Blue River Montessori School
Inspiring Imagination & Joy in Learning
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ABOUT BLUE RIVER MONTESSORI SCHOOL
Named after the Blue Fish River that winds through the historic seaside town of Duxbury, Blue River Montessori School was founded by Sonia Kelly, M.Ed., to provide a quality small-group learning environment for preschool-age children. With an academic and fun-filled focus on language, mathematics, science, the arts, cooking & nutrition, and play, we are dedicated to developing your child intellectually, physically, socially, and emotionally through an innovative, appropriately updated, scientifically-based Montessori curriculum and the Reggio Emilia approach to learning.
We offer a three-to-one student-teacher ratio in our bright classroom which is lead by our highly educated teachers, including those with bachelor's or master's degrees. We subscribe to the natural playscape idea of outdoor play, minimizing the distractions of man-made materials and play structures. Instead, we promote imagination and joy in nature through adventurous walks in our woodsy path, meadow, and gardens. We also have the children regularly take part in yoga exercises to strengthen the body and mind. Because health and nutrition are such an integral part of educating and developing the whole child, healthy snacks and homemade meals are included in tuition, and they are prepared by Sonia Kelly, who is certified in Child Nutrition. Our lunches incorporate:
-organic, non-GMO produce,
-organic, free-range chicken,
-grass-fed, pasture-raised beef, and
-heritage breed pork.
We work with the Duxbury Public Schools' early childhood curriculum to ensure that your child will be prepared as he or she enters into Kindergarten. In fact, our alumni students are considered among the most prepared for kindergarten, both academically and socially.
One-, two-, three-, four-, and five- day a week, full- and part-day programs, as well as Spanish classes, are available.
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Blue River has been featured in the following articles (please select from the links below):
Finishing the School Year with Sonia Kelly
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Blue River Montessori: Inspiring Young Minds (page 1)
Inspiring Young Minds (page 2)
Healthy Choices Start Young
Blue River Montessori Rain Barrel Project
Getting in Touch with Nature
About Sonia Kelly, M. Ed.
Sonia Kelly has more than twenty years of lead teaching experience. She holds a Master of Education degree from Loyola College in Maryland and an Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) Diploma from the Washington Montessori Institute. She is also certified in Child Nutrition and has been formally trained to teach Yoga to children from birth to 12 years of age under internationally renowned Yoga therapist and author Sonia Sumar. Ms. Kelly regularly attends courses to maintain her Maryland Department of Education Teacher Certification for Preschool through Third Grade in order to remain current with public school policy and curriculum.
Ms. Kelly has taught all grades from preschool through third grade and brings her knowledge and elements of these grades’ curriculums into the preschool classroom. She has also taught art classes for children at the Duxbury Art Association. Having taught in both Montessori and non-Montessori environments, Ms. Kelly takes an educational "best practices" approach, incorporating both Montessori and Reggio Emilia, as well as other educational theories, materials, and lessons to best meet the needs and interests of today's child.
As a book reviewer for Corwin Press, a Sage Publications company, she is able to keep abreast of the latest educational research developments in early childhood education. Ms. Kelly is a guest lecturer in the School of Education at Bridgewater State University, an active council member of Duxbury's Community Partnership for Children, and sits on the advisory board of the Duxbury toy store, Rock Paper Scissors. Ms. Kelly has also served as an expert panelist for the Duxbury Library's presentation, Where Do the Children Play. She is CPR and First Aid certified and is licensed by the State of Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care.
About Association Montessori Internationale (AMI)
The Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) was founded in 1929 by Dr. Maria Montessori in order to maintain the integrity of her life's work. As the only training institute approved by Dr. Montessori and as the only institute emphasizing the importance for teachers to hold a bachelor's degree, the AMI program guarantees quality and authenticity in its rigorous training of teachers. Only teachers holding the AMI diploma are qualified to teach in Montessori schools worldwide and have received comprehensive and extensive training in practical life, sensorial, math, language, science, geography, art, and music methods.