All of the lead teachers are Montessori certified with an average teaching career of fourteen years at The Summit. Assistant teachers are an integral part of the Montessori school. In addition to classroom preparation and teaching, the assistant teacher also performs a variety of duties ranging from recess supervision to rest time supervision. Montessori teaching assistants are state-certified, having received either a B.S. or B.A. degree, and have an average teaching career of 7 years. Every staff member serves as a positive role model throughout our Summit community. There are five classrooms within the Montessori building, each furnished with an abundance of Montessori materials. The child uses a hands-on approach to achieve the Montessori philosophy of order, independence, concentration, and coordination, moving from the concrete to the abstract. The flexible program is designed to recognize individual differences and meet the requirements of a wide range of readiness and abilities. The climate within the school is warm, caring, and friendly with an emphasis placed on developing the areas of practical life, sensorial, language, math, computer technology, science, geography, music, physical education, and spiritual growth.

A variety of programs is offered to service our children and parent’s needs. For the parent who would like to introduce the child to school as a 3 year old, a half-day program, meeting 3 days per week has proven extremely popular. The children in this program utilize Montessori materials specifically designed for their age group. The student-teacher ratio in this classroom is 9 to 1. A child who would like to attend school on a 5-day basis may be enrolled in a multi-aged Montessori classroom, attending either a morning or an afternoon half-day session. Each of the 5 classrooms is equipped with a full range of Montessori teaching materials. The student-teacher ratio in this program is 12 to 1.

Two Montessori enrichment programs are available. These programs are designed for children who wish to attend school for the entire day. The expanding enrichment programs are housed in four classrooms in the new Montessori division of the Main Summit building.

For the child aged 3-4, the Montessori Extended Day program is ideal. The child spends half of the day in the Montessori classroom, and the second half is spent in the Extended Day classroom. At midday a nutritious, hot lunch is served in the cafeteria. The child participates in playtime and is encouraged to rest for an hour. The caring, enthusiastic teachers of this program provide the child with a unique opportunity to express themselves through art, drama, literature, computer skills, dance, and cooking. The classroom is beautifully furnished with Montessori and enriching educational materials, through which the children learn respect for their classroom and each other. The student-teacher ratio is 9-1 in this program.

The 5-year-old kindergarten child may attend the Montessori All-Day program, spending half of the day in the Montessori academic classroom, and the second half in one of the two All-Day enrichment classrooms, with a student-teacher ratio of 12-1. This theme based extension program focuses on areas of particular interest to 5 year olds, including the solar system, Native Americans, inventors, animals, theater, drama, and famous artists. Each unit culminates with a field trip or child produced play to which parents are invited to attend. The imaginative and innovative teaching style has made this a very popular program within our school. In addition, the All-Day child receives foreign language lessons, either in French or Spanish on a twice weekly basis. At midday the All-Day child also enjoys a well-balanced lunch with friends and plenty of time to relax and play.

For the parent who requires before and after school care, or care during the holidays, a program exists for that purpose, staffed by caring Summit personnel. An emphasis is placed on developing each child’s spiritual, academic, social, artistic, and physical capacity. The Summit Montessori School is the beginning of an early learning experience which provides a catalytic response and challenge to learning–an education for life.