Head's Welcome

Dear Friend,

Welcome to the BHMS website. We hope you can easily find the information you’re looking for here. There are, however, certain qualities about our school that are impossible to capture online.

First and foremost, you are welcomed here. If you live in the neighborhood, you’ve probably already seen me standing outside in the morning, holding the door as children and parents arrive each day. As I walked through those doors on my first visit to BHMS, the warmth and energy was palpable. Now, as Head of School, I see it as a responsibility to do my part to maintain BHMS’s extraordinary and pervasive feeling of welcome.

Another challenge to capture in a website: the energy and intellect of our teachers. In our Montessori classrooms, our trained, knowledgeable teachers guide our students’ work with creativity and love. They offer challenge and support to the adolescent thinkers in our Middle School; they offer respectful nurture to our children in Preschool.

As you spend time exploring this site, I hope your questions are answered, but I also hope that it sparks new questions for you. In fact, I hope it leads you to call us, to come for a tour, and to see BHMS for yourself. Only by visiting can you experience all that BHMS has to offer. I know you will be captured by the prepared environments of our classrooms, the displays of art, and the sounds of music. But what I really hope you see is our school family in action: a child talking with a teacher, parents working together, or a middle school student helping a younger child.

Learning, exploring, and smiling students are the most important members of our family, and they are the focus of a BHMS education. Underneath all our interactions with children lie the Montessori tenets: multi-aged, diverse classrooms; prepared environments designed to facilitate choices for children; teachers acting as role models and facilitators; and an atmosphere of respect, grace, and courtesy.

BHMS offers a wonderfully unique educational environment, and I invite you to experience it first-hand. Come for a visit, let our family welcome yours, and watch us live our mission as “a community of families, staff, and trustees who work together, guided by the needs of our children.”

Dane

Dane L. Peters
Head of School

Dr. Montessori's
Philosophy

Dr. Maria Montessori believed the goal of education is "the development of a complete human being, oriented to the environment, and adapted to his/her time, place, and culture." At BHMS, this ideal and the educational philosophy and materials developed by Dr. Montessori over 90 years ago are combined with those of other theorists and educators.

To prepare children to live lives filled with personal satisfaction, as responsible, concerned citizens of the world is the School's goal. We believe that children, by nature, love to learn, and we dedicate ourselves to providing them ample opportunities for choosing challenging educational work at developmentally appropriate levels.

Integrated, multidisciplinary educational programs for students age two to grade eight are designed to spark imagination and educational curiosity and to facilitate the mastery of skills and knowledge. Course work in multi-age classes is structured to develop practical skills and an active mind. Concrete curriculum materials stimulate interest and enhance learning. Exploration is encouraged, and teachers guide, inspire, and support each student's development.