Enrolment FAQ’s

Yes, they do attend every day in order to fully participate in all facets of a broad and rounded school life. They need to do this to be community members rather than ‘visitors’ and to achieve continuity in their work and that of the class and to have the greatest opportunity to experience the full range of experiences that a Montessori class offers. Children commence in the pre-primary classroom at age 3yrs or slightly later.

The school currently runs its OOSH program at the Northside campus at a small additional cost:

• Our After School Care program is for children aged 3 – 12 from 2:45pm until 6:00pm
• Vacation Care operates during non-term time from 8:30am to 5:30pm, Monday to Friday. Vacation Care and the school office closes for four weeks over the December/January break.

We prepare students for high school and this is undertaken during the last eighteen months of the primary education cycle. Students are also prepared for the selective school’s test and high school entrance examinations.

The key is communication between the teacher and the parents. Together they can use knowledge gained from talking to each other, to help your child progress and learn in a supportive environment.
Our staff are very responsive to parent requests and will normally be able to arrange a meeting within a day or two. We welcome parents to observe in the classroom throughout the school year. To ensure that all parents have the opportunity to talk with their child’s teacher, Parent Teacher interviews are held at the end of Terms 2 and 4. Additionally, parents should attend parent education information sessions which run throughout the year so that they gain a deeper understanding of the Montessori philosophy and practice. This also helps the parent understand what is happening in their child education and development.

When you decide to commit to our school you need to understand the type of education that we offer. The Montessori system of education is child-centred. Dr Montessori believed that the child has a curiosity for, and love of, knowledge and it is through the child’s own work with the classroom materials that knowledge is gained and concepts understood and internalised.

The child, through their work in the prepared environment, will develop self-discipline, orderly work habits, concentration and independence alongside their knowledge. We encourage students to improve on their previous performance and to perfect their knowledge through repetition in their work.
We want children to work independently and collaboratively to fulfil their individual potential.

At around the child’s sixth birthday, a new and exciting phase of development begins, characterized by questions, the ability to abstract and imagine, a concern with moral and social issues, and a seemingly unlimited energy for research and exploration. The child’s horizons widen.

The same Montessori pre-school environment which promoted independent and self-directed learning continues into our primary classes. The children in primary will be taught by Montessori teachers who also hold Board of Studies Teacher Education Standards (BOSTES) approved teaching qualifications.

Dr Montessori’s research identified sensitive periods in the child’s development when they show strong interest in certain aspects of their environment. The Montessori program introduces aspects of learning at a time when the children are most receptive over the three-year cycle. Within each three-year cycle, a full body of information and skills is presented. During the final year of any cycle, abstraction of concrete concepts is achieved, skills are refined and leadership opportunities taken up by the children. The operation of the Montessori three-year cycle allows the staff to get to know each child and their family in a way that is not possible in other school settings. More importantly the child’s interaction with the group in his or her cycle is significant in the development of their social, emotional and cognitive skills

In the Montessori classroom at any level, the child is presented with an orderly environment with a variety of concrete, self-correcting activities. The activities progress steadily from simple to complex, from concrete to abstract.

Composite classrooms are a core element of Montessori classrooms. The older children act as role models for younger children; they may work with younger children, reviewing and consolidating concepts they have already learned in the process. Patience and confidence are reinforced and self- esteem is strengthened. Children are able to work at their own level, either beyond or at a level lower than their peers, without this becoming obvious to their peers. Similarly, they may work at a level above that of their peers where this is appropriate. In a Montessori class, younger children will often ‘aspire’ to do work they observe older children engaged in. Composite classrooms also foster relationships with children across age groups.