In the Montessori philosophy, teachers spend most of their days as “guides,” providing a safe,
purposeful place for children to play and explore their world in a proactive way. Children use
carefully designed materials to perform meaningful, self-initiated jobs that teach them about
themselves, their community, and the world around them. Thanks to our low student to
teacher ratio, our staff has time to observe your child and document their work.
In the Fall, teachers determine, through observation and/or direct assessment,
the knowledge and skills each child brings to his/her school year. Once a child's skill levels are determined, individual goals are set. These goals and observations are then shared with parents at Fall parent-teacher conferences. As the year progresses, teachers continually observe and record each child's work habits, behavior, social interactions and progress towards academic goals. A second parent-teacher conference is held in the Spring to report on each child's progress and to share goals for the remainder of the year.
When a child shows signs of struggles in social, emotional or academic areas, teachers and administration work closely with parents to make referrals for outside evaluation and support as needed. Pine Grove teachers collaborate with outside therapists and services to provide ongoing reinforcement of therapy goals.