University Heights Montessori 

Inspire. Encourage. Educate

Welcome
to UHM

University Heights Montessori [UHM] is a state-licensed Montessori preschool serving children from the ages of 2 to 6 years. University Heights Montessori has been in existence since 1989 and we have a well-established and a great reputation in the community for educating children in Menlo Park and the surrounding areas for almost 30 years.

We invite you to take a tour of our website to learn more about our Montessori school, program and family at University Heights Montessori. We hope you enjoy your experience!

 UHM Montessori Excellence

The emphasis of a Montessori program and school is that they focus on meeting the individual developmental needs of each child. We, at University Heights Montessori [UHM] understand the uniqueness of the Montessori approach and have implemented it within our program. We understand and fully recognize the differences in the developmental rate and the varying patterns of abilities which characterize each child.

The principle aim of UHM is to assist each child in helping him or her to develop each of their potentialities as fully as possible in keeping with their unique pattern of development. The purpose, therefore, is to help each child develop within themselves the foundations requisite for a lifetime of creative learning. In other words, the program and the approach will stress the presentation of inherently attractive learning and discovery activities, which will help the child develop positive attitudes towards themselves, towards learning and towards their environment.

The Montessori Method will assist the child in sharpening their powers of observation, in developing their initiative in learning and through a wide variety of sensory-discrimination activities that will enable them to gain clear perceptions of quality and quantity in their environment, thus helping them develop the necessary background for understanding ideas and grasping abstract concepts when their interest in reading and numbers develop.

Through carefully planned initial experiences, the child experiences success in their efforts and thus acquires a sense of security, confidence in self as an independent learner and the courage to be creative and original in their attempts to express themselves.

Classroom Environment

"Education is a natural process carried out by the child and is not acquired by listening to words but by experiences in the environment." - Maria Montessori

Practical Life

The students learn to care for the environment through a variety of specific tasks involving pouring, and spooning. Students learn to care for themselves through such tasks as buttoning and tying while also learning to care for the environment through such tasks as polishing and washing. 

Sensorial

The sensorial environment in our classrooms helps the students to refine various perceptual discriminations in all five senses such as size, color, shape, texture, sound, taste and smell.

Language

Within the classrooms, the language arts are organized into the categories of listening, speaking, writing, and reading. The students practice skills in classification, visual discrimination, vocabulary development, and auditory discrimination. The students are also introduced to various languages at a baisc entry-level.

Art & Music

Art is an important part of our program as students learn to cut, paint, and glue using a wide variety of materials such as scissors and paintbrushes. In addition, the students explore songs and dance rhythms through the use of music and musical instruments.

Math

Through interactions with various materials in our classrooms, the students manipulate objects that introduce the understanding of mathematical concepts. Activities in this area include pattering, measuring, size classifications and numeral, quantity recognition and addition.

Gross Motor

Our weekly physical education program called "Hot Shots" with Mr. Dave is a mandatory and integral part of our Montessori program. The students learn and build gross motor development skills through the acts of tumbling, balancing activities, ball throwing as well as many other fun and exciting activities.