World Learner School of Chaska

Board of Directors
9 Board Members- Teacher Majority -  1 Community Members, 3 Parent and 5 Teachers - Board Elections held in March

Programmatic Focus

Montessori-based education; multi-grade classrooms, individualized and group lessons, integrated music, art, and physical education, standards-based curriculum, real-world experiental learning,

Mission

The World Learner School’s mission is to create a school that supports an experiential collaborative learning (Montessori) program that empowers children to unfold their full potential as whole and unique persons in classroom, local and world communities.

Children with varying academic abilities, learning styles and challenges complement each other in a multi-age classroom designed to promote cooperative learning. The World Learner School continues Dr. Maria Montessori’s work in developmental psychology and education, incorporating the work of others in these fields while adapting to the needs of the children in the twenty-first century.

The World Learner School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all rights, privileges, programs and activities available to students at the school. The World Learner School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, or national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, and the school-administered programs.

History

The school opened on September 5, 1995 with one class of children 6 to 8 years old. The class was made up of learners with both previous Montessori experience and those who had not attended a Montessori preschool. Since some of the children were familiar with the Montessori materials and learning procedures they served as mentors to new students entering the class.

The following year, the school expanded to include another class of children 6 to 9 years old. The World Learner School was housed in the lower level of the Jonathan Montessori building and at that point filled both classrooms in that space.

During the 1997-1998 school year, the school added its first upper-level class consisting of 12 children 9 and 10 years old. These students became pioneers, attending class at the campus of The World Learner School in downtown Chaska. With the completion of our building project in 1999, the upper elementary class joined the rest of the school in the Jonathan Montessori building in December of 1999. Our most recent building renovation project and expansion was completed in January 2003. The building is now owned by the WLS Building Company. In 2004-2005 we added our middle school which serves 7th and 8th grade students, and we graduated our first eighth graders on June 7, 2006!

In 2011, as MN statute for charter school authorization changed, WLS sought to engage in a relationship with Audubon Center of the North Woods. As an established authorizer of several charter schools, many which are Montessori, working with ACNW was determined to be a natural fit for WLS.

In late 2012, WLS embarked on another huge adventure as both JMS and WLS determined that the current building footprint was not large enough to meet the needs of both schools. As a result, the schools made arrangements for the refinancing of the mortgage to allow for WLS alone to pay for the rent of the facility. Shortly after, JMS was able to purchase the existing facility directly to the west of the building from St. Andrew Church. Beginning in fall of 2012, WLS will occupy the entire building at 112050 Hundertmark Road and JMS will own the facility at 112090 Hundermark Road, effectively creating a Montessori campus!

Awards & Recognition

MDE School Finance Award - 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021

Accountability

Data for Parents and Educators
Learn More

Enrollment

Melissa Bullerman, Executive Director

mbullerman@wlschaska.org

952-368-7398