School Terms

We usually follow the government school holidays (4 Terms) the dates will be in the first newsletter of the year.

School times

Our Hours are:

08:00 – 13:30 Monday – Thursday
08:00 – 13:00 Friday
13:15 – 17:30 (Aftercare)

The school commences at 07:00 and closes at 17:30. Monday to Friday. Parents must drop their children off by no later than 08:00, which is when the morning routine begins.

Please note that late pickups will be charged at R30 per half hour.

Primary Education

The Montessori recommended Curriculum, runs concurrently with the Department of Educations’ National Curriculum Statement (N.C.S) and covers more than is required by the Department of Education.

Although we maintain the use of the Montessori Philosophy and various equipment in our Primary section, our teaching methods in this phase become more formal with structured academic routines and lessons. Students are encouraged to further develop their self-discipline and organisational skills, as well as explore their learning environment. A child learns through all five senses, not just by listening, watching or reading. They are provided with opportunities to facilitate learning through experiences, by allowing them to explore each activity.

Emphasis is placed on the development and understanding of basic skills in Numeracy, Literacy, Grace & Courtesy, Life Skills and Afrikaans. Further interest is added with subjects such as biology, geography and cultural and educational equipment.

Additional learning support is offered in the form of extra lessons after school (conditions apply). Additional targeted homework will also be supplied, to further assist their understanding and the development of their

skills. The mixed aged groups also allows the teacher to focus on small groups of students at any one time, while the remaining students in the classroom continue quietly with instructed work activities or choose supplementary / re-enforcement activities once they have completed set work – these supplementary activities may include reading, research, project work, equipment exploration or graded worksheets

The Curriculum is covered from Grade R to Grade 7.

Computer access is made available in the classroom for research and computer proficiency skills.

Days are busy and purposeful, with the atmosphere friendly, quiet and stimulating. Throughout each school day the student’s work is praised and constant effort is made to acknowledge and reinforce self-image and independence. Great importance is attached to the development of the student’s interest and knowledge of his environment.

Extramural Activities

Many extra mural activities take place in the morning and early afternoon. All children are encouraged to participate as much as possible and are praised for involvement and effort.

It is recommended to enroll your child into various extramural activities, (off the premises) as these skills are an important part of your child’s developmental process, which can influence reading and writing skills. These activities are directly for the parents account. Examples are:

Swimming, Computers, Art Classes, Soccer Stars (soccer), Karate,Ballet

Educational Screening / Therapists

Qualified Therapists are also available, to conduct educational assessments/screenings during the year (or on

Request). Should your child need additional attention in their very important developmental areas, our teachers will strive to work closely with these Therapists to further assist your child. The use of these therapists will be directly for the parent’s account.

School times

Our Hours are:

08:00 – 12:30 (Pick up by 13:00)
12:30 – 17:30 (Aftercare)

The school commences at 07:00 and closes at 17:30. Monday to Friday. Parents must drop their children off by no later than 08:00, which is when the morning routine begins.

Please note that late pickups will be charged at R30 per half hour.

Curriculum

At Constantia Kloof Montessori, lessons are introduced simply and concretely in the early years and are reintroduced several times during the following years at increasing degrees of abstraction and complexity.

The following is a brief overview of our curriculum and since students progress at their own pace; it is not possible to divide up the curriculum by grade levels.

Reading and Language Arts

Pre-reading

Due to the vertical age grouping, the younger children are exposed to the older children in the class who are already reading. It tends to create in younger children a spontaneous interest in learning how to read. We begin to teach reading as soon as that interest is expressed.

• The children are taught through many early approaches to listen for and to recognise the individual phonetic sounds in words.
• We introduce the children to literature by reading aloud and discussing a wide range of stories.
• We help our youngest students to recognise the shape and the phonetic sound of the alphabet with the use of “sandpaper letters”, a tactile alphabet.

Reading

• Sounding out simple three or four letter phonic words
• Early exercises to practice reading: labelling objects, naming things that interest the children, botany and zoology classified cards.
• Learning to recognise verbs: exercises in which the child reads a card with a verbal command (run, skip, etc.) and demonstrates his understanding by acting it out.
• Reading specially selected or prepared small books on topics that interest the children.

Handwriting

Control of the hand in preparation for writing with the movable alphabet.

Tracing letters into sand.

Later, writing on blackboards.

Later, writing on exercise books.

