Kindergarten

Infanzia

  • The Goal of Kindergarten

    The third year is really the crucial year in a Montessori environment as it is the time when the five year old emerges as an independent, self-confident, self-motivated learner.

    The foundations that have been built in the previous two pre-school years provide the child with the skills they need to begin reading and understanding mathematical concepts. It is a magical time to see the culmination of all their skills coming to fruition.The children are compelled to move forward in their explorations and can spend extended periods of time on one activity.

  • At Westside Montessori Academy they are allowed to explore their natural curiosity and develop at their own pace and their unique, diverse learning styles are recognized. Our goal is the education of the whole child.

  • Cosmic Education

    Dr. Montessori called the education of the 6- to 12-year-olds Cosmic Education. The 6 to 12-year-old child has an intense curiosity about the world around him/her and wants to know the reason “why” for everything. The elementary child wants to know everything and be able to picture it for him/herself. Dr. Montessori created a method of education that allowed for this intense sense of wonder to be capitalized on and to answer the child’s needs at this stage of their development. She advocated giving the child the “whole world” to learn from and called this “Cosmic Education”.

     The child is shown impressionistic charts that excite him/her with knowledge and invoke the use of the imagination. This is where real learning happens, Dr. Montessori theorized. She said if one presents the child with the whole of knowledge in such a way that it invokes the imagination, a fire will be ignited within the child. This knowledge is based on reality and the child builds on it by using his/her imagination, thus retaining it and understanding it. “The imagination is able to reconstruct the whole when it knows the real details. Contact with the real things inspires and revitalizes the intelligence and new intellectual interests arise.” (M. Montessori) “

    The Five Great Lessons

    The Five Great Lessons are the foundation of the elementary Montessori curriculum.  These lessons are used as an introduction to all topics, providing a “Big Picture” to demonstrate how the sciences, art, history, language, geography are interrelated.  From that point, students are introduced to increasing levels of detail and complexity within these broad areas.

    While working cooperatively and solidifying basic knowledge of reading, writing and mathematics, students research and explore subjects both inside and outside the classroom walls. Lessons given spark the imagination and direct children toward activities that exercise reasoning abilities and life skills.

    • At Westside Montessori Academy children are allowed to explore their natural curiosity and develop at their own pace. Their unique, diverse learning styles are recognized. Our goal is the education of the whole child.

    • Practical Life

      Through practical life activities, children acquire many daily living skills: preparing food, fastening clothes, caring for their environment. Practical life activities are also designed to develop: independence, self-confidence, Self-esteem and self-control.

    • Sensorial

      Designed to isolate and categorize qualities of the environment perceived through the senses, the sensorial activities focus on the development of sensory perception. The incremental differences manifested in the materials are mathematically based and develop faculties of mathematical and geometrical understanding.

    • Language

      Westside Montessori Academy is a language-rich environment. Through a variety of language activities, materials and programs children become familiar with sounds and symbols thus beginning the process of writing which naturally leads to reading.

    • Math

      The Montessori Math materials are designed to isolate a mathematical concept and to prepare the child for abstract reasoning. The goal in the third year program is to inspire a confidence with numbers, an interest in problem solving and a love of numbers. We continue to build upon the knowledge acquired in the previous years.

    • Cultural and Artistic Expression

      Art, Music, science and geography are an integral part of our approach to the education of the whole child. The children explore a cultural theme each year which we incorporate in all aspects of the curriculum.

    • Italian Culture

      Italian culture will be incorporated into all aspects of our Infanzia curriculum.

    • Italian Language

      Infanzia students will have a half hour Italian lesson 4 days a week with a native Italian speaking teacher.

  • Elementary Educators

    • Sarah Gatiss-Brown
      Director of Admissions & Co-Founder
    • Pam Woronko
      Upper Elementary Directress / Principal
    • Catherine Williams
      Senior Upper Elementary 1 Directress / Vice-Principal
    • Andrea Nardi
      Co-Founder, Upper Elementary Directress, Learning Support Directress
    • Kareem John
      Lower Elementary 1 Director
    • Tanya Rowlands
      Primary 2 Directress
    • Jen Brown
      Senior Upper Elementary 2 Directress
    • Nancy Barton
      Primary 1 Directress
    • Noushaba Nousheen
      Lower Elementary 2 Directress
    • Mark Curry
      Education assistant
    • T.J. Brennan
      Education assistant
    • Caitlin Magdaleno
      Education assistant
CONTACT US
Westside Montessori Academy

5550 Fraser Street
Unit 300
Vancouver BC, V5W 2Z4

Phone: (604) 434-9611

Email contacts: Email Contacts

GENERAL info@westsidemontessoriacademy.ca
ADMISSIONS admissions@westsidemontessoriacademy.ca
PRINCIPAL pworonko@westsidemontessoriacademy.ca
MEDIA media@westsidemontessoriacademy.ca


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