Oak Meadow Montessori School

Oak Meadow has been an absolutely amazing educational experience for my family for the past two years. My children are young (2 and 4), so it's my first school encounter as a parent, and I know the bar has been set incredibly high. The children are nurtured and deeply cared for by amazing, highly qualified, and empathetic teachers who lead by example. They are genuinely excited to go to school each day, and, through the Montessori teaching method, absorb imperative life, critical thinking, analytical, and social skills in the classroom that they then take home with them. Oak Meadow students (my own and those that I've observed of all ages) are independent thinkers who are considerate, respectful, and supportive of one another. It's so refreshing to witness! Oak Meadow is a very special learning environment - we looked at many preschools in the area, and are consistently impressed with Oak Meadow's curriculum, teachers, and community.

My son has been a student at the Oak Meadow School in Littleton since he was 1.5 years old and started off in their Beginner`s Program. His time there helped to cultivate his passionate and energetic desire to know more and more about his world and his teachers were his knowledge stewards, unwaveringly patient and kind. He is now 4 and part of the Children`s House community where he continues to flourish and ask many questions! I can`t speak enough about the nurturing, creative and collaborative learning style that Oak Meadow fosters as part of a Montessori based model. He is able to interact in a classroom model where there are varying ages of classmates which enables students to learn not only how to mentor, but how to learn from older peers. Given the pandemic over the last year, the school has also been able to react positively in a very difficult situation and try to limit the impact to the students and parents alike. The teachers at Oak Meadow continue to impress me with their patience and creativity in times of stress and restrictions. Due to Oak Meadow`s continued leadership from its Head of School, teachers and staff, I can confidently drop my son off at school each day and pick up a very happy little boy!

Our kids, now in 7th and 5th grades, each joined Oak Meadow when they were three years old. We were looking for a real preschool, not a daycare, and were very impressed with the Children's House program at Oak Meadow. Our eldest had to be dragged away from the Open House. She was so at home in the classroom with the materials and her future teacher. It was never our intention to stay beyond Kindergarten. But our kids were loving school and excelling beyond curriculum level, so it was clear that continuing to the Elementary program at Oak Meadow was the right choice for them. In addition to the rigorous core curriculum (math, language, science, cultural) we were impressed that the students at Oak Meadow start learning Spanish weekly as young as 3-years old, extending to 4-5 classes per week by 8th Grade. The highly talented art teacher guides the students through a Montessori-based curriculum, which allows each student to explore the subject in ways that inspire them. This culminates each spring in a school-wide art show. The school has a very strong music and performing arts program, including a school musical production each year. These have included Frozen, The Lion King, The Aristocrats, and more. Private music lessons are offered after school for a range of instruments. One of the unique aspects of the Oak Meadow Curriculum is year-round, nature-based learning. And, as I write this in February, we are gearing up for the annual Science Fair, in which all students in Grades 3-8 carry out and present an independent research project. Each of our children is unique, with their own learning style. At Oak Meadow, the teachers really know and develop a strong bond with each child, one of the benefits of the multi-age classrooms. This means that each child's education is approached individually, building upon their strengths and providing the guidance to develop in areas they find more challenging. There is no such thing as a child who is 'gifted' or one that is 'behind'. Even the kids understand that everyone has their own talents and will be learning at a different pace. Now our oldest is in Oak Meadow's Middle School and thriving. There is a strong focus on social-emotional learning, which gives the students strategies for their teen years and beyond. The close-knit MS community has a collegiate feel of mutual respect between students and teachers. I know that wherever my kids go to high school, they will have the skills they need to succeed and become leaders.

I will share a letter I wrote this year to the administration: Good Evening everyone: I just wanted to express again how happy we are that we were able to keep W in, and bring P to Oak Meadow, and say Thank You. W is thriving and back to her pre-quarantine self. She is loving her journal, friends, and everything about life. But it is P, in Mrs. Ferreira's class, whom I would like to mention in more detail. P is a bright child (I know everyone says that, but humor me for a moment). When we made the decision to bring P from Montessori to public school, I knew I would have to fight to get P what he needed. Kindergarten was a disaster, even though his class size was only 13 kids with a teacher and an aid. First grade (class size of 14) he was constantly bored, but we were able to supplement school with our own at home program. We felt pushed aside by the school and administration, even the Superintendent who told me that because we have a "high" child he could manage, while IEP kids "needed" the extra time of the "extra" teachers. Communication was poor and there was little follow through. The communication with Mrs. Ferreira has been excellent and her strategy spot-on, with no intervention from us. His (and the class, I presume) learning evaluation was done immediately and I have full faith in its results. Yesterday P was very excited to learn about nouns and pronouns-he is wired to want to diagram sentences. And, today was very special for P. P went to school thrilled to learn that Mrs. Ferreira is trying to get onto Prodigy (a math game/system/curriculum) and he is going to get "special challenges" (assignments) to complete soon. Then, he came home thrilled that he got a lesson in division. He knows how to do division but gets there in a very convoluted way, going about using his knowledge of the theory of numbers rather than "knowing" how to do division. For him, using math and learning new ways to manipulate numbers and puzzles is thrilling. I see the spark in his eye again, not only from being with friends, but from learning something new. After remote learning and having to do busy work well below his level for school, the spark faded. Thank you all for doing what you do and being who you are.

We have four children, one in nearly every program level, at Oak Meadow. We could not love this school, the staff, or the wonderfully diverse families more if we wanted to. Since I cannot keep my children with me forever and always, Oak Meadow is the next best place to home. The education is beyond top notch. I have watched children grow and move through the programs, and it is stunning to see what this style of education can do to create well rounded, incredibly informed, self assured, thoughtful, and caring individuals. I truly cannot say enough about the staff, the atmosphere, the love, and the education at Oak Meadow. I am thankful to have had nine years here already, but also to have eight more years at Oak Meadow before my last graduates. We LOVE this school!