Sea Pines Montessori Academy Blueprint

SPMA’s Mission Statement: We strive to offer an Authentic Montessori Education, with a distinct focus on the Arts. We encourage academic rigor, while focusing on the whole child.

SPMA’s Motto: Inspiring tomorrow’s leaders since 1968.

SEA PINES MONTESSORI ACADEMY BLUEPRINT
Our Fundamental Values and Beliefs as a School

The Montessori approach to learning is the educational framework at the Sea Pines Montessori Academy (“SPMA”). Maria Montessori recognized that “the process” itself was paramount in learning. We embrace this idea that learning is dynamic and welcome new ideas as we grow.

Our success depends on our ability to introduce and re-introduce the Montessori Method of learning to our parents and the entire Hilton Head Island Community (“the Community”). We have chosen to join the International Montessori Council (“IMC”) and are following their methods for creating a World Class Montessori School. We will rely on the IMC to help us educate our current families, as well as prospective families, about the Montessori Method and Montessori as a way of life.

This document serves as a reference point for our thinking about learning at this time. We will review these ideas annually, and as necessary, to monitor how our choices reflect these ideals.

We fully expect this document to change and we invite the entire SPMA Community (students, parents, teaches and staff) to participate in this rewarding experience of discovering new ways to learn and to live.

Please note that we have used masculine and feminine terms interchangeably throughout this document.

We affirm that education begins at birth and continues throughout life. While our emphasis is on our children, we are a center of support for all of us to continue learning and developing toward becoming whole and healthy people.

Our goals for students are for them to be open-minded and compassionate, to gain a sense of themselves and others and to understand and appreciate the diversity of the human spirit. SPMA wants students to be well trained in the basic academic principles, to fulfill their creative potential and to gain satisfaction in their physical, emotional, social and intellectual development. We want students to love learning and to value knowledge, creativity and humor. Finally, we hope they have the power and resources to affect change as well as the self-esteem and confidence to pursue their goals.

I. We believe that every member of our community has a fundamental right to be treated with respect, courtesy and grace.

A. We respect the fundamental human needs, rights and dignity of each person, as a full and independent person who is engaged in the ongoing process of development. During this process, while honoring the right to self-determination, we model and encourage certain values: kindness, honesty, cooperation, good sportsmanship and nonviolence.

B. In keeping with the true meaning of the word discipline, which is to teach, we prefer to model and encourage appropriate, kind and considerate ways to behave in various situations.

1. We use positive reinforcement whenever possible to encourage progress and acknowledge contributions rather than focusing on the rules and the consequences for breaking them.

2. We encourage and model ways to negotiate in conflict situations so that whenever possible everyone can win and, at the very least, everyone feels heard and that their feelings are respected.

3. As necessary, we cue and remind people of appropriate behaviors before they forget.

4. When behavior is inappropriate and a gentle reminder is not enough, we intervene and respectfully, but firmly, stop the behavior.

5. Our ultimate goal is to encourage self-discipline and self-motivation as the mechanism for appropriate behavior.

C. We recognize that misbehavior comes from discouragement. We, therefore, do not label the individual as “bad” but instead try to recognize the mistaken goals of the misbehavior. We then look to find appropriate ways to encourage the individual.

II. Intelligence is not rare.

A. We approach learning by seeking to understand each person’s uniqueness and to guide each student individually, and at her own pace, through the range of learning skills so that she fully realizes her potential. We do not subscribe to the “Bell Curve” theory for measuring performance and respectfully submit that the vast majority of people have the intelligence and natural ability required to learn everything they need in order to lead full, happy and productive lives.

B. We celebrate the natural diversity of human beings, be it in learning style, interests or definition of what makes a happy and successful life.

III. Wisdom can be cultivated.

A. We believe that true wisdom is the ability to listen to your heart and know how best to put your intelligence to work for you. In order to achieve this goal, the qualities of self-esteem, human dignity and emotional well-being, as well as the ability to communicate and cooperate effectively with others, must be valued at least as highly as academic and material success.

B. We affirm the ideal of the renaissance person. Our ultimate goal is to produce renaissance men and women who not only have learned how to learn, but also possess an innate love of learning, a wide range of interests and openness to new ideas and possibilities.

