9:00 am – 11:45 am
Morning work cycle
Room guides · Lower, middle and upper rooms
Ages 6 to 12
Montessori elementary in Queen Creek, Arizona
English lessons, with Spanish alongside, every day
Codex is a Montessori elementary for ages 6 to 12. About 38 students work in three mixed-age rooms with seven guides, and every afternoon begins with a Spanish block.
Three rooms
Three rooms, by age
A child moves up a room when the guides and the family agree it is time. There is no test and no fixed month.
- 01
Lower elementary
Ages 6 to 8SkillsCounting and the four operations with beads and boards
Reading aloud, writing sentences and a first report
Spanish songs, stories and everyday phrases
Caring for the room, the garden and each other
Moving upWhen a child is working with the middle room's materials, the guides and the family talk about the move.
- 02
Middle elementary
Ages 8 to 10SkillsFractions, area and long division with materials
Research on a topic of the child's choosing, written up as a booklet
Spanish reading and short conversations
Planning a trip out of school with a guide
Moving upWhen a child is working with the upper room's materials, the guides and the family talk about the move.
- 03
Upper elementary
Ages 10 to 12SkillsGeometry, first algebra and word problems
Long projects, presented to the room
Spanish writing and discussion
Looking after the younger rooms' library and garden beds
Moving upA student leaves at the end of the school year with the guides and the family planning the next school together.
Where to startBook a visit to find the right room
Sample levels.
Montessori describes how the rooms work here: mixed ages, a long work cycle and materials to hold.
The week
A week of work cycles and a daily Spanish block
Mornings are one long work cycle. After lunch, Spanish comes first and the afternoon changes by day.
A week in the school year
Showing 20 of 20
Monday
11:45 am – 12:45 pm
Lunch and outdoor time
Outdoors · Room guides · Courtyard and garden
Ages 6 to 1212:45 pm – 1:30 pm
Spanish block: songs and stories
Oswaldo Cuesta · Spanish room
Ages 6 to 121:30 pm – 2:45 pm
Math and geometry lessons
Room guides · All three rooms
Ages 6 to 12
Tuesday
9:00 am – 11:45 am
Morning work cycle
Room guides · Lower, middle and upper rooms
Ages 6 to 1211:45 am – 12:45 pm
Lunch and outdoor time
Outdoors · Room guides · Courtyard and garden
Ages 6 to 1212:45 pm – 1:30 pm
Spanish block: conversation
Joana Mesa · Spanish room
Ages 6 to 121:30 pm – 2:45 pm
Geography and science
Lessons · Room guides · All three rooms
Ages 6 to 12
Wednesday
9:00 am – 11:45 am
Morning work cycle
Room guides · Lower, middle and upper rooms
Ages 6 to 1211:45 am – 12:45 pm
Lunch and outdoor time
Outdoors · Room guides · Courtyard and garden
Ages 6 to 1212:45 pm – 1:30 pm
Spanish block: reading
Oswaldo Cuesta · Spanish room
Ages 6 to 121:30 pm – 2:45 pm
Art and making
Room guides · All three rooms
Ages 6 to 12
Thursday
9:00 am – 11:45 am
Morning work cycle
Room guides · Lower, middle and upper rooms
Ages 6 to 1211:45 am – 12:45 pm
Lunch and outdoor time
Outdoors · Room guides · Courtyard and garden
Ages 6 to 1212:45 pm – 1:30 pm
Spanish block: writing
Joana Mesa · Spanish room
Ages 6 to 121:30 pm – 2:45 pm
Music and movement
Making · Room guides · All three rooms
Ages 6 to 12
Friday
9:00 am – 11:45 am
Morning work cycle
Room guides · Lower, middle and upper rooms
Ages 6 to 1211:45 am – 12:45 pm
Lunch and outdoor time
Outdoors · Room guides · Courtyard and garden
Ages 6 to 1212:45 pm – 1:30 pm
Spanish block: a story hour
Oswaldo Cuesta · Spanish room
Ages 6 to 121:30 pm – 2:45 pm
Community work and the garden
Room guides · All three rooms
Ages 6 to 12
Nothing matches that filter.
Sample classes.
All three rooms follow the same week.
A day at Codex
From the first arrival to the last pickup
A long morning of work, a Spanish block after lunch, time outdoors and a walk to the door at the end.
- 8:30 am
Step 1: Arrival
Guides meet each family at the courtyard door. Students hang up their bags, say good morning and find their room.
- 9:00 am
Step 2: The work cycle
Close to three uninterrupted hours to choose work, take a lesson from a guide and finish what was started.
- 11:45 am
Step 3: Lunch
Students eat together at long tables and set them again for the next group. Families pack lunch from home.
- 12:15 pm
Step 4: Outdoor time
A ball game on the lawn, the garden beds or a quiet bench. Guides are out in the courtyard too, and hats and water bottles go with everyone.
- 12:45 pm
Step 5: Spanish block
A guide who speaks Spanish leads songs, stories and conversation. Older students read and write in Spanish too. English stays the language of the other lessons.
- 3:00 pm
Step 6: Dismissal
Guides walk each student to the door. Only the adults on a family's pickup list may collect a student.
Sample content.
The school year
When to visit, apply and start
Families visit through the school year, apply in the winter and hear back within weeks of a visit day.
October and February
Open houses
All three rooms open, with the guides at the door.
Wednesdays, September to May
January
Applications open
For the fall that follows.
Within two weeks of a visit day
Decisions
By phone and by letter.
November and April
EventFamily evenings
An evening in Spanish and English, with the rooms open to look around.
Early August
First day
Families come to the courtyard for a short welcome.
Sample dates.
The guides
Guides who speak Spanish and English
Joana and Oswaldo are two of the seven guides. All seven teach in the rooms.
Joana Mesa
Head of school
Leads the school and the upper room. She speaks Spanish and English with families and writes the Friday note home in both.
Oswaldo Cuesta
Guide
Leads the lower room and the daily Spanish block. He speaks Spanish with the students and is at the courtyard door most mornings.
Questions
Questions families ask
What is a work cycle?
It is the long morning stretch, close to three hours, when each student chooses work from the shelves, takes lessons from a guide and finishes what was started. The guides keep track of what each student has done and what comes next.
How is Spanish taught?
Spanish is its own subject, taught in a daily block after lunch by guides who speak Spanish. It starts with songs, stories and everyday phrases and grows into reading, writing and discussion in the older rooms. The other lessons are in English.
Does my child need to speak Spanish to start?
No. Some students come from Spanish-speaking homes and some have never heard it in a lesson. Each student starts where they are, and the guides pair the work to match.
Can we visit before applying?
Yes. A visit day is how most families begin. Your child sits in on a morning, you see all three rooms and you talk with a guide.
What happens when a child moves up a room?
The guides and the family talk first. A student is usually working with the next room's materials before the move, and the new room's guide visits the old one to meet them.
Visit
Book a visit day
A visit day is a morning with the students. Sit in on a work cycle, stay for lunch and talk with Joana about your family. Children come along.
Phone(480) 555-0119
School hoursMonday to Friday, 8:30 am to 3:00 pm