Nova Montessori School and Early Childhood Centre

In 1988, Marsha Morgan and Pauline Matsis formed Garden Montessori School, the first Montessori Primary School in the South Island. As the school grew, it was registered and known as the Ripple Educational Community and then to Nova Montessori Primary School.

By 2002, the school had established two locations – one on Manchester Street and the other on Owles Terrace. Where Nicola Gresson and Phil Gang joined the faculty team.

Consolidation of both sites to the present location in 2004 was a major step towards the creation of a full time Montessori School and the foundation for the Children’s House (3-6). To facilitate that development a new Trust, Nova Montessori Centre (NMC), was established in 2005.The vision began with 3 children, now in 2018, thousands of graduates later, the roll reflects the vision of the school and settles at around 80 children.

To provide an education founded on Montessori principles. This education process empowers a life-long love of learning, self-discovery and self- inquiry, and is advanced in an atmosphere of community, both with each other and the natural environment.”

Contextualised education enables learners to see the ‘whole’ in order to understand the details. It emphasises the need to integrate the curriculum – from mathematics to language, to history and geography. And to geology, zoology and botany, now known as Earth Systems Science. Art, music and drama are integrated into the curriculum as expressions of human creativity.

Over the next few years there will be additional movement towards creating a more sustainable and ecological school environment. Small things like conversion to eco-friendly cleaning supplies have already been set in place. We appreciate parents sending lunches to school that do not have throw away containers. We also appreciate parent help in our effort to use less paper. Emails, online newsletters and other e-communications save paper.Nova Montessori is a co-educational and non-denominational school. It offers a multi-age environment where children and teachers form dynamic learning communities.

Nova accomplishes this by preparing environments based on the age of the learner, so that individuals from birth to maturity are able to grow and understand themselves and their relationships to each other as well as the natural world.

In ‘To Educate the Human Potential’, Maria Montessori proclaims “the fundamental principle in education is the correlation of all subjects.” By cosmic education, she refers to an approach to learning that provides the largest possible context for understanding how everything is related. Through this approach children come to realise humanity’s relationship to the whole. At all levels, Nova teachers emphasise humanity’s responsibility to the Earth community.

The Montessori approach to life and learning combines freedom with responsibility, a more active role for the children in their learning and academic excellence based on each person’s potential contribution. It also provides for social awareness and moral development, as well as a vision of humanity’s relationship to the whole.

In a Montessori classroom stimulation for learning comes from the total environment. There is no front of the room, and no teacher’s desk as a focal point of attention. Maria Montessori referred to the teacher;s desk as a focal point of attention. Maria Montessori referred to the teacher as a ‘directress’ because his/her role differs considerably from that of a teacher. She demonstrates the correct use of materials as the children individually choose them. She carefully observes the progress of each child and keeps a detailed record of their work. Each teacher has been trained to recognise individual periods of readiness.The Primary child seldom works alone. This is the age of groups and clubs – what Montessori called the ‘herd instinct’. Children want to do what others are doing. They explore friendships as well as the rules of society.

Group lessons with corollary work and discussions are important parts of the learning process. As they collaborate on projects, children learn to identify and share their particular strengths and skills. Various social skills are necessary to make these collaborations work effectively .Through activities that build group cohesion and resolve conflicts, the children learn skills and tools that encourage the art of co-operative peace making.

Primary children question and love to make rules. Although they may not always keep the rules themselves, they are constantly observing to make sure that everyone is following them. Teachers assist the child in sorting out how to act in different situations, to learn basic rules of courtesy and to understand what is considered right and wrong by society.Our approach to discipline is to help the children learn that they are responsible for what they do and that their actions have natural consequences. Whether the problem involves two people or the whole class, the teachers help the children learn how to solve problems on their own.

Maria Montessori called the Primary curriculum Cosmic Education because its goal is to expose the child to the whole range of human knowledge in an integrated approach to learning set into the largest context possible.

Contextual learning is the foundation for deep understanding. The context for the elementary curriculum is established in an overview of the history of the universe. As they study ancient civilisations the children discover that all aspects of knowledge including mathematics, language, history, botany, geography, music and art developed the basic human needs. This understanding fosters a love for learning and eagerness to take their place as contributing members of the community.