Established under the leadership of Dr. Ursula Thrush, the Maria Montessori School of the Golden Gate offers an innovative education to children in several age groups. Operating in accordance with the goals of a Montessori education, the Maria Montessori School of the Golden Gate offers students a warm and accepting environment that stimulates the growth of well-rounded individuals with positive self-images. In addition to encouraging creativity, the Maria Montessori School of the Golden Gate provides an inclusive, cross-cultural education with an explicit focus on morality, values, and peace. This innovative Peace Curriculum has its roots in the personal convictions of Dr. Maria Montessori, who lived at a time of intense turmoil in Europe. Her ideals of “Education for Peace” won Dr. Montessori worldwide recognition, as well as Nobel Peace Prize nominations in 1949, 1950, and 1951.
With a Ph.D. in Philosophy, Dr. Thrush founded Maria Montessori School of the Golden Gate and its associated Teacher Training Center in 1972. Her legacy continues to burn brightly nearly a decade after her passing, with all current Head Teachers and Directors at the Maria Montessori School of the Golden Gate personally appointed by Dr. Thrush. Many books and teaching aids developed by the school’s founder are still in use within the Maria Montessori School of the Golden Gate’s curriculum.
Admission to the Maria Montessori School of the Golden Gate is offered without regard for ethnicity, creed, or sex, and includes a placement process that emphasizes balancing classes by age and sex. As an important first step toward enrollment, parents are encouraged to visit their child’s future classroom, getting acquainted with the teacher. The Maria Montessori School of the Golden Gate operates a preschool in a separate location from the elementary school, offering classes to students between two-and-a-half and six years old. Elementary school begins at age 6 and extends to 12 years old, and is evenly divided into Elementary I and Elementary II levels of Montessori education. To learn more about the Maria Montessori School of the Golden Gate’s admission requirements, as well as specific educational goals and philosophy, visit www.sfmontessori.com.
