Montessori Arts and Sciences has managed to capture the essence of a small town learning environment with the benefit of a progressive and extensive curriculum.

Education is advanced enough to engage the student, without intimidating; and at the same time, exposing them to new technologies in learning without overwhelming or overburdening. As a parent, I enjoy the surprises that my daughter shares with me, both in the form of her creative art and cultural projects and her knowledge of subjects that I was not exposed to until college. We are eternally grateful for the experience of this education for our daughter.
– Chris and Tracy Abrams

The beauty of Montessori Arts and Sciences is that it offers all the advantages of a home school such as a warm environment, flexibility in the curriculum, challenges, and high expectations for behavior. Yet the program is run by caring professionals who have the knowledge, experience and resources to take my children further than I knew they could go. The school offers a rich, well rounded education with art beyond compare. We are in our fourth year at the school and very pleased with it.
– K.S.

Our son's experience at Montessori Arts and Sciences has been remarkable. He takes great joy in learning and has developed self-confidence, fairness, determination and enthusiasm. We are delighted to see his respect for others and the positive way that he and his classmates interact.
– J. Mc Manus

Our Child has been thriving at Montessori Arts and Sciences for the last few years. He has acquired inner discipline and confidence that amazes us.

We do notice that all the students at the school have an extraordinary excitement about learning and participating in class. We observe the students in class and notice the enthusiasm that they all seem to share.

On a daily basis our son talks at length about what he is doing and learning about in class. When I asked him recently what he liked best in school he responded, "I like Zoology, Math, Science and the rest!". The curriculum is enriched far beyond the public school system and the respect for individual differences is clear.
– L. Berman

Dr. Maria Montessori believed that each child is born with a unique potential to be revealed, rather than as a "blank slate" waiting to be written upon. Through her scientific observations of children, she developed an amazing educational system, which remains virtually peerless event today. In her system, the teacher functions as a facilitator to help each child discover his or her unique potential. The carefully prepared environment and work allows the children the freedom to follow their natural curiosity within a structured curriculum.

Montessori Arts and Sciences School provides a beautiful setting and a well-rounded curriculum. The children lean complex matematical concepts through hands-on tools. The strong focus on arts, language, and music helps the children to develop their creativity and get a broad and complete education.
– J. Osten

Today, I went on a field trip with my 6-year-old daughter to the Museum of Man with the Montessori Arts and Sciences School.

The kids (grades 1 through 6; 30 in all) were given a notebook - a 4"x6" sketch pad inside a custom sewn cover complete with separate pockets for a dozen or so colored pencils in the inside cover and a tie string on the outside - and they were told they were going to be archeologists and to record notes and drawings of whatever interested them.

The docent was wonderful as she took these little scientists through the "Journey to the Copper Age" exhibit. What I began to see was even more impressive. The kids began taking notes and drawing sketches of what was pointed out (either by the docent, or by one of the teachers or chaperones). The littler ones were a bit more tentative, but - inspired by what they saw- soon they were all writing, drawing and sharing their "findings" with each other. In no time at all kids, parents and teachers were all involved in helping each other to discover the Copper Age!

One of the basic concepts of the Montessori Method is that by combining multiple grade levels into one class, the younger children learn from watching the older children and the older children benefit in teaching the younger ones. The Montessori Arts & Sciences implementation is even more impressive in that it is always emphasized that the teachers are learning as well. This field trip was a great example of the Montessori Method in action. The kids were excited by not only the exhibits, but in working together and helping each other do the best they could.

Then, to top it off, after the field trip my daughter asked if she could stay after school to "play" with a classmate. When I went to pick her up an hour later, she and her friend proudly showed me the practice spelling tests they had just given each other (and graded) in preparation for their test the next day (they did this with no prompting at all from their teacher)!

What a wonderful environment in which to grow and learn!

- P. Freidman

I just wanted to let you know that Sedona absolutely LOVED the Don Quixote opera at the San Diego Opera! She just got home and has not stopped raving about the experience.  It was one of the highlights of her year at Montessori Arts & Sciences.  Thank you for making it happen.

- S. Legge

How lucky we are to live so close to the world famous San Diego Zoo.  On Wednesday, December 10, 2008, Elementary I and II had the opportunity to take part in a special tour of the zoo.  This wasn’t your ordinary Sunday visit to the zoo with the family.  It included our very own designated tour guide who took us behind the scenes to view some exotic animals up close and personal.

Our tour guide,  Salena, began by taking us on a short walking tour.  She carried a microphone with her so everyone could hear what she had to say and she could answer all of the children’s questions. 

Next, we boarded our very own bus.  Salena drove us around the zoo to show us different animals and tell us about them and their habitats.  As we drove, I could hear the kids pronouncing the different animal’s names in Spanish! 
Salena drove us to the giraffe exhibit where we exited the bus and entered an area of the exhibit where only the zoo keepers are allowed.  We were able to see where their food is kept and the barn where they sleep.  As Salena held up some leafy branches, Abby the giraffe came to visit us and eat the leafy greens.  The kids got to ask lots of questions.  It was amazing to see a giraffe eat up close; they have very long tongues!

The next animals to see behind the scenes were the Camels.  The kids learned that there are two types of camels:  Dromedary and Bactrian.  We saw the Bactrian variety which live in the Gobi Desert and have two humps.  Up close, we could see that the camels have very foamy, slimy mouths.  They enjoyed the snacks that Salena fed them.  We also got to watch a trainer working with a camel to put a halter over his head.  The trainer was getting the camel used to being around people and not to spit.

Thanks to our great guide, Salena, we had a very educational and fun day at the zoo.  The kids were so full of questions and curiosity.  It was a great way to learn outside the classroom!

-T. Griffiths