News & Announcements

SSMA Virtual Open House:
Thank you for your interest in Shining Stars Montessori Academy! We look forward to sharing information about the Academy with you and learning more about your child and family throughout the application process.
For more information, please call (202) 723-1467 or email info@shiningstarspcs.org

Now, more than ever, a strong community is what will give us strength. Many of our families and friends will soon be facing financial and emotional hardship.
Our Board of Directors is leading this campaign so that we can support as many families as possible. In the coming months, some might need help with groceries, medical expenses, rent, and other bills. The fund will support us during the 2020-2021 years and beyond. Help us make this fund strong to support as many as possible.

Are you or other DC parents you know curious about why the Montessori model is one of the most popular educational approaches around the world? Come to an open house to learn more!

DC families from all neighborhoods are welcome and encouraged to learn more about how an authentic Montessori education cultivates creativity, curiosity, leadership, critical thinking and supports problem solvers who are also compassionate and kind to others. Interested parents can RSVP to reserve a space for any of our upcoming open houses.

Join Shining Stars Montessori Academy's Family Market! SSMA has partnered with the Capital Area Food Bank to offer monthly distributions of nutritious groceries to members of the Shining Stars Montessori Academy community free of charge.
When: Feb 12, 2021 from 9am to 2pm
Where: SSMA Parking Lot

Show your love for SSMA and be apart of a global community that believes in giving back and supporting the people, places and things that are most important, especially during these times.

Your tax-deductible donation will strengthen the delivery of our online program, and multiply our support of families that are experiencing challenging times during this pandemic.
Every contribution of every size adds up. Whatever you can give from your heart will be received with gratitude and earnest stewardship.

SSMA Board and executive leadership have come to the difficult decision that we must pivot to the 100% virtual learning pathway this fall, through the first trimester, which ends right after the Thanksgiving break.
We will continuously monitor the situation and our learning options as the trimester progresses. If we are able to change our model at the start of the 2nd trimester, please keep in mind it is most likely that we will then move to the original two pathway options - (1) 100% virtual and (2) the hybrid model.

Many parents facing this new school year have already been through some type of distance learning and—regardless of how well some kids adjusted—many agree that it sucks! I miss the days when I dropped my boys off in the morning and headed home to my usual routine. I miss the quiet spaces where I could write, create content, do my workout routines, and get things organized. For households where both parents work full-time jobs, things might even be less pleasant.

The Shining Stars Enrollment Team wants to help any way that we can. We will be conducting in-person enrollment at the Shining Stars school building beginning the week of May 18th on Monday’s (10:00 am - 2:00 pm), Wednesday’s (12:00 pm - 6:00 pm), and Friday’s (10:00 am - 2:00 pm). Please ensure that you are wearing a face mask when you enter the school building for your safety as well as ours. If you have questions about the enrollment process or documentation for residency proof please send an email to either cmooregause@shiningstarspcs.org or ttaylor@shiningstarspcs.org prior to arriving at the school.

On April 27, 2020, SSMA’s virtual partnership with Kids & Culture Camp, KCC, will begin! As part of SSMA’s after school MAP extended learning program, KCC’s phenomenal instructors will provide live online cultural camps for ALL students. Students will embark on a virtual cultural journey as they study various countries from around the globe. The themes for this exciting cultural journey are as follows: Senegal’s Sensational Success, Canada's Captivating Culture, and Grasping Ghana’s Greatness.

“This is education, understood as a help to life; an education from birth, which feeds a peaceful revolution and unites all in a common aim, attracting them as to a single centre... This is the bright new hope for mankind (Montessori).”

- Maria Montessori, The Absorbent Mind

Although Dr. Montessori was Italian, her teaching methods cross national borders. Montessori schools were designed to teach all children, with an emphasis on self-directed learning and practical life skills.