Academic Overview

At Bowman, we inspire children to become lifelong learners.  Your child will be at the center of their education and through embracing Montessori principles in all aspects of our community, your child will discover their passions, create innovative solutions, and become a compassionate leader. We embrace the challenge of equipping the next generation through an individualized, integrated, hands-on approach based on proven Montessori methods of learning and development. Bowman students practice resilience and confident problem solving in all of their endeavors.

Lessons at Bowman have an interdisciplinary focus. The integrated approach addresses the need for strong academics as well as the demand for creativity and flexibility in order to succeed in our rapidly changing world.

Bowman teaches all subjects to encourage true learning and understanding rather than just memorizing facts specific to tests. Thus, the humanities, STEM (science, technology, engineering, math), and enrichment subjects allow for critical thinking, student inquiry, and real-world problem solving.

Whole School Curriculum
 

The Montessori curriculum is characterized by developmental stages. Students are in multi-age classrooms based on these groupings, and each level targets the specific developmental needs of that stage. As the child grows, their capacity for abstraction increases – concepts are revisited at each stage with greater complexity. Everything is interconnected, and each lesson builds on and leads to others. Activities throughout the curriculum aim to inspire wonder, curiosity, appreciation, and finally, understanding.

The whole Child

SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING

Bowman’s two simple school rules are taught from day one – respect others and respect things. The concept of respect is integral to mediation, conflict resolution, and our peaceful classrooms. We see our classrooms as interconnected communities of learners, and social growth is the natural product of a community-centered approach. Children are supported in the development of caring, helpful, and empathetic relationships in natural, real situations in their classroom community as well as the larger school community.

WELLNESS

At Bowman, we believe that good health and academic success go hand in hand. Healthy children make better students, and better students become healthy, successful adults who are productive members of their communities. Helping children learn healthy habits from an early age supports all aspects of development. In our classrooms, wellness is an interconnected part of the daily life of the community, including personal wellness, physical wellness, social and emotional wellness, and community wellness.

LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

Bowman provides leadership opportunities for children at all levels. For the youngest students, this looks like classroom responsibilities and peer teaching. As children grow, they are able to to serve as classroom reporters, meeting chairs, and have school-wide responsibilities through community jobs. Older students become peer mediators and practice sharing expertise.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Service learning supports students in building a sense of community and developing tools for meaningful civic engagement. Our youngest students engage in service within their classroom community while Elementary Level students consider their larger communities. By Secondary, students are able to engage more deeply in service projects both on and off campus.