Academics

Arts & Enrichment

Arts and Enrichment are important pieces in the education of the whole child. Throughout the week our students have opportunity to participate in Expressive Arts including visual and performing arts, world languages, and physical education.
Beginning in the Toddler program, students are introduced to expressive arts. Beginning in Children’s House expressive arts are incorporated as a form of storytelling, history, culture, and aesthetics. As they progress through the curriculum they concentrate on developing skills, personal style, and work towards creating, demonstrating, and performing through various media and productions. The expressive arts program is essential to the learning objectives of the Montessori curriculum.

Visual Arts

The visual arts program develops each student’s perspective of the world, themselves, and shapes their response to the world with a sense of awe, wonder and discrimination. During class, art instruction addresses the developmental needs of the age group, respects the student’s interests in skill and content, and honors the developing personal voice within. Students develop a repertoire of skills and a body of knowledge about art that connects to their learning in the curriculum areas.

The art studio offers the gift of time to focus on a particular area or interest, develop confidence and artistic behaviors including repetition, investigation, experimentation, and a value study of art and the expression of others. Through the years, they learn about persistence, creativity, commitment, and integrity to the process of creating art as well as the value of aesthetic art.

Open Art hours allow students to schedule additional time to work on pieces they are creating or to the studio to supplement in-class work, projects, and assignments.

Performing Arts

List of 2 items.

  • Drama

    Creative expression in drama is a natural and essential extension or all social and academic learning in the classroom. Young children are learning about themselves, their place in the world, personal stories and relationships, and reciprocity of language and emotion. Drama class is a space for experimenting with expressions: emotion, language, movement, where creativity is encouraged. Partner-work and small group work is central to giving and receiving feedback. Because storytelling is a familiar form of expression in Cosmic Education, elements of writing and theatre are explored during drama class. Drama is a reflection of our community culture, plays are chosen or written by the students on themes that broaden social awareness, create joy, and foster collaboration. In the upper grades, students help manage all aspects of production: set design and lighting, costumes and music, stage managing, and acting. The Children’s House produces one main classroom-centric production annually, typically a musical that is an adaptation of classical literature. The Elementary and Middle School programs produce a program-centric production as well as smaller classroom-centric productions throughout the year.

  • Music

    Music is necessary to the life of a Montessori student and the process of building a community culture. By providing a variety of opportunities for individual lessons, whole- class lessons, shared musical experiences and instrumental and choral ensemble work, the music program fosters a lifelong appreciation and engagement in music. Students gain musical knowledge and are challenged to explore their musical potential through creativity, communication, collaboration, and critical thinking.  In this way, we develop a thoughtful, inspired, and enthusiastic community.

World Languages

List of 3 items.

  • Children's House Language Immersion

    Language Immersion Program is available at the Children’s House level (PK-K), in Mandarin-English and Spanish-English classrooms. The prepared environment of a Montessori classroom gives children time to explore, to learn, and to create at their own pace as they progress through the a sequential Montessori curriculum in a dual-language environment. 

    To accomplish this aim in Children’s House, there are two teachers in the room at all times, one Native speaker who only speaks the Immersion language (major language), the other speaks English.At times, the children also learn the alternate immersion language (minor language) during short-interval group lessons in the classroom. The goal for the Language Immersion Program is to lead the students from being bilingual to becoming literate in the languages.

  • Spanish

    Active, participatory learning is central to Spanish language instruction. Beginning in Toddler House, students learn both environmentally and through Montessori lessons in a systematic and successive curriculum that includes: hands-on cultural experiences, everyday conversation and communication, writing prompts, reading and presentations. Spanish instruction increases in frequency and higher-level thinking goals at each program level. This format provides students a solid academic foundation for secondary school – and for life.

  • Mandarin

    Active, participatory learning is central to Mandarin language instruction. Students learn through Montessori lessons in a systematic and successive curriculum that includes: hands-on cultural experiences, everyday conversation and communication, writing prompts, reading and presentations. Mandarin instruction increases in frequency and higher-level thinking goals at each program level. This format provides students a solid academic foundation for secondary school – and for life.

Physical Education

The premise of the physical education program is to provide students with the basic balance, coordination, and motor skills and to encourage physical activities as a lifestyle. Students are provided with the opportunity and information necessary to make decisions about physical activity for their personal challenge, enjoyment, health, self- expression and social interaction. Our goal is to promote a positive learning environment that meets the needs and abilities of all students and encourages teamwork over competition.

Physical Education is a cornerstone of the kindergarten program with weekly lessons in both gymnastics and swimming. From Elementary through Middle School, physical education expands beyond the typical class to include lessons in: health and nutrition, tennis, project adventure, swimming, water polo, martial arts, mixed indoor and outdoor games, ice skating, snowshoeing, cross-country and downhill skiing.

Contact

243 Essex Street
Beverly, Massachusetts, 01915
Phone: (978) 922-1008
Fax: (978) 922-0594

About Harborlight

Harborlight Montessori is a non-profit, private, independent, school for students from Preschool through Grade 8.

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