Dear MMS Families,

Happy Spring! This week, we completed our AMS Accreditation Site Visit, during which Heads of School and educators from the Cleveland and Northern Virginia areas conducted a comprehensive peer review of our programs. The visit was a wonderful experience, and I will continue to keep you informed as we move through the next steps of the accreditation process.

I am pleased to share that the visiting team was highly complimentary of our school community. They were especially impressed by our classrooms, our dedicated and talented staff, and our engaged, positive students and families. It was incredibly rewarding to receive such encouraging initial feedback.

This is an exciting and busy season at MMS, with many special events ahead. Please be sure to mark your calendars for upcoming celebrations and activities, including the MMS Gala, Step Up Days, FestivALL events (including the Children’s Art Fair), Music Program Concerts, Tie Dye Days, Eighth Year Graduation, and our End-of-Year Picnic.

Please see the detailed calendar towards the end of this newsletter for more information and to sign up for the many fun volunteer opportunities that are available.

I look forward to celebrating these meaningful end-of-year traditions with you!

Best wishes,

Jennifer

Jennifer Carriger, M.A.

Head of School

FACULTY FOCUS

Alasha Al-Qudwah

Emily Christian

When the Virginia Center for Montessori Studies initiated an expansion of its teacher education programs to the Elementary level, it turned to MMS guides for the inaugural faculty.

Congratulations to Alasha Al-Qudwah (Upper Elementary II) and Emily Christian (Upper Elementary I) who will be training the next generation of Montessori educators as math instructors this summer. Alasha will be teaching geometry while Emily will present on arithmetic.

"This appointment is a reflection of the expertise and experience of our Upper Elementary Guides, and the whole school takes pride this big recognition for the two of them and our strong math curriculum," said MMS Head of School Jennifer Carriger. Well done, Alasha and Emily!

MMS faculty and programs were also in the spotlight this spring when a team of guides shared the Montessori reading sequence with future teachers at the University of Charleston. This presentation is always a highlight of the spring semester for our guides and we are so grateful for this opportunity to connect with UC faculty and students.

Head of School Jennifer Carriger, Primary I Guide Sara Lloyd, Upper Elementary II Guide Alasha Al-Qudwah and Lower Elementary III Guide Jennifer Preston.

UPCOMING EVENTS



NEW-Teacher Appreciation Week | May 11-15 | Donate 

Standardized Testing | May 11-15: Upper Elementary and Middle School | May 18-22: Third years

Staff Meeting | May 14 | NO PLUS

MMS Spring Gala | May 15 | Edgewood Country Club | Tickets and sponsorships on sale now | Volunteer

MMS Board Meeting | May 18 | Noon | Email Board Secretary Becca Stevenson for details

NEW-Senior Walk | May 18 | 1:30 p.m.-Staunton campus | 2:00 p.m.-20th Street | Email Emily Beal for details

Step Up Night for Parents | May 21 | Toddler & Primary-5:30-6:30 p.m. | LE & UE-6:30-7:30 p.m.

FestivALL Downtown Open | May 22-June 11

FestivALL Art-for-All Juried Kids' Art Exhibition | May 22-30 | Clay Center

Memorial Day | May 25 | NO SCHOOL

Step Up Day for Kindergarten and 3rd year students | May 28

Annual MMS Tie Dye Days | May 29 (Staunton) & June 1 (20th Street) | Volunteer

FestivALL Children's Art Fair | May 30 | Volunteer at MMS make-and-take booth

End of Year Concerts | June 4 | Volunteer

Eighth Year Graduation | June 4

Last Day of School/Annual Picnic @ Shawnee Park | June 5 | 11:45 a.m. dismissal | Volunteer

Application deadline for all returning and new Hope Scholarship students to be eligible for 100% funding in 2026-27 | June 15 | See Hope Scholarship website for details

Campessori | June 15-July 31 | Register

MMS Board Meeting | June 15 | Noon | Email Board Secretary  Becca Stevenson  for details

MMS WINS TEAM, INDIVIDUAL STATE CHESS CHAMPIONSHIPS

Huge congratulations to the 2026 MMS Chess Team, which brought home the hardware at the WV Scholastic Chess State Tournament, including placing first and second in the K-3 Division, along with winning several individual and other team honors. All results here.

