Curriculum
At Downtown Montessori Academy, we believe that children learn best when they are at ease and comfortable. The key is to see the hidden nature of the child at given stages of development and to design an environment that will fulfill the child’s innate potential.
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The educational approach is for children to trust in their own ability, to think and to solve problems independently. The goal is to lead students to think for themselves and become actively engaged in the learning process. Like the rest of us, children learn through trial, error and discovery. The students learn not to be afraid of making mistakes. They learn to try and try again without fear of embarrassment. As we allow students to develop a meaningful degree of independence and self-discipline, we also set a pattern for a lifetime of good work habits and a sense of responsibility. Our Montessori students are taught pride in their work. We value good communication between parents, teachers, and administration as we seek to offer a comprehensive curriculum to all our students age 2.5 through 8th grade.
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Our school day is five days per week. School day hours are:
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Before School Care 7:00 - 8:40 AM (Optional)
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Classes 8:40 AM
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Dismissal 3:30 PM
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After School Care (Optional) 3:30 - 5:30 PM
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SPECIALS
Art
Downtown Montessori Academy is committed to learning through the arts. We have a rigorous, innovative and interdisciplinary visual art curriculum encompassing the entire student body from K-3 through 8th grade. Our 21st century art programming exposes students to various point of view, methods, and media by investigating diverse cultures as well as modern and contemporary art movements. Simultaneously, our art program successfully integrates student engagement in real tangible work, involving critical thinking and awareness, social-emotional learning, global concerns and real-world problems. We infuse creative problem-solving and while reaching local and global audiences.
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Art students at Downtown Montessori Academy are proud to have artwork exhibited locally and statewide, at place such as; the Wisconsin State Capitol, the Milwaukee Historical Society, the Latino Arts Center and our ongoing gallery space at Bay View Colectivo, and at our annual Spring Arts Gala. We have also collaborated around the world participating in global art projects with students in places like Colombia and Syrian Refugee camps. Additionally, we have begun working with the Milwaukee Art Museum through their Junior Docent Program. By sharing their artwork with a wide range of local and global audiences’ students come to understand that their voice matters.
Downtown Montessori nurtures, embraces, and encourages students’ inherent creativity. Our art program fosters students to honor and trust their own instinctive ingenuity and ability to solve hard problems. We believe that art education can help create a generation of flexible and creative thinkers to help solve the multifaceted problems in our world.
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Health and Physical Education
Our goal is to educate children on the importance of physical activity and motivate every student to become active, participate in and enjoy physical activity on a daily basis. Our PE teacher creates lessons that are easy to learn, teach fundamental movement patterns and teamwork, and reinforce Montessori concepts learned in the classroom.
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We emphasize physical education for every child to develop age-appropriate motor skills and to learn the life-skills of cooperation, teamwork and good sportsmanship. Our youngest students participate in activities designed to develop coordination, balance, spatial awareness and loco-motor skills. As students’ gross and fine motor skills mature, children are introduced to sports, recreational and fitness activities in an inclusive and fun environment. Each child grows in confidence and independence as they learn the soft skills that create a lasting foundation for lifelong learning.