Reviews
We love everything about Mater Amoris! Our experience has been excellent- teachers really care about teaching and caring for the kids, kids love the nurturing and beautiful environment, and parents are kept well informed. They do a great job at laying a solid foundation for learning and beyond. 2019-2020 school was especially wonderful with top notched leadership provided by the new head of school, Ms. Alicia. Take a tour and see for yourself!
My oldest just completed 6th grade at Mater Amoris and I could not be happier with her progress and growth - both academically and socially. Most importantly, she loves learning and seeks opportunities to study, work, and research questions she has and Mater Amoris helped her with these skills. I have been a public school middle and high school teacher for many years and the level and quality of work my children produce at Mater Amoris far exceeds my expectations. As an added bonus, the location and grounds of the school are beautiful and inspiring!
If you are picky about schools like I am look no further! Mater Amoris is classic Montessori education done extremely well. All of the teachers are certified - mostly from the reputable Loyola program. My daughter has attended Mater Amoris for the last five years and I am totally impressed with her academic skills especially in math and writing, her social skills as Montessori education teaches grace and civility, her time management skills which is better than most of the college students I teach! and her leadership skills - which is a product of the multi-aged classrooms at Mater Amoris. I love this school!
The Azalea room is ready for a bright start to the new school year tomorrow. I appreciate all the kind and loving staff, parents and children . One wonderful family here. Bless you Charlotte for starting this school and persevering so Alicia can continue growing us new adolescent program starting with 5 students tomorrow & nido coming soon. Warm & Wonderful feeling here.
This school is a hidden gem! Two of my children graduated from Mater Amoris. Long-time, experienced and loving staff nurtures children through their development from very young ages until they graduate from 6th grade. Academics are outstanding, arts are approached with emphasis, and athletics are emphasized. Special programs include music, drama, field hockey, outdoor education, and foreign student exchange. The 13-acres of beautiful campus is an outstanding retreat from city life. I can't say enough good things about this school. Congratulations on 50 years of excellence in education!
If you're looking for a Montessori School for your Pre-K to 6th Grade child, look no further than Mater Amoris in eastern Montgomery County in Ashton, Maryland. The beautiful, 13-acre campus encompasses a large meadow, wooded nature trails and a butterfly garden and is conveniently located near Olney, Burtonsville and Silver Spring, as well as Clarksville, Columbia and Laurel in Howard County. Our 4th grade son has been at Mater Amoris since 1st Grade. In that time, we are grateful to have seen him develop a quiet confidence, intellectual independence and a true love of learning. The Montessori teachers, curriculum and collaborative learning environment have allowed him to focus on his unique interests and learn at his own pace. He has excelled at math and science, while spending additional time on his reading and handwriting, which would not have been encouraged in a public school system. Highlights of the Mater Amoris program are an annual holiday performance, musical and Science Fair for 1st-6th grade. Additionally, 3rd-6th grade students have the option of attending a week-long trip to the Echo Hill outdoor school on the Eastern Shore, as well as the Cal Cup international field hockey tournament at Moorpark College, north of Los Angeles, California. The school also participates in an annual Swedish Exchange Student program. My favorite event of the year is the 6th Grade graduation, which requires each graduating student to write, prepare and deliver their own short commencement speech, something many 12th graders would have trouble doing with the same poise, confidence and individuality I've seen showcased by the caliber of student Mater Amoris consistently produces. Although the school itself and the Montessori curriculum are not a fit for every child, we've been pleased with our son's progress and have had our younger daughter attend the school for Pre-K and now Kindergarten. We've also found the parent community to be active, warm and welcoming along with a small, family-friendly atmosphere, with Fall Picnics, Silent Auctions and Spring Fairs organized by the Parent Council on the school grounds.
Mater Amoris is an AMI school with more than 50 years of history, and we were very excited to have our child begin with the primary program. The grounds and school itself is very nice and clean, the elementary teachers are great and we met some very nice families. For these reasons only I did not give it a terrible review. Our child was placed in a primary classroom with a new first year teacher Mrs. Tremble who called us into several conferences to discuss our child not sitting still during circle time. We as requested gave some options to help Mrs. Tremble and also asked in return for simple updates as well on positive behaviors and successes in the classroom so we can highlight and praise to encourage continued success. Although agreeing to this we never received any positive feedback from her. We agreed and were excited to have our child moved into the classroom of the founder of the school and long time montessori educator Mrs. Shae. During her time in this classroom we were brought in to several conferences where we were the following complaints were made about our child: She likes to fantasize, she needs to walk like human, she acted like a "gang member" please note she's 4 years old, she wanted to do work above her skill level, she wouldn't sleep during nap time and she cries and throws herself on the floor. Again, we asked for simple notes in her lunch box with both successes and opportunities from that day/week which she agreed to do. We never received 1 note. We observed a couple classes and our child was well behaved and honestly seemed a bit bored in the classroom. Mrs. Shae was outwardly disappointed that our child was good. Not only did we only ever receive negative feedback from both of the primary teachers, our child told us that Mrs. Shae did not like her, this brought tears to my eyes. The final straw came when her cousin went to grandparents day. As a former educator she was impressed with the school grounds and classrooms,but was quick to let us know that her impression was Mrs. Shae did not like our child. If this was not enough we had several families come to us saying they think our child is being isolated and singled out as the "bad" kid. I can't express how sad I feel that my child was subjected to this type of treatment by education professionals, and write this review in hopes no other child is made to feel less than and not liked by their teachers.
After sending our son to one of the perennial "Best of Howard County" preschools and finding ourselves extremely disappointed, we started exploring our options. We were lucky enough to have this quiet little gem of a school recommended to us by neighbors whose children had attended there years and years ago. I truly cannot say enough good things about this school and the love and education that our son receives there. The primary program, where children ages 2 1/2 to 6 are together in the classroom, has been extraordinary, and the children in the older classes the school runs through age 12 are a testament to the type of person that the school produces. We feel so very blessed to have stumbled upon this extraordinary school and now have every intention of keeping our son there through age 12.
Trained and experienced instructors with a beautiful campus.
