WE BELIEVE:
That each child is created as a unique individual to be treated with dignity and respect.
That each child has an eagerness for learning and a desire to be functionally independent.
That each child has an individual pattern and timing of growth – spiritually, emotionally, socially, intellectually, and physically. The environment and curriculum, along with the teacher’s observation and guidance, are in response to individual differences.
That the diversity of each child should be celebrated. It is our desire to provide a caring and nurturing community for the children, modeling and encouraging them to be loving, courteous, and accepting of others.
OUR HISTORY
Good Shepherd Montessori has a vibrant history of community support and parent involvement. The school is a ministry of the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd and shares space with the church’s children’s ministries. For twenty-five years the relationship between church and school has been close. The cornerstone of GSM’s ministry is our scholarship program, where we provide need-based scholarships to those who would otherwise not be able to afford a quality, early childhood education. We are blessed to benefit from church members who volunteer and those who donate to our scholarship program through special appeals and a church grant; it makes up the majority of our scholarship funding.
We’ve also been blessed with continued growth throughout our years. In 1998 we started off as a small, morning program with 11 students. In 1999 we became licensed through Washington State Child Care and started offering full-day Kindergarten. GSM has now grown to two beautiful classrooms serving 40 children. We currently employ: two AMI primary certified Montessori guides, six assistants, a bookkeeper, and a director
Our graduates come back regularly to say hello to their teachers. Recently we had a former student return to our school to do his Eagle Scout project. It was incredibly rewarding to see him give back to a community he still feels a connection. Our current students continue to enjoy the playground improvements and weather station he made.
In 2013-14 the school was recognized as a Washington State Department of Learning Early Achiever school with a “Quality Level of Excellence” rating. We also earned two areas of specialization in Curriculum and Staff Support and Interactions and Environment.
SPIRITUAL FORMATION
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
We provide each child with a special place to foster the growth of their relationship with God, using the curriculum Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. Atrium I explores God’s love for us by learning about the person of the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ. Here, Jesus becomes a real person to the child who learns just how precious the Kingdom of God is to us in our lives.
Developed by Sofia Cavalletti in Rome in 1954, The Church of the Good Shepherd uses these Montessori-based materials to take Biblical texts or signs and symbols from the Episcopal liturgy and makes it available for ongoing independent reflection. Atrium curriculum is integrated into the GSM experience along with the Montessori lessons. CGS offers the heart of our Christian faith to children using the Montessori teaching method.
It has been the joyful, peaceful response of the children themselves that has inspired and determined the content of this unique program. Children of all faiths and backgrounds are warmly welcomed.
