×About FWM

About FWM

Welcome from Head of School

Welcome to Fraser Woods, a school rooted in Montessori and dedicated to nurturing curious minds, building skills for lives of purpose, and teaching empathy and compassion as pillars of a vibrant community.

At FWM, you will find a faculty and staff that model our mission statement of cultivating compassion, confidence and joy of learning. Our students arrive each day excited for, and curious about, what lies ahead. After a day of intentional learning in the classrooms (both indoor and outdoor), engaging in art, makerspace and fabrications lab, music, Spanish, and physical education, they love to go home and share what they did that day with their parents.

We partner with our families to help them raise children who feel safe, confident, and look to pursue passions developed during their time at FWM. Many of our graduates who have gone off to an independent high school, or their local public school, tell us that they were ready to embrace the intellectual and social challenges that life beyond Fraser Woods presented them.  They are self-aware young people who, comfortably, engage their peers, teachers and others with whom they live and work.

If you are simply browsing because you are looking for the right place for your child, I encourage you to inquire more deeply and connect with our Admission office.

I look forward to meeting you soon.

Warmly,

David Newman
Head of School

(e) dnewman@fraserwoods.com (c) 203-426-3390

 

Our Commitment

Our commitment is to cultivate compassion, confidence, and joy of learning.

Our Pledge

Fraser Woods Montessori School fosters a community that embraces everyone with compassion and respect to promote a sense of belonging. We curate collaborative, multi-aged classrooms that foster a deep joy of learning and guide students through an individualized and small group learning environment that builds confidence and competence in every child. Fraser Woods prepares students to adapt and grow by cultivating self-awareness and curiosity in the pursuit of becoming the best version of themselves.

Our Conviction

  • Fraser Woods Montessori School is a standout model for preparing students for a yet to be defined future.
  • We believe that a happy and well-adjusted child is willing to engage with the world around them.
  • Fraser Woods students take risks that allow them to learn more about themselves and the world around them.
  • Through music and the arts, our children learn to be self-confident and as they mature they gain the ability to write and share their own story.
  • Our community members are genuinely curious about the ideas and the stories of the people they share their world with.
  • In multi-age settings, our older students model empathy, compassion and leadership for our younger students.

Our School

  • Founded in 1968 as Newtown Montessori School
  • A non-profit 501(c)(3), independent, co-educational Montessori school
  • Serves 160 students ages 15 months through eighth grade
  • Student-teacher ratio: Toddler 4:1, Primary 9:1, Lower Elementary 11:1, Upper Elementary 10:1, Middle School 12:1
  • A modern 42,000-square-foot gallery-like setting that includes a Zen Garden, gymnasium and nature trails situated on an 8-acre campus
  • A diverse student body from 20 area towns, 35% from Newtown
  • Governed by the Board of Trustees
  • Accredited by the Connecticut Association of Independent Schools
  • American Montessori Society Full Member School

Affiliations

Board of Trustees

The Fraser Woods Montessori School Board of Trustees is committed to the preservation and implementation of the School’s mission. The volunteer members include parents of current and former FWM students, professionals, and community leaders all of whom share a belief in Montessori education and a passion for the school. As a group, the Board is responsible for strategic planning, and the long-term financial stewardship and governance of the School. It provides leadership in all development and fundraising efforts as well. In short, the Board exists to ensure that Fraser Woods Montessori is viable for its current and future students.

The Board is composed of several committees including Finance, Trustee, Development and Marketing, and Buildings & Grounds in addition to ad hoc Committees as needed. Each Trustee is active on at least one committee, typically meeting monthly. Committees make recommendations that provide insight and direction for Board governance decisions. The Board is always interested in receiving recommendations for future Trustee candidates. Please contact any Trustee or the Head of School to learn more about the nomination process and serving to support the growth and institutional development of FWM.

Board of Trustees

Head of School: David Newman

President: Ben Hildebrand

Vice President:

Treasurer:

Secretary:

Trustees

  • Kate Boka
  • Brandon Dufour
  • Kendall Horch
  • Kristina Howard
  • Carol Juel
  • Pat Werner

Welcome to The Fraser Woods Montessori School.  We are proud to offer a learning environment  that is focused on the whole child. Courtesy, acceptance, and compassion prevail at The Fraser Woods Montessori School, and all children and their parents are fervently respected.

Research continues to confirm again and again that a Montessori education provides the very best ways to meet the needs of young learners.  Here at The Fraser Woods Montessori School we are wholly committed to an authentic Montessori experience for each child as designed by Dr. Maria Montessori and upheld by the rigorous standards of the American Montessori Society (AMS).

Fraser Woods Montessori School began in 1968 as the Newtown Montessori School with 20 Lower School students learning in a church basement in Newtown, Connecticut.  Five years later we received a generous donation allowing us to move to a small red schoolhouse on Route 302 and add a Kindergarten Program.  In 1984 a Lower Elementary School was added. In 1990 under the guidance of Myriam Woods, our long-time Head of School, we watched our first class of Sixth Years (sixth graders) graduate. A decade later, Myriam Woods and the Board of Trustees would take our vision and our community to new heights and a new location across town.

The year 2000 was a turning point for expansion as Newtown Montessori School was relocated to our present site and rededicated as The Fraser-Woods School in honor of Myriam Woods, Head of School and in recognition of the building’s roots as the Gordon Fraser Company.  That same year we proudly welcomed our first Middle School students. Our new campus has allowed us a state of the art MakerSpace, a library, an art studio, gymnasium, athletic fields, and playgrounds. Today, The Fraser Woods Montessori School is a thriving, toddler, preschool, elementary, and middle school located on eight picturesque acres.

The School now serves over 160 students from Fairfield County and beyond. Fraser Woods Montessori’s approach to education is based on the teachings of Dr. Maria Montessori, one of the world’s most respected educators. Her philosophy, often referred to as “Education for Life,” is embraced all over the world. 

Our promise at Fraser Woods Montessori School is to strive every day to provide a caring, personalized and enriched environment to stimulate each child’s natural curiosity and prepare him or her to become an independent, self-reliant, and compassionate citizen of the world.