Westside Montessori School

Established in 2008, Westside Montessori School is owned and operated by Liz Bovey, who holds an internationally recognized Montessori teaching diploma from the Toronto Montessori Institute. Liz has 12 years of teaching experience and prior to opening Westside Montessori School, she was guiding young children at well-regarded Montessori Schools in Toronto.

All Westside’s classroom teachers are either MACTE (Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education) or AMI (Association Montessori Internationale) certified and hold university degrees. The classroom assistants have completed the Montessori Assistant’s training course. All WMS staff maintain valid first aid and CPR training, along with updated police clearance checks.

Choosing the right school for your child is a complex decision that should include examining the characteristics of your child, your family and the school itself. For example, if a commitment to the environment is important to you and your family’s belief system, your child’s school should reflect this commitment. At Westside Montessori School, we believe that even small choices have the power to make a difference. Encouraging ecological awareness and educating our students to be environmentally responsible is one choice: leading by example is another.

Our healthy lunch program is supplied by Real Food for Real Kids, a company committed to using “…whole, natural and organic ingredients to make food, fresh from scratch, every day.” Not only does this save you the hassle of preparing school lunches; it drastically cuts down on the landfill and recycled waste our school produces. Westside Montessori School’s classroom materials are sourced from companies that implement water-based finishing technology and are free of heavy metals such as lead and other toxins. We purchase our furniture from companies that minimize any negative impact on the environment and use renewable and recyclable materials from certified, responsibly managed forests.

Allowing students opportunity to care for their environment, including both the classroom and our Earth, instills a sense of responsibility and pride. Children, along with staff, use eco-friendly products to keep it clean. They are also involved in our recycling and composting programs and becoming aware of simple, but important, energy-saving practices such as turning off the lights.

Dr. Montessori designed a holistic curriculum to meet the developmental needs of the elementary child. By repeating concepts in fresh and varied ways, children have the opportunity to work towards mastery, as well as the freedom to work at their own pace. The Montessori method uses storytelling, short presentations with materials, charts, timelines, demonstrations and experiments, as well as discussion to introduce the work and inspire the children. In Montessori, all the subjects begin with the whole, then focus in on the parts and lastly, return back to the whole, as the context gives meaning to the parts.

The Montessori classroom is a nurturing, bright and spacious environment specifically prepared for children. Your child will explore and expand their knowledge in this social and interactive environment. In our Montessori classroom, children engage in a variety of activities; at any given moment, different students might be enjoying a snack, writing a story, working in a group or receiving a one-on-one lesson from the teacher. The mixed-age setting enables older children to build confidence and leadership skills through teaching and helping their younger peers. At the same time, younger children are inspired to adapt the responsible, mature behaviours admired in their older classmates.

The Montessori Toddler Program allows children to function independently in an atmosphere of love and support. Young students flourish in an environment that believes in and encourages their innate abilities. With your child’s natural learning characteristics in mind, the lessons offer a complete range of purposeful and sensorial activities.

Calling all campers! Did you know Westside’s summer camp is open to all children aged 3 to 6 years?! Our Summer Camp runs from June 22nd until August 21st and is led by our incredibly warm and nurturing team of educators. Guided by a different theme each week, we’ll be painting, creating, dancing, baking and exploring all that our amazing city has to offer.

The developing brain is stimulated and enhanced through small and large muscle movement, which must be perfected through practice. Our movement area within the classroom allows each child to move seamlessly between large and small muscle activities as needed. Through such activities as the stairs and platform, push cart and wall bars, your child will build and strengthen the large muscle groups needed for coordination while learning how to negotiate their surroundings. Activities such as threading, stringing beads and working with puzzles develop and refine the smaller muscle groups, as well as the ability to concentrate. This work prepares the toddler for future skills, such as tying shoes and handwriting.

Activities in the practical life area include sweeping, caring for plants and polishing which helps toddlers develop good work habits and attitudes such as focus, concentration, inner discipline, task completion, pride and organizational skills. The language area consists of miniature objects and picture cards depicting fruits and vegetables, animals, neighbourhood, school and home. These materials are designed to increase students’ vocabulary and expressive language. The teacher shares poetry, fiction and nonfiction books with the children. Group activities such as singing and stories are also part of your child’s language experiences at Westside Montessori School.