Casa Di Mir Montessori School

We now have both of our children at Casa and are very happy with the school. Having been a teacher myself I tend to be «one of those parents». I ask a lot of questions etc. The faculty at Casa has been nothing but compassionate and knowledgeable. Anyone can say they are a «Montessori school «however Casa is one that earns that title. My husband and I have consciously chosen the Montessori pedagogy for our childrens’ early childhood education. As an educator I could alway tell the students in my classes with a quality Montessori foundation. Casa provides these monumentally important lifelong skills in a caring, competent and empowering environment.

The best school I could even find for my daughter! Great environment for academics as well as for the kid to become a better person and develop to be with a global thinker mind. Excellent and very motivating teachers. My daughter, now at the age to enter a college, lightens up every time we talk about this school and remembers it as the best school she has ever attended.

My daughter attended Casa diMir for a total of 7 days before I pulled her out. I would NEVER recommend anyone attend this school.
My child had an accident in which she soiled herself. A teacher changed her into new underwear and pants without ever CLEANING HER UP. The teachers never said anything to my step mother, who picked up my daughter, and she was still soiled with mess caked onto her behind.
The teachers don’t seem to communicate with each other. One teacher told me that my daughter didn’t have any spare clothing at the school, yet another told me they had plenty.
We paid over $ 4,000 to the school and were told we would only receive $ 400 back. They charged us two months tuition plus a deposit. They did end up making an exception and refund us the two months tuition, but they kept our deposit of OVER $ 2,000. For that kind of money, I expected much more from a school.
During the mandatory parent orientation, I heard the same child cry for more than 20 minutes. I kept wondering why no one was consoling the child. Or why the parent wasn’t called in to comfort the child since we were all there. In the 7 days my child attended this school, I never saw much of an affectionate environment. It struck me as stale and cold.
There was another review that talked about the elitist attitude of the school. I would second that statement. Your child has to be «accepted» to attend the school. My daughter is 3, for goodness sake. Really?

There are two consistently repeatable facts that for me speak to the average experience at Casa di Mir Montessori School: 1) the retention rate from kindergarten through 6^th grade is approximately 20%, and 2) the average Montesorri student (according to the Head of School) scores a statistically significant 5% higher on standardized Math tests than the national average. Neither is especially impressive. To be fair to the school though, prior to recent faculty turnover, there has been an apparently caring bunch of teachers, a safe environment where a bright bunch of kids is encouraged to think about what they are doing, and a terrifically engaged group of parents. What deeply concerns me however is the apparent narrowness of the Montessori teacher certification and curriculum. Ultimately, one really must believe in the «Montessori way» to stay here. Moreorless, the idea is that each student will find their own right path by exploring their own interests in their own way. As related to the statistics cited, one interpretation would be that most parents *don’t* end up believing that their kids are going to blossom in some self-​directed fashion, and, if they do, that direction probably won’t involve much math.
In more specific cases, I have seen the curriculum and pedagogy result in the frustration of both advanced students (who, for example, learn their math somewhere other than the classroom) and struggling students (in failing to identify and adapt to routine learning disabilities). The preferred pedagogic approach in all cases is to adhere to repetition of Montessori-​approved techniques. These can be pretty iconoclastic, for example, resulting in an eventual ability to demonstrate a manipulative ritual, rather than having learned an underlying principle from an illuminating method. This stands as distinct in my mind from the kids having had sufficient practice to develop symbolic and abstract reasoning skills, let alone having received a timely alternative presentation or an unvarnished explanation from a subject specialist.
Before moving our comparatively advanced son to another school after 5 years (PreK-​3^rd grade), we came to the conclusion that the overarching belief in the «Montessori way» is overused with respect to these kinds of shortcomings. Voicing my concerns to the faculty and administration repeatedly resulted in a response that various proposed STEM activities were «not a priority» and that implementing them would have to «take away from other activities» that the faculty had laid out. I’m particularly left to wonder what the hell goes on outside of the simply inadequate half hour, 3 times per week when math was taught in 3^rd grade? Regardless, the upshot was quite explicitly to foist primary responsibility onto me as a parent for either the advancement or remediation of my child. I am of course only too happy to accept this. It quite easily reduced to a decision to remove my kid from an academically average school.

