The Trinity Montessori School will be returning to Pittsford after a 17-year hiatus in East Rochester.
The school used to be in a building shared by the Sisters of St. Joseph in Pittsford, but moved to the old St. Jerome’s school in East Rochester to allow for more space in 1992.
John Anderson, chairman of the school’s board of directors, said the plan was to stay in East Rochester four or five years while looking for a new site.
The Trinity Montessori School is looking to move back to Pittsford off Nazareth College’s West Campus Drive.. Anderson hopes to break ground on a new school in June.
The 7.5-acre parcel is on the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Rochester property.
“We have been looking for a long time and we are very excited to find this location,”
Anderson said. “Really, it’s perfect for our building; it’s a dream come true because of the location.”
The Trinity Montessori, founded in 1967, teaches toddler-age students up to sixth-graders. Enrollment was at 89 in 1992; today, it’s over 200. Anderson said the school has “outgrown the building,” but there are other advantages to building a new school.
“The building in East Rochester has no playground and no outdoor facilities,”
Anderson said. “It’s important for kids to have a place to play, but also important for the Montessori program itself.”
Anderson said each classroom will have a door to go outside for outdoors curriculum. A multi-purpose field is in the plan as well.
The new classrooms will be catered to the Montessori program and, unlike at the East Rochester location, there is parking and a bus loop.
“The enhancements in the facility itself, in addition to the opportunity to incorporate the outside as an extension of our classroom, will enable us to reach the full potential of a Montessori classroom as designed by Maria Montessori,” said Lorraine Scarafile, head of school.
“Being able to give a complete package is so exciting,” she added. “Children are going to thrive.”
The Pittsford Town Board approved a zoning amendment for the land on April 6. Building permits have not been issued yet.
Anderson hopes the school will be ready to open in January with the school moving over the Christmas break.
Hanlon Architects of Perinton is designing the project. The Nichols Team of Henrietta will do the construction. The project will cost $3.8 million.
