These multi-age settings allow older students to share their knowledge with younger children and develop leadership skills, while younger students see and become excited about what lies ahead. The Elementary program's integrated Montessori curriculum focuses on each child's important role in the world. It also stresses students' responsibility to care for and respect the people and environment around them. Students learn the relevance of one subject to another and how different disciplines work together in the real world. Hands-on projects are interwoven with written assignments, and field trips complement lessons in the cultural curriculum.
Research is a central aspect of projects, big and small.
As students progress, they use familiar materials to explore increasingly complex levels of the curricula. For example the same materials may be used to learn arithmetic concepts such as place value, operations of whole numbers, factors, and square roots. The discoveries made through using these materials prepare children to move to abstract thinking. Throughout the program, students' language skills are stimulated. Reading, writing and oral expression are key components of daily activities.