Southern Montessori School

Southern Montessori Education Centre is a non-government, not-for-profit organization currently offering programs from Toddlers and Preschool through to Year 9. It was founded in 1982 by a group of parents seeking a Montessori educational program for their preschool children. In 1987, through the sustained efforts of parents and staff, a primary school program was established at Christies Beach.

The School moved to its present location in August 1995. Although not a purpose built Montessori environment, every effort has been made to ensure that classrooms are aesthetically pleasing, well resourced and organized. In 2014, an Adolescent Program (Years 7 & 8) was offered for the first time as our community builds towards a comprehensive Montessori Middle School in the southern suburbs. In 2015, our Adolescent Community (Years 7 – 9) relocated to our Karawatha Campus, approximately 1 km from the main campus. In 2016, we introduced Baby Steps, catering for children aged 12 months – 2 years.

Montessori philosophy embraces the whole child, their natural curiosity and love of learning. Based on mutual respect and cooperation, Montessori education encourages independence by providing environments that meet the developmental needs of children.  This builds self-confidence, inner discipline, a sense of self-worth and promotes positive social behavior.

Dr Maria Montessori’s insights and understanding of child development have been enormously influential all over the world, both through the Montessori movement and in mainstream education, which has incorporated many of her practices. Interestingly, Montessori education parallels what is now know about brain development and actively fosters cognitive functions, social cognition, and such higher-order competencies as empathy and leadership thus providing a strong foundation for life-long learning.

Mission is that we provide a challenging and diverse education that fosters independence, respect, collaboration and a love of learning, and supports children to be valuable members of the community and care for the environment. Vision is a Montessori learning environment that involves families, educators and the broader community in empowering children to reach their potential.

Our challenging curriculum reflects the Montessori ethos of active, inquiry-based, integrated learning and allows students opportunities to follow their interests and passions. Students are supported to develop a strong sense of wellbeing including respect for self and others and their environment.

From our Babies program to Year 9, our dedicated teaching team strive to ensure that students are actively engaged in their own learning, guiding them to develop the skills and strategies they will need to flourish as independent, resilient, self-disciplined, lifelong learners. As a school which embraces Montessori philosophy and practice, we are committed to preparing students to play a constructive role in society, using their abilities responsibly and working actively towards creating a better, more peaceful world.