Compose words through oral dictation.

Spelling

Children begin to spell using the movable alphabet to sound out and spell words.

• Learning to sound out and spell simple phonic words (pink and blue language series.)
• Learning to recognise and spell words including phonograms (green language series.)
• Developing a personal dictionary of words that they can now spell.
• Learning to recognise and spell “sight words”.
• Learning compound words, singular/plural, synonyms and antonyms.

Grammar

• The study of grammar starts immediately after the child begins to read. It continues over several years.
• Children are introduced to the function of the different parts of speech, through geometric symbols that represent each element of grammar (for example, the verb is a large red circle). Children place the symbols for the appropriate parts of speech over each word.
• Once the children have mastered the concrete symbols, they use grammar boxes that allow them to analyse sentences by their parts of speech.

Mathematics

Children are usually introduced to numbers at age 3 learning the numbers and symbols 1 to 10. They use sandpaper numbers, number rods, spindle box, cards and counters and sight recognition.

The introduction to the decimal system follows with the units, tens, hundreds and thousands represented by concrete material (one single bead = 1, a ten bead bar = 10, 10 bead bars fastened together = 100, a cube 10 units wide, 10 units long and ten units high represents 1000).

The children recognise the quantity, then form numbers and read them back.

Learning teen numbers: 12=10+2. This is done using a concrete material (Sequin Board A) and the children recognise the numbers then form them and read them back.

Learning ten numbers (10 to 100). This is done using concrete equipment (Sequin Board B), where the children recognise the numbers form them and read them back.

The development of the concept of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division is done through work with the Golden beads materials. Children build numbers and solve operations correctly. They are also exposed to the concept of dynamic addition and subtraction.

Adding and subtracting numbers under 10 without the use of concrete materials.

Development of the concept of long multiplication and division through concrete work with the stamp game and the beads material.

Introduction to money: recognition of the different coins and paper money, change and concept that 10×10 cents piece equals to 1 Rand.

Geometry

Recognising and naming basic shapes and geometric solids using concrete materials.

Recognising and naming more advanced plane geometric solids and various polygons.

Geography

The shape of each continent is recognised through the colour globe.

The early concept of land and water is formed through the use of the sandpaper globe.

The puzzle maps represent each continent and allow the children to name the different countries of each continent.

Land and water forms: concrete materials to help the children understand the basic land and water formations (island, lake, bay, cape, isthmus, peninsula, strait, etc). The children recognise them first at a three dimensional level followed by the recognition of shapes on maps and photographs.

Maps and compass: introduction to longitude and latitude.

Formation and structure of the Earth: formation of the oceans and volcanoes, study of natural disasters.

Study of the regions, cultures and natural resources of South Africa.

Study of a continent, then a nation at a time.

Study of the basic needs of man (food, shelter, clothing, transport, culture, spirituality, etc).

Concept of time through telling the time on the clock.

Timeline of the Earth.

Science

Differentiation between living and non-living.

Differentiation between animals and plants.

Observation of animals in nature.

Learning about the animal’s kingdom, habitats, and life styles.

Puzzles representing parts of flowers, trees, plants, root systems.

Puzzles representing the anatomical features of different animals.

Use of nomenclature cards, identifying, naming and labelling the different parts of a plant or an animal.

Introduction to ecology: habitat, life cycles, and food chain.

Practical Life Skills

• Dressing oneself
• Learning home address and telephone number
• Pouring liquid without spilling
• Carrying objects without dropping
• Carrying liquid without spilling
• Walking carefully avoiding bumping into people
• Using knifes, forks and scissors with good control
• Putting material away where it belongs
• Working carefully and neatly
• Dusting, polishing, sweeping
• Table setting
• Folding cloths
• Simple use of needle and thread
• Using tweezers, tongs, eye-droppers, locks
• Food preparation
• Weaving and bead stringing

Sensorial Area

Visual discrimination

• Discrimination of size and dimension
• Discrimination of length and width
• Discrimination of colours
• Learning primary, secondary and tertiary colours

Auditory discrimination

• Listening for sounds
• Matching sounds
• Matching sounds to pictures
• Grading sound cylinder
• Tone bars

Sense of touch

• Mystery bags
• Thermic bottles
• Baric tablets
• Touch boards
• Touch tablets

Sense of smell

• Identifying scents
• Labelling scents
• Matching scents

Sense of taste

• Identify tastes and language
• Labelling tastes
• Matching tastes

Stereo Gnostic sense

• Sorting objects by touch
• Sorting shapes by touch
• Sorting sizes by touch
• Mystery bags.

