Cypress Junction Montessori Opens Its Doors

8/11/2016

Cypress Junction Montessori held their official ribbon cutting on Wednesday, August 10 to a large crowd of students, teacher and community members.

Cypress Junction Montessori is a free public charter school for Pre-School through 8th grade. They are at capacity for their opening year. This school's development was made possible by a collaboration of Chamber member Andy Thornal Co., Tom Wolf Co, LLC and their build out team of Chamber members: Chastain Skillman, Whitehead Construction, CenterState Bank and many volunteers that came in to paint, put together furniture, clean and more.

CYPRESS JUNCTION MONTESSORI: HOW IT ALL BEGAN

Three local moms, worried about the future educational options for their then toddlers, sat down in 2014 and decided to open a Montessori charter school. Those moms, Katrina Hill, Tasha Keppler and Karen Winningham began working with Polk County Public Schools, and were granted approval of their charter application in October of 2015. Since then, the team has expanded and partnerships have been formed across Winter Haven to bring Cypress Junction Montessori charter school from a dream to a reality. The team is proud to be opening CJM’s doors on August 15, 2016 to 138 K-8 students who will recieve an authentic Montessori education at no cost to their families. Future plans include growing the preschool program to full enrollment and offering additional scholarships through our Early Education Scholarship Fund so CJM can bring an affordable, quality early childhood educational program to Winter Haven.

WHAT IS MONTESSORI?
Montessori is a method of education that is based on self-directed activity, hands-on learning and collaborative play. Students learn how to learn and become fully engaged in the educational process. In Montessori classrooms children make creative choices in their learning, while the classroom and the teacher offer age-appropriate activities to guide the process. Children work both individually and in groups and are encouraged to pursue their passion. Many of the world’s innovators and infl uencers are Montessori students. Some names you may recognize are Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Beyonce Knowles, YoYo Ma, Julia Child, David Blaine, Anne Frank, George Clooney, Taylor Swift, Wikipedia exec Jimmy Wales, Dakota Fanning and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.
Primary (3-years-old to 6-years-old):

Designed for the child and to support their learning.
Children work individually and cooperatively with materials that engage their curiosity.
The children are given lessons using the materials and then are free to explore and observe.
An emphasis is placed on the process rather than the product of learning.
The aim is to develop a love of work and a joy of learning

Lower (6-years-old to 9-years-old):

Lower students are fascinated with the “how” and “why” of everything and are explorers in their learning.
The elementary child asks, “Help me think of it myself.”
Children work to achieve high academics in a low-pressure environment.
The freedom allowed and the responsibility expected in the classroom enables the child to develop a strong sense of self-esteem and inner discipline that is carried throughout the child’s life of learning.
They begin to realize that they love to learn.

Upper (9-years-old to 12-years-old):

Dr. Montessori observed that children between the ages of 9 and 12 are at the height of their intellectual powers.
Students work collaboratively, inspiring and supporting one another in work.
Students move from the concrete to the abstract.
Time management, organization, and setting reasonable, responsible goals are a priority at this level.
The child takes charge of their learning and natural curiosity.

School Administration and Faculty: