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Program Description
APS Middle School Montessori . . .
- Builds confidence with small classes housed within a larger school middle school with sports, clubs and electives
- Fosters leadership, time management and collaboration
- Nurtures social growth in a community of learners
- Offers free busing throughout Arlington
- Continues self directed learning in a multi-age classroom
- Builds a solid academic foundation for high school and college
- Prepares students to research and learn independently
- Encourages links to the wider world and social justice
For more information about the Montessori program, please view this presentation.
The Montessori learning experience is cumulative:
What a child learns in each year builds on what was learned in previous Montessori years. The Middle School Montessori program continues this learning, building a strong educational foundation for high school and college. In middle school, students are ready to leave behind the hands-on manipulative materials used in elementary Montessori and learn through reading, listening to lectures, discussion and research.
Montessori teachers reach students though their values: Adolescents are going through an intense period of change and growth. They value doing work with a purpose, belonging to a community, fostering
social justice and working with respected mentors. Middle school Montessori teachers consider the whole child and support those values, which encourages student growth and fulfillment.
Students learn to collaborate and to work independently:
Instead of competing with each other, students cooperate, help each other and work together on group projects. They are expected to manage their time and work load independently, and produce quality work.
Students help run and maintain the classroom, and work to raise money for field trips and other activities outside the school.
Small class plus large school – the best of both worlds:
Montessori students at Gunston Middle School spend much of their day in two connected classrooms, their home base.. From that secure home base they can also be active in overall student life. Every student takes daily electives, such as languages, band/orchestra, PE, art, tech ed, and video production. Gunston is an exceptional state-of-the-art facility and offers dozens of after school sports, clubs and activities (plus a late bus!).