You can hear the pride in Dr. Sarette Zecharia’s voice when she talks about the new facility for Shalom Montessori located near Hayden and
McCormick in Scottsdale. “This recent move has been incredible for us. We’re more centrally located and we’ve gone from a maximum capacity of 30 to 250.” And it’s not just the new location or potential numbers the head of school is excited about.
The school has a long list of accreditations, including being the only advanced accredited Jewish Montessori school in the U.S., “possibly the world.” Plus, they recently received a Green Certificate from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, making them the only green-certified school in Scottsdale, and only the fourth in the state. “We can tell you what the air quality is at any given moment,” Dr. Zecharia smiled. They also boast accreditation from the Jewish Montessori Society, the International Montessori Council and RAVSAK, the Jewish Community Day School Network.
The school provides a certified Montessori education through an Orthodox curriculum for children from 18 months through eighth grade. Jewish Montessori schools have seen strong growth in the last few years. They have opened in communities in Miami, Atlanta, Los Angeles and in New Jersey. Montessori learning emphasizes the sensory, self-directed educational philosophy developed a century ago by Dr. Maria Montessori. An example of how the learning differs is described in an article from New York’s The Jewish Week (8/7/10): “(O)ne class of first-graders learned the Hebrew blessings recited over different types of food the typical way: with worksheets and a chart on the blackboard. “Meanwhile, the Modern Orthodox school’s Montessori class learned the same material in a radically different way: by sorting plastic fruits and vegetables and cookies into baskets marked with the appropriate blessings.”
The school reaches out to the community as well with a farmers market in its parking lot every Tuesday from 3 to 7 pm. In addition to fresh, organic fruits and vegetables, the market offers chicken, pasta and other food products, all brought in by local farmers. In addition, there are natural lotions and even a natural clothing line.
On Tuesday, April 9, from 3:30 to 5:30, Shalom Montessori is having an open house. Prospective families are invited to meet the staff, tour the facilities and learn about the various educational programs. In addition to the regular school day, the school offers after school activities and has summer programs in June and half of July. The public is welcome. Dr. Zecharia stated, “While we have an Orthodox curriculum, we are open to everybody.”