I am a Casa alum, now attending Lewis & Clark College.
Casa, true to its name, has always been home to me. At Notre Dame High School, I took a photography class, and was given an assignment to photograph a place that I felt at peace. I immediately knew that my place would be Casa di Mir. I asked to visit over the weekend, when, of course, Wanda was there working tirelessly to make the school the incredible place that it is. I took pictures of the golden beads, the pink tower, the wall of hats from all around the world, the various giraffe sculptures and stuffed animals (Casa’s unofficial mascot is the giraffe, because it has the largest heart of any mammal), and I was filled with love and gratitude. Even now, I go back and am welcomed enthusiastically by Wanda, Nancy, and Anne, who taught me when I attended, and also by Tyler, Ariana, and Stephanie, who I didn’t get the chance to learn from, but who are amazing additions to the team (and many others! and the office staff, too!).
The teachers were caring, helpful, dedicated to each individual’s education. Your needs are always met at Casa. If you needed additional help in a subject, you got it. I remember in 1^st grade, when I had trouble remembering which way Ds, Bs, and 5s went, a teacher sat down with me and taught me hand signs and little shortcuts I could use, until it clicked. On the flip side, there is room to excel. Teachers will make sure you are challenged and excited about what you are learning. If I was confident, I could pursue my work independently, but there was always a safety net of caring teachers ready to help me. I became a confident learner at Casa.
Casa di Mir offers education beyond the classroom. Cultural night was my favorite night of the year. It made embracing cultural diversity exciting for kids. The interdisciplinary nature of global studies at Casa opens kids up to different people, foods, dance, and music.
I also learned emotionally in my time at Casa. Conflict resolution and nonviolent communication are some of the cornerstones of Montessori. I have never heard of another school that solved problems quite the way Casa did. In my time there, I both attended and mediated peace meetings. Even now, I am conscious of using ‘I’ statements during arguments. Casa di Mir teaches empathy and nonviolence. It is really a beautiful thing to have this kind of love instilled in kids from such a young age.
The friends I made at Casa are still my friends now. We are scattered across the country (and the world! I wish my friend Mara, whom I met when we were 3, hadn’t decided to attend university in London. I miss her) but we keep in touch. They are conscientious, intelligent, thoughtful people, like so many Casa alumni are, and I don’t think we’ll lose touch any time soon.
When I visited home in May, I had the opportunity to attend Speakers Night, the culmination of the 6^th graders’ Service Learning Projects. I was amazed by how articulate and conscientious the kids were.
I was lucky to have Casa in my life. This really has been a long ramble, but I hope that it was of some help to the people who actually made it to the end. Good luck to you!

As we finish up our first school year at Casa, it seems appropriate to write a review. We have been impressed by the warm, caring environment and how the Primary Program truly fosters a love of learning.

This review is only for my tour at the school. My child has never been enrolled here. My son is currently in a good pre-​school in Los Gatos but since he is 4 and a year away from kindergarden, I want to put him in a school that is a little bit more structured and more academic so I called Casa Di Mir. They were fine on the phone and scheduled a tour. So far, so good. I even asked them to tell me their availability for this fall before going in to make sure I am not wasting my time. They said, yes.
Once I got to the school for the tour, the Director showed me around. What was really strange for me was her attitude by the time the tour ended. She changed her word from yes, we have availability to we might just be totally full as all applications are out already and we’re accepting students this week. What??? Her comment made me feel like she was just saying that to me because of something she didn’t like. Perhaps because I went in almost 9 months pregnant. Her attitude was snobby like I was visiting some elite school. Seriously??? I have never experienced this at any school in the area. I just felt compelled to write this review so she doesn’t make other parents that visit the school feel this way. Even if they had space, there is no way, I would put my child in there.

If you are looking for a warm environment for your child, this is the place (Casa = home). Starting with Wanda (head of school) down to teachers, staffs and parent volunteers, you will feel that you can entrust your child with family member. Both my daughter and son loved it here. Please visit to see for yourself.

