Art
Art is an inherent piece of the Children’s House curriculum and is integrated into their daily classwork. At the Lower Elementary level, SJMS students begin taking weekly 45-minute art classes with an introduction to Art Basics. New art opportunities are presented as they move up to Upper Elementary and Middle School. All students are exposed to a variety of materials.
Spanish
St. Joseph Montessori School offers Spanish to all students beginning in Children’s House through 8th grade. Research shows that second language acquisition occurs most naturally when children are exposed at a young age. In our Children’s House Spanish program, movement, visuals, and hands-on materials are used to help the children engage and build a solid foundation. In our Lower Elementary Spanish program, we work on proper sound-symbol correspondence with the Spanish Alphabet and build basic literacy skills upon this foundation. Children begin writing and speaking simple sentences in Spanish. We begin to explore the Spanish culture and discuss the significance of important holidays and religious feasts. Upper Elementary students explore various themes related to themselves and their world, engage in partner and group work, and may perform skits and make presentations in Spanish. We continue to explore culture, food and the religious life of the Spanish-speaking world. At the Middle School level, students work on building proficiency in speaking, reading, writing, and listening in Spanish. They utilize higher-level resources like textbooks and workbooks with an added emphasis on grammar. Our expectation is that Eighth-year students are capable of testing out of high school level Spanish 1 at the end of their career at SJMS.
Library
St. Joseph Montessori School’s library is designed to support the Montessori curriculum and foster a love of reading in every child. With over 10,000 items in the collection, students, faculty, staff and parents are able to check out and return their own books using the library’s self-checkout station. As early as Kindergarten, students learn how to operate this and other library technology. Library time for Kindergartners centers on reading and on using library resources. The children are introduced to some of the many ways that information can be organized, created, and used. At the Lower Elementary level to build information- and media-literacy skills to find, evaluate, and use information effectively in multiple formats. Middle School students visit the library independently in search of resources for school projects or books to read for fun. The library has a special collection of Montessori-related materials and resources available for parents.
Music
The SJMS Music Program is built to capitalize on the intrinsic musicality that every child is born with. Our music curriculum prioritizes music literacy, self-expression, and life-changing experiences through communal music-making. Orff, Kodaly, and Conversational Solfege are incorporated alongside Montessori pedagogy in the lower levels. We offer a rigorous band program that exposes students to a wide variety of compositions including standard literature, jazz, sacred, and pop/Broadway arrangements. Our band students participate in adjudicated events such as Solo and Ensemble and Large Group contests. Students are encouraged to enhance their school music experience by participating in advanced music-making opportunities such as the Columbus Children's Choir, Capital Junior Winds, the Columbus Youth Symphony, and private lessons with local professionals.
Physical & Health Education
K through 3rd grade focuses on large muscle activities which build strength, coordination and spatial awareness. In Upper Elementary and Middle School (4th through 8th grades) classes emphasize organized sports, games, team work and sportsmanship building. All Health classes integrate fitness, nutrition, safety, and lessons on human body systems related to the physical education lessons.
Religion
The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is the Religious Education program for Kindergartners through eighth grade that is based on Maria Montessori’s principles of the Prepared Environment, respect for the child’s capacities, and patient observation of their developmental readiness. Our program provides the children the guidance and vocabulary which enable them to become aware of their relationship with God and give expression to it. The curriculum is designed to dovetail nicely with their classroom work, providing a spiritual context for the wonders they explore on a daily basis.
Technology & Media Center
Technology is integrated into the Montessori classroom to enhance student learning in a variety of ways. Classroom computers are used to share multimedia resources, complete work across the curriculum, and increase students’ media literacy skills. For interactive, technology-based instruction, teachers may choose to present lessons using a Smart Board or iPads, both of which facilitate student-driven, experiential learning. The school also has video conferencing equipment that can connect St. Joseph Montessori students virtually with other educational resources.