About WMS

Williamsburg Montessori School is a private school dedicated to creating confident, self-reliant and self-motivated children from toddlers to adolescents who are prepared for the adventure of life.

Explore our site and learn about the method behind our approach to education, brilliant in its simplicity: meet each child at their level of understanding, and nurture that understanding with engaging and appropriate classroom materials, diligent guidance and respect. The result is a confident child whose enthusiasm for learning will prepare them for navigating changes in economies, technologies, and society itself–”intellectual resilience,” if you will. Schedule a visit–you’ll find peaceful classroom communities that hum with purposeful work.

Hours of Operation:

Before School Care – 7:30 a.m. (available to Toddler through Upper Elementary)
Toddler Full-Day Program – 7:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Toddler Half-Day Program – 8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Children’s House Half-Day Program (ages 3-4) – 8:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.
Extended Day Program (ages 3 – 6) – 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Children’s House Full-Day Program – 7:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. (includes Before Care and Afterschool Care)
Lower Elementary Program (8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.)
Upper Elementary Program (8:30 a.m. – 3:15 p.m.)
Middle School Program (8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.)
After School Program (available to Toddler through Upper Elementary) – 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Governance and Management

WMS is governed by an elected Board of Trustees which provides oversight for the school. The Board maintains fiscal oversight, ensures that the school fulfills its mission, focuses on strategic planning and hires the Head of School. The Head of School, in turn, is responsible for the hiring of all faculty and staff and managing the day-to-day administrative duties of the school.

Burt Baker, Chair – Baker Asset Management
Pete Brotherton, Vice Chair – Self employed
Jesse Rutledge, Secretary – National Center for State Courts
Phil Lien, Treasurer – Retired
Shelly Adkins, Chair – Wmsbg. Parent Coop Preschool
Joe Ash, Baeplex
Katie Brumfield, WMS Faculty Alum

Kiersten Boyce, College of William & Mary
Christine Obadal, Price Waterhouse Cooper
Bobby Singley, RJS & Associates
Cindy St. Clair, EventPower
Jocelyn Swanson, WMS Faculty Alum
Ex Officio: Sandra Andrews, WMS Head of School

What is Montessori?

Imagine observing a classroom where the students are actively engaged in their work, purposefully moving about the room, quietly speaking with their teachers and peers, and independently cleaning up after themselves. This is what you will see if you visit a Montessori classroom. People new to Montessori often wonder in amazement, “how is this possible?” The answer lies within the Montessori Method.

The Montessori Method was developed by Maria Montessori, Italy’s first female physician, in the late 1800s. Through her keen observations, Dr. Montessori developed a method of education based on the developmental needs of children. The key elements in a Montessori education include:

Your Child

Montessori provides a child-centered learning environment where children are seen as individuals who are growing and developing at their own pace.
Children have natural curiosities and desires to learn. Montessori faculty nurture this love of learning!

The Planes of Development

The curriculum is based on three planes of human development. The environment and lessons are designed with the child’s intellectual, social, emotional, and moral development in mind.
1. First Plane (Birth to Six) – Children are sensorial learners who absorb the world around them through their six senses.
2. Second Plane (Six to Twelve) – Children are conceptual learners who explore the world around them asking the questions of how and why.
3. Third Plane (Twelve to Fifteen) – Adolescents are humanistic learners who want to understand their place in the world and how to make a contribution to it.

The Prepared Environment

Specifically designed materials allow children to learn for themselves.
The indoor and outdoor classrooms are beautiful, and allow for freedom of movement.
Three-year cycles allow students to take on many different roles within the multi-age class; both follower and leader. They become cooperative learners who understand how to work effectively within a group. The three-year cycle provides stability and fosters a deep bond between child, director, and class.

The Teacher

The Montessori teacher is a highly trained professional who focuses on the ‘whole child’ through observation, preparation of the environment, and delivery of key lessons.
The teacher is a facilitator of a child’s learning; careful not to get in the way of children learning and discovering for themselves.

Peace Education

Montessori held the belief that education is the most powerful and effective way to transform society.
Children are taught to respect themselves and others as individuals with different views and perspectives.
Children are taught to be stewards of the environment.

About WMS

Hours of Operation:

Governance and Management

What is Montessori?

Your Child

The Planes of Development

The Prepared Environment

The Teacher

Peace Education

How To Get Started

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