At the Elementary Workshop Montessori School,
we view field trips as an essential tool for helping
children
learn about their world. Children usually go on about
one field trip per month.
We avail ourselves of every opportunity
in the City of Wilmington. We walk to the Wilmington
Institute Library,
to the Grand Opera House, the Delaware History Museum,
the waterfront, and the DuPont Theater. We view the City
as our Community, and make sure the children
have ample exposure to the many happenings in their town.
We take a whole school bus trip to
the Philadelphia Zoo each spring (above). Individual
classes may visit
an orchard, a factory, local businesses, or a landmark.
Older children may use the SEPTA train line to visit
a museum in Philadelphia. The elementary-aged children
have two overnight trips each year, one to the Delaware
Nature Society’s Ashland Nature Center,
and one to Cape Henlopen State Park.
Is the neighborhood safe?
EWMS has been located on this same
block since our inception in 1971. We are well-respected
by our neighbors in this
urban residential area, and view the east side of Wilmington
as our community. Our children walk to as many places
as possible within the city – “up town,” to
the library, the Grand Opera House, the DuPont Theater,
etc.; to the Walnut Street YMCA, to local parks, the
waterfront, and anywhere else of interest to us. We are
careful and conscientious in everything we do, and we
have never had any trouble in this neighborhood.
What are the school hours?
The regular school day begins at 8:20 AM and ends at
3:00 PM. We offer an extended day program that makes
it possible to choose care for their children from as
early at 7:20 AM until as late as 6:00 PM.
How big are your classes?
Though class size may vary from year to year, we are
careful about maintaining a low teacher to student ratio
(no greater than 1:10).
Do children have to be toilet trained when they start?
EWMS accepts children as young as
two and a half, but they must be emotionally ready
to be “at school,” and
they must be toilet trained.
What is the enrollment procedure?
Prospective parents review
the EWMS website to gather information about the school and the Montessori Method.
The family then makes an
appointment to tour the school during school hours (Open Houses first and third Tuesdays of the month from 9:00 - 11:30 AM. At
this point, a family applies for admission. Once the
office receives the child’s application and the
application fee, an enrollment packet is sent out to
the family. This packet includes enrollment, extended
day and parent co-op contracts and, for grade-school
aged children, a current teacher recommendation form.
(Children entering the elementary program will be interviewed
by a teacher as part of the enrollment process.) All
of this paperwork is returned to the office with a tuition
deposit.
Where do children typically go when they leave EWMS?
There is no one school that our parents choose. We send
children to all of the major independent schools in Wilmington,
to some of the charter and magnet schools in the area,
to some of the parochial schools, and to public schools
each year.
What is the adjustment like when children leave?
Interviews with parents whose children
have left EWMS speak favorably of their children’s
preparedness academically and to their organizational
skills, both
of which make transitioning to a new environment easier.
A child who readily and easily adapts to change generally
adjusts with no difficulty to a new academic environment.
EWMS Children are life-long learners who enjoy the challenges
and excitements of their school life wherever they are.
What can you tell me about certifications and accreditations?
Every head classroom teacher has Montessori Certification
for the age group in which she teaches. The vast majority
of our assistant teachers either have Montessori certification
or are currently taking their Montessori training. Elementary
head teachers are also state certified.
At the Elementary Workshop Montessori School,
we view field trips as an essential tool for helping
children
learn about their world. Children usually go on about
one field trip per month. 
Prospective parents review
the EWMS website to gather information about the school and the Montessori Method.
The family then makes an
appointment to tour the school during school hours (Open Houses first and third Tuesdays of the month from 9:00 - 11:30 AM. At
this point, a family applies for admission. Once the
office receives the child’s application and the
application fee, an enrollment packet is sent out to
the family. This packet includes enrollment, extended
day and parent co-op contracts and, for grade-school
aged children, a current teacher recommendation form.
(Children entering the elementary program will be interviewed
by a teacher as part of the enrollment process.) All
of this paperwork is returned to the office with a tuition
deposit.