AT THE SUMMIT Celebrating 60 Years of Continuous Montessori Education

By Nancy Berlier

When school resumes this fall, The Summit’s Montessori School will begin its 60th anniversary year with a record enrollment of students from 18-months through kindergarten. A pioneer in Montessori education since its inception, the year will witness changes in faculty and continued innovations in curriculum. The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur first opened a Montessori program here in 1925. While that didn’t last, they started the modern Montessori School in the fall of 1963, and the sisters themselves became national experts in Montessori education through the publication of Montessori Matters.

Today, the school meets the needs of parents with a variety of half- and full-day options and offers beforeand afterschool care. As the school continues to provide an educational model that distinguishes it in the Cincinnati educational community, here are Summit’s top 10 differentiators.

Expertise of Faculty

Just as the Sisters were experts in Montessori education, today’s teachers are also well educated, well trained and abundant. Every toddler classroom has three teachers and every other room has two. The Montessori School has added two specialists to the faculty, a dedicated counselor and an intervention specialist who guide teachers in social-emotional learning, programming and curriculum. The addition of an assistant director this year will provide additional support for teachers. About 34% of the faculty has advanced degrees while a professional development program provides ongoing opportunities to every teacher every year.

“It’s an awesome place for teachers to grow themselves, because we are committed to professional development,” says Montessori

School Director Lauren Guip. “We’re committed to the expertise and understanding of early childhood development.”

The Environment

The Lower School building, which opened in 2004, was designed with the Montessori student in mind. Peaceful, uncluttered classrooms are large and have natural lighting. Right-sized furniture and organization follow the Montessori model and each classroom is rich with authentic Montessori learning materials. In mixed-age classrooms, children learn from each other.

“ We’re social creatures, so having the opportunity to learn while you socialize is a tremendous asset for the student,” says Mrs. Guip.

Educating with Care

E ducation walks hand-in-hand with caring at The Summit. The Montessori curriculum meets students where they are. So, for example, teachers, specialists and didactic materials are available to help a 3-yearold who is ready to read or 5-year-old who needs help with phonics.

“I t hink our differentiated learning is top-notch,” says Mrs. Guip, “but beyond that the warmth of the community is so important. It can be difficult to find high quality preschool education with warmth and love and care and safety. There’s no more critical time than ages 0-6 in terms of brain development and the kind of experience and environment that children have. So, when parents see dedicated teachers cultivating an environment that blends education with care based on the needs of the children, they see we check all the boxes.”

Toddler Program

The youngest students at The Summit are 18 months old, and some of them receive a boost through the IGknight Movement and Movement Class for children from birth to 24 months. The Toddler Program offers an educational experience for children from 18 to 36 months and has been filled to capacity every year since it began in 2008. The program focuses on three primary developmental needs: movement, language and order.

Enrichment Program

The enrichment Program provides a deep dive into higher level units of study such as animal classification, human anatomy or ecological awareness. New this fall, full-day students will remain in their academic classrooms for afternoon Enrichment activities instead of transitioning into separate classrooms.

“One of the things COVID taught us, especially for our 3- and 4-year-olds, was to have consistency in relationships and to be with the same teacher all day,” says Mrs. Guip. “Research says the number of transitions in a child’s day matters to their healthy development, provides a pace that meets their needs, gives them more time for enrichment activities and lays the foundation for building deep relationships. All our teachers are qualified to teach both the academic and enrichment subject matter.”

Orff Music Program

C arl Orff, a contemporary of Maria Montessori, developed a child-centered way of learning music which stresses the importance of rhythm and movement. At The Summit, the program fosters listening and participation skills. Through singing, chanting, dancing, acting, moving and playing percussion instruments, children learn the fundamentals of performance, reading, writing and composition. These skills are a springboard for imitation, experimentation and personal expression.

Other Signature Programs

W hile the Toddler, Enrichment and Orff Music programs are special to the Montessori School, students also benefit from curriculum and activities developed for Summit’s signature programs that span the years through graduation. These include world language, writing, social skills and tailored instruction.

Leaders of Character

The Summit developed a Leaders of Character framework that identifies character-based leadership attributes which are explicitly taught, practiced and modeled through each grade level. The Montessori School focuses on “growing self,” which resonates with Maria Montessori’s teaching. Their lessons revolve around what it means to be accountable, creative, curious, resilient and self-aware.

“ When people are looking for a pre-K through Grade 12 school, there’s no better place than The Summit for character and faith formation,” Mrs.

Guip says. “Exposing kids from a young age to the idea that there’s something bigger than themselves builds community, emphasizes service and grows their sense of self.”

Creative Problem-Solving

The Montessori School also takes part in a pre-K through Grade 12 creative problem-solving framework. The key aspects of building a growth mindset include building empathy, finding and solving problems, taking risks, networking in teams, learning how to be observant, developing strategies for creativity and becoming resilient and reflective.

“ This kind of thinking is a growth mindset that blends well with the Montessori philosophy,” Mrs. Guip says. “Understanding that there’s more than one solution to any given problem, develops innovation for the students as well as the teachers.”

Diversity

The Montessori School is the most diverse division at The Summit which has 28 percent students of color, 16 faith traditions represented and families from 78 zip codes. English is not the first language for many students and the school has a track record for helping international students with language barriers.

“ The nationality and cultural differences of the students that we attract makes it a rich experience,” says Mrs. Guip. “We present lessons based on current events with the interests of those unique children, their culture and their heritage in mind. It’s important for our kids to understand the world we live in is not just the experience that they’re having. It helps form our thought processes about others, and we celebrate the differences.”

Montessori Admission: Contact Elaine Pearl at 513.871.4700 ext. 209 or pearl_e@summitcds.org.