Montessori at Findley
In the 2024-2025 school year, Findley will transition to Montessori teaching and learning for K-5 students. We know that with this change will come many questions from our families and partners. Please use the form below to submit your questions regarding Montessori and what the 24-25 school year will hold for you and our Findley scholars. Those of us at Findley are also learning what it means to teach in the Montessori philosophy and will do our best to answer questions. Updates to questions will be posted on our website under the Big Dream tab. Thank you for being a partner in this important work and helping us ensure we meet the needs of our students, families, and community partners.
Below you will find some preliminary information about Findley Montessori.
Updated May 24, 2024
| Question | Answer |
| Montessori utilizes multi-age classrooms. What does multi-age mean and what does that mean for classes? | Multi-age classrooms allow for more developmentally appropriate supports for students. Students will have opportunities to develop relationships with their teacher over a longer period of time as they will be with the same teacher for two years. Also, older students will have opportunities to be leaders and mentor younger students.
In our clubs on Fearless Fridays, we have seen great success with multi-age clubs. Students respond well to opportunities to interact with students from other grade-levels. We will have 4 multi-age classrooms of K and 1st grade students. We will have 4 multi-age classrooms of 2nd and 3rd grade students. We will have 4 multi-age classrooms of 4th and 5th grade students. |
| Why is 6th grade not part of Montessori in 24-25? | Findley is serving as a pilot for re-imagining different elementary and 6th grade experiences. We take this responsibility seriously. To support our district in assessing impacts on students experiencing 6th grade in an elementary school, we will offer a more traditional 6th grade approach to teaching and learning that is tailored to our students’ desired experiences. |
| Why Montessori? | We have been Dreaming Big at Findley and many of our conversations about the Big Dream have included aspects of Montessori. At the time of our conversations, we just didn’t know that Montessori was an option. Since being presented with the option of becoming Montessori, we realized that we were closer to Montessori than previously thought. Multi-age clubs on Fearless Fridays, student choice in learning, student data notebooks, and options for students to move between grade-levels to receive math instruction are just a few examples. |
| What if I want to enroll my student at Findley but don’t live in Findley’s attendance area? | Please reach out to us at Findley if you are interested in enrolling your student at Findley as a K-5 Montessori student. We are happy to answer any questions that you have. 515-242-8407.
For additional information enrollment in Des Moines Public Schools, visit https://www.dmschools.org/enrollment-registration/ |
| How are teachers being prepared for Montessori? | Teachers who will be teaching the Montessori curriculum are being supported in a few ways. First, teachers are currently engaging in a 10-week training course through a Montessori training center. This course focuses on Montessori fundamentals.
Cowles Montessori staff will be hosting Findley teachers for four half-days in August for a deeper dive into the Montessori curriculum. Findley and Cowles Montessori are holding a joint book study for available staff during the summer. Cowles Montessori staff will support Findley teachers with classroom setup and preparing Montessori materials. |
| With 4 multi-age classrooms at each level, will you hire more staff? Where will these classrooms be? | Each Montessori classroom will have one Montessori teacher. Throughout Findley we have additional support staff who can provide students and teachers the necessary supports throughout the day.
We have classroom spaces for every K-6 classroom. |
| How will students who need to catch up in reading get the direct teaching they need? | Students in K-2 will continue to receive direct reading instruction. Students who need additional reading supports will receive reading intervention supports through our interventionists or classroom teachers. |
| While you focus on challenging kids, how will you ensure no student is getting behind on learning? | Montessori comes with a robust system of student progress monitoring and tracking. Teachers will consistently observe students and support students with selecting appropriate work each day to ensure progress in Montessori. |