Academy Classroom: Oneness-Family School (OFS)
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THE Academy
Ages 9 – 12
On sunny and open top floor, one can visit the Academy class, designed for grades four and five. In the Montessori tradition, Oneness-Family School’s elementary program encourages students to explore, learn, and grow as thoughtful, engaged members of their community. The cross-curricular program blends academics, arts, foreign language, yoga, and athletics with social-emotional learning for a well-rounded, holistic education.
“Help Me To Help Others”
The students are given guiding questions, and then they are free to explore and research questions such as “How did the natural features of Earth develop over time?”, “How does physical geography affect living things?” and “What are the needs common to all people?”
Explore Our Upper Elementary ProgramTake a Look Around the Academy
Gathered in a circle to observe, question, and wonder—exploring science together through conversation and curiosity.
Deep in concentration, investigating the world one discovery at a time.
Sitting together in stillness—cultivating calm, focus, and a sense of inner peace.
Creating together where everyone contributes their own style to a shared vision.
Reading with focus, curiosity, and a love of learning that grows with every chapter.
Sitting in circle, listening with care, and building the kind of classroom community we want to be part of.
Enjoying student “Genius Hour” presentations, where topics are chosen by student interest. Choosing their own path through the research process – because learning is most powerful when it’s self-driven.
Finding our voices and learning to listen—because peace education starts with us.
Practicing respectful communication while making group decisions about our next class project.
A quiet moment of connection – teacher and student reading together, sharing ideas and building understanding.
Deep in a project, where imagination and understanding come alive through quiet concentration.
Each student on their own path—different projects, different questions, all learning together.
Solving complex problems as a team—because learning is better when we think together.
Learning unfolds through shared attention—reading together, thinking aloud, and growing in confidence.
Driven by Curiosity
Our students explores scientific questions with independence and wonder – choosing their own materials, following the scientific method at their own pace, and allowing genuine interest to guide each step of discovery. In this moment of focused inquiry, learning feels meaningful, personal, and full of possibility.
Meet Your Teachers
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Andrea Dillon
Upper Elementary Teacher (Grades 4-5)
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Biography
Andrea Dillon is pleased to join Oneness Family School after many years as an Upper Elementary teacher in Boston, where she taught Math and Geometry, Language Arts, Cultural Studies, and a class on farming. Andrea holds a Master of Fine Arts from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University and a Bachelor of Science in Childhood Studies from Plymouth State University. In 2017, she began her Montessori Elementary II training through METTC. She utilizes strategies from Collaborative Problem Solving in her practice.
Andrea enjoys too many hobbies to keep track of or participate in at once, such as ice skating, oil painting, kayaking, hiking, woodworking, baseball, reading non-fiction, going to the beach, and especially dancing. But these days, her main creative outlet has been gardening. For five years, she had a Victory Garden in Fenway, where she spent her summers gardening alongside the roar of the Red Sox games. She has been learning about the flora here this year and is looking forward to writing this chapter and supporting students as they make their way in the world.
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Emiko Morgenstern
Upper Elementary Teacher (Grades 4-5)
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Biography
After four years in Chicago, where she taught at the Near North Montessori School and the Guidepost Montessori School, Emiko is excited to return to her hometown of Bethesda, Maryland, and join the Oneness-Family School team. She has a degree in Political Science from Tulane University in New Orleans and is currently completing her Master’s in Teaching at American University.
In Emiko’s free time, she can be found on the tennis court, running on the Crescent Trail, or enjoying a hot yoga class. She also loves to read, meditate, and attempt the Sunday New York Times crossword puzzle. Emiko looks forward to sharing her passion for movement and mindfulness with the Academy class.
- 37 YearsSince Oneness-Family School was founded in 1988.
- 75 CountriesRepresented by our students, families, faculty, and staff.
- 1 FamilyUnited by a belief in courage, compassion and love of learning.
A Typical Day In the Academy Classroom
Exploring ancient civilizations together—sharing ideas, asking big questions, and learning from one another.
Responsible and Independent Learning
Each student is responsible for their learning, an exciting endeavor undertaken in partnership with the teacher. This ownership fosters a deep focus as students then work independently on their chosen tasks.
A student momentarily pauses from their work to respectfully observe a classmate receiving a lesson. Over at the big round table, a group of students is engaged in a lively discussion, exploring complex concepts related to climate change. Across the room, another student is completely immersed in a novel, a picture of focused concentration, seemingly unaware of the other activities unfolding around them.
At this level, one sees that the students’ drive to work through a lesson, equation, or research question is often intrinsically motivated, not teacher-driven.
Learning Skills In Nature
One of the students excitedly explains that this year, as part of their studies of early humans, the Academy class will venture into the woods to practice early-human-style survival skills such as shelter building and food gathering. This trip is designed both to stimulate their imagination about the adaptations of early human species, as well as to learn how best to cooperate and communicate to accomplish a goal in a group.
Take The Next Step
If you’re interested in learning more, we can arrange for you to visit the school and take a tour
Book a TourThe Academy Approach
Focused Enquiry
The focus? Big questions, real responsibility, and beautiful work.
We trust children with time, tools, and each other—so they can practise being the kind of people who notice, who care, and who do.
