Our passion for sharing earth and its knowledge

  • A Sense of Place

    Our children learn the importance of place. This concept is vital to the integration of sustainability in our cultures and societies. By returning to, or gaining this sense of place, we educate our children and ourselves. The children also learn about relevant issues they face within their own communities, thus becoming active participants in the place they choose to call home.

  • A Sense of Self

    Our children explore who they are by exploring their source of life. Gaining the understanding that we are all created from "star stuff", our children begin to establish a strong sense of self. With a solid foundation built from this knowledge of self, they can then feel free and unafraid to explore and navigate their world.

  • A Sense of Value

    Working with their inner environment as their guide, the children build a value-based core of knowledge. By regaining a sense of value, they imbue their hearts and spirits with a knowledge of what is really important in their lives. Once these values are in place, a child can set off on his or her course of life, secure in the values that are held deep within.

  • A sense of Inner Motivation

    Working with nature as their guide, the children draw on their innate drives to bring out the inner motivation that is present within each one of us.

    Inner motivation is the fuel needed to explore their world, both inside and out. This exploration will lead them into many positive challenges and creative experiences.

  • A Sense of Learning

    During this time of internal and external exploration, our highly trained and highly sensitive staff work with the children to enhance their sense of learning. Active learning is a product of using our five senses, which is truly learning at its best. By using experiential education, we offer our children the highest form of learning possible.

To see the world in a grain of sand, and heaven in a wildflower Is to hold infinity in the palm of your hand, and eternity in an hour. - William Blake

This Year's Theme

Our Commitment

  • Recycling

    We incorporate the importance of the process and practice of recycling. There are bins in each classroom as well as our kitchen. We show the kids how to use these materials in new and creative ways and educate them about sustainability. We employ technology to reduce our paper consumption and use recycled material when printing is necessary.

  • Learning

    An active learning community is a dynamic entity that evolves and changes over time, just like our natural ecosystems. It calls all participants to be active and involved. In order to remain a viable life force, we must always keenly assess the surrounding environment and be able to adapt to life's constant, which is change.

  • Environment

    Positive thought breeds positive action...

    By embracing change instead of fighting it, we flow more easily with the river that leads us into the future, which we maintain will be a hopeful one. By changing consciousness into conscience, we know that our world will become a better place.

  • Faculty

    Our Montessori teachers are all certified for the levels they are teaching. In Montessori certification programs, each teacher certifies at each three-year age period by undergoing intensive study at accredited institutions of learning. In order for a teacher to achieve certification throughout all of pre-primary, primary, and elementary levels, it takes many years of rigorous study. By certifying this way, however, you can rest assured that your child's teacher is an expert at the age level they are teaching.

  • Success

    Montessori education is known throughout the entire world as a successful form of education. Our students become lifelong learners, eager to tackle the greatest of challenges and the confidence and self-esteem that grounds them.

 

Now that’s LOVE

We’re a small school trying to make a BIG impact in our student’s lives. We run many events and fundraisers throughout the year. Our families love the community we create so much that many of them find their own ways to contribute.

 

Meet our Teachers and Staff

  • Debra Smorto

    Miss Deb is the Owner/Director/Oaks Teacher (Elementary/Middle School) at our school. She holds a B.S. degree in Environmental Studies, an M.Ed. in Integrative Education, and her Montessori Certification for ages 3 through 12. She began her career as a Naturalist at a local state park while her two children attended a Montessori school. Eventually she became involved with the school and found that she could merge Environmental Education with Montessori education as a wonderful learning experience. The rest is history - she founded Fledglings Montessori in 1997 and then changed the name to Fields of Green when she moved the school to its current location as it is surrounded by fields of green dotted with cows. She has two children, Christopher, who also teaches at the school, and Jennifer, who was our Administrator for 25 years and now resides in heaven. She also has two grandchildren through Jennifer - Ethan, who is now 21, and Taylor, who has taken over her mother’s job . Miss Deb is also now a great-grandmother to little Michael, born in 2022, and Charleigh, born in 2025.

  • Lisa Gallanthen

    We affectionately call Lisa Miss G. to avoid confusion with our other Miss Lisa. She’s been involved with our school for 20 years as a mother of six children, an Assistant Teacher, and now Seedlings Head Teacher. She is passionate about helping toddlers develop and grow surrounded by love in order to become the little independent people they wish to be.