We first came to Casa di Mir when we were looking switch my 3 year daughter from day care to a more formal preschool. I was very interested in the Montessori method since my aunt was a teacher and I was fascinated with the materials and philosophy of Montessori, but I did not have any experience with it so far. When I called the school the enrollment period has already passed, however Wanda (the principal) met with us and showed the school, and eventually had my daughter come in and talk to the teacher for a while. The whole process was so open and easy, and right away we felt the warmth of the Casa community. The plan was for our daughter to do two years of preschool and then move her to another school, but the school is so good, at the academic level as well as how the teach the students how to deal with conflict, how to manage their time and how to be independent and, at the same time how to work as a team to reach a common goal, that we decided that she would stay throughout her elementary education. In the meantime we never stopped visiting other schools and asking questions to other parents, always open to other options and opinions, and in 4 years we have never found a better school than Casa di Mir. I would recommend this school to anyone that cares about high-​level education, strong values, and a great community of parents, children and teachers.

As a former parent of two Casa di Mir alumni, I look back on our years with the school with gratefulness. The strong academic education which both of my children received built such solid ground work for their middle school and high school years. My son attended Casa for 1^st through 6^th grade and my daughter for pre-​K through 6^th grade. Teachers at their next schools were astounded at not only the breadth of knowledge that each of them possessed, but also what grounded and mature students they were. When they were completed with their time at Casa, they had learned exceptional organization skills, which continues to help them in their academic achievements.
I cannot say enough about the learning experience, exposing students not only to the basic math, science and English curriculum, but also to art, music, appreciation of cultures, nature all while ensuring that their natural love of learning stayed «sparked».
The environment could not be more nurturing and inviting. Children learn to respect each other for their differences and how to navigate the world in a peaceful, understanding manner. The life skill of compassion remain strongly rooted with both of my children. The students are treated with respect and are truly allowed to explore and find their own path in a safe and encouraging environment.
The cultural events, art projects, and amazing field trips expose the students to a world outside of the classroom. The phrase «whole learning» couldn’t more appropriately describe the learning experience at Casa. The staff and leadership at Casa is superior. The teachers are able to really get to know each of the students, how they best learn and how to continually engage them.
Our entire family benefited from our years at the school, we’ve made life long friends, and have unforgettable memories. We are thankful that our children had such a strong foundation where they learned not only that they had no academic limits, but also how to become the best person that they can be.

It is almost the beginning of the 2013 – 2014 school year and I thought this would be a good time to share our experiences about the Casa di Mir School.
First, the admission’s process for the Primary program. This school has a ridiculous admission’s process. The school attempts to make perspective families feel as though they are applying to an elite private school and request teacher recommendation’s from their previous school (or should I say daycare) as well as a 20 minute classroom assessment of your child at Casa di Mir. The assumption on their part is that they can get a full picture or enough to decisively determine suitability of a 3 – 6 year old child’s behavior and ability to successfully adapt into their environment in twenty minutes. It is absurd. Fortunately for those parents who will be going through this process the school recently decided to allow you to go with your child. Wasn’t that nice of them? So if after reading this review you still choose to apply to this school, rest easy, as long as you’re willing to be locked in to paying tuition for a full year you can enroll your child in the fall, spring, winter or whenever else you so choose despite their so called wait list.
Now once you’re enrolled…
There are two Primary classrooms (ages 3 – 6), P1 and P2. Our son was in the P2 classroom, which was supposed to be the smaller of the two classrooms in space and in head count. By the end of the school year both classrooms ended up having about the same number of student’s and they had exceeded the student teacher ratio of my son’s previous daycare/​preschool which was less expensive.
Another reason we initially chose Casa di Mir was the ability for parent’s to participate in the classroom. The school repeatedly talked about all of the wonderful volunteer opportunities that parent’s had to participate in their children’s education. However it wasn’t until after we had enrolled our son and received the Primary Classroom and Lunch Volunteer survey did we find out what opportunities were available to the Primary Parent’s. Besides the PM cleanup (sweeping floors, wiping tables, cleaning bathrooms), or Lunch Duty (washing dishes, sweeping floors, sterilizing bins and sterilizing sponges in the microwave), you also had the opportunity to take home and wash dishes or wash classroom linens over the weekends. (Btw, I wouldn’t volunteer to take home the linens for wash. When I did this and saw the ragged condition of the linens that the children were using in the classroom I was more tempted to throw them out then put them in my washing machine.) Parent’s also have the option of decorating bulletin boards (mine cost me $ 65 in materials), Grocery, Supply, Errand Person (didn’t do this) or doing an extra clothing check (occasionally did this), etc. But frankly the latter ones were far and in between positions that you couldn’t count on to accumulate your 40 hours of parent participation. Luckily my husband and I just laughed and we agreed they could just keep our $ 400 in lieu of 40 completed volunteer hours.
As an FYI, head lice was a bit of an issue this year. The P1 classroom came down with about 4 head lice exposures that I can recall. While the school did do a good job of informing the parent’s in an email (it was the same email each time) it seemed that was as far as they were willing to go to the extent of making it clear that the next day of school they would NOT be doing a head check on the other children. Were they even planning on having the carpets cleaned? It was therefore not a surprise when another child became infected the next day. In comparison, my daughter’s preschool which has significantly more children did not have 1 head lice exposure all year. Hmmm…
Finally, the issue of ensuring kindergarten readiness to transfer to either public or private schools and to say that the quality of education warranted about $ 13.5K in full-​time tuition (not including extended care) is definitely in question. It is important to know that we are not the only parents of a primary child withdrawing our child from the school this year due to poor standards of learning and evaluation of learning and grading.
So all in all, considering the abundance of private schools in the bay area I would definitely think twice or three times before enrolling your child here.

