Where Young Minds Grow
2017–2018 Academic Brochure
Welcome to Little Oaks Montessori Academy (LOMA). Here,
our mission is to provide your child a safe and encouraging
learning environment. We’ve merged the educational
methodology of Dr. Maria Montessori with the most recent
findings in cognitive neuroscience to create a unique and
effective curriculum.
In keeping with the Montessori approach, classrooms at
LOMA are laboratories of wonder, invention and growth. Our
highly skilled and credentialed instructors give students the
freedom and confidence to discover their own gifts. When
students become active participants in the learning process,
the rewards last a lifetime. Indeed, many of today’s leaders
in science, technology, business, art and politics attended
Montessori schools.
Like you, Little Oaks’ founders want the very best for your
child. We would be honored to help prepare your child for his
or her future.
Warmest Regards,
Dr. Heather Abbott
Little Oaks Montessori Academy
13525 Dulles Technology Dr., #103
Herndon, VA 20171
Phone: 571-336-2559
[email protected]
Little Oaks Montessori Academy 2
About Us
Areej Iftaiha, Psy.D.
Dr. Areej Iftaiha has a doctoral degree
in Clinical Psychology and specializes in
early childhood development. She has
experience working in an educational
setting. She actively consults with
teachers, administrators and parents to
ensure LOMA meets the highest standards
of excellence.
Heather Abbott, Psy.D.
Dr. Heather Abbott is a Licensed Clinical
Psychologist. Dr. Abbott has worked with
children ranging from toddlers to teens for
over 10 years. She is a member of both the
American Psychological Association (APA)
and the Virginia Montessori Association
(VMA). Her focus at LOMA is on the
quality and effectiveness of the Montessori
programs.
Lisa Shaw, AMS Montessori Certification
As the Head of School and Program
Director, Ms. Lisa Shaw oversees the
day-to-day functions of the school. Ms.
Shaw’s mission is to ensure that each
student receives a high-quality Montessori
education. She has experience as a
Montessori teacher and as an Educational
Administrator, and has been working in a
Montessori environment for 10 years.
3 LIttle Oaks Montessori Academy
What Is Montessori?
Montessori is a scientific
approach to education that
respects a child’s natural
social, psychological and
physical development.
Italian physician Maria
Montessori developed its
essential methods in the early
20th century by observing
children’s behavior and
creating learning materials
based on her findings. Careful
observation continues to be
among the most important
tools in the instructor’s
toolkit.
“Education is a natural
process carried out by
the human individual,
and is acquired not by
the listening of words,
but by experiences in
the environment.”
Dr. Maria Montessori
Today, the American Montessori Society has identifed the
following elements as primary features of Montessori schools:
• Mixed-age classrooms
• Student choice in activities
• Freedom of movement
• Long, uninterrupted work periods
• Hands-on work with materials
• Specialized Montessori materials
• Certified, trained instructors
Did You Know?
60% of all the energy a baby
expends is concentrated in the
brain.
U. of Denver, Morgridge College of Education
Little Oaks Montessori Academy 4
Infant Program
In the first few years of life, children’s brains create as
many as 1,000 new neural connections every second —
according to the Harvard Center on the Developing Child.
The foundation of all later intelligence and awareness is built
during this critically important developmental period.
At Little Oaks Montessori Academy, the Infant Program has
been designed to offer a warm, safe and experience-rich
environment for young learners.
Language is an essential part of the
Infant Program. Trained Montessori
instructors introduce infants to words
and sounds via rhyming stories and
songs, classical music and books.
Tactile experiences also form a
core feature of the Infant Program.
The classroom includes a range
of materials of different textures,
colors and shapes — all designed to
stimulate children’s desire to interact
with and understand their world.
When children are ready for new and more varied
experiences, they will progress up to the Toddler Program.
“The human brain has 100 billion neurons,
each neuron connected to 10 thousand other
neurons. Sitting on your shoulders is the most
complicated object in the known universe.”
Michio Kaku, Astrophysicist
Toddler Program
Experience is the building material for neural connections,
and here at Little Oaks Montessori Academy, our goal is
to provide rich, varied experiences as part of our Toddler
Program.
Neuroscience research has demonstrated
the importance of the first six years of life
in the process of mental development.
From 18 months to 3 years old, children’s
vocabulary and linguistic skills expand
faster than at any other time in life.
Based on this research and Montessori best
practices, the Toddler Program at LOMA
focuses on the following learning areas:
Movement: In the Toddler Program, children learn
about spatial awareness and body control, as well as
develop foundational skills like balancing and strength.
An activity like moving in rhythm to a musical beat is
just one example of how we accomplish these goals.
