Mi Escuela MontessoriProviding an equitable two-way, dual language Montessori education to students from diverse backgrounds in Preschool through 8th grade.
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Mi Escuela MontessoriProviding an equitable two-way, dual language Montessori education to students from diverse backgrounds in Preschool through 8th grade.
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In November, 2020, Mi Escuela Montessori will open enrollment for the 2021-2022 school year. Mi Escuela Montessori is a free, public charter school in Polk County, Florida. Our Kindergarten through eighth grade families do not pay tuition. Students in our preschool and pre-Kindergarten programs pay tuition on a sliding scale based on income. Mi Escuela Montessori fuses two well-researched and innovative approaches to education: the educational program developed by Dr. Maria Montessori and the two-way, dual-language immersion program advocated by most language learning experts. Our interdisciplinary, hands-on and experiential curriculum will be delivered in English and Spanish with the goal of developing biliteracy, bilingualism and cross cultural competence in both languages. This program is offered to all students, including those who speak only Spanish, some Spanish or no Spanish at all.
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Our Montessori curriculum is provided in multi-age classrooms: 3- to 6-year-olds (Primary), 6- to 9-year-olds (Lower Elementary), and 9- to 12-year-olds (Upper Elementary). Classrooms are organized into core areas including: practical life, sensorial, language, math, cultural (geography, history, and science) and creative arts.
Montessori Classrooms Include:
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Two-Way Dual-Language ImmersionOur research-based, two-way, dual-language immersion (TWDLI) program maintains rigorous academic proficiency objectives for all students across core subjects. However, our program targets three additional objectives: English language proficiency for our English Language Learners (ELL), second language proficiency by the English speakers, and cross-cultural learning for both populations. Students continue building content knowledge in their native language and are provided bridge instruction to the second language they are learning. Research shows that bilingualism and biliteracy lead to accelerated academic development, improved attention, stronger communication skills, increased problem-solving skills, and improved flexible thinking — for both English-dominant and Spanish-dominant students. Students who develop proficiency in a second language have increased faculty learning additional languages and are prepared for a greater variety of career choices and access to a more global community. |
Diversity and Inclusion |
Mi Escuela Montessori is an inclusive learning community that aims to attract, enroll, and retain a wide spectrum of students and families representative of the diversity existing in Polk County. We believe that the ideal educational program is one in which students have the opportunity to interact with and develop respect for others who share different ability levels and linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds.
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Rigorous Academics |
Our curriculum is designed with a high emphasis on standards-based skills and content knowledge in both English and Spanish. We facilitate independent research, interdisciplinary connections and higher order thinking to support students in developing deep understanding of learning objectives.
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Grace and Courtesy |
Students at Mi Escuela Montessori are given instruction on how to be a part of a learning community. All students, even our youngest, participate in maintaining an organized and clean classroom environment and in supporting the learning and physical and emotional safety of their classmates.
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Creativity |
Students at Mi Escuela Montessori are given the freedom to think outside of the box. They can integrate art, music, drama, technology, and engineering into their presentations of learning. They participate in group discussions and writing workshops which build their skills as effective speakers and writers.
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Non-Discrimination PolicyMi Escuela Montessori strives to provide a safe, respectful, and supportive learning environment in which all students can thrive and succeed in our school. MEM has an open enrollment policy and is open to any student who submits a timely application. It is committed to providing a dual-language Montessori education to a diverse group of children in Polk County. MEM prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, religion, veteran status, homelessness and any other class of individuals protected from discrimination under state or federal law in any aspect of the access to, admission, or treatment of students in its programs and activities, or in employment and application for employment.
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Heartland Crime Stoppers provides cash awards for anonymous information regarding crimes occurring in Polk, Highlands and Hardee Counties. Report a crime by calling 1-800-226-8477
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