About Us
MARNEE HARKE has been part of a Montessori School for over 20 years as teacher and director. She is currently a member of the board of directors for the Maine Montessori Association and the Damariscotta Montessori School, and a Field Consultant for the Age of Montessori Teacher Training. Since obtaining her degrees in Early Childhood Education and Child Development from Vanderbilt University, she has worked in schools in Tennessee, Vermont, Connecticut, and Maine. She holds her American Montessori Society credential from the Center for Montessori Education in New York.
Assisting Marnee are three caring teachers; McKayla Gray (Maine Montessori Association Trained Assistant), Tammy Nicholas (American Montessori Society certified), and Marcia Clark (BA Bates College, MS Cornell University, and American Montessori Society certified).
Our Programs
FULL DAY
Mon-Thu 8:45-2:45, Fri 8:45-1:00
The day begins with a Montessori work period and ends with a community meeting. Students will have a minimum of 30 minutes on the playground (or community room in inclement weather) followed by lunch. The afternoon starts with a quiet time and chapter book followed by more advanced works for the older children. The afternoon will also offer specials including library time, cooking, and special outings.
HALF DAY
Mon-Fri 8:45-12:00
Students will enjoy all the morning activities together with the Full Day students until their dismissal from the playground before lunch. We encourage the Half Day program for our younger children.
LUNCH BUNCH
Mon-Fri 12:00-1:00
For our younger children that would like a little more social interaction, we offer Lunch Bunch so that they may stay and eat with their friends.
We offer three and five day options.
Our Calendar
Click here to dowload the school calendar. There will be field trips generally once a month and will include such things as apple or pumpkin picking, nature hikes, and sugaring. These will be coordinated by email so please remember to check your inbox!
Resources
Resources and Articles
The Maine Montessori Association
The American Montessori Association
The Montessori Foundation (International)
Inside Montessori "A documentary film and library of short videos that reframe the national education conversation toward creating learning environments that allow children to achieve their full potential"
An introduction to Montessori Method A brief explanation from the American Montessori Society on the Montessori Method.
NewsAn interview with Marnee about Freeport Montessori School (Freeport Coastal Living Magazine)
Sweet Lesson at Freeport Montessori School (The Forecaster)
Freeport School Choices to Again Include Montessori (Bangor Daily News)
Montessori
The Montessori Method
In the simplest of terms, the Montessori method can be described as "Follow The Child". Maria Montessori (1870-1952) pioneered a new way to teach children, by allowing them to explore and interact with their surroundings at their own pace with the teacher there to guide them. It continues to be a relevant and modern philosphy.
The Montessori classroom is divided into seven areas:
PRACTICAL LIFE Children learn lessons through real life activities such as spooning, pouring, and food preparation, which also help strengthen and train muscles necessary for writing.
SENSORIAL Children learn visual and tactile discrimination of color, size, and shape. These and other Montessori works are performed left to right, preparing the child for reading.
MATH Children will, after gaining a concrete knowledge of 0-10 have the opportunity to experience mathematical operations, linear counting, and the decimal system. All of this is done tangibly and visually with the Montessori Materials.
LANGUAGE Through pre-reading works, children will increase their vocabulary and visual discrimination. Reading is taught with phonics first in a tactile way with sandpaper letters, where children will learn their sounds using all their senses.
SCIENCE Focusing on the natural sciences, the children will learn about the world around them and the lifecycles of plants and animals.
CULTURE The children will study the seven continents using puzzle maps, globe, and cultural experiences to help them learn about the world and to be global citizens.
ART Children will experiment and create with different mediums to stimulate their imagination.