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Academic Programs

Academic Philosophy

A fundamental key to our success is that we work together as a “family,” and we function at our best with the engagement of our parents. After all, the most important lessons our children learn come primarily from the home. Thus, we seek to form a partnership with parents and other adults important to our students. We offer many learning opportunities including guest speakers, which greatly enrich both the parenting and teaching experience. Also, forums provide a safe and supportive environment for discussions of parenting issues, as well as optional discussion of books that we believe to be helpful and informative in the areas of parenting and education. Through these means, we help each other grow and provide support for our children from many angles. By working together, we may all take pride as we watch our young family members become academically and creatively engaged, community-sensitive and responsible people who… Read more from Counterpane

Primary School

Counterpane adheres to the Montessori curriculum, the three-hour uninterrupted morning work cycle, as well as a two-hour afternoon work cycle for our 4- and 5-year-olds. The classroom is bright and sunny with an extended garden area. Music, art, outdoor play, and flower gardening are an integral part of the Primary child’s experience. Focus on work and the sense of independence abound. Ideally, a child begins a Primary Montessori program at 3 years of age. These children are generally reading between 4 to 5 years of age. Our 3-year-olds enjoy a half day program (8:00am-12:00pm) five days a week. Four- and five-year-olds enjoy a full day program (8:00am-3:00pm) five days a week. Check our calendar for more details about the school year and school day. Counterpane is philosophically aligned with the Coalition of Essential Schools (CES) and is accredited by the Georgia Accrediting Commission (GAC).

Lower School

In the Lower School community of 6 to 12 year olds, the school day is 8:00 a.m to 3:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The individual child is given as much freedom as the child can manage and as much structure as he or she requires. The Montessori uninterrupted 3 hour morning work cycle is, as in the Primary class, critical to the success of this dynamic learning environment. A sunny, 2400 square foot room with space for floor work as well as table work, soft music, and busy minds is intriguing to all who visit. Music, drama, visual arts, and organic gardens add to the rich, math and language intensive academic curriculum. The 6 to 12 year old moves, in his or her own time, from concrete to abstraction and satisfies an inherent interest in life’s “big picture” through work with botany, zoology, geology, and physical and cultural geography. Counterpane… Read more from Counterpane

Upper School

Counterpane School is one of very few Montessori programs in the United States that extends the Montessori philosophy from preschool through upper school, and one of only a couple of Montessori schools that offers a Montessori high school program in the greater Atlanta area. At the Upper School level, the curriculum is exclusively college preparatory. The community closely resembles a workplace with individual contracts, group projects, team meetings, class discussions, and student/teacher appointments. With a fully integrated arts program, the academic work is rife with visual and performance components. Creativity and diversity go hand-in-hand throughout the fabric of the Upper School experience. Our task is finding the gift within each individual – grasping at the threads of potential passion each student has within them – while challenging the mettle of that person. Independent study, joint-enrollment with local colleges, and professional internships are incorporated as achievement, commitment, and maturity permit. Counterpane… Read more from Counterpane