A Montessori school is designed to use a philosophy for educating the whole person and is named after its founder, Dr. Maria Montessori. The school takes advantage of the sensitive years between the ages of three and six, when the child is most able to absorb information from his/her environment. Our environment helps the child to develop emotionally, socially, intellectually and physically.

Our School

Welcome to Nativity Montessori School. We offer a quality 3 year Preschool Montessori program five full days or 5 half days.

Our school history goes back to 1916 when a community preschool was started at the Episcopal Church of the Nativity in Maysville, Kentucky. In 1974, the school became the Episcopal Day School. In 2004, the classrooms were converted into one large room and the Nativity Montessori School was born.

Nativity Montessori School is a school, not a day care, or a part-time Montessori. We are dedicated and committed to giving our children the best Montessori experience that we know how, and that is the basis for our Montessori program. Starting their first year at age 3, some begin half days from 8:30-11:30 five days a week. However, other children of age 3 stay five full days from 8:30-3:00 along with the second year 4 year olds. Most of the students continue on to the important 3^rd year, usually at about age 5. We have found that young children do best when their schedule is consistent and they can safely know where they will be each day. This gives them a sense of security, and helps them to become independent. They develop good self-esteem and confidence. They enjoy coming to school, and build each new day upon the accomplishment of the last. The 3^rd year is the year that the child “blossoms” (as we have so often seen in our school!). All the activities he or she has worked on in the first 2 years, lead him or her to the culmination in the 3^rd year. Reading, math, geography, art are all an integral part of the program. The older children become leaders and are full of confidence and self-esteem. If they leave NMS to enter Grade one in public school, they are well prepared for the next adventures in their lives, and we are happy to have been a part of that foundation.

The staff at Nativity Montessori School is highly qualified, nurturing and well experienced with young children. We have two American Montessori Society trained teachers and an assistant, as well as a part time music teacher and volunteer Spanish instructor.

Language

Math

Science

Sensorial

Practical Life

What is the Difference between Montessori and Nursery School or Daycare?

Although there are many high quality daycare centers and nursery schools where creative daily programs are followed, most do not follow a single philosophy of child development as does Nativity Montessori School. The Montessori method is a complete integrated approach to childhood education based on a single individual’s life work. Dr. Montessori’s incredible insight and her scientific observations of children’s development have proven accurate many times over, all around the world. The “secret” lies in the way the children are respected, and the way their inner needs are met through a carefully prepared Montessori environment. Although the classroom is “child centered” and not “adult centered”, the adult, or “Directress” plays a very important role both in preparing the environment, or classroom and “directing” or “guiding” the children in that environment. A Montessori classroom is often quieter and calmer than a daycare or nursery school environment, and we often get comments from visitors that the children are very well behaved. Discipline usually comes from the child, as self-discipline, which is learned in the Montessori environment through the use of the wonderful activities available every day. Re-direction to purposeful activity which meets a need of that child, and inspires him to intense concentration virtually eliminates the need for outward discipline.

When a child enters a Montessori classroom for the first time, she is given “lessons” on activities which are suited to her age and skill levels. If the child wants to work with these activities, she may do so at any time, for as long as she likes. Indeed, to interrupt a child who is working well, concentrating, and enjoying his activity, would be to break one of Dr. Montessori’s basic tenets, which is never to disturb a child who is focused on work. To do this would be to stop a child from ever increasing her attention span.

People who write children’s television shows think that children have short attention spans, and therefore change themes and ideas quickly, every few minutes or so. This is far from the realities of child development, as we see every day in our classroom. Children as young as three and four can concentrate on a single activity for as long as twenty minutes to an hour! Most children spend an average of ten to fifteen minutes on a single activity, more on activities that they especially like, or that is meeting a need in that child. A three-year- old, who loves repetitive movements, can spend twenty minutes spooning rice from one bowl to another, and back again, before stopping. A five-year-old, who happens to be incredibly interested in math at the time, can spend all morning working steadily on a single math activity, not because he is told to (he may put it away whenever he likes) but because he WANTS to! If he were never given the opportunity to work with concentration for extended periods of time, he would never be able to do this. Montessori once said, “Concentration is the best gift we can give our children.”

Our classroom is full of happy children who are doing the activities that they want to do – activities that have been observed for more than 100 years as the things that all children like to do, and that help children to grow, mature, and become active participants in life.

In addition to the way children are “taught,” our school differs from daycare in that although we do offer full-day programs; follow the public school calendar, which includes two weeks off at Christmas, one week for Spring Break, and two or three professional development days interspersed throughout the year. The class is finished for the year in May and resumes again in August. Parents are responsible for finding alternate care for their children during summer months and holidays.

Is Nativity Montessori a Religious School?

NMS is not affiliated with any religion, although we are housed and sponsored by the Church of the Nativity in Maysville. We deal with religion as part of daily life, catering to the children who are in the class, and to forming an understanding of other religions. We observe the Christmas and Easter holidays, but also learn about Hanukkah and Passover, Kwanza and Valentine’s Day. Christmas and Hanukkah are discussed, songs are sung and crafts are made. Sometimes, we invite parents of children who celebrate differently to come and share their customs and traditions with us. Easter and Passover are also usually discussed around the same time. Easter is seen as a celebration of new life, and Passover is an exciting story of hope and also new life. Religion is not the main focal point in any of our daily activities.

What Age is Best to Start?

Children who start school at around age three do best in the Montessori classroom. This is because he or she will have the benefits of the complete three-year program, each year building on the knowledge and skills attained in the previous one. Children who start at age four or five also benefit from the program, but don’t have the advantages of those who have been in since age three.

Parents of children who enter Montessori at any age need to be aware that their child will gain the most benefits in his/her final, usually the third, year. This is why almost all children stay at NMS until grade one. A full-day program is available at the Preschool level so that the children can spend more time in this ideal environment. Four- and five-year-olds thrive in the full-day program!

