About Us
Message from Our Principal
Dear Parents and Visitors,
Welcome to the Saint Elizabeth Nursery and Montessori School website. I am proud to work alongside the Sisters, teachers and staff at St. Elizabeth School. We are committed to provide each student with superb moral support, as well as an excellent Catholic education. I appreciate the sacrifices you make to provide a Catholic Education to your children, and thank you for selecting our school to help you meet your goals for them.
Our extraordinary school community educates the whole child, and presents continuous opportunities for spiritual, academic, social, emotional, and physical growth. Our educational program is supported by the Christian and moral values we teach and practice daily.
St. Elizabeth School’s reputation for excellence in academics is long-standing, and the result of our families’ commitment to quality education, the dedication of the highly qualified Sisters and teachers, and the hard work of our students.
Visitors, I invite you and your children to join our community of learning and love. On behalf of Mother Lilly Perapadan, Delegate General and the Franciscan Sisters of St. Elizabeth, I thank you for visiting us through our website.
May God's abundant blessings be with you and your loved ones!
Sister Alice Ottapurackal, FSSE
Principal
Our Mission and Philosophy
At Saint Elizabeth Nursery and Montessori School, we believe in the dignity of each child. We are dedicated to the personal, intellectual, moral, religious, and social development of each student. Utilizing both a traditional developmental educational program and the Montessori method, the Sisters and staff strive to meet each child’s individual needs, while challenging them to explore and discover their world. St. Elizabeth offers a loving, caring, and safe environment which allows children to grow and develop, on both an individual and a social level. Our mission is to prepare and provide each student with the knowledge and skills to go into the world as productive, compassionate, and educated citizens.
Catholic Identity
We strive to empower each student to realize and nurture a personal relationship with a loving God. Through religious education, we teach the beliefs of the Catholic Church and inspire our students to live moral and ethical lives by reinforcing these attributes on a daily basis.
Our Faith-Filled Practices:
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Daily morning prayer assembly and classroom prayers
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Monthly observation of First Friday Holy Mass and Devotion
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Students participate in the sacrament of confession four times a year.
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Our school community contributes to regular works of mercy in the giving of time, talents, and treasures locally, nationally, and internationally.
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Annual events and initiatives such as May Crowning, Christmas Pageants, Celebration of Catholic Schools Week, and major Feast Days of the Saints
Diversity and Inclusion
While we are a Catholic faith-based school, we welcome non-Catholics and are inclusive of all faiths in our community. The Sisters, staff, and students at St Elizabeth represent a multitude of cultural backgrounds working toward a common goal, with respect and appreciation for each other’s differences.
Our Faculty
Our dedicated faculty and professional aides are committed to providing a quality Catholic school education and to addressing the needs of the whole child.
All teachers at St. Elizabeth are state certified in their subject area and our Montessori teachers are certified by the North American Montessori Center. All of our educational staff are highly trained, including aides, ensuring your child is being instructed by professionals who are well-versed in their subject area. The Sisters, faculty, and staff come from all corners of the world and provide a global perspective to the students.
Our History
St. Elizabeth Montessori School is a private, Roman Catholic school located on a 22-acre, park-like campus. The school is a hidden gem staffed by the Franciscan Sisters of St. Elizabeth; whose Delegate House is also located on the grounds. The Sisters and dedicated lay faculty staff are committed to the profession of early childhood and elementary education and provide instruction in Catholic doctrine, morality, and worship. Founded in 1970, St. Elizabeth Nursery and Montessori School began as a one-room school, housing an early childhood Montessori class. The following year, the Montessori class moved into a new building which included a nursery class and a pre-kindergarten class.
In 1972, Mario Montessori, son of Maria Montessori, and his wife, visited the school.
In 2001, a large expansion project began. The new wing added classrooms, labs and common areas that allowed the school to accommodate an elementary education program.
Our school continues to grow and thrive as we confront new challenges in our ever-changing world.
Our Heritage
Saint Francis of Assisi (Giovanni Francesco di Bernardone; 1181/1182 – October 3, 1226) was a unique spiritual personality who gave up a life of wealth and social position to embrace a life of obedience, poverty and chastity. With the approval of the Pope, he founded a new Monastic Order, commonly known as the Franciscans. St. Francis is considered one of the greatest saints in the Christian tradition and an example of a life lived in imitation of Jesus Christ.
Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, (1207-November 17, 1231) was canonized in 1235 (Feast day November 17.) Born a princess of Hungary, her devotion to the poor, for whom she relinquished her wealth, made her an enduring symbol of Christian charity.
Saint Ludovico of Casoria (March 11, 1814–March 30, 1885), born Arcangelo Palmentieri, was an Italian Roman Catholic priest and a professed member of the Order of Friars Minor. He was a renowned social reformer who founded both the Grey Friars of Charity and the Grey Franciscan Sisters of Saint Elizabeth. Pope Francis canonized him as a saint of the Roman Catholic Church on November 23, 2014. He remains a patron of Casoria and his religious orders.
The Franciscan Sisters of Saint Elizabeth were founded by Saint Ludovico of Casoria, O.F.M. with the assistance of Margherita Salatino in Naples, Italy in 1862. Margherita Salatino not only served as co-foundress, but was also the first Superior General of the Congregation. Our Congregation received its final Papal Approbation on July 16, 1943.
After observing the good works of the Elizabethan Sisters, Saint Ludovico placed his new community under the protection of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, the Queen Patroness of the Franciscan Third Order. Today we are known globally as the Franciscan Sisters of Saint Elizabeth.
Click here to learn more about the Franciscan Sisters of Saint Elizabeth.
Dr. Maria Montessori began her career at The Orthophrenic School in Rome, a facility to train teachers to work with mentally disabled children. At that time, the mentally challenged were usually believed to be incapable of academic learning. Montessori observed that the children at the institution often played with breadcrumbs. She theorized that they were eager for sensory input and were using their hands and crumbs to understand their world. From this observation, she began to experiment with different hands-on materials and document which methods worked best to reach the children and support their development. She discovered that, contrary to popular belief, they were capable of surprising improvement, eventually passing public examinations. Observing that all young children possess an innate curiosity and desire to learn, Montessori said: “Free the child’s potential, and you will transform him into the world."
