In Relation to the Children
At Northside Montessori School we believe that each child is unique and brings something special with them. We believe in the benefit of respectful interactions between all and celebrate and respect individual unique strengths and weaknesses of each child, to allow each child to gain knowledge at their own pace.
Our team of educators encourage each child to grow into responsible decision makers, respectful and safe learners, and confident and competent owners of learning experiences, who are eager to share their knowledge with others.
We aim to provide our community of children with age-appropriate responsibility and opportunities and encourage each child to solve problems independently.
At Northside Montessori School we believe that each child is unique and needs to be aware that all educators respect and trust them, with their skills, knowledge and awareness of our community and the environment. We believe each child, in all their uniqueness, can become competent, safe, and secure members of our community if we provide the necessary support to all members of the child’s circle of security and work in co-operation to achieve the same goals.
We believe that children require a healthy and inspiring environment for growth and learning. They need to be respected and allowed to be active participants in their immediate community. Each child has a voice, which is valid.
At Northside Montessori School we believe that we are a community of equals, regardless of age, gender, race, or beliefs. We believe we need to respect, trust, and treat others in the same ways as we would like to be treated.
In Relation to the Families
At Northside Montessori School we recognise that each child’s family is the first and foremost important educator. As a team, we trust and support each other to ensure that we can maintain an environment which respects each family’s culture, beliefs, background, goals, values, and parenting techniques. Every voice is valid and should be respected and heard.
Our team of educators appreciate respectful reciprocal interactions between our diverse group of educators, children, and families. Everyone should feel safe, secure, and supported within our social and natural environments. At Northside Montessori School we strive to work towards respectful reciprocal relationships between all stakeholders.
We respect the fact, that every stakeholder is part of Northside Montessori School and needs to be invited to be involved in our community. It is important to us that all communication is mindful, honest, open, and respectful towards the receiver and the matter addressed. We have an open-door policy and matters of concern can be addressed at appropriate times with our leadership team.
“We must clearly understand that when we give the child freedom and independence, we are giving freedom to a worker already braced for action, who cannot live without working and being active.” (Maria Montessori, The Absorbent Mind, Chapter 8)
In Relation to the Community
Northside Montessori School believes strongly that it is imperative to respect the different cultures and beliefs of our communities. We regard our team and their families, our parents with their enrolled children and extended family members as our immediate community. Our neighbours and the suburbs surrounding us comprise our extended community.
At Northside Montessori School we believe a child is only ready to grow and extend their knowledge if we as educators invest the time, skill, and knowledge to build reciprocal relationships with the child and their immediate family and aim to establish a working circle of security for the child. It is important to us, to live our philosophy and educational values by sharing our knowledge and skills with others in our immediate community.
Honesty, truthfulness, and genuine respect for our immediate and extended community as well as the natural environment is imperative to us when creating a community of equals. We are eager to apply sustainable practices as far as practical and safe for our community and will reflect on an ongoing basis how we can improve and manage these additional tasks in efficient and effective ways, meanwhile role modelling these important values to our community.
In Relation to the Educators
The educators at Northside Montessori School believe that the children’s passions, interest, and ideas create the building blocks and foundation for ample opportunities to nurture their curiosity, exploration, and discovery to grow their development of skills and knowledge.
Educating young minds is regarded by our team as a privilege and is not taken light-heartedly.
Mindful, respectful, and reciprocal relationships between children and educators are imperative when inspiring, teaching, and educating our community. At Northside Montessori School we provide opportunities for continuous growth and development for both the children and the team of educators.
Our team of educators trust in each other’s professional capabilities and dedication. The team is aware that only when working collaboratively one can be approachable and genuinely listen and respond, to effectively nurture each child in their uniqueness.
Our educators are dedicated to becoming to each child a synonymous parent figure and continuously strive to role model the values of a Montessori education as well as the communicated values of our family. At Northside Montessori School we encourage curiosity and celebrate each child’s uniqueness and recognise individual achievements.
We aim to be fluid in our daily routines to accommodate and adapt to each child’s expressed interest and needs. Our team of educators is seeking out unrushed learning opportunities, predict ahead to provide a safe secure environment and will advocate for quality education for each child.
Our committed educators are aware that only through their personal eagerness and self-motivation through lifelong learning and professional development will our goals within this philosophy be lived and achieved.
“The secret of good teaching is to regard the child’s intelligence as a fertile field in which seeds may be sown, to grow under the heat of flaming imagination. Our aim therefore is not merely to make the child understand, and still less to force him to memorize, but so to tough his imagination as to enthuse him to his inmost core.” (Maria Montessori, To Educate the Human Potential)