Athena Montessori Academy is committed to the education of the whole child and to building a strong
Athena is an innovative Montessori school serving the academic, physical, social and emotional needs and development of children ages two to six and their families. While honoring Dr. Maria Montessori's core philosophy and curriculum, we also strive to adhere to current theories of education and developmental psychology, brain research, and sports education in order to best serve the children and community we serve in South Austin.
04/21/2026
Come one, come all to this FREE workshop on sleep! The path to more peaceful bedtimes and nights is the topic of discussion with Kirsten Nottleson of Hand in Hand Parenting. We’ll meet in the courtyard in front of Athena’s office. 9am. Come enjoy a coffee after drop off, and the workshop will start at 9. TSVP through the link in the Athena April Newsletter and in your Admin Update. Thursday, April 30th.
01/27/2026
Due to weather and unsafe road conditions, and in alignment with AISD, Athena will be closed on Tuesday, January 27.
We will continue to monitor the weather conditions. If you do not receive additional communication from us, please plan for school to resume as normal on Wednesday, January 28. Stay safe and warm! STOP to end
01/25/2026
Due to anticipated extreme temperatures and unsafe road conditions, and in alignment with AISD, Athena will be closed on Monday, January 26.
We will continue to monitor the weather conditions. If you do not receive additional communication from us, please plan for school to resume as normal on Tuesday, January 27.
Stay safe and warm!
Let’s talk Toddlers! How does a wooden farm animal puzzle help pave the road to expressive language, receptive language, and eventual literacy? This puzzle doesn’t “talk”. It doesn’t have printed words on it. How is it a great instructional tool?
It’s easy to see how this type of work contributes to the development of fine and gross motor skills, motor planning, and leads to pride in accomplishment. (This learner did raise both arms overhead and yell, “YAY!” each time they got a piece in the puzzle 😄)
What isn’t so evident is the language development embedded in the process. The Montessori Guide will show the puzzles left to right, and top to bottom. Why do they start in the upper left and corner and move to the right? In our culture we read left to right and top to bottom. Whenever possible, we present our lessons left to right, top to bottom in order to train the eyes.
When the Guide points to each animal and says each name slowly, they are intentionally breaking the words into separate syllables, raising awareness of the different sounds within each word. If it is a one syllable word, the adult will sound out the latter sounds within the word. Phonological awareness is key to reading.
After naming the animals in the puzzle, if the child is still interested, the Guide may ask the child to point to different animals in the puzzle, checking to see if the new words were retained by the child. Building a contextual vocabulary is key to reading.
If the young child is practicing their emerging expressive language skills, AND is still interested, (we never force a young child to continue when they feel complete) their teacher may ask, “What is this?”, and point to each animal. Being able to correctly pronounce words is key to reading and comprehension.
10/22/2025
We are ready for our Parent Teacher Conferences with all our Athena families! If your conference is scheduled over the next two days, childcare is provided for enrolled Athena students during your conference time. Babies in arms are always welcome to stay with their parents during the conference.
To make the most of our time together, please arrive early enough to get your child(ren) dropped off with our support guides before your start time.
We are eager for the rich conversations and connections that always come from this check-in opportunity. Your children are growing in mind, body, and spirit every day at Athena and we can’t wait to share our observations with you!
09/22/2025
09/10/2025
What are the seeds we sow in August and September that grow and bloom throughout the year?
Seeds of community, independence, respect, belonging, acceptance, compassion, empathy, and the love of purposeful activity (which we call work).
Let’s take the word ‘community’, how do we build communities out of groups of young children and their guides? We take all the time the child needs. We are intentional, we move slowly and with purpose, we listen to the needs of the children to the words of their parents and caregivers. We let each child know they are truly seen, that they are precious, that nothing about them needs to change, that they are safe and loved exactly as they are. It is by planting the twin seeds of belonging and acceptance in each individual child, that the seed of community is planted. When a child feels that they belong, they can expand that sense of belonging to include others.
08/14/2025
Back to School Night was a big success! Thanks to our amazing teaching teams and strong support staff for hosting this important community event. Thank you to the parents and caregivers who were able to attend, it was lovely have you on campus and in your children’s rooms.
For those of you that were unable to attend, please don’t worry. Each classroom is sending out an email recap to all of the adults in their community.
We look forward to tomorrow’s (Friday 8/15) Soft Starts and Open Houses.
On Monday 8/18 we look forward to beginning the phase-in week for everyone. Please follow the schedule included in your Welcome Packet for your child(ren).
If you have any questions, reach out to your Lead Guide or any member of your admin team. We are here to help! Looking forward to a beautiful year together. 💜
08/12/2025
Hello, Athena Fam! We are so grateful that our community will soon be together again for the start of a stellar year! … A year that just so happens to be our 20th!! That’s right, it’s our anniversary this year, 20 years of serving the child, partnering with families, growing teachers and administrators, and doing our part to make our corner of the world a better place. You are Athena, so to all of our families near and far, past and present, all of the educators that have graced our campus, and mostly to our North Star, (the children!) THANK YOU!!!
See you all, starting tomorrow, for Open Houses and Soft Starts and Back to School night this week: come to everything you can!
A special note to returning families: Back to School night is important for you, too! Changes to routines and schedules will be shared, new team members will be introduced, and the new families need your wisdom and welcoming spirit!!!
See you Wednesday (8/13) evening, adults only please, at 5:30pm in your child(ren)’s classroom(s). We know it can be tricky if you have multiple learners with us: you are welcome to split time between rooms. If you are a two-adult or more household, feel free to split up and share info with each other later.
For those of you who cannot attend, you will receive a Back To School Email Recap, feel free to email your child’s teaching team with any questions.
07/07/2025
Good morning, Athena. Summer camp families and staff, please see your email inbox for a message from your Athena team.
In our stories we are sharing posts from trusted sources as to how to get aid to Kerr County.
To view our Instagram story, tap the icon of the owl in our bio.