Hudson Montessori School

My daughter is in Kindergarten, and has been at Hudson Montessori for 3 years. She started out as a very strong willed, physical 3.5 year old, who had a hard time sharing. Now as a 6 year old, she has developed into a strong willed, caring, independent little girl who loves to help out with the younger kids, with an intense love of learning and reading. The teachers, and the Montessori teaching method, have been a large part of her emotional growth. The teachers at Hudson Montessori are amazing, and really have the best interests of each child in mind. As a parent, it's extremely easy to be involved with the school, and the school welcomes help from parents. It really feels like a team effort between school and family.
Like any newly formed urban school, there are some challenges, but I am confident they will resolve as the school expands. One of the areas, is having a more structured physical education program. The children have soccer when the weather is nice, and the teachers do a lot to keep them moving in the classroom, but a dedicated indoor space, and exposure to other sports beyond soccer, would be an area for improvement.
The academics at HMS, though, have been stellar.

We are parents of two children attending Hudson Montessori school at Jersey City. Our daughter was one of the first few kids at the school and we really wanted to write a review to highlight how much we (and our kids) love the school and being a part of the school ecosystem. We wanted to talk about it both from our angle and what our kids have gone through as part of their school education. For context, our daughter is now in the first grade and our son is in the preschool class.

As parents:
a) We really like the vision behind the school. We met Ms. Jolly when the school was in its infancy, and what we really loved was the energy and love for teaching she bought to the table. Even today, we see Ms. Jolly take an active interest in children, step into classrooms to share the teaching experience and not step away from what created the school. We like the class size and teacher / student ratio.

b) We liked the Montessori approach. There are so many approaches to education and it is so family dependent, but Montessori worked for us. Montessori emphasizes individual work and being independent, but implementation in the classroom is via small groups, 4-5 children tables that facilitate sharing and discussion while still allowing each kid to be self reliant and pick/choose their own activities.

c) In my daughter’s grade (1st Grade) we love how the teachers customize education to each child. Kids progress at different levels, but we have not seen the teachers drop the ball while helping each child grow at the right pace. Our daughter’s student reports are very detailed and the teachers talk to us about what can be improved. In lower grades, they also keep kids of different ages in a group which fosters learning across ages.

d) We like that other parents contribute to the process. It is a closely knit system, parents know each other well and add a lot to the process (via festival days, social studies fair, school year end celebration, bring your parents to school days etc). Parents are engaged in dialogue with the teachers constantly as to what is best for their children.

Children’s viewpoint:
a) Our daughter loves the school and has consistently liked her teachers over the years. She comes home and talks to us about all the things she learns, and that in turn cultivates our interest to teach her (and learn) more. She likes the science curriculum which is very hands on. Her math assignments in 1st grade are customized for her. There are field trips that involve learning about the local community (like the Mayor’s office visit, or a visit to a local play etc).

b) Our son is in the pre school classes and he likes his teachers as well. They are very kind to him and he comes home singing a lot of the songs he learns in music class. The Montessori materials in the class are excellent and help the kids build the basic blocks of math, science, gross and fine motor skills etc. All while in a fun group setting.

The teachers and the school staff are willing to work with you if there are any issue... For instance, my son for some reason was wetting his pants often in the classroom for two weeks straight! Instead of making a big deal out of it, Ms.Maki from the office discussed the situation with me to figure out ways to help him; by getting him his favorite character underpants etc... They sat with him, spoke to him about it and yes whatever they did actually worked!

In short, Hudson Montessori is a warm, fun filled, close knit community and we are very happy to be a part of it!

I am so proud to be a parent who's children attend this amazing school! My two daughters currently attend this school; my eldest one is in first grade and her younger sister is in the 2-year old toddler class. I cannot boast enough how wonderful their teachers and staff are, always dedicated to provide attention to my children's individual learning styles and needs. In addition, Hudson Montessori possess a marvelous Parent Council committee always looking out how to enrich our children's learning even outside the classroom. Recently, my first grader and her class involved themselves with a local charity organization to collect donations for those affected by Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines. This is just one of the many projects her teachers involve the students that goes beyond learning Math, Science, and Language Arts.

Dear Readers,

I usually don't write reviews because I am too busy, but this time I have to. We just moved to the US about 10 months ago with our two kids: ages 3 and 6. It was hard for me to find a good school in Jersey City because I am too picky. After seeing almost all the schools in the city I have visited the Hudson Montessori School , I was a little bit uncomfortable with the general idea and the teaching technique which is used in the school but I got a very good impression from the teachers at the time of my first visit. Unfortunately they did not have place for my 3 year old because they were full .My daughter is attending this school for 8 month she did not know a word in English, she now reads writes and speaks fluently, they learn so many different things in such a high quality level. The teachers are so professional they have helped us in almost every step of the transition, which is very difficult for a 5 year old (she was 5 at beginning of the school).She made lots of friends and always goes to school so excited.
I highly recommend this school!!
Sincerely, Fanni R.