a different
kind of school

We provide parents and teachers with the tools to grow healthy, successful families and classrooms. We employ the latest information from the fields of Psychology, Education, Applied Behavior Analysis, Nutrition, and Health & Wellness. 

Chrysalis School is a private academic track Montessori school with an ambitious curriculum and a family-centered approach. We serve students from kindergarten through twelfth grade. In addition to typically developing children, we also serve children with special educational needs. Today "special education" is a much broader and more inclusive term than it was historically. Special needs include autism spectrum, chromosomal disorders, specific learning disabilities, processing difficulties, and attention disorders.

Through our affiliate corporation, Chrysalis Center for Change, we also offer Applied Behavior Analysis, Cognitive Behavior therapy, Speech and Language therapy, and educational therapies, including Phono-Graphix® which was developed by Geoffrey McGuinness along with our director Dr. Carmen McGuinness.

No two children are alike. That's why we don't place children in specific grades or classrooms. Our youngest students spend two to three years in our early grades program with Maria Gomez. By second grade, students enter a clinical education platform, where instruction is delivered by a team of teachers and therapists, each with 20+ years of experience.  Clinical instruction is provided by Geoffrey McGuinness and Sheryl Schmucker through both direct instruction and monitored practice. Our study hall and break room are monitored by Dr. Carmen McGuinness.

Visit our staff photo gallery for details about our highly specialized staff.

Direct Instruction

Direct  instruction is provided by Geoffrey McGuinness and Sheryl Schmucker through both pull-out and push in clinical instruction.

Monitored Practice 

Once new lessons are provided, students are encouraged to use their developing skills and information under  observation of their teachers so that errors can be corrected rather than practiced.

Independent Practice

Our study hall, monitored by Carmen McGuinness, EdD, BCBAd, is an area for independent practice of skills. 

Reinforcement

Students receive regular breaks between periods of work, so that they learn the benefits of a job well done.

The Arts

Students also receive art, music, and performance classes.