Indian Land welcomes two much-needed preschools this fall. Part 1: Trinity Montessori Academy
Trinity Montessori Academy will be the first to open its doors this Thursday, October 1.
September 29 | Wilson
With the rapid growth in our area, these two new preschools are welcome and needed. Both schools fought delays due to COVID-19, but are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Trinity Montessori Academy will be the first to open its doors this Thursday, October 1 to elementary students for eLearning and are scheduled to open October 5 for the infant, toddler, and primary classes. The Goddard School of Indian Land isn’t far behind expecting to open by the end of October. Both schools offer very different curriculums and teaching methods and neither consider themselves a daycare.
Part 2: The Goddard School of Indian Land, will be featured in next week’s issue.
Part 1: Trinity Montessori Academy
Owner Kristine Veltri moved from New York to Fort Mill with her husband and four kids nine years ago. In New York Veltri worked as a kindergarten and first-grade teacher teaching a Balanced Literacy approach. After they moved, she planned on staying at home with her kids but missed the classroom too much. “I started off as a teacher evaluator for the CMS school system, then went on to become a 1st-grade teacher at a Rock Hill school,” said Veltri.
After experiencing the different approaches from both school systems, she felt like something was missing.
“Districts here were either doing a Whole Language or Phonics-based approach. I realized I wanted to bring more of the literacy to the younger students,” said Veltri. “My background is in balanced literacy. It is so amazing when you can expose the students to all different types of literature and really immerse them in the programs.”
What is Balanced Literacy? A Balanced Literacy classroom promotes a literacy-rich environment where students are able to take risks, become curious, use their imaginations, work hands-on, and gain confidence as readers and writers.
Veltri’s daughter attended a Montessori school in Charlotte at that time and she fell in love with The Montessori Method. “I couldn’t believe how independent she was. She always wanted to learn and was very focused.” shared Veltri.
Veltri wanted to open a school for young children where she could combine both the classic Montessori Method and Balanced Literacy. She obtained her North American Montessori Center certification for early childhood in 2015, found a partner, and opened her first preschool.
What is The Montessori Method? The Montessori Method provides a foundation that helps young learners grow into adults who are self-motivated and love learning, think flexibly and creatively, are conscious of the needs of others, and actively foster harmony as they go through life.
After five years of owning and operating a successful preschool in Fort Mill with this approach, Veltri decided to bring this same concept to Indian Land. She ended her partnership with the school in Fort Mill and partnered with Kimberly Cook who was the office administrator at the Fort Mill school.
Owners Kristine Veltri and Kim Cook
Veltri explained that they decided to open their new school in Indian Land because teachers at the old school who traveled from Indian Land shared that there weren’t a lot of preschool options in the area. “Kim and I found this amazing area in Edgewater Corporate Park. We loved how the building was set alone surrounded by trees, and that it had a large outdoor space.”
Edgewater Corporate Park is located right off of U.S. 521. Trinity Montessori Academy is tucked away near Possom Hollow Road.
All teachers are certified and most have their Montessori certification as well. “We have been having workshops and training with our teachers and are ready to go for opening day,” said Kristine. “All of our teachers cannot wait to be around our kids again!”
Trinity Montessori Academy Details:
The 10,000 sq. ft. building will have 11 classrooms. The 20,000 sq. ft. outdoor area will have a soccer field, garden, large play structure, toddler area, and tricycle path. They plan on adding an indoor play structure as well.
The Infant room is currently waitlisted but they are in active enrollment for toddler and primary classes.
Elementary eLearning Program: Currently, Trinity Montessori Academy is offering an eLearning and academic enrichment program for children in grades K-6th. The teachers in these classes will provide assistance with the children’s eLearning assignments. They also have a literacy specialist who will be guiding reading groups, journal writing, and hands-on STEAM activities. Enrollment is open.
2671 Lengers Way, Fort Mill, SC 29707
Expected open date: October 1 for eLearning and tentatively October 5 for the rest of the classes.
https://www.trinity-montessori.com/
