Tempo Montessori Charter School

Hi. This is Diane Beckham, the founding executive director of Tempo Montessori. Thank you for taking an interest in Tempo Montessori's vision to open a public Montessori school for students ages 3 to 8th grade. We anticipate expanding to include a Montessori High School, as well. It takes all of us to make this dream come true and by signing up for our newsletter, you are joining the mission to make this happen!

What does “charter school authorization” mean?
Charter school authorization is the official approval a charter school receives to operate. An authorizer—such as a school district, county office of education, state board, or university—reviews the school’s plan, monitors its performance, and holds it accountable for meeting academic, financial, and legal standards. This process helps ensure that the school is providing a safe, high-quality education for students. Tempo Montessori was fully authorized by the Oklahoma Statewide Charter Board

Are charter schools public, and do they cost money?
Charter schools are public schools and are free to attend. Families do not pay tuition, and all students are welcome to apply.

How are charter schools funded?

Oklahoma charter schools are paid with public school dollars from the state (and federal support), but they typically don’t get the same local property tax money that many district schools do — so their money for buildings and extras can look different. Until Tempo has students attending class starting on August 2, 2027, Tempo will only receive funding through grants and philanthropic donations.

Tempo Montessori has several events booked at libraries across the Tulsa Metro. Come meet me and some of Tempo's supporters as we share information about Montessori education and how it will look at Tempo.

Tempo Montessori staff is working to spread the news about our public Montessori school. If you belong to a church, charity, daycare, civic/community group, neighborhood alliance, etc., we would love an opportunity to speak in front of your group. Reach out directly to diane@tempomontessori.com to set up a time.

What is a year-round calendar? How does it work? How does it help my child?

These are great questions to ask. Tempo has created a unique year-round calendar to meet the needs of children, teachers and families like it, too!

What is it? A year-round calendar has longer "breaks" after each quarter with a 4-week break in July.

How does it work? Tempo has created a year-round calendar incorporating these longer breaks throughout the year, along with quarterly intersession blocks (marked in red). These intersessions allow for students to master skills, expand learning into the community, and dive into passion projects.

How does it help my child? Research shows that children begin to forget academic information after 4 weeks. With shorter, more frequent breaks, children can continue to build upon past lessons instead of reteaching every fall. With quarterly breaks, families will be encouraged to take trips, schedule appointments, etc. during breaks instead of missing school days. Attendance does matter and Tempo families are expected to attend class when in session.