Namaste Montessori School

March 11, 2025School Projectsalternative education, Montessori, primary, Science

Making Maple Syrup!

March 2025: The children helped collect sap from the sugar maple trees on our Primary campus to make maple syrup. Each year at least one of our classes participates in the process. This year, the children from the Bluebird class collected the sap in buckets and watched the sap boil down. After the hard work, the Bluebird class enjoyed a …

February 21, 2025School Eventsalternative education, child development, Community, elementary, literacy, Montessori, primary

Montessori Education and Literacy – Panel Discussion

Join us for a presentation of current literacy research and its application in the Montessori curriculum. Bruce Howlett, reading specialist and author of “Sparking the Reading Shift” with join us. Additionally, our Primary and Elementary teachers, Bridgid Beames, Lauren Lougher, and Lex Thompson will be part of our panel. Learn more about why some children read easily and some find …

January 28, 2025School Events, School Projectsalternative education, elementary, engineering, Montessori, robotics, Science, technology

Namaste Robotics Team Awarded FLL Robotic Championship

The Marine Masters, the Namaste elementary robotics team, secured two trophies at the First Lego League competition, on Saturday, January 25th. The robotics championship arrived after months of hard work building and customizing their robot, coding for missions, and preparing a research presentation on deep sea diving. The first award the team received was for the most overall points scored …

November 18, 2024School Eventsalternative education, Community, Montessori, Music and Art Education

Namaste Fall Festival 2024

Despite the chill, Namaste families gathered for a fun-filled afternoon of games, activities, and treats early this November. The annual festival was larger than ever with the addition of a paper plane launching area and a timed obstacle course. For the last 4 years the toddler, primary, and elementary families plan and gather for this fall festival to build community …

September 22, 2024School Eventsalternative education, child development, Community, elementary, Montessori

Upper Elementary Annual Camping Trip

Each year, the upper elementary heads out on a fall two-night camping adventure to an area state park. This trip offers valuable experience planning, preparing, and packing, as well as a opportunities to cook meals, explore the area, and bond with peers. Before the camping trip, the students decided on meals and went on a field trip to Wegmans to …

September 19, 2024School Projectsalternative education, child development, Montessori, primary, Science

The Indoor/Outdoor Classroom

The Montessori Primary program prioritizes an indoor/outdoor classroom, incorporating the natural world into the curriculum. Whenever possible, the doors are opened, allowing children freedom to go outdoors (when the weather is mild). This freedom allows young children to move as needed and participate in activities that are inspiring and meaningful to them! The primary environment is connected to a fenced …

September 9, 2024School Eventsalternative education, child development, Community, elementary, Montessori, primary

Namaste Celebrates 20 Years of Serving Children and Families

The Namaste community gathered to celebrate 20 years of excellent early-childhood education with food, music, activities, and memories! Many current and former families joined the festivities and offered their congratulations. Namaste sponsored free carousel rides for visitors to the park for the day. History Bridgid and Stanley Beames founded Namaste Montessori School 20 years ago, in August of 2004. The …

July 2, 2024School Eventsalternative education, Community, Montessori

Ithaca Fest Parade

Each year the elementary students help design and build a float for the Ithaca Fest parade. This year the Ithaca Festival theme was “Let the Sunshine In!” and our float was colorful, with flowers and butterflies! We had record turnout for our little school, with many alumni and families walking with us. Making a parade float is no easy task. …

June 30, 2024School Events, School Projectsalternative education, child development, Community, elementary, Montessori, Music and Art Education, technology

Elementary Annual City Trip for 5th and 6th Years

Each Spring, our 5th and 6th year elementary students plan a field trip to a nearby city. This year the students chose Philadelphia and planned for a very busy three days of activities. The activities included a visit to the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts Museum for a private tour and art lesson. The students visited the Philadelphia Mint to …

June 23, 2024School Eventsalternative education, child development, Community, elementary, Montessori, Music and Art Education, primary

Spring Festival

What a joy to be together as a community at our annual spring festival! Families spread blankets across the lawn at Jacksonville Community Park and watched the children’s performances. The spring festival is an opportunity for the children to share songs, rhythms, and dances from their music classes with their families. It is also an opportunity for our community to …

June 18, 2024School Projectsalternative education, Careers, child development, Community, elementary, Montessori, Science

Making Bread From Seed to Loaf

Our elementary students learned about the growing of wheat and milling of flour, the creation of sourdough starters, and the kneading, shaping, and baking of bread this spring! With guidance and support from staff from Wide Awake Bakery and Farmer Ground Flour, the children enjoyed in-class visits and field trips to gain hand-on experiences with the processes of farming grain …

May 14, 2024School Projectsalternative education, Careers, child development, elementary, Montessori, Science, technology

Poultry Sciences

Poultry sciences are part of our annual curriculum at Namaste. Our chickens laid fertile eggs, thanks to our not-so-friendly rooster, and the elementary children were able to incubate and raise three chicks this spring! The children were able to observe at every step of the process. They candled the eggs to see the embryos form, and watched them hatch and …

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