IV. Self-esteem is the crucial ingredient for the full expression of a person’s potential.

A. Nurturing self-esteem: We strive to base every interaction among community members, from how we discipline, to respecting the personal learning styles and stages of development, on this principle. This is the very fabric of our community and our educational methods.

B. Learning from experience: We consciously encourage our community to not be afraid of taking risks, but rather, to use the countless positive and negative experiences, which everyone inevitably has during a lifetime, as non-threatening feedback on their progress and personnel growth.

C. SPMA’s expectations: In all cases, we set our expectations high not pushing individuals to do more than they are capable of but consistently stressing, at all levels, the importance of careful work and pride in accomplishment. The reward is not in quantity of work achieved, but in the satisfaction of work done well for its own sake. We carefully build a supportive environment for the unhurried mind to move steadily toward the pursuit of excellence.

D. Competition: We encourage the development of respect for natural abilities. While we allow people to experience failure by separating the deed from the doer in all things, from earliest times we seek to minimize any negative effect on self-esteem that failure or lack of natural ability in an area might have. We do not believe that it is either necessary or appropriate to inspire unrestrained and excessive academic pressure and scholastic competition among students. We cultivate the ability to accept success with grace, and failure or loss with dignity, and resolve to build on the experience. We ensure the right to choose whether or not to participate in competitive activities and we stress the importance of good sportsmanship.

V. The development of a whole, healthful being requires the nurturing of our many dimensions, including the spiritual, intellectual, physical and emotional.

A. Spiritual: While we feel it is each person’s task to develop his or her own understanding of the nature of the universe and the individual’s place in it, we proceed on the premise that our world is a beautiful, positive, loving place; our campus and school setting provide the potential for each person to lead a full, free, joyful and healthy life. SPMA honors its foundation of Christianity. Our school calendar celebrates Christian holidays and holidays of American patriotism. We will not take an evangelistic approach, but an inclusive approach in which we strive to include and respect all community members of all religious and ethnic backgrounds. This approach shall not change our authentic Montessori curriculum and will not require any student to participate in Christian or any other religious activities. Through our Cosmic Curriculum within our classrooms, our teachers shall guide children and their families in sharing and celebrating their religious and personal beliefs. SPMA embraces all religions and beliefs.

B. Intellectual: The intellect is an important tool in the shaping of our world. Through the development of our thinking abilities, we refine our emotional responses, we clarify our picture of the universe and we develop the discipline to maintain vibrant health.

C. Physical: Recognizing that the intellectual and emotional capabilities and potential of our brain is, like any other organ, dependent on a clean, healthful bloodstream, we acknowledge our place in the physical world and seek to discover, understand, and adopt the lifestyle habits most appropriate and beneficial to our bodies and minds. We encourage daily exercise, fresh air, pure water and sunlight.

D. Physical – Diet: We place a great emphasis on the importance of good nutrition as the first step to a lifelong wellness education program. Our school has implemented a Wellness Policy that shall be adhered to by all members of our community. This initiative will be evaluated annually by our Wellness Committee.

E. Emotional: Our emotions are complex and powerful. It is very important that we learn to feel our emotions fully and without fear, to identify them correctly (in ourselves and others) and to respect and accept them. It is equally important, however, that we learn to harness the power of our emotions and to not allow them to control our lives unchecked.

VI. SPMA is centered on the stages of personal development.

A. Development Stages: Our faculty is actively involved in a continuous study of human development. This study includes keeping abreast of current theories on development, including but not limited to, Maria Montessori’s developmental theories, regular student observation, and a constant evaluation of the curriculum to ensure that it is appropriate for the developmental stages of our students.

B. Active Learning: We promote active rather than passive learning to enhance academic excellence by:

1. encouraging students to pursue studies in all areas of their spontaneous personal interests;

2. using hands on, “experiential” learning whenever possible rather than lecture and drill, whether through concrete manipulative learning materials, experimental discovery seminar discussions, independent library research, field investigation or computer simulations; and,

3. bringing the student to a sense of closure and recognition of having reached a pre-established goal for learning.

