MMS School Brochure

Create.

Discover.

Excel.

Lead.

8505 NW 39th Ave Gainesville, FL 32606 | (352) 375-6773 www.millhopper.com

Millhopper Montessori School, LLC is accredited by the Florida Council of Independent Schools, the Florida Kindergarten Council and is affiliated with the American Montessori Society.

The school was founded in 1977.

Millhopper Montessori School enjoys a spacious facility for its extensive private educational program in Gainesville.

Millhopper Montessori School serves children ages two through 8th grade.

True to its Montessori heritage, the staff fosters creative thinking and problem-solving through the use of manipulative and other educational tools. A diversified curriculum ensures all aspects of your child’s educational needs will be met.

Christina Miller is the founder and director of Millhopper Montessori School.

She is trained and certified by the Montessori Association of Florida (MAF) for pre-primary, American Montessori Society (AMS) in Elementary, holds a B.A. in elementary education and an M.A. in curriculum design from the University of Florida.

We are the first private school in north central Florida to install solar panels and are a proud partner of GRU’s Feed-In-Tariff (FIT) program.

Benefits of Montessori

• Each child is valued as a unique individual • Beginning at an early age, Montessori students develop order, coordination, concentration and independence • Students are part of a close, caring community • Montessori students enjoy freedom within limits • Students are supported in becoming active seekers of knowledge • Self-correction and self-assessment are an integral part of the Montessori classroom approach

The Montessori Teacher The Montessori teacher, child, and environment may be seen as a learning triangle, with each element inextricably linked, and a vital part of the whole. The teacher thoughtfully prepares a classroom environment with materials and activities that entice students to learn. Teachers guide students to new lessons and challenges, but it is the child’s interaction with what the environment has to offer that enables learning to occur.

Because the teacher isn’t meant as the focus of attention, they can often be difficult to spot. Typically you’ll find them sitting on the floor or at a table, observing students as they work and making notations about their progress, or consulting with an individual or a small group.

Classroom Design The design and flow of the Montessori classroom create a learning environment that accommodates choice.

There are spaces suited to group activity, and areas where a student can settle in alone. Parts of the room are open and spacious.

You won’t find the customary rows of school desks; children work at tables or on the floor, rolling out mats on which to work and define their work space.

There are well-defined spaces for each part of the curriculum, such as Language Arts, Math, and Culture. Each of these areas features shelves or display tables with a variety of inviting materials from which students can choose. Above all, each classroom is warm, well-organized, and inviting, with couches, rugs, and flowers to help children and youth feel calm and at home.

Learning Materials A hallmark of Montessori education is its hands-on approach to learning. Students work with specially designed materials, manipulating and investigating until they master the lesson.

Beautifully crafted and begging to be touched, Montessori’s distinctive learning materials are displayed on open, easily accessible shelves. They are arranged (left to right, as we read in Western languages) in order of their sequence in the curriculum, from the simplest to the most complex.

Our Classrooms BEGINNERS/PRESCHOOL/KINDERGARTEN Our classrooms have an age range of two to three years. A Montessori premise is that children learn by example from their older peers and the older students ground their knowledge by teaching their younger peers. The environment is safe and clean and scaled in size to fit the ages, sizes, and maturity of the children.

The classrooms have ample space with carpeted areas and tile areas. There are two bathrooms with child size sinks and toilets in each class. Two walls are lined with windows that the children can see out. Each class opens to a covered porch and yard and has direct access to the playground.

The academic program for Montessori early childhood consists of the following:

• • • • • • • •

Language development Reading Vocabulary building Hand writing Mathematics Geometry Sensorial Practical life

• • • • • • •

Music Art Movement Physical fitness Creative programming Foreign language (Spanish) Technology (Kinder.)

ELEMENTARY The elementary child has a developmental need to acquire culture and to know the reason of things. The MMS elementary plan consists of a special curriculum aimed at teaching the whole human being, building a sense of responsibility, and creating independence. This imaginative ability to grasp the whole generates an emotion of wonder and gratitude for large- scale diversity. The developmental need of the child to associate with others in an organized fashion is also met and enables him to broaden his concepts of the world. Children work in different capacities on different academic levels. Lessons are presented with drama and excitement. Technology and stateof-the-art information are available in the immediate environment.

Students use time management skills as they execute their work plan throughout each week.

The academic program for Montessori Elementary classes consists of the following:

• Language Arts • Reading/Literature • First – Third Grade Phono• • • • •

Graphix Creative Writing and Composition Conventions Handwriting Mathematics & Geometry

• • • • • • • • •

Science Social Studies Geography Foreign Language (Spanish) Music Art Physical Education Drama Technology

MIDDLE SCHOOL Early adolescence is a time of dramatic change and growth, when young people are open to the influences of peers, family, school, and community. The middle school years are a crucial time for making life decisions. Yet many adolescents are faced with the prospects of attending large, impersonal schools and a curriculum that is out of touch with their intellectual, emotional, and interpersonal needs. The mission of the program is to provide opportunities for adolescents to be academically competent and challenged, to be self-confident and gain self-knowledge, to belong to a community, to learn to be adaptable, and to create a vision for their personal future.

The middle school program (sixth- eighth grade) was established in 1998. While the curriculum is highly academic and exceeds the standards set by the Florida Board of Education and the Florida Council of Independent Schools (FCIS), it is also designed to meet the needs of the students. The curriculum and instruction is designed as a three-year program. Mathematics and Language Arts are courses of continuous progress. Natural Science, Physical Science, American History, and World Culture/Geography are taught on alternating years.

The academic program for Montessori Middle School classes consists of the following:

• • • • • • • • • •

Literature Composition Vocabulary and Grammar Intro to Pre-Algebra Pre-Algebra Algebra I Geometry Science Social Studies Spanish I & II

• • • • • • • • •

Technology Video Production Speech, Drama & Debate Physical Education Computer Literacy Career Education Technology Art Music

ATHLETICS MMS participates in various sports leagues in Gainesville. Sports include, but are not limited to soccer, basketball, flag football and volleyball.

MILLHOPPER TECH The MMS technology department hosts and maintains our technology website, www.millhoppertech. com. This website is intended for use at school and can be supplemental material for home use.

Navigation of the website can be done by subject area or grade level. There is also information on the site for children and families on tips for surfing the internet safely.

SUMMER CAMP MMS offers a summer enrichment program every summer for ages two through high school. For younger children the summer program provides an excellent introduction to the Montessori curriculum. For elementary aged children camp includes areas such as photography, woodworking, science, invention/animation, and more! Middle school and high school students are encouraged to attend as junior counselors and earn their volunteer credit hours.

TRANSPORTATION MMS does not offer transportation. We have a student directory for locating “neighbors� for carpooling.

LUNCHES Students are to bring their own lunch or may purchase lunch through the MMS Middle School Lunch Program. We work with five different restaurants of which one delivers meals to MMS each weekday. Lunches must be self contained since refrigeration/ heating is unavailable.

Enrollment

Enrollment applications, tuition and fee schedules as well as the contract can be obtained online at www.millhopper.com or in person at the school.

For up-to-date enrollment information, school events, and much more visit:

WWW.MILLHOPPER.COM