In non-graded classes of mixed ages, students are given lessons with materials designed by Dr. Maria Montessori. Within the Montessori prepared environment, they choose their own activities and progress at their own pace. The highly social atmosphere of this environment stems from a unique combination of freedom and structure rooted in respect.
A typical day in Casa begins with outdoor play followed by an uninterrupted work period in the morning. Following lunch and recess younger students nap while older students continue working on their lessons or have classes with specialists.
The Montessori Practical Life exercises teach students to care for themselves and their environment. Students learn to dress themselves and conduct other daily activities. Through continuous repetition, children learn independence, self-confidence, concentration, and a sense of order.
In the language portion of the curriculum students begin by identifying sounds and later associating them with letters. Later, students apply this knowledge to phonics and reading. In the Montessori system students first learn to write and only later to read. Students are introduced to French at age four, once they are comfortable with these basic language skills.
The Montessori Sensorial Equipment helps children experience their world through their senses. Students learn to discriminate by sight, touch, smell, sound and taste. Once students have experienced the Sensorial Equipment, they learn to communicate their experiences and apply them to the world at large.
The Montessori Math Curriculum focuses first on the concrete and then moves toward abstraction. Students first focus on numbers, mastering quantity then the symbol, and lastly associating the two. Students are then exposed to the operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
Culture covers a variety of areas. Students are exposed to geography through flags and puzzle maps, zoology and botany through plant and animal classification, music through the bells and daily singing, and religion through the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.
