Judy Dempsey, Principal
Welcome to the Summit-Questa Montessori School website. We are thrilled that you have chosen to glimpse a view of life at Summit-Questa. We are a unique community of Montessori educators, parents, children, and friends dedicated to the philosophy of Dr. Maria Montessori. This school originated in 1981 as Summit Private School of Ft. Lauderdale, primarily a Montessori preschool. In 1991 I bought the school and focused on building our Montessori elementary and middle school levels. The result is what it has grown into today, Summit-Questa Montessori School, a community that includes preschool through middle school on a beautiful 10 acre campus under my direction and ownership.Summit-Questa is affiliated with the American Montessori Society and is the site of a fully accredited Montessori teacher training center. In addition, the school is fully accredited by AISF (Association of Independent Schools of Florida), AdvancED/SACS (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools), MSA (Middle States Association), NCPSA (National Council for Private School Accreditation) and Ai (Accreditation International).What makes Summit-Questa unique is multifaceted. We are an interactive community which values everyone’s voice and contributions…and the contributions are many! Our school has literally blossomed because of our dedicated staff and supportive families. All are invited to be active members in this community. Decision making within our community is a process that begins at a very young age and is based upon respect for the individual as well as the needs of the community as a whole. It is very important to us that everyone has a voice. We have a very active and involved PTO. Our unique park-like setting situated on 10 acres, has afforded us the opportunity to implement a hands-on outdoor environmental program second to none. Students are surrounded by the serene beauty of butterfly gardens, a variety of animals, flower and vegetable gardens, flora from all over the world, a live pond, as well as just open space for running and enjoying nature. Our students have the rare opportunity to learn directly from nature, working with the land and animals, something too few of our children are able to do in this overdeveloped, urban society of ours. We are truly an oasis in the middle of a concrete world!
Our students flourish due to the commitment, professional training, and experience of our outstanding staff, many of whom have been with the school for ten or more years. All Montessori teachers at every level must be certified by nationally accredited teacher training centers. In addition, Summit-Questa Montessori School proudly boasts high standardized test score results, thereby proving that yes, Montessori students can perform well on traditional standardized tests if the tests are treated as a practical life skill and the students are not subjected to undue stress in regards to the test. Our upper elementary and middle school students consistently average in the top 1-25% of the nation. Our eighth grade graduates have successfully entered both private and public high schools where they usually enter as honor students.
I am pleased to share with you some of the exciting and outstanding programs your child will experience at Summit-Questa. In addition to the rich array of Montessori materials in every fully-equipped classroom, and the complete and challenging Montessori curriculum, we offer the unique outdoor education facilities, outdoor fields for varied sports, a 6,000 square foot air-conditioned gymnasium which is designed for indoor basketball, tennis, volleyball and badminton , multi-cultural programs, foreign languages, library skills, computers, physical education, and specialists in music, drama and art. We also have two swimming pools and are building a strong swim program.
In my role of leadership, my goals for the school are many. First and foremost, however, is to provide a safe, nurturing learning environment rich with opportunities for each student to fulfill their unique potential, be challenged and learn according to their own personal style. We feel every child has a gift and it is our responsibility, as well as a privilege, to shine a light on that gift in order to allow it to emerge. As a result, we strive for each student to leave Summit-Questa secure in the knowledge of who they are, their strengths, their weaknesses, what it takes to succeed today, and assured that they have their gift to offer the world. We know this is a winning combination because we have seen the outstanding results as our students graduate and step into high school as self-assured, successful young students and leaders, not to mention interesting and genuinely nice, respectful young people.
I thank you for visiting our site and invite you to tour our school and meet our staff. Please be sure to check our calendar for the many upcoming events, including a series of parent education classes. All are welcome.
Sincerely yours,
Judy Dempsey