Glen Abbey Montessori School

Montessori Education Week is February 23rd – March 1st
Each year, the last week of February is recognized as Montessori Education Week, a time to celebrate the unique achievements of an education inspired by Maria Montessori!

"Montessori - A Modern Approach" by Paula Polk Lillard offers a comprehensive overview of the Montessori educational philosophy and methodology. Lillard delves into the core principles that underpin the Montessori approach, which emphasizes the innate drive of children to learn and explore their environment through hands-on, self-directed activities. She explains how Montessori classrooms are specially designed to foster this natural curiosity, with child-sized furnishings, carefully curated learning materials, and an emphasis on uninterrupted blocks of work time. Lillard also highlights the Montessori focus on respecting the individuality of each child, allowing them to progress at their own pace through the multi-sensory lessons and activities. She outlines how this model encourages children to develop a range of crucial skills, from fine motor coordination and sensory perception to concentration, independence, and a love of learning. Lillard further explores the Montessori teacher's role as a "directress" who carefully observes students and guides them, rather than didactically instructing them. Throughout the book, Lillard paints a vivid picture of the Montessori classroom as a vibrant, harmonious environment where children are empowered to direct their own education and flourish as unique individuals. Her in-depth analysis provides readers with a nuanced understanding of this influential and innovative pedagogical approach.

Glen Abbey Montessori School Inc. has been serving the Oakville community since 1996. We are a private Montessori school, licensed under the Ministry of Education and accredited by the Canadian Council of Montessori Administrators.

We take great pride in serving the Oakville community and exceptional care in guiding our future leaders.

At Glen Abbey Montessori School, our goal is to prepare each child to become a citizen of the world by encouraging him or her to gain the skills and confidence that are required, to meet the challenges of self, family, community, and the world at large. To achieve this, we ensure that we hire qualified, fully accredited Montessori Teachers. We offer an excellent program, as well as an enriched environment where our students are inspired to realize their full academic, personal and social potential.

Glen Abbey Montessori School is a wonderful school. Our son ( 3yrs. old) has been in the school since September, 2014 and he is thriving. Mrs. Perry, the owner, is a dedicated educational expert. All of the teachers (including Mrs. Perry) at the school are loving, kind, patient, understanding and dedicated to fostering an educational environment in which the children are allowed to develop in their own way and at their own pace. From the time I drop my son off at the school until I pick him up I know he is loved and cherished; I can tell this from his behaviour and also by the way the teachers interact with him. I am also pleased by the way in which they refer to him when in discussing him with me. We have seen a vast increase in his cognitive development as well as his physical capabilities over the past four months. Further, the school is located in a beautiful house within a well established community. Therefore, outdoor time is spent in the big backyard. Initially, I was not interested in sending my son to a Montessori School as I was concerned about what I perceived as rigidity within the structured pedagogy; however, I have come to embrace the pedagogical philosophy of Montessori. I have witnessed the benefits of Montessori and am grateful I have found this wonderful school. I also had concerns as a uniform is required; however, my son enjoys wearing a uniform, especially his tie! Finally, I believe the Faculty and staff influence the experience of the child within a childcare/school setting. At Glen Abbey Montessori School, education is fostered in a holistic way by people who are genuine, caring and kind.
- Michelle Pereira

Math is logic, sequence, order, and the extrapolation of truth. In the Montessori philosophy, it’s stated that the child has a ‘mathematical mind’ and an internal drive to understand the environment around them. It can therefore be said that children have an inborn attraction for math. Their minds are full of energy that propels them to absorb, manipulate, classify, order, sequence, abstract, and repeat. These tendencies are those which help the child to acquire a greater depth to his mathematical knowledge.

The exercises in the math area offer the children the ‘keys’ that they will need to send them on the road to further exploration and maturation of the mathematical mind. The ways in which the materials are ordered allows the children to complete full intellectual cycles that help them to achieve the freedom to become independent.