My wife and I are super-​pleased with the well rounded education both are kids are getting at Casa. It is a fantastic Montessori school and the teachers are A+. In addition to gaining academic excellence, the children learn about respect and develop into sensitive individuals with a peaceful core. The kids’ souls flourish in the Casa environment. You can’t go wrong with Casa — highly recommended!

Wonderful, international, peaceful and intelligent staff who honour my child as an individual and foster curiosity for learning. I was so thrilled, and relieved, when starting at this school. The rituals, manners, insights and knowledge my child displays are, I feel, way above what standard day care or pre school would inspire. The mixed ages in primary classes are a real advantage to social and intellectual development and for modelling compassionate behaviours, which are beneficial to the younger and older children. A fantastic resource and community… I thoroughly recommend !

My son has been at Casa Di Mir since he was 3 years old. He is now a confident, intelligent, compassionate and interesting 7 year old. The environment and education at Casa is beyond compare. Without creating an atmosphere of stress and pressure, they foster the child’s love of learning and thereby they achieve excellence in academics. My son is doing work far above his grade level in all the core subjects and is getting an incredible cultural and social education. He is learning two languages and to play an instrument as well. Even more important than his academic achievements, is that he is happy and well adjusted and with his age group. In nearly 5 years in this amazing school, I have never seen a child be bullied, resort to violence, or taunt another child. This is an amazing school with a unique and wonderful community and a truly exceptional teaching staff. There is nothing I would change about Casa!

Both of my daughters attended Casa di Mir for elementary school and it was a wonderful experience for them. They gained a love for learning and an independence that is still with them, and they are both in college now. They transitioned into public school at the middle school level and were about a year ahead of the curriculum. The Montessori education is unique and tailored to each child’s needs. The children learn to work independently and take control of their own learning experience. At Casa there is a very low teacher to student ratio and the teachers are wonderful. In addition, the school teaches respect for all individuals and the world that we live in. I could not have asked for a better place for my girls to spend their elementary years.

Casa di Mir is a wonderful close-​knit community of students, parents, teachers and faculty. They serve students from pre-​school to grade 6. Not only do they offer an authentic Montessori experience, they also offer many extras: music, foreign language (Hindi, Spanish, Mandarin), physical education, Aikido, gymnastics, art, etc. The children are poised, well-​mannered, well-​rounded, and respectful to themselves and others. Our son is getting a fantastic education here and we couldn’t be happier with this school.