ADDRESS & HOURS

George Watts Montessori Magnet School

700 Watts Street, Durham NC 27701

919.560.3947

REGULAR SCHOOL HOURS: 7:45 - 2:15 (doors open at 7:25)

EARLY RELEASE TIME: 12:15

The school has an early release once a month to allow teachers time for professional development and planning. Breakfast and lunch is served to all students on early release days.

How to apply

George Watts Montessori Elementary is a free, public magnet school that any student Pre-K through 5th grade who lives in Durham County is eligible to attend. Enrollment is secured through residing in the neighborhood boundary or through a lottery system. For the lottery, you must reside in the Central or Southeast regions, complete the Durham Public Schools lottery form and submit it to apply. The lottery application period is typically four weeks long and starts at the beginning of January.

For more information, please visit the Durham Public School Magnet lottery website. 

You can also find information on the George Watts website.

There is a sliding scale fee charged only for the Pre-K year which you can find here.

Transportation

Doors open at 7:25a. Instruction starts at 7:45a

School releases at 2:15p. Parents can arrive for pick up between 2:15-2:30p.  

 Read a message from Principal Jenn on All Things Transportation for the 2025 - 2026 school year.

BUS RIDERS

The earlier you sign up for buses, the better for scheduling routes.

Bus routes, schedules, and stops will be provided to families through each individual child’s school. Vist DPS’s transportation page for the most up-to-date information. Track your child's bus with the Edulog Parent Portal App (Download from the App Store or Download from the Google Play Store)

Pre-K Bus Riders

ALL preschoolers must be secured in a child safety restraint system appropriate for the child’s height, weight, and age. Restraints must be secured and used properly.

See the regulations in Chapter 5 of this online document. Chapter 6 describes how to buckle your child in. All parents must receive training in this. The school should provide this information to families with Pre-K bus riders. 

CAR RIDERS

Please see THIS GRAPHIC of our traffic flow.

Please be alert to directions from our crossing attendant, Mr. Charles. He will provide clear signals to ensure students and families can cross safely while maintaining the flow of traffic for car riders.

During afternoon pickup, please do not get in line before 2:10PM. Our line can cause traffic congestion since our line is on local streets. 

Please write your child’s name clearly on the provided card (available during meet-the-teacher) and display in windshield to support a quick pick-up process.

 

WALKERS/BIKERS

Please see THIS GRAPHIC of our traffic flow.

Drop-off and pick-up for walkers is located behind the school, by the rear door that faces the playground. Drop-off and pick-up for bikers is located on Watts St., near the bike racks. 

Dogs (other than service dogs) are not allowed on school property.

 

PARK AND WALK

Another option is to park and walk your child(ren) in. If you do this, keep in mind:

  • Limited 2-hour street parking is available on Watts, Urban, and Dacian.

  • You are not allowed to park in the Watts Street Baptist Church parking lot across the street from the school on Urban Avenue.  The church respectfully requests that it not be used by George Watts Montessori.

 

Early & Aftercare

High-quality childcare is offered at George Watts Montessori after school, from 2:15p to 6:00p, Monday through Friday, for a monthly fee. Activities during aftercare include homework time, library time, physical fitness, computer lab time, arts & crafts, guest speakers, and performances. Learn more and register through DPS.

Students who participate in the Afterschool Program are eligible for Watts clubs (e.g., EBOB, Sports Club, Game Club, Libertad).  Students will be escorted back to Afterschool at the end of the Watts-sponsored activity. 

More questions?  Contact coordinator Brenda Murphy at brenda.murphy@dpsnc.net.

Lunch / Snacks / Breakfast

Lunch: Every child enrolled in Durham Public Schools can eat lunch free of charge. There are no forms to fill out. Lunch operates on a rolling schedule. You can ask your teacher what specific time your child’s classroom will have lunch. Lunch will be served on early release days. Approximate lunch times are listed below.

9:55a-10:20a
10:30a-11:00a
11:25-11:45a

Breakfast: Every child enrolled in Durham Public Schools can eat breakfast free of charge. There are no forms to fill out. Breakfast is served in the cafeteria and must be completed by 7:45 a.m. If you don’t want your child to eat breakfast at school, please let your teacher know. 

Snacks: Snacks are provided by parents on a rotating schedule. Your teacher will either assign you your snack weeks, or there will be a sign-up at the beginning of the year. Each family typically takes a turn supplying snacks for their child’s class for one week at a time, about 2–4 times a year. Teachers provide healthy eating guidelines for these snacks. Parents either bring in a week’s worth of snacks on Monday or bring something new each day. Either way works. Ask your teacher for guidelines specific to your classroom.

Pre-K Lunch

The teacher or teaching assistant will help the little ones buying lunch navigate the lunch line. The IA or a returning Kindergartener will also help with opening containers, etc. Remember, you are welcome to come to school to eat lunch with your child anytime. Just remember to sign in at the front office first to get a “visitor” name tag.

Food allergies are handled on an individual and classroom-by-classroom basis. The school is not peanut-free.

Find Breakfast, Lunch, and After-School Snack Menus here.

What is Montessori

The Montessori Method of education, developed by Dr. Maria Montessori, is a child-centered educational approach based on scientific observations of children from birth to adulthood. Dr. Montessori’s Method has been time-tested, with over 100 years of success in diverse cultures throughout the world.

It is a view of the child as one who is naturally eager for knowledge and capable of initiating learning in a supportive, thoughtfully prepared learning environment. It is an approach that values the human spirit and the development of the whole child—physical, social, emotional, cognitive.

You can read more about Montessori from the American Montessori Society here.

School Supplies

Please check the George Watts website for the most recent school supply list. You may want to wait until the Open House to see if your teacher has a specific list for his/her classroom. It’s okay to bring supplies anytime in the first week or so – teachers don’t expect you to have supplies on day one.

How to find out what is going on at Watts and with the PTA

There are many information channels from the school and the PTA, in addition to this website:

Durham Public Schools (DPS) Resources

George Watts Resources

PTA Resources