Sensorial: The five senses are the pathways through
which all learning happens. The LOMA Toddler Program
helps young children understand and integrate their
sensory inputs in a way that empowers understanding
and discovery. Customized Montessori materials, such
as Knobbed Cylinders, facilitate this work. A variety of
tactile exercises ensures that every type of learner reaps
the benefits of this early sensory practice.
Little Oaks Montessori Academy 6
Math: To help nurture the mathematical mind, LOMA
introduces toddlers to the world of numbers via
counting games. Exercises are designed to develop and
enhance critical pre-math skills like order, sequence,
visual discrimination, sorting and describing things
quantitatively. Math activities include sorting and
counting materials, number blocks, and stacking and
nesting cubes.
Language: Children’s linguistic skill typically blossoms
around the age of two, with complete sentences
quickly following an explosion of words. LOMA’s Toddler
Program provides the guidance and practical materials
to streamline the transition into reading and writing.
Conversation, formal reading, singing, rhyming, word
games and labeling objects are among the many
classroom activities developed to support language
development.
Art, Music and Culture: At LOMA, we help children see
their place in the world through exploration of different
cultures and customs. In both free expression and
planned activities, children have daily encounters with a
range of musical and artistic forms.
For more information about our programs,
visit us at themontessoriconnection.com.
Primary Program
The Primary Program at Little Oaks is tailored to the
cognitive needs of children from 3 to 6 years old. During this
phase, children develop their sense of selfof being a member
of a community. Traits like communication and cooperation
come into their own by age 6. Our mission is to help children
discover and nurture these capacities.
Practical life skills such as selfcare and care for the environment
continue to be a focus of
Montessori beyond age 3, but
these children also have the
aptitude for and interest in the
more “traditional” disciplines like
math and science. Therefore,
LOMA’s Primary Program
curriculum is built around the
following areas:
Peace Education: At the very root of Montessori
education is the concept of Peace Education. Exercises
in etiquette and basic social skills help engender
a harmonious classroom, and an early individual
awareness of social responsibility. Ultimately, the
development of good character is the goal of Peace
Education as it’s envisioned within the Montessori
philosophy.
Math: Building on the concepts introduced in the
Toddler Program, the Primary mathemetics curriculum
introduces basic operations such as addition,
subtraction, decimals, fractions, and abstract problem
solving. Individual and group-based games augment the
development of these skills.
Little Oaks Montessori Academy 8
Language: Discovering relationships between sounds
and symbols is an important milestone in early
language acquisition. Children discover their native
grammatical and communicative skills, while setting the
stage for more sophisticated vocabulary and sentence
constructions.
Cultural Studies and Science: Young children want
to know how the universe functions. Therefore, the
Primary Program embraces traditional scientific disiplines
like biology, chemistry and geology to help children
understand life and the universe as a complex but
measurable system. Practical experiments encourage
learning by doing — and seeing results. Woven through
this curriculum is the notion that human culture is
intimately tied to the environment and all other life on
Earth.
Sensorial: Activities based around the five senses
empower children to become more attentive to the world
around them. This is the foundation for a practical, early
understanding of the scientific method. Instructional
strategies and materials include color tablets, geometric
solids and various objects for exploring auditory and
tactile sense.
Let us start your child down a path of lifelong
learning — contact us today at:
[email protected].
Admissions
Little Oaks Montessori Academy is accepting applications for
the 2017–2018 academic year. Parents and guardians can
download an application at www.themontessoriconnection.
com, or call 571-336-2559 to request more information. To
be considered, please send a complete application along with
the $75 processing fee to:
Little Oaks Montessori Academy
PO Box 662
Herdon, VA, 20172
Official admission decisions and registration material are
mailed after receiving a completed application. Registration
material must be returned within 2 weeks to secure the
student’s position.
Classes begin September 5, 2017 and end June 15, 2018.
7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m.
Before School Care
8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Infant Program
8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Half Day Toddler and
Primary Programs
Full Day Toddler and
Primary Programs
After School Care
8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
“As a mother and speech-language pathologist,
I am so excited to have a new preschool opening here. The Montessori program supports
childhood development by fostering independent thinkers and recognizing that each child is
an individual!”
Jessica S., Speech-Language Pathologist
Academic Calendar
September 5
First Day of School
September 22
Student Holiday
October 9
Columbus Day
November 6–7
Student Holidays
November 23–24
Thanksgiving Break
December 18–January 1
Winter Break
January 15
Martin Luther King, Jr.’s
Birthday
January 26,29
Student Holidays
February 19
President’s Day
March 26–30
Spring Break
April 2
Student Holiday
April 16
Student Holiday
May 28
Memorial Day
June 15
Last Day of School
11 LIttle Oaks Montessori Academy
“Never help a child
with a task at which
he feels he can
succeed.”
Dr. Maria Montessori
CONTACT US
Little Oaks Montessori Academy
PO Box 662
Herndon, VA 20172
Phone: 571-336-2559
Email: [email protected]