Rochester Montessori School

At Rochester Montessori School we are committed to guiding the child to become a "Whole Child" by helping each to develop the skills necessary to communicate in our global community. This includes, among other things, exposure to and instruction in foreign languages. As part of our curriculum children ages 3 and older receive instruction in a foreign language. We currently provide Spanish instruction through the equivalent of first grade and French instruction for older children. Each year we'll phase out one year of French en route to a complete change to Spanish over the next five years. The importance we place on language expands beyond the curriculum proper and into the extracurricular activities of the late afternoon and early evening. Children have the opportunity to continue studying French in two different programs, one designed for younger learners and one designed for older learners. For families that come from French speaking backgrounds or for families that just want linguistic variety, these programs allow the child to spend time in a casual environment while they learn French. These programs also incorporate aspects of the French culture and are increasing in popularity among the families here. In addition to French, we are currently piloting a Chinese class for the child in the equivalent of first, second, and third grades - and with the response from the community, we will surely continue with this offering in the future. As with French, the Chinese classes not only introduce the child to language, but also to the culture and peoples who speak the language as their native tongue. This is a wonderful opportunity for children to come into contact with the most commonly spoken native language today.