C. Passage to Abstraction: To facilitate this process, we consistently work from a very concrete beginning in the Preprimary program through the Primary and Elementary level of experiences to the abstract. This concept has created a spiraling curriculum in which skills and concepts are presented and reintroduced at increasing levels of complexity and abstraction over the years.

D. External Structure: As necessary, we provide community members with sufficient structure and support in a committed effort to ensure that their developmental needs are met. We do this in a manner that reflects our expectations and philosophy.

E. Computers: We use the computer as a fundamental tool for learning, as appropriate, not only as an element of contemporary practical life, but also as an aid in the development of logical planning and problem solving. One of our goals is to use technology (laptop computers) for free movement during learning, whether inside or in the outdoors.

VII. SPMA provides a broad preparation for life, balancing academic excellence with the development of personal and practical life skills.

A. Success: We design our educational program to maximize each person’s academic and personal success. We strive to encourage people to build on their strengths and personal learning styles and learn from their mistakes.

1. Academic success: SPMA offers our children a world-class education, along with an education of the heart, which nurtures their self-confidence, personal creativity, and entrepreneurial spirit. It offers them the most challenging academic program they can handle.

2. Personal success: We consider it equally important that our community members be successful human beings who can establish healthy relationships and achieve happiness in their personal lives. We teach our students to pay attention to and respect feelings, both their own and those of others. We help them to learn to solve conflicts effectively and fairly, and to express their feelings in a healthy manner. Group dynamics and communication skills are also emphasized.

3. Success in a changing world: SPMA describes itself as a school where students receive an education that prepares them for life in a changing world.

B. Practical Life: To facilitate and encourage a sense of independence, we deliberately teach a wide range of practical life skills appropriate to each child’s level of development. We regard this as a vital element affecting the design of our entire curriculum. These practical life skills include, but are not limited to, the following:

Preprimary:

1. Gross motor skills
2. Hand-eye coordination
3. Grace and courtesy
4. Emotional consciousness

Primary:

1. Care of the environment
2. Grace and courtesy
3. Control of movement
4. Care of self
5. Food preparation
6. Gross motor skills

Elementary:

1. Hand-eye coordination
2. Grace and courtesy
3. Practical economics
4. Technology
5. Transportation
6. Communications, both verbal and written
7. Household engineering
8. Health and safety

C. Enablement: We make a concerted effort to enable students, helping them to learn how to make responsible choices, to recognize that they are assuming increasing control over their lives as they mature, and to discover how to make a difference in the world around them by positive efforts and contributions to others.

VIII. SPMA is designed for flexibility in its methodology and use of resources.

A. Meeting Individual Needs: We use the Montessori Method, along with additional approaches and materials from the larger non-Montessori educational community, to provide opportunities for enrichment beyond the basic curriculum. We strive for individualized pacing and adaptation of the classroom program (when possible) to meet varied styles of learning.

B. Curriculum Framework: In designing this individualized program, we follow an established curricular framework that includes the school’s expectations for basic academic achievement at each level.

C. Diverse Learning Styles: We regard a mix of backgrounds and abilities as a positive and important element in our community, and often find that because of our flexibility and individualized approach, children who may have been considered “special needs” or “learning disabled” in other environments can often experience a greater level of success within our community.

IX. SPMA strives for a balance between freedom, order and responsibility.

A. We interpret the general principle of Montessori education, “follow the child,” to refer to the importance of allowing people to pursue areas of spontaneous interest whenever possible. As a child masters certain concepts, the expectations from that child increase.

B. To facilitate the development of independence and a sense of engagement with the community, we strongly encourage participation in day-to-day classroom management, care of the environment and decision making. We seek to help each community member see the value of commitment both to our community and to the community of man.

C. We seek to show and teach our students that the freedom and education they receive here come with the responsibility to help others in the community, including those less fortunate, but no less deserving. We will strive to show them that the responsibility to change our world for the better lies with all of us, and that service needs to be an accepted part of everyone’s life, if we are to achieve this goal. We shall seek opportunities to perform community service in the community at-large and to help those in need as the world changes and needs arise.

