Sharon Montessori School Plans September Opening

A new French bilingual Montessori school on Lake Massapoag will begin marketing itself in April or May.

Le Petit Prince Ecole Montessori International eyes a September opening with 75 children ages 15 months to nine years, Founding Director Linda Chery-Valentin and Headmaster Theodora Koziol say.

Construction is underway at the site, 121 Lakeview St., opposite the .

"The spot is unbelievable. The grounds are just great for children to learn about the environment, which is what the Montessori philosophy is all about," Chery-Valentin told Sharon Patch during an interview and tour at the site last week.

Construction began last year, but "we changed the scope of the work, made it bigger," Chery-Valentin said.

"We hope by April, we will be ready," she said.

School officials will seek to enroll 75 students, Chery-Valentin said.

"We could take more children. But to us, it's important to have a library. So, the whole top floor, we designed as a library for the children," she said.

The school will run from 8 a.m. to noon weekdays, with an afterschool program running from noon to 3 p.m., according to the school website. Early and late care will be offered as well. School officials are in the process of setting tuition, the website says.

"French is such a beautiful romance language," Koziol noted, "and it's so interesting for children to learn the language at an early age, because they're going into an international world."