Crescent Montessori is newest elementary in town

Valley residents might be surprised to learn that Crescent Montessori, the small, private school located at the Community Center, now offers classes up to the sixth grade level. Slowly but surely over the course of the past four years, director Karin Niehoff has added one grade level per year until the school now encompasses both a preschool and an elementary school.
Beloved by students and parents alike, Crescent’s preschool has been considered one of the best programs in the Valley for years. And the school’s popular kindergarten and first grade programs have always been a draw, especially for parents whose children already attended the preschool. In fact, Crescent offered full-day kindergarten years before the school district, something towards which many parents gravitated.
Niehoff and her husband, a personal trainer, moved here from Chicago in 1994 to found the school. As the school continued to gain popularity, Niehoff capitalized on her unique Montessori-based niche and began adding grade levels, starting with second grade four years ago.
“Our growth makes sense because the Montessori method is a continuum from birth to maturity,” said Niehoff whose passion for teaching is evident in her words, her dealings with students and the lovingly attended-to classrooms. “For us, adding grade levels means we can continue teaching these students and preparing them for a future that is very different than the one in which we grew up.”
And prepare them she does. Teachers at the school recently completed reading assessments in the classes and found that all of the fourth grade students are reading far above grade level, some as much as three times the standard. “Two of our fourth graders are reading at a ninth-grade level,” said Cathy Neff. “And they aren’t just reading the words, they comprehend and can retell what they’d read.”
Parent Marie McElroy’s two sons attend Crescent’s elementary school and she is very impressed with what she sees. “Both of my boys have a true love of learning instilled by Crescent. And every day, they are being taught new skills while they don’t even realize it,” said McElroy. “The programs are designed to be interesting and fun and the students almost don’t notice that they’re learning new concepts. It’s as if they are simply playing games and that learning to do division is a bonus.”
Niehoff points out that a Montessori education is aligned with development. The method is a child-centered alternative educational method for children, based on theories of child development originated by Italian educator Maria Montessori. Characterized by an emphasis on self-directed activity on the part of the child and clinical observation on the part of the teacher, Montessori stresses the importance of adapting the child’s learning environment to his or her developmental level, and of the role of physical activity in absorbing abstract concepts and practical skills.
“A fundamental principal of the Montessori method is the multi-age setting, where three grades are grouped together,” said Niehoff, who currently has two groups of students in grades kindergarten through fourth grade. There are 12 students in the kindergarten, first and second grade group; and in the second, third and fourth grade group there are ten. Montessori fosters independence and the multi-age setting allows the students to take part and be responsible for their own learning.
“The group setting allows the different aged students to work together,” said McElroy. “The big kids help the younger kids and vice versa. Students gain confidence and patience and empathy from helping each other.”
Niehoff said that there would be no tuition increase this year. “We’re all in this tight economy together,” said Niehoff. “This is our gesture to our community.”