D. As educators, parents, and citizens of the world with the mutual goal of world peace, we consider it our responsibility to model and encourage respect both to our children and to each other. Specifically, we encourage respect for those differences of ability, color, culture, beliefs, thought, dress, physical appearance and ways of doing things. We believe that the development of respect is a unique process that each of us must go through on our particular path in life, balanced with self-esteem and self-confidence. Our differences should never be threatening.

E. Ultimately, we wish for all community members to be willing to accept full responsibility for their behavior, their attitudes, their experiences, and for their lives. The enormous reward that comes with accepting this responsibility is the freedom to choose and create the type of person they wish to be and the life they wish to lead.

X. SPMA will strengthen the student’s connection with nature and the environment.

A. We believe that being involved physically with nature and directly with the environment are basic to being a whole and healthy human being. We will strive to be environmentally conscious. Annually we will evaluate this initiative through an Environmental Awareness Committee.

B. We consciously work to foster in each person a strong sense of belonging to the web of life. We accomplish this goal through:

1. Programs in outdoor education and field biology at every age level in the school, using the natural setting our campus and the wide variety of natural resources around us as a classroom out of doors.

2. Programs in field ecological studies in the island’s many forest preserves.

3. We stress recycling and environmentally friendly packaging for lunches and all foods and products used in our community.

4. We will strive to use natural cleaning products, free from harmful chemicals to the extent permitted under state and federal law.

XI. SPMA embraces pluralism as a philosophy for building a diverse community grounded in knowledge that leads to understanding and acceptance of all peoples.

A. SPMA recognizes that our contemporary society must embrace pluralist beliefs to meet the challenges and opportunities presented by an ever-growing world population that is integrating well beyond traditionally established cultural borders. We celebrate diversity in our community and acknowledge the unique contributions of all individuals who enrich and inspire our personal growth.

B. We seek to develop a global perspective through the study of second languages, cultural geography, and correspondence with other Montessori schools around the world. We encourage families to share cultural traditions, travel experiences and international festivals. We utilize our international families as a tremendous teaching resource. This element weaves its way through the curriculum at every age level and establishes awareness that we are citizens of the world.

C. We develop a strong historical perspective through the study of prehistory and history, following an anthropological orientation into fundamental needs of humankind and the cultures, lifestyles, and technologies of the past. We cultivate an appreciation of family and community heritage. History sets the stage for integrated learning at every age level.

D. Community is the invisible web that structures our pluralist beliefs. Culturally, historically and individually, our communities represent the best of our shared experiences. SPMA presents an opportunity to expand the web of inclusion in our own local community.

XII. All forms of human communication are explored.

A. We recognize that we live in a time when the various languages of art (visual, written, spoken and musical) particularly through mass media, have a profound impact on our lives. We develop in each person an ability to understand and filter this influence. We also believe that by developing our ability to use these languages, we strengthen our self- esteem and enhance our ability to express more effectively our thoughts and feelings.

B. As educators, we consciously work to encourage people to think creatively in their writing, problem solving, and research.

C. Our program places great emphasis on the Fine Arts, both through the contributions of visiting specialists and through classroom programs and experiences initiated by the teachers to foster art and music appreciation as well as creative drama. Annually, we will evaluate this initiative through a Fine Arts Committee.

D. As appropriate for each age group, we encourage students to become aware of the major social, political, economic, environmental, and ethical issues of our day. We encourage individuals to carefully consider all sides so they may take a responsible stand for themselves and explore ways of making a positive personal contribution to society.

E. We are constantly modeling and encouraging communication among all members of our community. We would like all community members to be versed in skills of active listening, negotiation, fair debating (learning to agree to disagree), empathy for another person’s position and the ability to stand up for oneself and say “no,” without guilt, if someone is encroaching on their rights.

XIII. SPMA envisions itself as part of an extended family community whose participants should ideally be supported by all others in the community.

We believe in the principle that those matters which affect individual community members impact all others in our community. We consider input from all of our community members in our decisions making processes in order to take into account the needs of our total community. In the future, we are committed to creating programs that stress personal development for all members of the community.

Updated 4.28.2010