Hello!
Welcome to the Montessori School of Westminster! I am delighted that you are visiting our website and learning about the school that’s meant so much to me as a parent and educator. My name is Suzanne Radcliffe, and I have been directing admissions at MSW since 2011.
I’d like to encourage you to learn more about MSW by visiting. Because we serve the needs of children as young as two years of age, our admissions process takes their safe and comfortable start to the school year into consideration. We give our youngest and newest students about six weeks to acclimate after school begins before we begin hosting guests at MSW. We open our classrooms for your appointment to visit beginning in late October.
Many families are seeking a tour. At MSW, we offer a more in-depth approach by scheduling your “classroom observation.” This visit is so important to your understanding of our unique school, we’ve made it an admissions requirement.
After the six-week adjustment period ends, we schedule your one-hour classroom observation in the program that matches your child’s age group. For about 45 minutes, you’ll watch the typical routines of our students and staff. You’ll see their interactions, examples of time-tested Montessori work, and the culture of the classroom. The last portion of your one-hour visit is spent in conversation with the teacher…who we call a “guide.” The guide will answer your questions and learn more about your child and your family.
Classroom observations are for adults only. This maximizes your opportunity to focus on the classroom. Child visitors quickly become the center of attention as students welcome guests! That’s fun for your child and our students, but we hope you’ll see what is normal and routine during the work cycle that starts each school day. New students are provided with an opportunity to visit their classroom and meet their guide (teacher) before school begins.
Classroom observations are scheduled during morning hours. Up to two adults may attend.
One of the most interesting things you’ll notice, if your child will be two or three years old when they join a MSW classroom, is this: You’ll see multiple simultaneous activities taking place in a single classroom. Students will be working in small groups or alone with work they themselves have selected. Dr. Maria Montessori carefully constructed this curriculum to benefit the natural inborn drive to learn present in every child at birth.
You’ll see students selecting work from curriculum-specific shelves, laid out with intention by degreed, Montessori-certified guides. You’ll see very young children learning to make decisions, become independent, concentrate, and enjoy learning, qualities and skills that will serve each child throughout his or her lifetime.
Spaces in MSW’s programs are always in high demand. Begin the admissions process one year in advance of the school year you’ve targeted for your child’s entry to MSW. Please use the INQUIRE button at the top of this page to begin the process.
ADMISSIONS TIMELINE & Details
For families enrolling children through age 4. (MSW provides education for children age 2 through Middle School.)
>September 1 – Use the INQUIRE button, above, to indicate your interest in enrollment for your child.
>September 1 – October 20 – Review info provided via the INQUIRE form and contact admissions@theMSW.org to schedule your one-hour classroom observation, for 1 or 2 adults only.
>October 20 – February 1 – Submit an application for enrollment (cost = $100)
>March 1 – “Open Enrollment” begins. After re-enrolling current students and their siblings, MSW is able to offer remaining spaces to new families. At this time, financial contracts (“tuition payment agreements”) are sent to prospective families. A waiting pool is created for additional candidates for enrollment.
MSW will continue to enroll students until classrooms are filled for the upcoming school year.
>Students of age 2 are eligible to attend MSW’s Beginnings program. Space permitting, students may attend after reaching their second birthday. Families need not wait until the following school year. Example: A child with an October 1st birthday may begin attending on October 1st; however, tuition for the entire school year is due to retain the child’s space.
>Tuition is paid on an annual basis. Payment plans are available. MSW does not provide financial aid to children under age 5/kindergarten students or participate in state-funded scholarship programs.
>Students of age 3 and above must be fully toilet-trained. Toilet-training support is provided for 2-year-olds only.Please review program details to learn more about full-day and half-day options, before- and after-care programs, and three-day-per-week options for 2-year-olds.
Additional admissions requirements apply for candidates of age five (kindergarten admissions) and above.We welcome your questions! Contact the Office of Admissions at admissions@theMSW.org or call 410.848.6283.
MSW invites you to attend one of its annual Open House events. Held in October, November, January & February, these Saturday-morning events provide an informal look at the progression of program levels through the school — Beginnings for 2-year-olds through Middle School (grade 9). Registration is required: Open House Registration
Middle School enrollment is limited to students with sufficient recent experience in a Montessori environment. Please contact us to learn more about this exceptional, one-of-a-kind program for grades seven, eight, and (sometimes) nine.
