Our Casa classrooms, for three to five year olds, are carefully designed for children to “learn by doing." The Casa classroom is a welcoming, organized space designed to meet a child's individual needs. Our teacher to student ratio in this class is 1:8. Here, your child experiences a blend of freedom and discipline in a space especially designed for his or her optimal development. The most important function of the Casa program is to provide children with a foundation that includes a positive attitude towards school, inner security, and a sense of order. Casa students develop a pride in their physical environment, habits of concentration, initiative and persistence, and a sense of responsibility to other members of the classroom. The Casa curriculum is divided into five areas of learning: practical life, mathematics, language, sensorial and culture. All Casa students must be fully toilet trained and are not permitted to wear diapers or pull-ups to school. Each Casa student receives weekly instruction in music, French and physical education.
Casa students may attend half day or full day classes, all run five days a week. Here are details on each of our Casa programs:
Full Day Threes (FD3) - Junior Campus Full Day Three Year Olds spend their full day in Montessori Casa classroom specifically designed for first year Casa students. These children are provided with a hot, catered lunch each day, fresh snacks, wear a full uniform, need to be fully toilet trained and have a rest time for about 45 minutes at 12:30pm each day. If parents request a longer nap period for their child, teachers will allow a child to rest for up to 1 1/2 hours. A FD3 enjoys an outdoor recess at least once a day, often twice, unless it is too cold to do so. Full Day Fours (FD4) - Both Campuses Full Day Four Year Olds spend their full day in the Casa program and are in a mixed-age class for both morning and afternoon sessions. Students follow a dress-code and start to begin project work during their afternoons. A FD4 does not have a nap time and goes out for recess at least once a day, often twice.
Full Day Fives (FD5) – Main Campus A Full Day Five Year Old spends all day in a Casa environment. In this classroom, the Fives have a very independent morning, working at their own pace on the full suite of Montessori materials. The Fives, serve as leaders in a mixed-age Casa class. They are the oldest in the class and work on many in-depth, independent projects every afternoon. The Fives are exposed to special school-wide events such as International Day and extra field trips geared for older children. The students follow our dress-code and go out for recess, usually twice each day. Half-day Casa (3-5 year olds) - Junior Campus Half-day Casa students will spend either five mornings a week in a multi-age Montessori classroom. This schedules offers children excellent exposure to the Montessori classroom environment while allowing them to spend the other part of the day at home. Half-day Casa students must be fully toilet trained, wear a uniform and enjoy a morning snack provided by the school.