements,
observations and internship. AMS is a non-profit, non-discriminatory
service organization dedicated to stimulating the use of the Montessori
teaching approach in private and public schools.
Classrooms
Parkview offers two preschool classrooms, two kindergarten classrooms,
six 6-9 classrooms, (grades 1-3), four 9-12 classrooms, (grades 4-6).
Each classroom has a full-time educational assistant, which allows for a
1-10 teacher/student ratio. A resource/inclusion teacher and two
educational assistants implement an individualized educational program
for students with special needs. In addition, Parkview houses five
self-contained developmental classrooms, each with a teacher and an
educational assistant. Students with special needs are afforded the
opportunity to meet their individual needs, utilizing an Individualized
Educational Plan. Students are assigned through an IEP Team Meeting.
Mission and Beliefs
Parkview Montessori Magnet School will provide a peaceful,
non-competitive environment, and will provide the skills necessary to
prepare children for life by guiding them in reaching their fullest
potential.
As a result of the academic and social programs provided
at Parkview Montessori, we believe each child will:
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gain and exhibit knowledge;
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develop respect for the community, self and others;
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exercise initiative and responsibility;
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acquire creativity and curiosity in completing learning
tasks;
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demonstrate progress through various tools of
assessment; and,
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demonstrate an intrinsic motivation of learning for a
lifetime
*Student Creed
"I am an important person in this world.
Now is the most important time in my life.
My mistakes are my best teachers, so I will be fearless."
by Susan Dahoda
*All students recite this Creed each morning.
