Our Philosophy
Our Casa (Pre-school) Program has been based upon the Montessori Method, which encourages each child’s unique development. The program itself is structured on the prinicples of child development and the 'discovery' approach formulated by Dr. Maria Montessori herself that prepares the child for the challenges of grade school and life itself.
"Children who thrive in primary school and whose pathways are set for later academic success are those who enter Grade 1 with strong oral communication skills are confident, able to make friends, are persistent and creative in completing tasks and solving problems and excited to learn."
(Shonkoff & Phillips, 2000; Bennett, 2004; National Research Council, 2001;
Sylva et al., 2004; Maggi et al.2005)
Our Learning Triangle
We believe that the Family, Teachers and the Child are the foundation
of our learning triangle model.
We host family events throughout the school year, which provide the parents and grandparents and other caregivers of the child to meet the teachers, view their classrooms and be involved in their child’s progress in all areas of development.
"Family involvement in school settings includes parenting, communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decision-making and collaborating with the community. These strategies can be useful to organizing family involvement in early childhood settings."
(Epstein & Sanders, 2002; Corter & Pelletier, 2005).
We follow the Best Practices in Early Childhood Education by fulfilling the guidelines established by leading educational research.
The key elements of our classroom are:
1) A well prepared child-centred environment
2) Mixed age groups
3) An individualized programme that allows the child the opportunity to progress
at his/her own pace
4) Activity-based learning
5) Learning through movement & play using the various senses
6) Freedom and responsibility to direct their learning
7) Hands-on learning
8) Co-operation, collaboration – not competition
9) Each classroom has at least one teacher with a recognized
age-appropriate Montessori Teaching Certificate issued by a MACTE accredited or AMI teacher-training programme, or any other teacher-training programme that may be recognized by the CCMA & one teacher who is an Early Childhood Professional registered with the College of ECE’s.
10) Each classroom has a “Basic to Full Range” of Montessori materials.
As a school working under the umbrella of the CCMA , Victoria Square Schoolhouse offers you as a parent:
1) Ongoing feedback on your child's progress
2) An invitation to participate in many aspects of school life
3) An environment where parents and teachers support each other with the desire
to help your child be successful
4) The knowledge that each child will be respected for he/she is, with the goal
to help your child develop a love of learning
Pre-Casa 2 to 3 years
Ratio of 1 staff member per 5 children
Our pre-school age programs build on activities that facilitate the advancement of:
- Language skills
- Pre-mathematical concepts
- Independent skills
- Communication skills
- Environment awareness
- Practical Life Skills
- Social and emotional growth
- Exposure to Art and Music
Casa 3 to 6 years
Ratio of 1 staff member per 8 children
The five following areas of the Ministry of Education Kindergarten Curriculum form the core curriculum for our Program :
Reading and Language:
Oral communication. Reading, writing and understanding of the media
Mathematics
Number sense and numeration, measurement, spatial sense and geometry, patterning, data management and probability.
Science & Technology
Exploration and experimentation, and use of technology
Personal and Social Development:
Self-awareness, self reliance, health and physical activity, and social relationships
The Arts:
Creative activity, response to artwork, knowledge and form or art
Victoria Square Schoolhouse provides an enriched kindergarten curriculum. Our program includes:
- French instruction and Mandarin
- Art & craft, movement & music
The Enhanced Curriculum
Music
- is an integral part of the class
- apart from conveying basic educational information through poetry, rhymes, music from various instruments and genres the child’s senses and movement is refined and indirectly prepares for all areas of the curriculum.
- the Montessori material like the bells are designed to stimulate the child into logical thought and discovery
French and Mandarin
- We use as many hands-on activities, sing along songs, small objects, finger-plays, vocabulary and matching cards (and other manipulative)
- Audio- tape books and bilingual storytelling are inviting to the children as well.
- We have a space dedicated in the classroom to display the lessons presented to the children, such as our French language shelf or listening centre table for children to use at any time of the day and practice the vocabulary introduced in a group.
Library Time
Students take out books from the class library on a daily basis and will have the opportunity to sign out a book every week. They learn the care of a book, as well as responsibility. They may sign out a new book the following week only if they remember to return their book.
