St. Philomena Montessori School

09/03/2026

It is in children’s nature to enjoy stories. Our brains are designed for stories, and these benefits naturally arise when children listen to stories. As a Catholic School - one thing we know is children love stories of the SAINTS. These are stories that will come to mind as the child develops and is faced with adversity, temptation, joy, sorrow, etc. They are inspired by the witness of the Saints and their story becomes part of their mind, and impacts how they respond to these situations and feelings that arise.

For children, stories are much more meaningful than we think. We should not only focus on knowledge learning and practical skills improvement. We should integrate stories, especially oral stories, to let them play their role and support children to explore their own lives.

"The children illustrate this power by the fact that they enjoy stories so much. That they enjoy them so much shows that they can reconstruct them in their minds even when the stories are outside the limits of their experience." Maria Montessori

08/27/2026

A look into Lower Elementary - During the elementary years children begin to look outside themselves. They suddenly develop a strong desire to form peer groups. Previously, during the first plane, a child would be content to focus on their own work while sitting near others. In the second plane, a child is compelled to actually work with their friends. It is during this time that children are ready to learn about collaboration.

During the second plane there is a sudden and marked period of physical growth. This may be a contributing factor to the observation that many children of this age seem to lack an awareness of their body, often bumping into things and knocking things over. Children begin to lose their teeth around this time as well. Their sense of order and neatness tend to fade a bit during this plane.

Throughout the second plane, children’s imaginations are ignited. Since Montessori education is based in reality, we find ways to deliver real information to children through storytelling and other similar methods.

Children in the second plane have a voracious appetite for information, and are often drawn strongly to what we in Montessori call the cultural subjects: science, history, and geography. While we support their rapid language and mathematical growth during this time, we are also responsible for providing them with a variety of rich cultural lessons and experiences.

It is important to note that children develop a sense of moral justice at this time. They are very concerned with what is fair, and creating the rules to a new game is often as important (if not more so) than playing the actual game itself.

This is the period of time in which children are striving for intellectual independence.

08/26/2026

Welcome back to St. Philomena Montessori!

Yesterday was the first day of school for some of our students, the rest will be joining us on Thursday. A staggered start helps ease the transition for students. We are looking forward to the Thursday when the whole school community is here! The students are eager and excited to get back to work. St. Philomena, Pray for Us!

08/15/2026

Last call for spirit wear orders! Order online here: https://ernstapparel.chipply.com/stphilomenamotesorischool/?action=viewall

Store closes tonight at Midnight!

08/12/2026

Thank you to Fr. Mondiek for celebrating Mass, Anthony Moeder and Lyndsay Richey providing music, the families of the altar servers, and all those who came to join us in praying together at Mass on this special feast day! We are blessed with a faith filled community ♥️

Sts. Philomena and Clare, Pray for Us!

08/11/2026

On this special day we show honor and glory to our powerful intercessor, St. Philomena who continues to work miracles at our school and parish. In honor of her feast day, the opening school Mass is tonight at 5:30PM at Sacred Heart of Jesus! All are welcome!

08/10/2026

Thank you to everyone who supported St. Philomena Montessori through our Pulled Pork Dinner Fundraiser! We are so grateful to our supportive community and would like to extend a special thank you to the Hog Roasters, Freshway Foods and Aunt Millie's for their donation of time and food for the dinners.

08/07/2026

Thank you for your support! We still have ~100 tickets left and will sell dinners tomorrow 5:30-7:00 until sold out. Pick up at the building near the school office. Proceeds benefit the school. $10.00/each. Please help us make this a successful fundraiser! Thank you 😊

Don't forget to order your Pulled Pork Dinners!

08/06/2026

~Montessori Morning~

The Montessori bead stair is a hands-on counting and quantity work in the Montessori environment. It uses a unique color to correspond to each 1-9 quantities, and helps children visualize and understand number sequences.

“Children display a universal love of mathematics, which is par excellence the science of precision, order, and intelligence.” - Dr. Maria Montessori

08/05/2026

Don't forget to order your Pulled Pork Dinners!