Who We Are
Our Mission
Har Shalom is a Jewish, Montessori-Inspired school that celebrates diversity and welcomes families of all different cultures and backgrounds. Children are empowered to discover, inquire, and investigate in an environment that nurtures the joy of childhood and guides the development of well-rounded skills. A solid early years foundation socially-emotionally and academically is cultivated to provide a strong beginning for children as they move into the elementary years.
Our Philosophy
The Montessori individualized approach honors and supports each child’s learning journey. We compliment the Montessori method with a combination of research-proven philosophies that include Play-Based, Steam, and Reggio Emilia to broaden experiences for our multitude of learners and their individual learning styles. The multi-age environment provides a variety of avenues for both independent and interactive engagement aiding skill development for effective problem-solving, role modeling, communication, collaboration, and mentoring.
Our Program
Our philosophy provides a meaningful multi-age environment brimming with opportunities for hands-on learning and social/emotional growth. Children benefit from naturally learning with and from each other as they grow into thoughtful, intentional members of the school community and the larger world. Our classrooms are arranged with care to be an inviting, enriching, non-competitive atmosphere where your child is honored by kind, respectful teachers.
Additionally, HSPK is committed to good health and nutrition. The children enjoy outdoor, active play on our natural playground in the morning and in the afternoon. Imagination and large muscle development are happily at play as they swing on our swingset and run through the trees and hills. We cook and provide healthy snacks with clean ingredients because we believe “grow food” is a vital facet in the learning environment. The “Clean Fifteen and Dirty Dozen” yearly list is followed to provide the healthiest form of nutritious fruits and vegetables each school day.
Academics
The multi-age environment within the individualized Montessori-Inspired method allows for each child to discover and follow their learning interests as they are ready. In their beginning years with Har Shalom, we support children’s sensitive periods with a variety of activities and build on skill levels as appropriate for each child.
With most of our children moving on to public elementary schools, children in their later years are formally equipped with the academic skills needed to meet district standards and a variety of academic cultures for elementary school entry.
Social-Emotional Skill Building
Har Shalom provides a comprehensive social-emotional skill-building curriculum. We integrate the wonderful “Peace Rose” of the Montessori Method along with many other tools. Skill-building begins on day one with warm, kind teachers who model and guide effective language, self-regulation, collaboration, and problem-solving.
Children develop skills at different stages. Our multi-age environment and “Kind Leader and Mentor” program provide continual opportunities for social-emotional learning with peers and teacher support. We thoughtfully prepare and adjust curriculum to meet the needs of the current children in our program to ensure a solid foundation for their elementary years.