Birthdays

We would like to mark your child’s special day with a Celebration Ring/Birthday ring. Please provide photographs of your child for their timeline: birth, age 1, age 2, etc

Birthday treats are acceptable, i.e. cupcakes or a cake which your child can share with the other children.

PLEASE NOTE: Invitations to birthday parties may be handed out at school ONLY if the whole class is invited. If only a few children are invited please deliver personally.

BOOK DONATION we would kindly ask parents to donate a book to our library as a gift on your child’s birthday. Your child’s name will be inscribed inside the front cover.

Absent/Illness

If your child is ill, please make the school aware as soon as possible, in particular if it is an infectious illness.

Please keep your child at home with coughs, cold, or any other contagious infections.

NO STRANGERS

For your child’s safety, no persons other than parents or assigned lift club guardians will be allowed to collect a child without informing the school prior to doing so.

Stationary and toiletries

1-A4 lined college book.

1-A5 diary

1-Packet of crayons

1-packet of coloured pencils

3-pritt

2-Box of tissues

1-pack of wipes to stay in child’s bag

1-Pack of 18 toilet rolls

1-Ream of paper

2 bars of soap (dettol or antiseptic soap)

1-small facecloth ( with child’s name )please provide a new one each term )

The Diary System

Please read your diary regularly as all messages from the teacher will be written in. Communications will be by email to all parents with regards events etc.

If you have written a message in for the school in the diary please place the diary in the basket at the front of the school or hand to one of the directresses to indicate that is a message for our attention.

Please sign each message in the book to indicate having read and understood the communication. This is to ensure that all parents are up to date with events and issues.

Please note all newsletters will be sent by email-please ensure you read all parts of the newsletter and keep safe in order to be aware of all termly events. It is unfair to your child to miss out on various activities if you have not prepared for them.

Arrivals

The school begins at 8:00, but arrivals may take place from 07:00.  Our directresses will be directing and involved in activities first thing in the morning, please communicate briefly and be assured your child will settle quickly in capable hands.

Clothing

An extra set of clothing should be available in your child’s schoolbag daily. We do not encourage children wearing Batman, Spider-man or WWE clothing. Please label all clothing clearly. All clothing worn should be suitable for easy removal, making toilet routines as manageable as possible. No belts, dungarees etc.

HATS are compulsory, as is sunblock to be applied before the school day.

NO HATS = NO PLAY AT SCHOOL TODAY

Snacks

Parents must provide their child with lunch, preferably healthy snacks, no sweets, suckers or chocolates. These will be confiscated and held until departure time. Do try to include fruit or vegables that your child can prepare in the practical life area.

Breakfast can be provided on request included in fees.

Notice Period

One full terms notice is required when withdrawing your child/children from the school. Fees will be charged to parents who fail to give the full notice (3 months) this is in accordance with the agreement signed when enrolling your child in the school.

School Photos

A professional photographer will visit the school yearly to take individual and class photos. You will be advised of the date (generally fourth term) and amounts involved.

Supplies

The school is always in need of scrap paper, if you are able to help please let us know. Please do not discard any materials, books, Arts and crafts that we could possibly use.

Parent Involvement

At Constantia Montessori we encourage parent involvement. As a parent you play a crucial role in your child’s education, you are your child’s first and most influential educator.

Record keeping and Reports

Record keeping is fundamental to isolating your child’s needs and interests. Daily records are kept of presentations and observations to identify your child’s developmental needs and progress. Fortnightly reports of all work covered in that time period are posted in your child’s diary for you to keep track of. Written reports are handed out at the end of the second term and at the end of the year. Parent/ teacher conferences are held twice a year to keep you informed of your child’s progress as well. Please attach a photocopied copy of your child’s last report if already at school.

Extra Murals

We offer the following extra mural activities which will incur an additional cost. All fees payable directly to the extra mural teacher.

1-Music lessons (included in fees)

2-Beaux Arts Pottery

3- Soccer stars

4- Busy Bodies

All Extra murals are spaced in the week to allow the full Montessori education to continue without interruption.

Transport

Transport can be provided at an extra fee, there are currently two transport companies operating from the school. Telephone numbers will be provided if needed