School Info - Wausau Area Montessori Charter School

We are pleased that you are taking the time to learn more about our school. Wausau Area Montessori Charter School is a public school chartered by the Wausau School District, serving children in Kindergarten through 8th grade. Chartered with the Wausau School District in 2005, we are dedicated to providing a quality Montessori education for all students. We are committed to guiding students in educational experiences that will lead them to be contributing citizens in our world. Students are challenged to be critical thinkers, encouraged to collaborate across age groups, nurtured to be creative, and fostered to communicate with others.

Vision:

Guiding children to become lifelong learners and global citizens of moral character.

Mission:

Through the use of Montessori principles, including experiential learning and individualized instruction, we help students to achieve academic success, advance their awareness of self, encourage their responsibility to and for each other, and guide them to work together towards improving their community and the larger world.

Wausau Area
Montessori
Charter School

715-261-0795
Fax: 715-261-2035

3101 North 13th Street
Wausau WI 54403

Elizabeth Channel
Head of School

Kris Busch
Administrative Assistant

About Dr. Maria Montessori

In the early twentieth century, Dr. Maria Montessori was a pioneer in the medical and educational fields. Based on her observations of children, she developed educational materials and methods that supported her views of children. She believed that children learn best by doing and not through passive acceptance of other people’s ideas and pre-existing knowledge. The idea of learning promotes the active personal pursuit of many different experiences: physical, social, emotional, and cognitive. The materials Montessori devised foster an environment in which such learning takes place.

Dr. Montessori believed learning should occur in multi-age classrooms where children at various stages of development learn from and with each other. Her developmentally appropriate approach was designed to meet the needs of each child as an independent learner.

Montessori teachers, known as Guides, have an understanding that children learn more through a variety of experiences. Montessori training programs prepare Guides to create dynamic, interactive learning environments that encourage each child to think critically, create new ideas, collaborate with others and communicate in our society. Their goal is to encourage the development of individuals that are competent in all areas of life with the ability to positively influence our world.

What is Montessori?

Montessori is a method of education named after Dr. Maria Montessori. She was the first woman in Italy to obtain the degree of Doctor of Medicine. Because she was a doctor, Maria Montessori looked at education from a scientific level. She believed that education should prepare a person for all aspects of life. She designed materials and techniques that would promote a natural growth of learning in students. They are common to all Montessori classrooms. Working with these materials and techniques forms a pattern that children carry over naturally to reading, writing, and mathematics. Each skill is developed to interlock with another.

The Multi-Age Classroom

The multi-age classroom allows children to experience learning in an environment that is similar to the natural world. Younger children learn how to follow the lead of older children with experience in the classroom.

Montessori Materials

Our wonderfully designed Montessori materials were a gift from Dr. Maria Montessori. She used her observations of children and scientific research to develop her method for teaching children. All materials encourage a hands-on learning experience for each child.

The Prepared Environment

A prepared environment encourages children and adults to work collaboratively together to meet their need for discipline and order. Preparation of self and environment are essential in our learning spaces.

The Role of the Adult

In our Montessori school, our teachers are referred to as “Guides”. This intentional verbiage is used to assist children and families in their understanding that the adult in the classroom is guiding each individual child towards their natural potential.

Historical Facts

The Wausau School District, in partnership with the Montessori Children's Village and Educational Center, established a charter school in the Wausau area serving students in five-year old Kindergarten through grade 6. As the Wausau population became increasingly diverse, the district and community realized there was no single style or format of teaching that could successfully meet the needs of all children. The Montessori collaboration was a natural choice for this first elementary charter in Wausau because of its proven success for a wide range of children, from gifted to those with special needs. This venture has reached high acclaim in the community.

The Wausau Area Montessori Charter School was established in June of 2005 to offer area families an alternative to conventional classroom learning. WAMCS was created when parents at Montessori Children’s Village, a private elementary program, worked with the Wausau School District to create a new charter school within the district.

There is no tuition charge, as we are a public charter school. Like other public schools, funding comes from the Wausau School district, with additional state funding. A startup grant awarded by the US Department of Education and administered by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction was used to purchase classroom materials and initiate teacher training. We are a “school within a school” and are currently housed in the Horace Mann Middle School building.

We are an authentic Montessori school. We use real Montessori materials as well as teacher-made materials. Our Guides are trained in Montessori education and children learn in multi-age classrooms.

We operate on a 5-day rotating schedule for Encore classes which is similar to other elementary schools in our district. Students benefit from classes in Art, Library, Music, and Physical Education. In addition, they also receive Guidance lessons every other week.

As a part of the middle school building, we also have access to the hot lunch program and our 6th through 8th grade students are able to join band or orchestra, as well as participate in athletics..

2005: Our Wausau Area Montessori Charter School opened for Grades 1 through 5

2007: added Grade 6

2011: added Kindergarten

2022: added Grades 7 and 8

2024: added 4K

Enrollment

Sign-up for
Parent tour

Wausau Area Montessori Charter School is a public school chartered by the Wausau School District, serving children in Kindergarten through 8th grade. There is no cost to attend our school!

Step 1: Check Out Our Website!
You will discover that there is a wealth of information to help you to determine if our school would be a good fit for your child and family.

Step 2: Request Information
Complete this form that provides us with information about your child(ren).

Step 3: Phone Call
Once we receive your request for information, you will receive a phone call to schedule your family for a tour. You are welcome to bring your child(ren) along for your tour, as it is just as important that your child feel comfortable in our learning environment.

Step 4: Visit Our School For A Family Tour
Family tours are offered during the regular school weeks of Monday-Friday and last from 9:00am-10:00am. With the information you provide, your family tour will be tailored to the specific needs of your family.

You will meet with our Head of School where you will receive information about Montessori education at our school, have an opportunity to visit classrooms, observe in our learning environments, and will conclude with a question/answer session.

Step 5: Complete Enrollment Packet
Once you have completed your Family Tour and decided that our Montessori Charter school is a great fit for you and your child(ren), fill out the Enrollment Packet and return it to the school via personal delivery, email, or fax.

If you are currently living outside the Wausau School District, complete the online Open Enrollment form issued by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

Step 6: Check Your Email
Once we receive your completed Enrollment Packet, you will receive a confirmation email to let you know that we have it.

Step 7: Please Wait Patiently
As a Wisconsin public charter school, we are required to conduct an admission lottery to assign open seats within our school. This process will occur in February 2022 with email notification admission or wait list status sent to all families by the end of that week.

Upon receipt of admission status, new students will be scheduled for a half-day visit to our school in May. They will have the opportunity to participate in our classroom activities and begin building relationships with staff and peers.

Grade Levels

School Hours

Montessori vs. Conventional

WAMCS Governance Council Bylaws

WAMCS Charter Contract 2021

Governance

As a public charter school with the Wausau School District, the Wausau Area Montessori Charter School is afforded opportunities to be unique. However, we are still bound by all Wisconsin Department of Instruction standards and assessment expectations. WAMCS’s charter agreement with the district allows us to modify items such as curriculum, daily schedules, the length of our school day, and other items. In addition, WAMCS is required to have a Governance Council to help oversee and guide the school's operation. The Governance Council functions similar to a regular school board; the council ensures financial, operational, and educational accountability of WAMCS. Below is a list of our current council members, their role and contact information.