The Five Areas of a Preschool Montessori Classroom

Practical Life Area

Everyday life skills, social graces, and movement are all part of the Practical Life Area through fun and interesting activities such as pouring, spooning, transferring objects using tongs, tweezers or a baster. Scrubbing tables, chairs, and floors, as well as washing clothes and polishing, all promote care of the child’s environment by doing the things she sees adults do every day. This area also promotes concentration and attention to a task. The child learns to do for him/her self.

The young child strives to be independent and to do things for herself. Through the Practical Life activities the skills needed to be independent are learned and habituated. Learning social graces, what to say and when, help the child to learn to be a part of every day society. These are continued during our mealtime as well.

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Sensorial Area

This area helps to develop the child’s senses and awareness of the world around her through the use of specialized materials designed to isolate individual qualities such as color, size, shape, weight, texture, and more. This is a very “hands on” area, each activity involving the whole child.

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Language Area

The Montessori Language Program is a phonetic based approach to reading. Language is such a huge part of our world, from speaking, to isolating sounds and then into reading. The Montessori child essentially “teaches” himself/herself to read through learning the letter sounds, writing words using those sounds, and finally reading those words back. It is an exciting time when a child “bursts” into reading!

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Math Area

We begin with manipulative, and then slowly lead into abstract concepts. Beginning with numbers 1-10, 11-99, and 1-1000, the children learn linear counting and recognition of numerals, which then leads into addition, subtraction, multiplication and division concepts. This is done through fun activities which involve lots of movement, manipulative and group work. As the child matures, individual work is encouraged and abstract learning begins to take place.

Cultural Area

This area introduces the child to the world beyond the classroom. Global awareness, geography, science, botany, music and art activities are all available to the child on a daily basis. Specific countries are often highlighted, with special activities surrounding those countries. Art activities are individual, and encourage experimentation. Music is expressed in song, listening, and playing rhythm instruments. The children gather in a group every day to listen to stories, sing, or play special games.

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Staff

The staff at Nativity Montessori School is highly qualified, nurturing and well experienced with young children. They are dedicated to the children’s individual needs, and the needs of the group as a whole. Our head of school and head teacher are AMS certified.

Director of School and Teacher (Mrs. Dottie)

With a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education from Morehead State University, Dottie Houser is exceptionally qualified to be Head of School. Mrs. Dottie began her teaching career at Bethel-Tate school system in Bethel, Ohio, moving to Boone County system, then Robertson County, all of which she gained experience as a first grade teacher, then fourth and fifth grades. Moving back home to Mason County in 1977, she became a special reading teacher, then served in the capacity of teaching various grades K-4 for more than 33 years total experience in Kentucky and Ohio, where her expertise was in reading for a number of years. Upon retiring in Kentucky in 2000, she returned to teaching first grade once more in Manchester, Ohio and at West Clermont School System in Batavia, Ohio where she was a Learning Disabilities instructor. Mrs. Dottie has been involved in various Site-Based Decision-Making committee works over her years of teaching including Professional Development, Needs Assessment, Consolidated Planning, Scheduling, and Textbook selection. Much of her previous years’ training in Orton-Gillingham Multisensory Approach to Reading/Individual Tutorial Program, Project Read/Small group Multisensory Approach to Reading, The High Performing Teacher, Reading Styles Training by Marie Carbo, KTIP (Kentucky Teacher Intern Program), TESA (Teacher Expectation/Student Achievement), Literacy Collaborative, Cognitively Guided Instruction, Reading Consultant Training from the McGraw-Hill Open Court Reading Program, are just a few of the programs to prepare her to be qualified to assume the role of Head of School at the Nativity Montessori School. So in 2004 and 2005, she became trained at Providence Montessori Training Center in Lexington, KY earning her American Montessori Society Early Childhood Certification and became administrator as well as teacher. In addition to her initial training, Mrs. Dottie has attended The American Montessori Society Annual Conference in Chicago and International Montessori Council Conventions in Clearwater, FL hosted by Tim Seldin, International Montessori Council President.

Head Teacher & Assistant-Director (Mrs. Bonnie)

Mrs. Bonnie Davis was born and reared in Mason County where she began her adventure in Early Childhood education in 2001 after becoming a state certified, in-home child care provider. During her child care journey she received a STARS rating. After this accomplishment she went on to receive her Associates Degree in IECE (Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education) where she studied developmental stages and disabilities. After receiving her Associates degree she became an instructional assistant at Nativity Montessori for two years. During those two years she began working towards her bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education through Xavier University where she has been recognized on the dean’s list throughout her education there. She had to take a leave of absence from Nativity Montessori for one year to complete her student teaching in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her first student teaching experience was at Summit Country Day School, a private Montessori School located in Hyde Park and the second semester was at Sand’s Montessori School, a public Montessori School located in Mt. Washington. She received her Montessori Education Certification from AMS (American Montessori Society). Bonnie has received her teaching certificate for Kentucky and Ohio in December of 2009 along with her bachelor’s degree.

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Instructional Assistant (Ms. Laura)

Ms. Laura Jones is our full time instructional assistant. Before coming to NMS in 2013, Laura had been a math tutor and We are fortunate to have Laura as part of our staff.

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Music Teacher (Mrs. Tammy)

Mrs. Tammy Conrad holds a B.A. degree in Music Education from Anderson University. She taught 2 years in St. Louis, Mo. kindergarten through sixth grade. Upon moving to the Maysville area, she began teaching part time at Episcopal Day School Preschool and also at St. Pat Junior High and High School. In 2004, when Episcopal Day School became Nativity Montessori, we were so fortunate when she continued as our Music teacher.