We send our very best wishes to third year student Julian Schmidt who will represent the State of West Virginia in the K-3 Division at the national championships! What an honor!

We are so proud of all of our hard working team members and grateful for our new coaches and team leaders Danielle and Nick Eisenhauer and Jennifer Preston. Thank you for supporting and inspiring these young critical thinkers and problem solvers and sustaining the proud MMS chess tradition!

MONTESSORI EDUCATION WEEK

MMS celebrated our school and all things Montessori during Montessori Education Week 2026. Along with traditional spirit week activities such as "M" Shirt Day, wacky socks and Grace & Courtesy and Fancy Friday, we took this special occasion to highlight the Montessori language curriculum with a book exchange, school-wide read aloud and Parent Education. As part of our firm commitment to continuing school improvement and the AMS Accreditation process, we were grateful to gather feedback from parents during a special Montessori Education Week "Listening Circle." The week ended on a very high note as our community came together to reach our Annual Appeal goal. Thank you to everyone who made this year's observance one to be celebrated!

More photos here.

Soar through the summer with MMS!



From Medieval Times to the Space Age, from Adventures with Archie the Axolotl to Mini Master Chefs, from Artsy Upcycling to Architecture, and much, MUCH, more, Campessori, Mountaineer Montessori's signature summer program, is back this year with seven weeks of awesome.

Enriching and exciting programming for Primary and Elementary students will be offered June 15-July 31 at our beautiful Staunton campus.

Our guides and staff have put together an incredible line up of Montessori-aligned programming for campers.

Primary friends will explore a new theme each week while Elementary campers experience two topics per week! 

Campessori is a wonderful opportunity for new students and those rising to a new level to get a preview what's ahead in the new school and for all children to enjoy a creative, educational and fun summer in caring, Montessori-aligned environment.

Roots & Wings: MMS Spring Gala 2026

Friday, May 15, 6:30-9:30 p.m.

Edgewood Country Club

At MMS, we are nurturing curiosity, discovery and the inner discipline that gives children the wings to take their learning as high and far as they can!



"Roots & Wings," the 2026 Spring Gala, is our major fundraiser that uplifts possibilities for the nearly 200 children whom we are honored to serve -- and our community -- by generating essential funding for teacher training and appreciation, facilities, and financial aid-more than $25,000 in tuition grants and scholarships to Charleston families in 2025-26!

Please join us for a fun and uplifting evening and:

• Enjoy heavy hors d'oeuvres, wine, beer and soft drinks 
• Bid on amazing class art projects and other exclusive items-online and in person (online auction open to everyone!)
• Enjoy entertainment by our immensely talented MMS staff members and Vinyl Village
• Mingle with old friends and new
• Lift up the next generation of innovators, problem solvers, entrepreneurial thinkers and community builders. 

Thank you to our growing list of generous sponsors... their support amplifies our success and propels possibilities for our students!

Questions/volunteer: contact the Gala Committee.

We can't wait to see you May 15.

MONTESSORI IN BLOOM

Campessori met Spring Break during “Montessori in Bloom,” a wonderful new enrichment program launched while school was closed in April. Creativity blossomed with a range of nature-themed activities in the indoor and outdoor prepared environments. More photos here.



MONTESSORI MOMENTS

Learning together, growing together, coming together… our Toddler community is proud of how far they’ve come this school year, building a beautiful foundation for a lifetime of learning. As they begin the exciting transition to Primary, there will just a few spaces available in this remarkable program in 2026-27. Current families may register via RebWeb--new parents should sign up for a talk & tour on our website. Please don’t wait—we anticipate the very limited slots remaining to fill very quickly. We can’t wait to share the Montessori magic with you and your child!

"Movement of the hand is essential. Little children revealed that the development of the mind is stimulated by the movement of the hands. The hand is the instrument of the intelligence. The child needs to manipulate objects and to gain experience by touching and handling." ~Maria Montessori. Locally harvested clay offers an interesting and fun material for Primary I friends to create and explore! More photos here.