  • Caroline Bacon

    Miss Caroline has been our Sprouts Head Teacher for almost 15 years. She began her career as a banker many years ago and found it unsatisfying, so she decided to become a teacher. She holds a B.S. degree and also her Montessori Certification for ages 3 to 6. Her son, Daniel, attended our school and now holds a degree in Business Administration. Miss Caroline is a warm presence in the classroom and is a true professional in every sense of the word.

  • Lisa Schmidt

    Miss Lisa has been working in our school for almost 20 years. She began her career as a Naturalist and eventually found her way to our school. She has worked in a number of positions within our school, but has now settled in as the Fine Arts Teacher for the Sprouts class. She enjoys merging nature with music, art and drama within her classroom. She also is Curriculum Coordinator for our Seeds of Wonder Nature Camp in the summer. Miss Lisa has three daughters who are all grown up now and have left the nest for their own adventures.

  • Christopher Fritter

    Mr. Chris is Miss Deb’s son and has been involved in our school on and off throughout his lifetime. He worked for the Boy Scouts of America for 10 years as a Ranger in their 10,000 acre camp in the Catskills. When Covid hit, the camp closed and he came back to Fields of Green as a Forest School Teacher, and now works as a Teacher Assistant in the Oaks (Elementary/Middle) class with Miss Deb. His second job is that of our maintenance man as well! The kids love him and his signature T-shirts!

  • Melissa King

    Miss Melissa has been working for Fields of Green since her daughter, Victoria was 3 and who is now 20. Victoria graduated Middle School from FOG and is now attending college. Miss Melissa worked for all of those years as our Head Teacher for the Seedlings class from its inception in our school. Miss Deb’s grandson was one of her first students when he was 18 months old! This year, Miss Melissa will be working as an interim Forest School Teacher for the Sprouts level (ages 3 to 6). She is as patient as a saint, we say, and is always calm and collected, no matter the situation at hand. She is fiercely loyal to our school. She also helps to take care of our barnyard friends on nights and weekends.

  • Taylor McConnell

    Miss Taylor is Miss Deb’s granddaughter and is our Administrator at our school, taking over her mom’s job when she passed away. Miss Taylor grew up in Fields of Green her entire life until 7th grade, when she moved to upstate New York. She is currently a mom to little Michael, born in October of 2022, and Charleigh, as adorable and feisty as her mom, born in 2025. Taylor has her grandmother’s soul - is a lover and rescuer of all animals. She currently has two dogs, River and Nora, and three rambunctious cats.

Additional Info

Tuition Policies

  • Payments can be made via cash, check, credit card (fees may apply), or monthly direct withdrawal

  • Tuitions are paid on a 10-month basis (September through June)

  • 10% Discount applies to tuition paid in full by April 15th (not applicable for Oaks rates)

  • Referral credit of $200 will by applied to any tuition account for a referred student that leads to a new enrollment

Community Service

We consider our school a learning community in which all of us (the village) help the children learn, grow and develop holistically into well rounded, unique individuals. Our ongoing goal to reduce costs each year is solely in effort to make a Montessori education more affordable. Our creative way to keep costs minimal is through our Community Service Opportunities. Each family is invited to perform 8 hours of community service per year in return for us waiving a $200 surcharge. During registration, you will be asked whether you would like to participate in our Community Service Program or pay the surcharge.

Financial Assistance

An opportunity for tuition exchange is available for services such as teaching. Also, occasionally we are working on offering reduced tuition through grants offered through our Blue J Foundation, Inc., in memory of Miss Deb’s daughter. These programs are dedicated to children in need or those that have lost a parent.

Blue J Foundation

Additional Programs

Extended Care

  • NEW HOURS!! Available from 7:30 AM to 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM.

  • Rate is $15.50 per hour for a single child and $28 per hour for siblings

  • Structured Extended Care activities plus lots of play time!

  • Please see the Director to personalize your extra care needs.

    NEW FOR 2026-27 !!!

  • SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM

  • VACATION CARE - CALLED “ENROLLMENT PLUS” (COMPLETE INFO TO COME SOON)

Weekly Specials - Sprouts

  • Foreign Language

  • Music

Weekly Specials - Oaks

  • Foreign Language, Music, Art, Drama, Physical Education, Home Arts, Chess, Theater, Parkour, Meditation & Yoga