Primary
INSPIRE
“Our care of the child should be governed, not by the desire to make him learn things, but by the endeavor always to keep burning within him that light which is called intelligence.” ~ Maria Montessori
The Primary classes (known as the Otters and Owls) include children that are preschoolers and kindergartners, ages 3 to 6. Each class has qualified and experienced teachers who delight in teaching children of these ages. In the Owl Class, the children are guided by teachers Tracy Cubbison and Lisa Moussalli while in the Otter Class, the children are guided by teachers Anne Nicoletti and Nick Pearl.
Cultivating a collaborative, diverse, and peaceful community while simultaneously nurturing the growth of each unique child necessitates establishing a sense of belonging. It is the custom of our teachers to interact with the children with respect, empathy, and grace and courtesy. By doing so, our teachers create a feeling of belonging that draws out these same virtues in the children.
While finding inspiration in the Montessori philosophy and the natural world, our teachers prepare a beautiful classroom that excites the innate curiosity of the children and encourages discovering the joys and challenges of learning. The space is designed to be child centered providing ease of access to the various materials that support exploration of all areas of the classroom. The areas of the classroom include practical life, sensorial, math, language arts, geography, cultural, science, art, nature, and mindfulness. Knowing the importance of unstructured play and connection with the natural world, each day brings time outside for collaborative play while engaging with the natural world and experiencing the seasons.
DISCOVER
With Montessori philosophy and materials as the foundation and with the planes of development in mind, the Otter and Owl classes are prepared to be both beautiful and accessible to the children. Considering the span of ages and capabilities, the materials are designed to inspire and challenge the children while building confidence as well as solidifying concepts through freedom of choice of materials, practice, making mistakes, and teaching others. The classroom includes these areas of discovery: Practical Life, Sensorial, Language Arts, Mathematics, Geography and Cultural, Science, Art, and Mindfulness.
Within each of these areas, there are obvious and subtle academic and life skills embedded in the materials including support of developing fine and gross motor skills, writing, reading, math, and breathwork practices. Our Spanish teacher visits each classroom to teach a lesson and offer exposure to a different language and culture. Lessons are given individually with a teacher or in small groups. To provide opportunities for practice with the various materials and foster independence, the children also explore the materials alone and follow their own interests.
EXPLORE
Mountain Sun Community School is located on the 180 acre property of the Brevard Music Center with a direct connection to Bracken Mountain Preserve. It is a beautiful campus for exploring, connecting with nature, and experiencing the seasons.
Each day the Otter and Owl classes venture outside for unstructured play time and to explore the natural world. This time is essential in that it provides additional opportunities for social emotional and physical growth. The children are able to socialize, collaborate on imaginary games, and practice conflict resolution skills, while also developing and refining their fine and gross motor skills.
The outdoor spaces provide different opportunities for play and connections with nature. Each space is unique with one having a Gaga Pit and another with a creek flowing into a lake to observe. There are frequent sightings of wildlife such as geese, ducks, fish, newts, kingfishers, woodpeckers, and deer. As the seasons change, there are a variety of trees, plants, and fungi to learn about. To deepen their connection with nature and further their learning, there are materials about various plants and animals found in the classroom at different times of the school year. Each classroom has a Nature table that may include a snakeskin, an exoskeleton of an insect, a bird nest, a sea shell, leaves, or rocks inviting a hands-on exploration of those items.
The kindergartners, with their full day of school, have one afternoon in which they participate in Outdoor Education. Outdoor Education provides additional time for connecting with nature, learning collaborative games, and strengthening gross motor skills.
The Otter and Owl classes begin journeying out into the broader community by going on field trips. These excursions may include a trip to the public library, state park, national forest, or local businesses. Some trips are for the joy of visiting places as a group or may be specific to something that is being taught in the classroom. These trips also provide the children with opportunities to practice their grace and courtesy as well as interact with and learn from a diverse group of people.
CREATE
Our teachers in the Otter and Owl classes endeavor to help each child begin the journey of self-expression. Art is organically interwoven into lessons across the curriculum and into daily experiences. Using a variety of materials and supplies, the children are able to explore their self-expression through their creations. For preschoolers and kindergartners, our Music teacher visits the class during the morning, once a week to introduce, with a hands-on approach, a variety of music and instruments. The kindergartners have an additional Music and Art class in the afternoon, once a week, for more in-depth time exploring these Arts. These opportunities are the beginnings of self-discovery with the long vision that as the children grow they carry a sense of self and confidence to be their own unique selves and express themselves accordingly.
BELONG
Belonging to a collaborative, diverse, and peaceful community is essential to the growth of each unique child. Our Otter and Owl class teachers engage with the children with respect, empathy, and grace and courtesy. Together the children are building a community while simultaneously learning how to be an individual within that community. The children are supported as they begin to discover the joys and challenges of friendships. Some of the many ways that community emerges in the Otter and Owl Classes include Sun Walks (birthday celebrations), Share days, Community Centering, the children teaching one another, having ownership of and responsibility for caring for materials and the classroom, collaborative play, and engaging in Peace Talks (conflict resolution).
Recognizing that a peaceful community does not exclude conflict, the children are taught the life-long skill of healthy conflict resolution. The essence of a Peace Talk includes listening, expressing emotions, identifying the source of the conflict, asking questions, and exploring and agreeing on a solution or compromise. Peace Talks are guided by our teachers until the children have had sufficient practice to do on their own with support from a teacher if needed.