The Executive Director’s Message

Executive Director

Dr. Paula Henry

Greetings!

I am excited to serve Three Rivers Montessori School, the students, families, staff, and community as the next Executive Director. I promise to lead with compassion, heart, and joy, continuing to support the kindness and learning that grows here. I look forward to getting to know each and every one of you. My top priority is the well-being and success of all students and families.

In my time as an educator, I have learned a lot about empathy. While I always had care and concern for children and for people in general, my time as an educator has deepened it. I am eager to help children prepare for their futures and help Three Rivers Montessori School plan for success.

I am passionate about Montessori education and I am proud to share that my three children attended Montessori school. They have wonderful memories of joyful learning, making friends, building their sense of self, and exploring new concepts. I am also passionate about shifting the paradigm for the future of learning for students, and empowering them to succeed in a world full of wonder and choices. I love observing students soar academically, and I find joy in their hopes and dreams. Professionally, I am a former superintendent for Thief River Falls School District, and Lake Park Audubon School District in Minnesota. Prior to this I served as an elementary principal in West Fargo, ND. and as principal at Madison Elementary School in St. Cloud, MN. which was also home to Guang Ming Academy, a Chinese Immersion School. Many years before this I served as a Montessori School director in Madison Wisconsin. My education includes a Doctorate in Educational Leadership, Superintendent licensure, Principal licensure, and a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction with a reading certification. I have over 30 years of experience in education and served in various roles leading teams of dedicated educators and administrators who shared a common vision of providing high quality and equitable learning opportunities for all students.

I have a depth of knowledge in district/school climate and culture, educational best practices, educational leadership, school finance, coaching, mentoring, systems change, and board and community collaboration. I love to build on people’s strengths and connect teams for collaboration. I am committed to excellence and uncompromising in my quest for quality educational opportunities for all young people. I never lose sight of students and their needs. I seek out collaborative solutions aimed at supporting parents, staff, and community. I have a tremendous sense of pride for educators and have a high degree of respect for all who work in our noble profession. I am constantly in awe of colleagues and educators as they work tirelessly to inspire and empower our students. They show up each day and give their very best to our students. I am proud to walk alongside them.

Now, I am honored and humbled to be the Executive Director of Three Rivers Montessori School. I will proudly serve students, staff, families, and the community.

Kind regards,

Dr. Paula Henry
Executive Director

About Us

What Is Three Rivers Montessori School?

Three Rivers Montessori serves Elk River, Rogers, Zimmerman, Otsego, and the surrounding Minnesota areas. It is a public tuition-free elementary school for students and parents interested in an authentic Montessori school experience.

What Is Montessori?

Montessori is based on the philosophy of education and human development. We see the child as a motivated participant in their education, learning through self-instigated actions on the environment. Because of this belief, we emphasize hands on learning, individualized lessons, and cooperative social interactions. Our curriculum is comprised of practical life, language, and mathematics. Geography, history, science, art, music, literature, and physical education are also included.

location

17267 Yale St. NW, Elk River, MN 55330

Three Rivers Montessori serves Elk River, Rogers, Zimmerman, Otsego, and the surrounding Minnesota areas.

TRM is a public tuition-free elementary school for students and parents interested in an authentic Montessori school experience.

Montessori Method

The Montessori Method is focused on education for the whole being. We organize our work through building educational experiences for the head, heart and hands. This means that at every level we are cultivating curiosity and offering high quality academics (head), fostering healthy social/emotional interactions (heart), and providing work that is experiential and hands-on (hands).

Essential Montessori principles call for education that brings peace to the child’s inner world, peace in their community, and an education for peace (heart) to affect the larger world. The practice of anchoring academics in meaningful work integrates concept understanding and skill-building with whole body activity (head and hand components).

Each level of the school will need to articulate the intersection of their program with these three key principles as well as those of environmental sustainability. These principles will be the foundation of annual school-wide initiatives and evaluation, as well as an organizing structure that directs and informs goal setting for each teacher.

Optimal Environment

Our goal is to provide an optimal environment that allows our students to demonstrate their true nature as motivated, respectful, and considerate individuals. Our goal is that each classroom will embrace the Montessori Philosophies and grant the freedoms of choice, movement and repetition while allowing for both the human tendencies and the sensitive periods of the student.

Empower Students

Our goal is to empower each student by offering individualized, hands-on instruction based on observation and an understanding of the child’s needs and abilities in order to encourage independent, self-driven, critical thinkers.

Engaged Citizens

Our goal is to foster a globally conscious and civically responsible student able to go forth, having met their fullest potential being ready to become an engaged citizen of the world.

We will support, educate, and continue developing our students’ natural connection and responsibility to nature through our curriculum and by our role modeling on a daily basis. Our goal is for each student to further develop a sense of respect for our planet and understand the urgency of protecting our precious resources we often take for granted. Our school will consistently bring the outside environment in and bring the classroom and learning philosophy out in order to maximize learning and discovery. The intention is to eventually occupy or renovate a physical building to be designed to minimize the barrier between the inner and outer environments. We will accomplish this by designing large, airy, naturally lit classrooms with warm inviting colors. Each classroom will include an abundance of natural artwork, adopted classroom pets and a variety of plants.

Parents as Partners

A Montessori way of life assumes a strong, triangular bond between the parents, students, and the school. We must engage parents in this awesome, life changing work by inviting them to school for philosophical and curricular presentations, discussions, board meetings, or simply to gain their parental perspective. It is essential that these relationships be based on trust and be built not only between the students and educators, but among the parents as well. To affect real success and societal change, we must all work consistently together. We aspire to have a strong parent and community volunteer based program so everyone can participate and experience the difference that Three Rivers Montessori will make in their lives.

To enhance the richness of the fully-embodied Montessori curriculum, we are excited about the educational possibilities at our doorstep. Students will have access to city services such as the historical Grain Elevator and Oliver Kelley Farm, along with the city’s trend towards a sustainability focus and implementation of environmental technologies. The students at TRM will have many opportunities to serve their community, through volunteerism at CAER, Habitat for Humanity, at the local nursing homes and assisted living community of Guardian Angels, as well as participating in neighborhood beautification efforts. A curriculum and school culture rooted deeply in sustainability, nonviolence, acceptance and respect will help children develop the skills necessary for living a peaceful life of passionate advocacy in the 21st century.

Maria Montessori’s dream was to achieve world peace through the education of children. Students with many different needs, abilities, strengths, and challenges all come together here to live in an environment of respect, mutual admiration, acceptance, patience, and understanding. When students develop this confidence in themselves and a strong sense of well-being, they are able to make great strides in their academic achievement. We hope that students will leave TRM prepared to be leaders in our world, and more importantly, advocates for all of humanity.

Your support and contributions will enable us to meet our goals and fund the future for our students. DONATE