In Elementary class, our team of bilingual AMI guides build upon the 3 to 6 framework in order to accompany the 6 to 12 children in what Dr. Maria Montessori refers to as the second plane of development. At this age, the curriculum serves the construction of the their reasoning mind, imagination, and capacity for abstraction. The children also begin to develop their social personality, sense of justice and equity. By triggering curiosity and favoring experimentation, our aim is to build independence thanks to confidence in their own abilities in a supportive and enabling environment.
Our two AMI (Association Montessori Internationale) trained educators work in tandem, one addresses the children in English & the other in French. The class environment also provides material in both languages.
The Elementary environment offers several interrelated disciplines: Language, Mathematics (including Geometry and Measurement), History, Geography, Science (including Biology), Art and Music. The Montessori Elementary Guide observes the child and introduces different concepts based on the child’s needs and interests in according to the characteristics of the 6 to 12 year old child. The Montessori Guide inspires and encourages each child to be responsible for his/her own work.
Group work is greatly developed in our Elementary community. A spirit of cooperation and responsibility by all members of the community is encouraged. The older children are able to share their experiences with the younger children through work, and daily class meetings.
Parent – Montessori Guide Conferences are organized once per semester. This enables a personal communication between the child’s educators (Montessori Guide) and the parents. Parents, or the Guides, may request other meetings during the school year. We also organize several Parent Support Meetings which encourage shared knowledge and discussion between our pedagogical team and our parent community. The topics range from knowledge of your child’s class and other themes related to Montessori, or other educational themes. We sometimes invite outside experts to present during these meetings.