About Pioneer Meadows Montessori School
Our Mission
At Pioneer Meadows Montessori School we strive to help children in their journey to self-realization through the guidance of the Montessori philosophy and curriculum. Our aim in the classroom is to create a prepared environment that meets the needs of every child. Our goal is to provide children with a peaceful and beautiful place complete with organic gardens, farm animals to care for, and sustainable buildings that are teaching tools within themselves.
Keri and James Bauckman moved from Massachusetts to Bellingham in 2007 with the dream of creating and building a Montessori school. Keri’s grandparents, Aubra and Dorothy Tilley, very generously offered to purchase land and build a school to help fulfill this dream. They have continued to support the school making the dream become a reality.
In the fall of 2008 the families and staff of Pleasant Valley Montessori School became part of Pioneer Meadows Montessori School. The next fall Salmonberry Montessori in Bellingham also became part of Pioneer Meadows.
Pioneer Meadows is located on 5.6 acres in Ferndale adjacent to 20+ acres of open space. Our school will eventually be linked to a city-wide trail system, and we are within walking distance of the Ferndale city library. Currently we have two Children’s House classrooms and one Elementary classroom. Our elementary class moved into our first permanent building in the fall of 2009. Our Children’s House classes are accommodated in a state approved, temporary structure with all the needed amenities, including a spacious playground and raised beds for gardening.
As of February 2010, Pioneer Meadows officially became a federally designated 501(c)(3) non-profit school.
We are looking forward to the fall of 2011 when we will move into a new, larger building with four classrooms, each with their own outdoor classroom, so that children will be able to move freely from the indoors to the outside during work time. The outdoor classrooms will be furnished with child-sized workbenches, tables and supplies for educational activities. The children will also be able to enjoy an organic garden, a small fruit tree orchard, native and wildflower gardens, and a barn complete with farm animals to care for.