Poet, Activist, Writer. I am in 8th Grade. I am Aparna. I am Hamilton Park Montessori School.

The four eighth grade HPMS students came into the school at different times. Some have been with the school since it was first opened. Others came in when the school had become more developed. No matter when they came in, HPMS helped them discover their passions and grow as people. I am one of the eighth grade students. I have been in HPMS since first grade, and being a part of its community has given me the opportunities to shape who I am now.

When I first joined HPMS, I was instantly welcomed by a group of compassionate, hardworking teachers and warm, embracing students. Even from that age, HPMS was already building confidence and compassion in kids. We had research projects and presentations where we spoke in front of our class. Sometimes the older kids would read us passages from science or other topics and would help us answer questions about them. I feel that this helped to shape who I am because having those memories makes it more personal to me when we do things like that, since we are the older kids now. We have reading buddies and showcases to give the younger kids a sense of mentorship. To this day I love working with kids and others in my community, and these values came from HPMS.

HPMS also offers many hands-on resources for kids to learn practical life skills, learn concepts, and strengthen their creativity. When you are little, you get practical life works that kids learn from and enjoy doing! This happens a lot in HPMS, because the kids here love to learn. When you get a little bit older, you start doing works that help you visualize mathematical and scientific concepts and strengthen your understanding. Upon reaching middle school, you get to show your creativity through art, building, writing, science, math, and humanities based projects. The STEM program is a huge part of this, because the kids can create actual models of the ideas that they create, but each class offers many unique ways to express your individual thoughts.

Speaking of individuality, HPMS has a group of dedicated teachers who support the school’s philosophy of giving the students the independence and freedoms to grow into confident, kind, accepting people. They also support the interests of students and provide a safe, loving community to try other things out. That’s another reason HPMS is wonderful. The community is so closely knit that no one has to be afraid of judgement or ridicule from classmates if they want to try unique things.

My personal experience has consisted of all of these factors and so much more. My friends and teachers have been incredibly supportive of me and my goals, which are to be a writer and an activist. In a nutshell, HPMS is an amazing school, one built on compassion, confidence, independence, and student-driven passion. I feel especially lucky to have had the opportunity to be able to grow and live in this community.

--Aparna Packer will be in the first graduating cohort of 8th Graders at Hamilton Park Montessori School. When asked what she remembers from her early years at the school, she muses: "I remember when I was younger, I really liked the long chain work. That helped me with math facts and I remember it very clearly. I feel like it was more effective than plain memorization. It gave me a clearer visualization to work with. I also remember Ms. Kathy telling stories about farmers during geometry lessons to help explain certain concepts." 

So, what makes it "Montessori"?

Soaring to New Heights: Hamilton Park Montessori School Middle School Program has Launched!

Over the past year and a half, HPMS has worked tirelessly to create a robust & engaging STEM program for our Middle School students. Progressive, collaborative and project based, this curriculum seamlessly integrates with Montessori philosophy, giving students hands-on experiences to learn, fail and iterate together.

Our yearly weather balloon project is a highlight of the STEM program (and a student fave!). Students build a weather balloon armed with mini cameras, onboard computing and 3D-printed housings and then send it off to space, reaching heights of 120k feet! Then, the data analysis begins so that the process can be fine-tuned for the next voyage.

Check out this film of our maiden voyage, and stay tuned for this year's recap!

Watch our Very First Balloon Launch!

Come See What's Growing Here... Six Stories Up.

Challenge: How to share the valuable life lessons and experiences of a great ecology curriculum at an urban school lacking the open space and litter/canine waste control of a private yard?

Hamilton Park Montessori School Solution: Take to the sky! What we lack in acreage, we make up for in height—well above street level, we now have a working vegetable/herb/flower/fruit rooftop garden and apiary that our students get to explore, work in and study all year long. Success!