GAMS is a gem and every parents dream! The owner, Mrs Perry, has a passion for what she does and it is evident in how the school is run. She is kind, compassionate and incredibly wise!

The children are not only well taken care of (clean environment, good food, nice outdoor play area etc) they are also challenged to learn and grow well beyond their years.

During my tour, a student showed me her workbook of cursive and spelling. I was amazed at what she was able to do, but more importantly I was amazed of her pride and confidence! She was so excited to learn. This is exactly how school should be for littles.

While my daughter is unable to attend due to us moving, I wanted to help other parents know this is a great school for their precious ones. I really wish my daughter was able to attend.
-Kelly Krajnjan

For the nutritional information for Glen Abbey Montessori School, follow the link below:
https://wholesomekids.ca/about-us/purpose/

When our students go home at the end of the day, they talk to parents about the planets, or their muscles, the continents of the world, a particular artist, or about a different culture, that they learned about. Cultural activities create the first stepping stones for the child’s understanding of the world that they live in, and give them the opportunity to envision the world and the universe. It provides a sense of wholeness to a student’s academic, social and emotional development.

At Glen Abbey Montessori School, we firmly believe that exposing children to different aspects of life – not only the academic; is crucial in developing the “Whole Child!” We also place a very strong emphasis on respect for diversity and do this by exposing our students to various cultures and traditions. In doing so, our students learn not only to respect themselves but more importantly, diversity and inclusion of one another.

The Discovery of the Child by renowned Italian physician and educator Maria Montessori delves into her groundbreaking work and revolutionary approach to early childhood education. In this seminal text, Montessori shares the insights she gained from meticulous observation of young children, challenging the prevailing notions of her time. She argues that children possess an innate drive to learn and develop and that the role of the educator is not to simply impart knowledge, but to carefully curate an environment that nurtures and supports this natural process. Montessori outlines her key principles, such as the importance of hands-on, self-directed learning, the sensitive periods of development, and the need to respect the child's individuality and inner guide. Through vivid anecdotes and detailed case studies, she illustrates how children thrive when given the freedom to explore, experiment, and discover the world at their own pace. Montessori's work fundamentally shifted the paradigm, moving away from the rigid, teacher-centric models of traditional schooling towards a child-centered philosophy that empowers young minds to actively construct their own understanding. This landmark publication continues to inspire educators, parents, and policymakers around the world to rethink the way we approach early education, ultimately shaping a more nurturing and enriching experience for children to flourish.

Exciting Montessori-inspired activities to try this summer.
- Hand washing
- Flower arranging
- Sweeping and mopping
- Cleaning the windows
- Watering the plants
- Self-care activities like nose blowing, hair brushing, and practicing with hair clips
- Helping with laundry tasks like bringing items to the basket, loading/unloading the washing machine, adding soap, and sorting clothes
- Getting dressed and undressed with just the right amount of assistance, and wearing clothes that are easy for the child to learn to manage
- Helping with breakfast, such as having a container with a cereal scoop, a small milk jug on the table, and allowing the child to set the table
- Assisting with lunch, like providing a small selection of items the child can serve themselves, such as bread, rice crackers, and toppings, and allowing them to help with cleanup
- Helping prepare dinner, including tasks like washing and cutting vegetables, and setting the table and cleaning up
- Getting ready for visitors, such as making beds, getting towels, and tidying up toys
- Trips to the supermarket
- Baking together

Language is a vital human phenomenon; it lives, changes, and dies. Language is specifically a human expression and it should be a delight! Language is learned, and not inborn. The mental capacity for creating language is unique; it allows the child to speak the language correctly. A child has all they need to prepare for language. Therefore, put into their environment, they absorb completely with little effort, the language of their group/culture.

The Montessori language materials isolate elements of language and offer ‘keys’ to the children in the exploration of language.

We could not have asked for a better preschool for our little one. GAMS is an exceptional and inspiring school environment, for bright young minds to learn and where Montessori principles also teach valuable life skills. We are so thankful we found GAMS and were able to send our little one to the school. - Chris Norgarb