Maroondah Montessori Pre-School

Maroondah Montessori Pre-School is a small community of 30 children involved in a unique, exceptional and truly authentic Cycle One Montessori program.

Children actively enjoy a rich, responsive environment, with beautiful equipment and meaningful activities which allow them to purposefully absorb, manipulate, discover and develop as individuals.

Maroondah Montessori Pre-School offers the most satisfying answer to every child’s request – “Help me do it myself”.

CURRICULUM
Maroondah Montessori Pre-School follows a broad and comprehensive curriculum spread over the following areas:

Practical Life
Through interaction with the materials in the Practical Life area, the pre-school child learns basic care of himself and his environment through activities such as scrubbing a table, polishing shoes, pouring liquids, setting a table and washing hands. Work in this area assists in
developing independence, order, co-ordination and concentration.

Sensorial
The child explores the world around through the
senses. Materials in the preschool sensorial area
aid the child in developing accurate and detailed
sensory impressions. Through work in matching and grading of colours, sounds, textures, weights, forms etc., the child's perception of the world becomes increasingly more discriminating. The refinement of sensory impressions serves as a basis for the unfolding of the preschooler's intelligence and provides a sound foundation for the future.

Language
Language experience begins with the development of listening skills and verbal expression. Basic pre-reading exercises are followed by introduction to the sandpaper
letters and the phonic sounds. The child progresses to building words with the movable alphabet and begins to study the irregular features of our language.

Mathematics
In the Mathematics area, basic mathematical concepts are examined through the use of concrete materials. The child then develops the skills necessary for the mechanical expression of these concepts. At the appropriate moment, the child joins understanding and skill and thereby arriving at a level of true abstraction.

Creative Art
Gardening, craftwork, painting, clay and cooking as well as music and dancing are part of a rich selection of activities available to the children at the pre-school.

Other Activities
Many activities in the preschool, such as cultural
activities, science, geography, plants and animal care, while being exciting in themselves to the young child are carefully selected and structured to provide a basis for extension in later years in
life.

ENROLMENT
Our Pre-School is committed to a Montessori program as espoused by Dr. Maria Montessori (1870-1952). Children commence between the ages of 2½ to 3½, and remain in the program for 3 or 4 years, until the end of the year in which they turn 6. They attend 5 mornings per week for 3 hours (9.15am – 12.15pm). In their final year, children remain for the afternoon session (extended day) until 3pm for 4 days a week.

Our Directress, recommends that interested parents come and do an observation of our classroom to become familiar with the program.