After months of anticipation, the Chestermere Montessori Academy is ready to start moulding the young minds of Chestermere pre-schoolers. October 9, 2014 had the school filled with staff, parents and potential students of the academy getting a sneak peek at the beautiful new school.
Nestled in Kinniburgh, the Chestermere Montessori Academy offers the choice of a morning or afternoon program with sessions running five days a week in a beautiful environment. The academy is gaged for children ages 3-6, has customized lesson plans and has Spanish language exposure. They offer two primary classrooms with twenty four students in each class along with one teacher and one assistant. The school currently has a ‘handful’ of students registered that will begin classes on Tuesday October 14th and the schools is welcoming registrations.
Montessori Education is both a philosophy of child development and a rationale for quality in that development. The special method, named for the Italian physician Maria Montessori, stresses the importance of the development of a healthy self-concept. Students are not scheduled to learn specific subjects at pre-decided times of the day. The instructors follow what each child prefers to do and works on the schedule of that child. Classrooms are designed with materials that allow children to explore their world, develop their cognitive ability and provide them with the freedom to choose. Curriculum includes language, math, geography, botany, zoology and art all while uncovering each child’s unique abilities through freedom, respect and consistency. Lessons with Montessori materials refine the students senses and builds intelligence through methods of isolation and movement. The school also has a full music program which will heighten those budding musicians in the class.
The Chestermere Montessori Academy was founded by Dena Shlah and Kamela Darwish. Dena Shlah, born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, holds a Bachelor of Arts in Education Studies from the University of Calgary and an A.M.I. Teaching Certificate (Association Montessori Internationale) from Vancouver, British Columbia. She has over 20 years’ experience teaching primary and elementary-aged children in a variety of settings.
Kamela Darwish is a long-time advocate of children. A mother herself with a background in early childhood education, Kamela has incorporated the Montessori approach in her current day homes. Realizing the need for a Montessori school in the Chestermere Community, she has set out to create an authentic Montessori Casa Program to enhance the lives of children and families in Chestermere and surrounding area.
For more information regarding the Chestermere Montessori Academy, you can visit www.chestermeremontessoriacademy.com or call them at (403) 763-1942
