Curriculum Enhancement
Bozeman Summit School offers a variety of curriculum enhancement programs to complement our Montessori curriculum.
Music
Alison Tierney (Upper Elementary), Rebekah Bunting (Lower Elementary) and Trina Rainey (Early Childhood) meet weekly with our students to explore the fundamentals of music. Using a variety of instruments, our musical instruction team not only educate the children, but also prepare an amazing demonstration of their learned skills for our Holiday Performance and Festival of the Arts each year.
Alison Tierney – Upper Elementary Music
Bio coming soon.
Rebekah Bunting – Lower Elementary Music
Rebekah Bunting has been teaching elementary music education at Bozeman Summit School since 2015. She is certified at Level II in the Orff Schulwerk approach. Orff Schulwerk is a “child-centered” approach to learning music that integrates music, dance, speech, and drama. The children learn by doing and are regularly improvising and creating their own music and movement. By doing this, they are learning important problem solving skills that can translate to all aspects of life. Most music classes involve learning and playing instruments such as xylophones, metallophones, glockenspiels, recorders, hand drums, wood blocks and many other fun instruments. Rebekah is constantly inspired by the children’s creativity and musical abilities and enjoys highlighting their talents in the December Holiday Performance and spring talent show.
Trina Rainey – Early Childhood Music
Bio coming soon.
Health Enhancement
At Bozeman Summit School, we not only care about developing the whole child in their social, emotional, and educational journey, but also giving them the tools and education to be physically healthy through diet and exercise. For our Health Enhancement program, we have contracted with Steffany Kay – owner of Play+.
Steffany Kay is a graduate of Montana State University – College of Business and has been an active part of the community since arriving in Bozeman in 1995. She has been involved with the Big Brother/Big Sister program, a Thrive CAP mentor and is currently on the board of directors for Gallatin Valley Farm to School.
She is a NASM Certified Personal Trainer, Youth Exercise Specialist (YES), Precision Nutrition and Primal Play certified. Her company Play+ brings her love of movement to the youth of Gallatin Valley. In her free time she can be found competing in obstacle races, trail running, being in the outdoors with family or on an international adventure with her husband and young son.
Mindfullness
Mindfulness in Schools Program offers students a chance to cultivate mindful awareness through inquiry and exploration. We use a curriculum supported by scientific research, developed by Mindful Schools–a leader in nationwide mindfulness education.
Throughout the span of 20 weeks, students learn mindful practices and tools to add to their Mindful Toolbox–a resource they can carry with them wherever they go. And the good news is, there is no expiration date; these tools last a lifetime.
Each weekly lesson is 20 minutes. Lessons are taught once per week and are implemented into the classroom’s pre-existing schedule through coordination with the school’s administration and individual teachers.
Goals of the course include:
- Help students make connections about how to use mindfulness throughout their day
- Support students in their capacity for self-awareness and self-regulation
- Provide time for direct experience with mindfulness through formal practice
- Create a safe environment for students to share and explore their inner experiences