Our region’s abundant natural, built and cultural assets are an extension of the classroom at MMS, and our three Lower Elementary classes recently experienced one of the best, the WV Culture Center and History Museum, enjoying a wonderful presentation of Snow White by the River City Youth Ballet in the performance hall, and exploring the rich artifacts and exhibitions in the galleries!

Like these photos? Then you'll love MMS on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. 

Photos, school updates and Montessori news are posted nearly every day!

At MMS, we're walking on sunshine!

Dissecting a seed in Lower Elementary III.

Montessori is education for life—literally—as our sixth year students learned in a lesson on CPR and choking rescue techniques led by MMS parent Anna Holliday. Thank you for bringing this vitally important lifesaving exercise to our classrooms, Anna! More photos here.

They mimed, jumped, strummed, sang, danced and kicked their hearts out at the 2026 MMS Talent Show. Thank you to to all of our wonderful community members who shared their joy and talents with us and congratulations to the Middle School, which organized this anticipated annual showcase!

When UE I fourth years presented their individual research projects on volcanoes and earthquakes, one student took it to a higher level by designing and creating her own volcano from a geographic map with a 3D printer! More photos here.

Building control, confidence and community on a snowy day in Primary I.

“To plant a tree is to believe in tomorrow.” ~Audrey Hepburn

As the City of Charleston launches the Appalachian Spring Project—an initiative to plant 1,000 trees in our community—our Middle Schoolers did their part by bringing apple trees to our 20th Street campus. We can’t wait for this project to bear fruit!

MORE MONTESSORI MOMENTS

Primary friends explore the world through music!

Congratulations to the MMS students who represented our school at this year's Kanawha County Math Field Day: Hugo Lopez-Navaro and Jake Baldwin (Elementary) and Ethan Spitz, Jackson Starcher, and Smith Wallace (Middle School).

SIxth year trip to Winterplace!

We like to say that every day is Earth Day at MMS, but this year on Earth Day, our Lower Elementary classes redoubled their love of nature with special activities that connected students with their environment. They started garden beds, explored our beautiful campus in a nature scavenger hunt, painted rocks and enjoyed yummy fruit pizza. Special thanks to our volunteers! More photos here.

Upper Elementary II unites the 13 colonies in a presentation to Lower Elementary students!

Health restrictions prevented our students from coming this year, but the donations to our annual spring drive for the Kanawha-Charleston Humane Society were safely delivered nonetheless thanks to our volunteers. The shelter is so grateful to everyone who supported this important community-building effort!

Sixth-year and Middle Students experienced a real banger of a creative expression class at Wallace Metal Works. Thank you, MMS parents Matt and Tessie Wallace, for this wonderful workshop!

HEALING THE WORLD, ONE ROSE AT A TIME

At MMS, a broken rose is helping to heal a broken world.

How? From the earliest years in a Montessori school, children are nurtured in an environment that cultivates the skills and experiences that support learning, living and a thriving within a community.

In the Primary classroom, the peace rose and the peace rose exchange practice help children navigate conflicts with dignity and respect for all. Students learn to voice their feelings, listen to others, develop empathy, and resolve challenges constructively without the interference of adults--skills that will last a lifetime.

When the peace rose "broke" in our Primary II, Lead Guide Samantha Van Den Berghe-Lynch discovered a new one in its place the next morning, carefully crafted by a young child who recognized its importance to the entire community.

The peace rose is a visible component of the comprehensive Montessori peace curriculum, which is embedded and embodied in every classroom and every level. Peace is something we "do" every day at MMS, understanding that building a better world tomorrow starts with how we treat others today.



"We see the figure of the child who stands before us with his arms held open, beckoning humanity to follow." ~Maria Montessori

Thank you for reading your "M" News!



Current and past newsletters are always available on your virtual newstand.

Mountaineer Montessori School

4801 Staunton Avenue | 308 20th Street | Charleston, WV 25304

304.342.7870 | Email | Website