Partnership with Parents...
HCMS values a strong and comprehensive partnership with our parents. We honor parents' roles as the first, most important, and most influential teachers of children. Our role is to help children develop a love of learning resulting in academic achievement, self-discipline, self-motivation, and respect for themselves, others, and their environment. We achieve this goal by working together with our families to create a consistent learning community at both school and home. We commit to providing a learning environment for our students, our teachers, and our parents to build a predictable and supportive network between home and school.
Independence...
"Help me to do it myself" is music to our ears because it means we have successfully prepared an environment of security and inspiration for the child. When the child is ready to explore, they are becoming the self-directed, independent individuals we all desire them to be. To help them arrive at this stage, we commit to Dr. Montessori's belief that children are fundamentally different from adults. We will provide our students with the developmentally necessary elements to assist in the work of constructing themselves. We value independence as an essential characteristic of a contributing member of any community.
Community...
Contribution to our community: Montessori believed the only way to advance our species to higher levels of being and understanding is through our offspring. She lived her own life as a citizen of the world and believed we should rear our children to understand the inter-connectedness of their own existence with others. Hers was a call to action to give back to humanity and our communities through our diligence and commitment to children. By allowing children to participate in the creation of their own classrooms and providing a multi-age environment, children experience how to work collaboratively and become productive members of their community. The older children become leaders through role modeling and assisting the younger children. The younger children learn how to accept help and guidance from others.
Individual Nature of Students...
Our purpose as a school extends further than the cornerstone principles expressed in our Mission Statement. The American Montessori Society recognized that Montessori education would experience some transformation when crossing cultures and believes a major goal of Montessori education is to help children understand the environment in which they live. In this context, we value helping the individual student reach his or her own highest level of achievement by keeping abreast of current research and educational advances within and outside of Montessori circles.
Moral Integrity...
The development of moral integrity is a life-long process that occurs by providing consistent exposure to environments and adults who role-model respect, consistency in thought and action, and humility. Children must learn to balance their lives so there is time for self-reflection and thought. Mary Pipher eloquently describes what children need to become persons of integrity: "Raising healthy children is a labor intensive operation. Contrary to the news from the broader culture, most of what children need, money cannot buy. Children need time and space, attention, affection, guidance and conversation. They need sheltered places where they can be safe as they learn what they need to know to survive." We value and promote moral integerity in all persons associated with our school - teachers, staff, parents, students, and board members alike.
High Academic Standards...
Dr. Montessori believed the foundation built through the actions described above prepares children to be academically successful. To achieve our goal of preparing the whole child for a successful life, attention to developing a balance of the emotional, social, and practical elements of academic life is essential. By focusing on each of these aspects, children obtain the necessary tools to attend to the higher order thinking we call "critical thinking skills." The process of developing these skills starts at infancy and builds upon itself through experiences in each successive developmental stage of life. We value the prepared Montessori environment as an essential way to meet the developmental needs of children so they are well-prepared for academic excellence and personal integrity.
