Micro-School: 1st - 8th grade
“Human excellence is not achieved by obtaining high test scores.
Excellent humans emerge as they become insightful, wise, just, resourceful, courageous, and original. They excel because their environment allowed them to develop these qualities by themselves.”
-- Trevor Eissler, Montessori Madness! A Parent-to-Parent
Argument for Montessori Education
Key Components in the
Micro-school Program:
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Green Theme: Nature-Based Programming
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​Micro-school students spend an overnight our teachers. Parents are welcome to join (but, not required).
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Local Connection: Service Learning & Community Involvement
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​With our field studies, our students get off-campus and into the local community. This fosters the natural appreciation for participating in their local communities, and giving back.
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Micro-school students make and serve lunch for local non-profits.
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Well-Rounded Education​
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​Beginning in our Toddler Program, children are exposed to world language and culture through songs, games, and celebrations.
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As the students move into the Micro-school, their language skill instruction is formalized through Conversation Class and integrated with understanding different cultures.
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Please note:
Our 1st - 8th grade micro-school
had its inaugural year from 2019-20.
Due to circumstances beyond our control, programming is currently on hold. Please call our school for the most up-to-date information.
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Welcome to Bozeman’s first Micro-school!
What is a Micro-School you may ask? “Micro-schools are the result of re-thinking the traditional educational model to better prepare children for the future. They are small institutions where students are empowered to personalize their own educations and are held accountable for their own progress,” according to microschoolrevolution.com.
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Essentially, a Micro-school offers what many of us may know as a one-room schoolhouse where a one or two teachers teach academic subjects to multiple grade levels of students, in this case, 1st – 8th grade.
In a Montessori school and in a Micro-school, students work individually or in small groups, and engaged with teachers in lessons. The curriculum is designed to answer the “why” and “what” questions that children naturally ask.
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The Micro-School Curriculum
The Micro-School curriculum consists of a unique blend of modern Montessori influenced lessons and grade-level curriculum offered through the Global Village School. This unique combination of resources, combined with intentional incorporation of technology, offers an individualized student-centered approach with an emphasis on community, sustainability and global citizenry.
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The Micro-school is a high-expectations, high-support school model, designed to meet each child at their individual stage of learning. Kids love these schools, as do the educators who work there, which makes for creative, innovative learning environments where kids grow and thrive.
The 1-8th grade curriculum covers the core academic subjects in a way that engages students’ natural sense of wonder. The teacher serves as a coach, facilitating student progress using a dynamic blended learning model. The curriculum is designed to meet each child where s/he is; incorporating their interests and innovation while building their skills and knowledge. As a result, students meet and often exceed Montana grade-level education standards, as established by Montana Office of Public Instruction.
What does a "school day" look like?
Each morning, students plan and prioritize their daily work in a journal, choosing their workload and progression for individualized lessons in math, reading, writing, science, and cultural activities. This activity helps children develop time management and self-discipline. The curriculum is brought to life in a cycle of “skill” in which the teachers directly instruct and students practice math and literacy, and “application” in which the students apply these “skills” to their integrated and exciting humanities and science projects.
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Teachers encourage students to pursue their passions through weekly Field Studies in our local community, and an additional combination of research (field and in-class) and presentations. Because children progress through curriculum at their own pace, they are generally advanced in their academic knowledge.
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About Global Village
While conventional curriculum is shaped by textbooks or workbooks, the Whole Child Healthy Planet curriculum guide is built around the inspiration found in literature, story-telling, art, music, nature, imagination, foreign language and play. Student interests and innovation are sparked as they build upon their individual skills and knowledge. “GV students are tomorrow's global citizens”
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At the heart of Global Village’s Whole Child Healthy Planet are the core commitments of the Earth Charter:
• Respect and Care for the Community of Life,
• Ecological Integrity,
• Social & Economic Justice,
• Democracy, Nonviolence, & Peace.
Community and Service
We believe that service beyond the classroom promotes respect and awareness beyond our global community. All Micro-school students participate in school-wide projects.
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Our curriculum sets the foundation for future academic success, and develops the necessary skills to meet 21st century demands: growing autonomy, independence, cooperation, collaboration, and flexibility.
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The Classroom Model
At the Micro-School, the teacher serves as a coach, in addition to providing support and instruction on a flexible as-needed basis. Using a blended learning model, students move between subjects, learning stations and lessons throughout the day, keeping a log of their work for teacher review. Students progress to new skills once they achieve proficiency. This means students have the opportunity to learn at their own pace. If a science concept takes longer to master, s/he has that time. If a student masters a math concept quickly, s/he can move on. This classroom model gives students a high degree of control over their learning.
