Educational Approach

Sonoma Charter School has a Montessori based curriculum, with a strong focus in the early grades, gradually decreasing as the children progress in grades. Materials based on the Montessori Method are evident our three primary grades. 

“The Montessori Method of education, developed by Dr. Maria Montessori, is a child-centered educational approach based on scientific observation of children from birth to adulthood. Dr. Montessori’s Method has been time tested, with over 100 years of success in diverse cultures throughout the world. It is a view of the child as one who is naturally eager for knowledge and capable of initiating learning in a supportive, thoughtfully prepared learning environment. It is an approach that values the human spirit and development of the whole child – physical, social, emotional, cognitive.” American Montessori Society

In the upper grades, the Montessori philosophy that speaks to the eagerness and curiosity of the child is the basis for our project-based approach to teaching. Students attending Sonoma Charter School are taught to work successfully in groups and are expected to present to their classmates and teachers on a regular basis.

Classroom Experience

SCS students study independently or in groups, and apply information they learned to higher levels. They have opportunity to express, represent, interpret, and communicate through the arts and music. They acknowledge as individuals responsibility for themselves, their ethical behavior, and their productivity in life. They learn to exhibit social skills, respecting individual and cultural diversity, demonstrating service to the school and the community. They acquire a sense of Sonoma Valley's heritage and its relationship to the world at large.

Students leave each multi-age classroom level with demonstrated age-appropriate competency in the following disciplines:

  • Citizenship
  • Creative arts
  • Health/Fitness
  • History/Social Science
  • Language Arts
  • Mathematics
  • Performing Arts/Music
  • Science
  • Technology

Multi-age Groupings

Classrooms in Grades K-5 are multi-age at Sonoma Charter School. Research shows that when children are in classrooms with more than one grade level, their self-esteem is raised. With mixed age groupings, children have the flexibility to move at their own pace. They are not pigeonholed into performing specific tasks or understanding concepts because they have reached a certain age. They’re able to learn as much as they possibly can.

Configurations—Clusters

Our school is divided by grade levels into three clusters: Cluster One is comprised of grades K – 3, Cluster Two is grades 4 - 5 and Cluster Three is grades 6 – 8. Each cluster has a lead teacher who meets at least bi-weekly with the Director to review curriculum, review student progress and to problem solve any issues arising throughout the school.

Our 6th through 8th grade program is a hybrid middle school model. Sixth grade is taught by one core teacher who delivers the curriculum in science, social studies and language arts and a second teacher delivers the math curriculum. The 7th and 8th grade students are taught primarily by two teachers; one focuses on math/science and the other focuses on social studies/language arts. Students in this cluster change classes like larger middle schools, yet have fewer core subject teachers. In addition students in Cluster Three have art, drama and PE, as well as electives, which are held twice weekly.

Configurations—Classrooms

Clusters of grades allow students to develop at their own pace, yet still provide benchmarks to measure their development against standards.

Cluster 1: Kindergarten through grade 3 (grouped as K-1, 1-2, and 2-3)

Cluster 2: Grades 4 and 5 (two classrooms of 4/5)

Cluster 3: Grades 6 through 8 (individual grades)

Within clusters, students are grouped based on readiness for particular skills and provided differentiated instruction in small groups or within the whole class accordingly. Most classrooms consist of multi-aged heterogeneous student groups with teachers working together to ensure smooth and successful transition from cluster to cluster. Each cluster has a lead teacher.

For more information about individual teachers and specific information about each cluster, please visit SCS Teacher Home.