Students in our Enrichment Program this summer have been digging in the dirt, planting, watering and harvesting... and beaming with pride to watch their seedlings grow and thrive (just like the teachers do watching students evolve over the course of the year). If you are walking by, you can also see our Sunflower Project up against the exterior of our building, just across the street from beautiful Hamilton Park

Celebrating 110 Years of Innovation & Passion 

in Education

The Children of Blue Room sewed this banner for the 110th Anniversary of Montessori Education

What do Hamilton Park Montessori School children have in common with today's most remarkable innovators, such as the Google co-founders and the creator of Amazon.com? The foundation of a Montessori education.

Maria Montessori: A Visionary for the Ages

This week, we celebrated the 110th anniversary of Montessori Education during Montessori Education Week. Thank you to all who came to our workshops and to all of our teachers who took time to prepare such thoughtful presentations!

Dr. Maria Montessori believed that each child learns at his own pace and in his own way. This innovative thinking shaped a new type of learning environment designed to kindle the individual interests of each learner. 

When Barbara Walters asked Google co-founders what they felt was a major factor in their success, they credited their early childhood Montessori education: "We both went to Montessori school," Mr. Larry Page said, "and I think it was part of that training of ...being self-motivated, questioning what's going on in the world, doing things a little bit differently."

At HPMS, it is our commitment to help children build the skills and confidence to respond creatively to new challenges, resolve conflicts effectively, and relate well to others. It just so happens that these are the very 21st Century skills that employers say are most important for success in the workplace. 

Here's to Dr. Montessori--a child advocate and a true visionary!

Peace Begins with Me

Anyone who has visited a Montessori classroom has observed the magical way that peace and harmony prevail in a classroom bustling with dozens of young hearts and minds of varying ages and at various stages of development.  What makes this quiet, industrious “hum” of a Montessori classroom possible?

A wise believer in the power of the child, Maria Montessori advocated for the creation of  “… an environment that will promote the development of peaceful individuals.”[1] Dr. Montessori explained that peace prevails when we offer children the time and freedom to work on activities appropriate for the child's stage of development. When we do this, we witness “a love of work or activity, concentration, self-discipline and joy in accomplishment” in the classroom.[2]

These characteristics are not imposed by anyone or anything. Peace results from the child’s own efforts when the environment supports his inner needs. What we are seeing in the classroom is the joyful learning that happens when a child feels the self-actualization that is a result of his own self-discipline and accomplishments.

And just as Montessori environments aim for each child to achieve this inner peace, they also place a special emphasis on living in harmony and respecting the rights of others. The classroom is a community and within this community, respect for self, others, and the environment is taught and reinforced actively.

As Mahatma Gandhi so wisely noted in a letter he wrote to Dr. Montessori:  "If we are to teach real peace in this world... we shall have to begin with the children."

Share now to share peace!

If you are a teacher, share with us how you teach peace in your classroom!

Fun fact: Did you know that Maria Montessori herself was at the forefront of global peace advocacy and education, recognized during her time and throughout history as a spokesperson of the power of peace. In fact, she was thrice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

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[1] http://montessoritraining.blogspot.com/2007/06/peace-education-in-montessori-classroom.html#.VdEF6hNViko

[2] http://amshq.org/Family-Resources/Montessori-Terminology

Serving up more than delicious eats at HPMS

The mathematical journey in the Montessori classroom begins even before a child touches any of the math materials. Children start to build mathematical thinking in the Sensorial, Practical Life and Cultural areas of the classroom by using concrete materials to prepare the mind for abstract thinking. Each material that is found on the shelf has the goal of sparking the child’s innate love of learning in addition to having several underlying purposes. In other words, children are having fun while they are building important skills.

Eventually, as children mature and begin to think more abstractly, they will rely less and less on the concrete materials—although these materials will continue to fill the classroom with alluring beauty.

This week, Our HPMS summer camp friends decided to take math into their own hands by creating their own restaurant. They ingeniously developed all aspects of their business, including the creation of their own HPMS currency, the marketing collateral, menu, as well as roles and responsibilities (Maitre D’, wait staff, bartenders, food prep, etc.). They estimated the number of clients they would have so they could order the appropriate amount of groceries and used their math skills to manipulate the recipes for the quantities needed. And after proudly serving the HPMS teachers and staff who delighted in the whole experience, they got down to business and computed their restaurant’s profits. In conclusion? Math is fun...and tasty, too!