Children's House
ANGELA RUNDHAUGEN (MISS MOOSEY)
Angela Rundhougen goes by Miss Moosey. She has been the Children’s House teacher since 2019. She began her work with children while in high school as she volunteered at the after-school Hurricane Watch for elementary students at Houston Elementary.
After graduation, she attended Western Technical College and earned her Associate’s degree in the Instructional Assistant Program. After receiving her Associate’s, she has been a classroom assistant, substitute paraprofessional, and volunteer all within La Crescent Montessori & STEM School. After working a full year in Children’s House as the classroom assistant, she enrolled in Winona State University to become an Early Childhood/Elementary teacher. Miss Moosey received her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education with Early Childhood Emphasis from Winona State University in 2019. She since returned to school to receive her Early Childhood Montessori Certificate from UW-River Falls in 2022.
When she is not at school, she is also a personal support personnel through PossAbilities. She has the privilege of promoting personal care, reinforcing responsibilities, and social interactions with those with disabilities. She also enjoy reading, flowers, camping, fishing, baking/cooking, and spending time with her dog, Thor.
About Children's House
Children’s House is the Montessori name for a specially designed pre-kindergarten and kindergarten individualized program with mixed age groups—ages 3–6. The curriculum includes work in practical life, sensorial, math, language, geography, science, movement, music, and art.
Our primary goal is to “nurture the whole child” in an environment in which students learn at their own pace. We guide children’s development of self-esteem, independence, coordination, concentration, and respect for themselves, others, and the environment. Practicing socialization skills, developing good interpersonal problem solving skills, and learning attitudes of grace and courtesy are also important goals.
A Children’s House Teacher co-teaches with a teaching partner and establishes a collaborative team teaching environment. Teachers establish positive relationships with parents providing regular communication regarding classroom, curriculum, and individual student needs and progress. Teachers complete on-going professional development and participate in required school meetings and events.
Typical Day in Children's House
Click on the times below to learn more about what happens during that period of time.
Students are welcomed into the classroom by their classroom teachers or peers, often with handshakes or fist bumps. Students put their clothes and shoes away, slip into their inside shoes and prepare for the day.
Students begin working on materials and assignments already provided to them through lessons. Teachers and assistants are available to help guide children in the decision making process if necessary. During this Great Work Period, the teacher invites students to the rug for private or small group lessons. After the lesson, students work on this new concept as another work until they have mastered it. Once a lesson is mastered, teachers are able to provide extensions to the original lesson, or provide a new lesson. Shortly before lunch, the class comes together for a morning meeting. This is a time when the class can discuss the schedule, planned activities, special requests, or work through dilemmas in a safe environment.
Shortly before 11 a.m., students begin to prepare for lunch: cleaning up their work area, washing their hands, and preparing their lunches. Lunch is held in the Community Room with Children’s House, E1, and E2 students. AP students remain in their community space upstairs for lunch. Staff are on hand in both locations to help students as needed. The lunch hour is a wonderful opportunity for students to work on their practical life skills, like preparing food, cleaning up spills, washing dishes, and sweeping up debris. After lunch, students participate in recess, located in either the front or back of the school. During sunny days, the students will sometimes travel to Abnet Field for extra space.
Students return from recess and begin reading, either on their own, or as a group. The afternoons are often spent on special, larger group activities, such as Art, Health, PE, or music. Lessons that were unable to be given in the morning can also happen at this time.
Students prepare for their transportation home. They pick up their work space, put away materials, and help organize the room. Most students have “jobs” to complete, such as feeding the class pet, sweeping, dusting, taking out the recyclables, or wiping tables off. It is important for students to take part in making their environment a welcoming space. Students are released from class into the care of the bus company or a parent or guardian. We look forward to seeing the students tomorrow!
Note: On Wednesdays, we have early release and the school day ends at 2:15 p.m.
ADMISSIONS
Busy hands, growing minds.
Preschool at LMSS is integrated with the Children’s House classroom, though we do charge tuition for it. The preschool calendar follows the LMSS school calendar. Families can choose between full time and part time options for preschool. A tuition fee schedule will be provided to you with the enrollment packet.
Part-time M–F: 8 a.m.–12 p.m.
Full-time M–F: 8 a.m.–3 p.m. (there is early release on Wednesdays)
Tuition Part-time: $400/month; Full-time: $600/month
Because we want all students to benefit from a full-time Montessori program option, LMSS offers a discounted tuition to full-time, Minnesota resident participants. Parents can provide 25 hours of volunteer time to the school, and have 50% of the tuition fee waived.