Our daughter currently attends CMS and it is a wonderful school. The teachers are calm, friendly, warm and capable and support the children very well with both social learning and other learning. The classroom feels calm yet joyful, the kids are having fun, learning and playing. The setting is leafy, green, beautiful, tucked behind a local church (the school is not religious, that’s just where the physical space is). One thing I also noticed on a parent evening, was the aesthetic detail of the children’s work/study/play materials. Everything in the classroom is clean, tidy, and has it’s place with an eye for detail that reflected beauty AND organization. The other parents and children are relaxed and welcoming. We are very happy there.
The quality of care, kindness and teaching which my daughter received at Castlecrag Montessori school I cannot rate highly enough. The professionalism and knowledge of the teachers combined with the extensive Montessori educational tools provided an engaging, effective and caring teaching environment. My daughter still asks to go back and see her teachers as her 3 years there have left a positive indelible mark on her heart. It is without doubt the best start I could have given my daughter in life cementing both her love of learning and a caring kind outlook.
“Castlecrag Montessori School (CMS) has provided the bedrock for our childrens education. Their ability to focus, to get into ‘flow’ and to view the world imaginatively and with care and respect are derived from their time at CMS. The confidence and joy with which they approach the world and their lives has been underpinned in no small meausre by their time at this special place. We are very grateful that our children had the opportunity to attend CMS, where they were nurtured into very happy, creative individuals who continue to learn with a quiet confidence and discipline informed by these enchanted early years.”
“Our son started at Castlecrag Montessori School (CMS) in June 2010 as an enthusiastic, bubbly and somewhat scatty 3 year old. Around the time of his 5th birthday he started Extended Day and in December 2012 having completed his 2 1/2 years at CMS it was sadly time for our family to move on to the next stage of his education. Excitingly though our somewhat scatty 3 year old had transformed into a lovely, motivated, confident, considerate and focused 5 1/2 year old … well most of the time anyway!
CMS is so much more than a school and our whole family really cherrished our time being part of the CMS community. We got very involved in the school and consequently we have made the most wonderful friends – friendships that have enriched our family life and have extended well beyond school hours and our actual attendance at the school.
During his time at CMS, particularly during his time in Extended Day, our little boy developed into a big boy. He became compassionate, responsible (most of the time) and independent. He developed leadership skills and a genuine love of learning. The Montessori approach to early education really nurtured in him the most wonderful range of foundation skills that he will take with him into the future wherever he goes and whatever he does. He went straight into Year 1 at our local primary school and has thrived, he just loves school. He is doing well academically, has made great friends and his teacher said to me last week out of the blue that he has been a pleasure to have in her class this year. What more could a parent wish for!
As parents who value education, I am also so pleased that my husband and I chose to invest in our sons early education by sending him to CMS and more importantly that we were committed to the full program which provided him with the opportunity to really blossom in Extended Day. We believe it is an investment and commitment that well and truly paid off. Thank you Castlecrag Montessori School.”
“Ben absolutely loved being at Castlecrag Montessori School and we feel it was a perfect start to his education. The calm, organised environment as well as the warmth and kindness of the staff made him feel so welcome and at home everyday. We found that as he attended for half a day, five days a week he really felt a strong sense of belonging. As a younger child, he looked up the extended day students and and was full of pride when he became one of them himself. The opportunity to be a leader of your group at such a young age was a wonderful opportunity and something that he took seriously. It gave him so much pleasure to help the smaller children. He has developed strong, enduring friendships with younger and older children from his class and their siblings. As a result he feels very comfortable making friends with people outside his immediate peer group.
After graduating from Extended Day he enrolled in year 1 at public school and it was definitely the right decision. An had felt he was ready for year 1 and we felt the same way, he’d already completed his kindy year and was well and truly ready for the next step. I really liked it being a parent-run school and enjoyed performing my volunteer roles. The staff led by Annabel and An are exceptional people as well as being excellent educators.”