Unique & Effective
No homework | No tests | No grades
No way? You are probably thinking that homework, tests, and grades are the 3 main components to school. Well, HOMS along with Montessori schools across the world have been re-prioritizing learning. What does homework prove? Are tests actually the best reflection of retained knowledge? Do grades get to have a determining factor in a child’s progress if they are weighted, averaged, or subjective based on the teacher’s information of the student? Harbour Oaks thinks this style of teaching grade school is, well, pointless.
Students are still held accountable for completing work and maintaining a progress report; which is a conversation between themselves, their parents, and their teacher where areas of improvement, goals for the future, and recognition of mastery are discussed. Oh, did we mention the student leads the conversation? Call us crazy, but we at HOMS find that this method has a greater impact that a paper with letters, plus, and minus signs scratched on it…
Curriculum Components
Language | Writing & Grammar | Literature
History
Science | Chemistry | Geology
Botony | Zoology
Geography | Space
Foreign Language | Spanish
Math | Geometry
Ms Katy & Ms Megan
Katy Allen is one of the co-founders of Harbour Oaks. Her parents owned the first Montessori school n Maine where she was a student through her elementary years.
After teaching 3-6 year olds for 15 years, she obtained her Montessori credential at the lower and upper elementary levels and later went on to take her infant and toddler training.
In addition, Katy is certified through the Canadian Autism Society to teach Montessori to children with Autism and has since taken many additional classes to meet the needs of every student.
Katy is the Coordinator of Elementary Education at the Montessori Teacher Education Institute of Atlanta. During the summer and on weekends, she is a teacher trainer at the elementary level.
In her spare time, Katy has a passion for visiting the beach, boating and photography. She also spends time doing service work with our mascot, Brantley, who is a certified therapy dog for Alliance of Therapy Dogs. Katy’s son graduated from the high school at Harbour Oaks and is in flight school to become a pilot.
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Ms Kristine & Ms Julia
Ms Kristine is the lower elementary assistant teacher. She has been teaching for 6+ years and in Montessori education since 2015. She was born is Nova Scotia, Canada and has been living in Georgia since 2008. You can catch Ms Kristine playing soccer, going to concerts, reading, and traveling when she is not filling the classroom with her bright, silly, and humorous personality.
“The freedom and opportunity that the children are given to learn at their own pace, to study what they are passioate about and because a child is allowed to move freely around the classroom are what drove me toward Montessori education. I hope my students will be kind, love themselves, and be proud of all they accomplish”