Primary (3-6): The Children’s House
Aya is proud to cater to different age groups under one roof. Aya is an:
MSDE NON-PUBLIC SCHOOL: The KG-6 Grade Program at Aya is an MSDE- Approved Nonpublic School Program.
OFFICE OF CHILDCARE: Aya’s 3-5 Program is licensed by the Office of Childcare.
Montessori education is designed to identify and meet the needs of children at every stage of development from the earliest years to the adolescent. This cohesive approach supports the child in acquiring the skills and knowledge needed to thrive in today’s world. Keeping track of children’s progress and growth over time are critical tasks for Montessori teachers and deeply intertwined with the work of guiding children through the breadth of the Montessori curriculum. In Montessori, continual assessment is organically built into the essential functioning of an authentic classroom. The daily use of observation combined with the ability of the learning materials to reveal a child’s understanding along with rigorous record keeping enable Montessori teachers to closely follow their students’ development.
The Montessori primary prepared environment addresses the needs of the young child. The emphasis on natural peer-to-peer social interactions supports unfolding social-emotional development. An intense concentration on spoken language and cultivating the foundation skills of literacy supports the child in learning how to understand and communicate with others. The teacher’s task is to observe and support each child in her individual journey. The multi-aged grouping inside the classroom supports her in this task by exposing each child to a variety of social roles.
Academic Year 2023/2024 Information
Primary School Hours:
School Day: 8am - 4pm (covered by basic tuition).
Arrival/Car Drop-off Line: 8AM (Arriving after 8:30 is marked as late).
Extended-Care:
Morning-care: 7-8AM Open play at the gym. (Free for year 2022/23)
Extended-Care: 4PM - 5PM (available per hour and per request for an additional hourly fee. Request tuition here).
Enrollment Options for Primary: Full-time (5-days/week) Only (Montessori Requirement). 10 months OR year round with summer camp.
Enrichment: In addition to Montessori education, we offer enrichment classes at this level:
Arabic/Islam/Quran (ages 3-6)
More information can be found below.
Additional Notes:
Children at the Primary level must be FULLY bathroom independent and Potty-trained before the first day of school.
It’s recommended that children start attending a Primary program at age 3 and ideally stay in the same Primary environment for 3 year (or minimum of 2 years).
Children who turn 5 by September 1st can only be enrolled if they had at least 1 year of experience at the Primary level at Aya /or/ previous Montessori experience at a different Montessori school.
Snacks are provided by the school. Lunch comes from home. All lunch items and snacks must be nut-free (Parents will be alerted if there are any additional life-threatening allergies).
Primary Level at Aya
Ratio: 1:10 (teacher:child) for (Mixed Ages 3-6)
Staff: 1 AMI Montessori guide + 1 Second Language Assistant + 1 Enrichment Assistant
Sample Schedule for
7:00-8:00AM
Morning Care (Childcare) + Arrival Window
8:00-11:00AM
Morning Learning Cycle / Individual Work / Group Work + Snack
11:00-11:15AM
Circle-time/Transition
11:30AM-12:00PM
Outdoor Recess / Physical Education
12:00-1:00PM
Lunch
1:00-3:00PM
Ages 3-5: Nap-time (nap ends at 2:30)
Ages 5-6: Afternoon Learning Cycle + Second Language lessons for KG children.
3:00PM-3:45PM
Enrichment Begin: Arabic Lessons + Islam Lessons + Enrichment Classes
3:45PM-4:00PM
Dismissal (car pickup-line) /or/ Snack time for children in extended care.
4:00-5:00PM
Extended Care Option - Open Play (Childcare)
Learning at The Primary Level
The Primary classrooms will meet each student’s need for the development of the senses, movement, language, and order or precision through morning and afternoon work cycles and outdoor play. These environments will be rich in learning materials and structured, 1-to-1 lessons with opportunities for repetition and choice-making. To nurture student’s needs for movement and prepare them for work of an academic nature, concentration will be honed through practical life exercises that begin with large muscle, whole body movements such as table washing and window washing to more fine motor tasks such as pouring, spooning, and sewing. Sensory exploration through color, sound, and other materials will support classification,
categorization, and the precise development of vocabulary. Language exercises will help students move from phonemic awareness to fluent writing and reading of words and books. Mathematical exercises will include concrete materials that help students associate symbols and quantities and form a foundation in number sense that leads to the four operations with numbers through the thousands. Additional areas for exploration and work will include botany, zoology, geography, music, and culture.
Student progress will be measured and shared through regular developmental assessments, record-keeping, reports, and parent-teacher conferences.
There are four areas of learning in a Primary Classroom:
Practical Life
From Practical Life activities, children learn how to take care of themselves, others and their environment and feel like they belong to a small community and they take part in keeping it beautiful. Grace & Courtesy lessons supports the child’s social development by giving her/him the proper language to use in different social settings.
Big part of practical life is Art. Children are introduced to different media and are given the opportunity to develop fine motor skills and express themselves creatively. This includes visual art, sewing and culinary arts (post-COVID, hopefully!).
Sensorial
Activities in this section allow the child to refine each of his senses. He will become a child who can appreciate color or texture differences, organize his thoughts and objects in his environment and who has a refined sense of pitch from the music he may hear around him/her.
Another major part of Sensorial materials is geography. By engaging the child’s senses, the child learns about earth, land and water, continents and then focusing on the child’s country. We hope that children will grow respect to other cultures and feel connected to the bigger world.
Language
The main goal of language materials and activities in Montessori is helping the child express herself/himself, read fluently and have a deeper understanding of the language.
The child is taught language through a specific progression of lessons where he first becomes aware of the different sounds in a word. The child then learns the language phonetically until the point where he is taught the different “rules” in a given language and the exceptions to those rules he will need to know in order to spell and read fluently.
Math
Math materials and activities are a sensorial experience that introduces the child to concrete and accurate representation of quantities and numbers. Almost all math activities include some kind of movement or manipulation.
The child first learns to count from 1-10 through the understanding of the concept that those numbers represent a specific amount. Through each material, the child will learn addition, subtraction, multiplication and division and truly understand what each one means in their deeper sense. Through this method of teaching, Montessori offers the child a strong and solid foundation in the understanding of mathematics.
Enrichment Programs for Primary age (3-6)
Arabic/Islam/Quran Enrichment Program
In addition to Montessori to the 3 hours of daily Montessori work, Aya Montessori has developed special enrichment classes that cater to the spiritual growth and Arabic language development of children using custom hands-on materials, songs and stories.
Arabic
Our special Arabic curriculum was designed to balance vocabulary enrichment, reading and comprehension of the Arabic language using hands-on, Montessori-inspired materials and methods. Children are also immersed in the language on a daily basis by communicating with one of our native-speaking assistants.
Islam
At Aya Montessori, we believe in creating a positive and peaceful atmosphere that models true Islamic values and nurture the love of the Creator through His creation. Through nasheed (songs), prayers (dua), and hands-on materials, children get to experience their faith on daily basis and grow to love their deen.
Quran
Connecting the child with the Quran is important in the first years. Children will begin their journey towards memorization after learning Arabic letters sounds. A certified Quran instructor will work one-on-one with children in order to make sure children are advancing on their own pace while growing their love for Quran.