Montessori Madness by Trevor Eissler
Montessori has been developed over more than a century and at all times has been based on rigorous research and observation of children.
Recently, the government initiative “Review to Achieve Educational Excellence in Australian Schools” or “Gonski 2.0” report, came to the same conclusion authentic Montessori schools have known for decades: the learning growth of each student needs to be at the centre of the education model.
Montessori is a leader in this field. You can find out more about this from Montessori Australia here.
Importantly, Canberra Montessori School is the only Montessori school in Canberra to have achieved full registration with Montessori Australia, a national Montessori Quality Assurance Programme (MQAP) established to identify the Quality Standards for Montessori programmes and to support schools and centres in maintaining these standards. This is your assurance that Canberra Montessori School delivers authentic Montessori programmes in line with the rigorous requirements of MQAP.
We believe that each child is individual, unique and important, and has the right to develop holistically to their full potential. We support this by:
- Providing a Montessori curriculum which is aligned to the Early Years Learning Framework and Australian National Curriculum, which allows children to explore, imagine, create, problem solve, take risks, develop independence, socialize, have fun, and play.
- Providing a high-quality care and learning environment that is safe, welcoming, happy, supportive, accessible, and caters for the individual needs of children and families.
- Providing opportunities for families and community members to become involved in our programs and services.
- Working together to develop stable, caring, and respectful relationships with educators and our school community.
- Respecting and valuing the cultural and social diversity of children and their families.
We believe that parents and families are a child’s first teachers and we:
- Welcome parents and family members with respect and sensitivity.
- Encourage open communication between teachers and parents/carers.
- Respond to individual family needs.
- Recognize and respect the diversity of families.
- Create, support and encourage involvement and participation.
- Provide information about support services available at the site and in the local community.
We believe teachers to be our school’s most valuable resource. In order to provide a high-quality program, we:
- Use a holistic approach.
- Provide job satisfaction.
- Value the skills and knowledge that each individual teacher brings to the team.
- Respect the diversity of teacher’s backgrounds and experiences.
- Encourage ongoing professional development opportunities.
- Maintain a safe and supportive work environment.
We believe that our school is a valuable community resource and as such we:
- Build relationships and share information with other schools.
- Build relationship with other community agencies.
- Provide an accessible, flexible and high-quality service in response to community needs.
We have provided an overview of some key concepts here, but please do feel free to stop past the Office and borrow additional resources from our Parent Library should you like more information.