| Admissions Process | |
|---|---|
| Step 1 | Observation |
| Step 2 | Application |
| Step 3 | Signed Tuition Payment Agreement |
| Admissions Process | |
|---|---|
| Step 1 | Observation |
| Step 2 | Application |
| Step 3 | Shadow Day for student entering as a 5-year-old |
| Step 4 | Assessment for student entering as a 5-year-old |
| Step 5 | Signed Tuition Payment Agreement |
| Admissions Process | |
|---|---|
| Step 1 | Observation |
| Step 2 | Application |
| Step 3 | Shadow Day |
| Step 4 | Assessment |
| Step 5 | Previous School Records Requested/Received |
| Step 6 | Signed Tuition Payment Agreement |
| Admissions Process | |
|---|---|
| Step 1 | Observation |
| Step 2 | Application |
| Step 3 | Shadow Day |
| Step 4 | Assessment |
| Step 5 | Previous School Records Requested/Received |
| Step 6 | Signed Tuition Payment Agreement |
Understanding the principles of the Montessori philosophy and its use in our classrooms are key to the successful partnership between the school and its parent community. In order to meet these goals, a number of parent education events are scheduled throughout the year. Your attendance at these and other extra-curricular events is expected. To ensure you receive notice of school events, families must commit to good communication practices with the school. This includes a careful reading of email notices via our MSW Updates; attention to the articles, roster updates, and other information in the school bulletin entitled “The Innovator”; and, prompt replies to all letters, forms, and notes in your child’s weekly take-home Blue Bag or any other communications from the classroom. Additionally, it is critical to the effective operation of the school that family members be mindful of response dates and RSVP requests from the Administrative offices and classrooms.
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The Montessori School of Westminster accepts Applications for Enrollment throughout the year for the subsequent academic year and the current academic year, if space is available (see Rolling Enrollment & Current Year Admissions, below). Applications from students new to our school are dated and grouped into a wait pool considered each year after the date noted for open enrollment – March 1st. Applicants will receive written notification from MSW after March 1st as to their acceptance to the school for the following academic year. If insufficient space exists in our programs to accommodate the number of applications received, the applicants will be so advised and given the opportunity to remain on a waitlist for possible placement. Applications for Enrollment from new students are considered after those of returning students, siblings, and the children of staff members.
The process of enrollment is predicated upon the receipt of an Application for Enrollment to MSW along with the payment of the applicable fee.
Families who submit an Application for Enrollment will receive our Financial Guide detailing payment plans and other necessary information about ways to streamline the tuition payment process.
At MSW, the kindergarten requirement is fulfilled by students participating in our Primary program for children of ages three through the kindergarten level. Because the Montessori curriculum is predicated on multi-age classrooms and, for the most part, three-year phases, the most beneficial application of this form of education includes your child’s attendance from age three in this level. Students who are age five by September 1st of the school year are considered kindergarten-aged students at the Montessori School of Westminster; however, students are evaluated individually in regard to promotion to the next level in our school, the Lower Elementary level. Students in the Primary program for their kindergarten year are required to attend MSW for a full day from 8:30 AM until 3 PM.
In addition to providing useful insights to prospective families, observations provide information about a child’s progress to current families of enrolled students. Observations are required for families seeking admission to the school and recommended throughout all program levels at the Montessori School of Westminster. An observation can be scheduled by contacting our Administrative offices at 410.848.6283. The observation process for a family includes time spent watching the typical activities of your child’s work period, normally during morning hours, followed by a one-on-one opportunity to speak directly with your child’s Montessori guide.
The Montessori School of Westminster is a non-profit school. Because the cost of operation is considerably more than is collected in tuition, all families are required to either pledge to serve thirty (30) hours of Parent Volunteer Commitment time per year or pay a $600 PVC fee. The PVC commitment is prorated for midyear enrollees.
Parent participation is integral to the functioning of the Montessori School of Westminster. Without it, the school would lose its sense of community, and tuition would increase dramatically. Every moment parents spend participating makes our school stronger for the student. All jobs parents do are jobs we would otherwise pay someone to do, thus spending thousands of additional dollars.
PVC work is defined as those projects that the Montessori School of Westminster staff requests. The PVC administrator keeps track of PVC hours by PVC report forms. Families use the honor system to report PVC hours.
Materials used in PVC projects can be dealt with in one of two ways: Families can fill out an expense request to be reimbursed for money spent; or, families can report PVC hours at the ratio of one PVC hour for every $20 spent. Other materials donated to the school are still viewed as donations (e.g., books donated to the school are a donation, not a PVC project). Projects and expenses must be approved in advance by MSW staff members.
We understand families are very busy and may not be able to commit additional time to volunteer work, which is why we also have the PVC fee option available.
Your decision regarding your PVC commitment will be made a part of your Tuition Payment Agreement (TPA), your contract for payment to the Montessori School of Westminster.
Transportation services are available for students Kindergarten through 9th grade. Pick-up and drop-off locations are located at the Reisterstown Crossing, Finksburg Plaza and 140 Village Shopping Center. Spaces on the bus are limited. Please complete the Transportation Form if you are interested in using this service.
