GENERAL GUIDELINESIt is important to understand that, as Montessorians, we are attempting to AID LIFE. We want to create a family and home-life setting for all children rather than an institutional one. Our community/home experience is essential to development…always utilizing Montessori principles and guidelines.

• We use the playground everyday (weather permitting). During inclement weather, the children will be permitted to play games and participate in other activities such as family and role-play arts, crafts, block building, stimulating and educational toys.

• The child in our “before/after care” experiences a longer day and life under somewhat different social conditions than the child who goes home after school. Outdoor play, gardening, and other quality activities are offered.

• An afternoon rest period is a daily routine for the children who attend the school day, or all day. Padded mats are provided for each child’s comfort. No child is required to sleep. Older students will be allowed to work quietly.

• Each child coming to KIM School will bring his or her own lunch. The lunch should consist of a well-balanced, nutritious variety of foods.

• Children’s nutritional needs vary considerably, so it is perfectly acceptable for parents to include supplementary breakfast snacks in the child’s lunch box. A morning stack is provided for and an afternoon snack will be supplied for all students in attendance after 3:30.

SCHOOL CALENDARNew Parent Orientation will be held at the start of school. The first day of school begins the Tuesday following Labor Day. Holidays, seasonal breaks and inclement weather closings follow the Jefferson City Public School Calendar. Parent/Teacher Conferences are scheduled at the end of the first and third quarter. Montessori Parent Education is offered and a complete calendar is provided to applicants.

FACILITYOur schoolhouse and 13-acre campus offers a beautiful, safe country/nature environment and community atmosphere for the children. The classrooms are spacious, and our large outdoor garden with play environment, compliment the Montessori philosophy. Located atop the Moreau River, deer, turkey and other wildlife peacefully coexist with the children and wooded trails scale the bluff, providing daily nature rich experiences.

PARENT INVOLVEMENTParents are a vital part of our program and are encouraged to involve themselves in parent education, various committees, and/or other areas where volunteer assistance is needed. This helps create a lesson in community service for the children and it helps the school to keep costs as low as possible.

FACULTYRonda Schaefer, Program DirectorMaster of Ed., Loyola College Baltimore, MD, 1999; BS Education, Lincoln University, Jefferson City, MO; 1992. Teaching Certifications: Assn. Montessori Internationale (AMI) Primary (ages 3-6). MO Teaching Certifications in Early Childhood PK-3, Elementary K-8, and Special Education K-12.

For more information or to schedule a tour, contact:KIM School - 1022 Tara Road - Jefferson City

573/638-5467 e-mail kimschool@aol.com

KIM SCHOOL

An International Montessori School

Preparation for Life

“It is true, we cannot make a genius,” Dr. Montessori once wrote, “We can only give each individual

the chance to fulfill his potential possibilities to become an independent, secure

and balanced human being.”

OUR SCHOOLKIM School was founded as a non-profit educational organization in March, 2002. It provides a pre-school educational experience for children ages 3 to 6 andearly elementary ages 6-9. The school is run by anAMI trained Administrator and a Board of Directors.Our school is an independent school and accreditedby the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI), founded in 1929 by Dr. Maria Montessori. For more information on the Montessori Method and accredited AMI schools, contact the AMI website at montessori@amiusa.org.

PHILOSOPHYThe philosophical foundation of the Montessori approach

is based on the premise that education should be an aid to life. In order to develop their physical, intellectual and spiritual powers to the fullest, children must have freedom – a freedom to be achieved through order and self-discipline. Respect for a child’s personality and trust in the inner potentialities, are prerequisite to the foundation of an adequate educational alliance.The Montessori approach is designed to assist the child in acquiring the social skills and self-confidence needed to fulfill his own potential. This is accomplished by building on interests, nurturing enthusiasm and making activities available to fit individual needs.The academic achievements of Montessori children form through the acquisition of self-discipline, self-mastery and their love of learning. The child’s interest is stimulated through the use of Montessori materials. Most children begin to read and calculate at an early age.

LEARNING GOALS*Progressive competence with words and numbers.*Expanded knowledge about the world.*Increased skills in problem solving and thinking.*Expanded creative abilities.*A developing sense of personal responsibility.*Greater self-knowledge.*Increased ability to form satisfying relationships.*More joy in the activities of daily life.

THE MONTESSORI CURRICULUMOur optimum learning environment is achieved by

applying the Montessori approach to education. This is the fundamental difference in Montessori and a traditional approach to education.KIM School offers an enhanced integrated Montessori curriculum of language, mathematics, cultural studies, science, geography, practical life skills, and the arts. During the school day, music, foreign language, and gardening are offered. Volunteers assist in coordinating these programs.Multi-age and non-graded groupings are standard in the Montessori philosophy. The flexibility of classroom design and, individual and group needs are hallmark in Montessori’s dedication to maximizing each child’s potential.

MONTESSORI AT-A-GLANCEThe Montessori Method has been time-tested for 100 years and has achieved success through the world.Montessori is a positive environment for children. Each child is taught individually.The child’s natural development of language is utilized in the process of learning to read.Children work at their own pace and at their own level.The child has the unique opportunity to fulfill his potential.Habits and skills developed in a Montessori classroom remain for a lifetime.The Montessori classroom is a land of opportunity for the child and he considers it a truly joyful place to be.

ADMISSION ENROLLMENTThe Montessori approach strongly encourages a threeyear learning cycle. This helps to ensure theeducational success of your child. There are important attributes that the children in the Montessorienvironment must attain before elementary school. A child ideally enters at 2.5-3 years of age and remainsfor a full 3 years, after which the child may move intoan elementary class or a traditional first grade. Application should be made as early as possible. An interview is required before acceptance of enrollment is granted. The admission policy of KIM School gives equal consideration to all children, regardless of race, color, creed, sex, religious denomination, sexual orientation,or national origin. KIM School admits students of any race, color, and national or ethnic origin. TheMontessori Method is an approach to learning with no distinctions of class, culture, or intelligence.Furthermore, KIM School makes every effort topromote diversity as a value in its curriculum andwithin its student body and staff. KIM School seeks diversity, believing that children benefit from learning with children of various backgrounds, learning styles,and inherent abilities.