Emergency Cards

For the safety of the student, careful records are maintained to determine who can pick up students from the school. This information must be provided to the school by the enrolling family.

Financial Packet

Families who submit an Application for Enrollment will receive from our Office of Finance a financial packet detailing payment plans and other necessary information about ways to streamline the tuition payment process.

Health Evaluation

Any and all conditions which affect the child must be disclosed to the Montessori School of Westminster as requested on the Application for Enrollment. All enrolling families must complete and return to our offices a series of state-mandated forms designed to evaluate the health of the child. Additionally, the vaccination record is requested. The enrolling child’s doctor must complete the child’s medical record for return to our offices.

Information Packet

Families considering enrollment for their child at the Montessori School of Westminster should request its formal packet of information regarding the school, its programs and practices. In addition to our current Tuition Rate Sheet, the packet contains the Application for Enrollment. The packet is available in hard copy format for mailing to the homes of potential students or in digital form for emailing. To request this packet, please send your email with your contact information to our Office of Admissions or call 410.848.6283 -X104.

Kindergarten

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. For most students who are age five by September 1st of the school year, they 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.

Montessori Transfers

Students transferring from another Montessori school are given preferential consideration when applying to the Montessori School of Westminster.

Observations

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.

Parent & Child Visit

Sometimes, we have not met a child whose parents have submitted an Application for Enrollment to the school. This normally occurs for our youngest students who are not required to participate in a “shadow” visit. As part of our admissions process, we ask one or two parents to escort the child to MSW for a very short, pre-arranged visit in a classroom with one or more members of our administrative team such as the Head of School and the Director of Admissions plus a faculty member. This short visit has two purposes: It allows us to meet a child we haven’t previously met before we finalize admissions decisions, and it allows us to speak with parents about their expectations for enrollment and ours. Our expectations for the child are completely age-appropriate. We watch to see how the child reacts to the prepared classroom at a time when no other students are present in it. This visit can be scheduled after the Application for Enrollment is submitted to the school.

Parent Handbook

The MSW Parent Handbook is a valuable resource for all families who have applied to the Montessori School of Westminster, and review thereof, is required for admission to the school. It contains policy and procedural statements, general school information, and faculty and staff biographical data and contact information. You will find it on our Forms page.

Parent Volunteer Commitment

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 $450 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 $15 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.

Rolling Enrollment & Current Year Admissions

Applications for current enrollment are accepted year-round. If space exists in the appropriate program for the prospective student, and all requirements for enrollment are fulfilled, the student will be considered for immediate admission to MSW. Children who reach age two are eligible for admission to our Beginnings program upon the date of the second birthday—they do not need to wait until the beginning of the next academic year. Current year admissions to the Beginnings program are accepted through March 15th.