| MY BRILLIANT CAREER AT PERTH MONTESSORI SCHOOL I went to Perth Montessori School for seven years. I now recognized how specialised and high quality the learning is. Through Montessori Education I have achieved many great things such as: - Three awards for short stories
- The ability to use high order thinking
(Edward de Bono's Six Thinking Hats). - The helpful knowledge of Bloom’s Taxonomy
- Continuous good marks in test
- Reliable Friends
I also had many enjoyable times, like Camps, the City to Surf and even Project Presentation Night. There is only one thing I can say about it - the schooling was absolutely brilliant”. Regards Hamish Armstrong |  | MY TIME AT PERTH MONTESSORI SCHOOL My schooling at Montessori was excellent because of the wonderful learning environment that helped me work at my own pace and level. The Perth Montessori community allowed me to work with younger children and a disabled child. Also on many occasions I had the chance to demonstrate leadership skills and make speeches. A few of the things I really enjoyed were the Awesome Challenges and writing and performing the Awesome Play. I enjoyed doing the projects because they were really involved and about the topics that I enjoyed. It was very beneficial for me to have the same teacher for three years, as Mal got to know me really well and vice versa. The assessments were also enjoyable as I got certificates and loved the challenge. It was a great preparation for my life after Perth Montessori School. Perth Montessori School taught me to work independently which has been a great preparation for high school. Thank you all at Perth Montessori School. James Massey
| | THANKYOU PERTH MONTESSORI SCHOOL I want to thank you for teaching me at Perth Montessori School. I also want to thank the teachers that taught me too, they pretty much taught me how to speak. I am having a great time at Wesley; so far I have met loads of new friends, and I hope to meet more. I have entered new sports as well, like swimming (I have won a race at the Swimming Carnival), tennis and I also play the French Horn. Wesley is teaching thing's that I already know, because of Perth Montessori School like maths and extra. Love from Joahua Tarrant
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April 2008 Dear Gary Both Roger and I wanted to write to let you know how pleased we've been with Joshua's transition into Wesley and to not let this occasion go by without letting you know the ease of the transition is mainly down to Joshua's experience at Perth Montessori School. He was so well prepared for not only the new surroundins and meeting all the new boys but also the classroom and the academic approach to his studies. He has seemed to take on the whole experience without any hitch at all and it is a credit to Perth Montessori School and the foundation that has been established that all the differences at his new school he's not been discouraged but taken them on and willingly. For expample, not only calling his tutor the formal way but she so happens to have a long name too: Mrs Hammersley-Ellis! Having structured homework for four nights a week as well as music practice and long days with sport after school. He has taken on the extra workload enthusiastically and it's the love of learning and his keenness that comes from our school. We've been so happy with the school and it was a big decision in our family to move Josh but we wanted you to know how much we've appreciated his time at Perth Montessori. Kind regards Katie Tarrant Wednesday, 10 September 2008 Dear Gary I just wanted to drop you an email and let you know how incredibly well our precious Odin is going at Perth Montessori and how grateful we are to you and Vanita. As you are aware things have never been easy for Odin both academically and socially at school. In the short time he has been at your wonderful school though we have had been blessed to have the opportunity to watch him grow in leaps and bounds already. The terrible anxiety he used to suffer resulting from attending school has completely disappeared; he no longer incessantly chews on his clothes or withdraws to his bedroom in tears at the end of a school day. He no longer views himself as stupid, but sees himself as the kind and unique individual he is. He happily reads us his books everyday and I cannot tell you the vast improvement he has had in this area and continues to have. He talks so warmly of his teachers and is always excited to be able to show us his new moves in martial arts or poses he has learnt at yoga. He now has the opportunity to mix with younger kids without this being looked down upon by other kids and this is increasing his self esteem, social skills and friendship circle everyday. Both my husband and I feel like he has been given the chance to become all that he can be and realise his full potential in a safe and nurturing environment, and for this Gary we can never truly put into words how thankful we are that your school exists and that we were able to find you. We truly are forever thankful Warm regards The Jenkinson Family |
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Tuesday 4 September 2007 Dear Ineke I am writing to thank you for all your hard work in coordinating the 'Sustainability' Performance night I attended on Friday 24 August 2007. Since attending Perth Montessori School, I have enjoyed many performance nights and Graduation evenings and I believe this one was the most enjoyable yet. The set-up for each performance was good and the waiting time between each was reasonable. I am glad there was someone to help with sound and they did a good job, although there are things that can be improved upon for next time. It made me so proud of the children and their parents for being part of this school that gives children such confidence. I had family visiting from Italy who attended the performance and although they did not understand the English, they were astounded at the confidence the children showed and the patience they demonstrated in the audience. It awa a fun, enjoyable and inspiring night. Kate Biondo
3rd November 2006
Dear Gary,
I would like to acknowledge the exceptional contribution the staff at Perth Montessori School has made to the successful inclusion of Andrew and Jordan Marlow in your school community.
When I first started working with Andrew his functional communication was almost non-existent and his frequent and violent tantrums were a constant reminder of the anxiety he felt over any kind of change or disruption. The recent excursion to see WASO was a testament to the benefits of the school’s philosophy and the implementation of those beliefs, when working with a child with special needs. It took all of my self control to not cry with relief and pride to see both Andrew and Jordie happily get on a bus (which they have never done before) and attend an event, which involved both loud noise and a lot of people!
During the time 1 have spent working with children on the autism spectrum and as a parent of child with autism, I have seen many classrooms in many different schools. Inclusion for a child with autism is an exhausting and very often stressful process, which often ends in the child changing schools or not attending at all! It can be very difficult as a teacher to know how to support a child’s inclusion, whilst at the same time knowing what issues to focus on as either short or long term goals.
It is very obvious that at this point in time and as Andrew is preparing to move to cycle two that a very successful start to his schooling has been achieved. There are many staff members that have contributed to this outcome but obviously Caroline and Allison have had a tremendous impact on Andrew over the past two years and have often gone above and beyond the call of duty to assist everyone involved, including myself. I have been so grateful to the staff I have met during playtime for their assistance and guidance as I have been learning the different behavioural strategies and conflict resolution skills that are often required during a typical day. It has also been great that so many staff members have asked questions about the boys and have often given me feedback about different issues or play skills we have been working on as a team.
I have spent a great deal of time at the school since Andrew started full days, and I thoroughly enjoy the relaxed and nurturing environment of both the class and playground. (I have found myself becoming quite a vocal advocate of a Montessori education during the occasional dinner party conversation) I am looking forward to assisting with Andrews’s transition and excited about the new experiences for him.
To the average person observing Andrew at school he would be non distinguishable from his peers. Those that are close to him are very aware that he still has significant difficulties across many areas, in particular his comprehension of language but his progress and accomplishments have been remarkable for a little boy who couldn’t cope with leaving his home not so long ago!
Thank you once again for your support and flexibility during this process. The future of three little boys I have become very close to is a lot brighter as a result.
Regards
Deborah Henry
Wednesday, 20 September 2006 10:05 PM Hi Gary,
We attended a meeting at Willetton SHS tonight about the Academic Talent Program, and the coordinators went through all the key points of the program. Much of it has Montessori overtones, which is great news, and two of the teachers we spoke to were surprised (and pleased) Alex has a Montessori background. They reckon she'll adapt to the new environment very quickly.
So, more good points in favour of a Montessori education ;-)
Cheers Simon Haynes
Wednesday, August 30, 2006Dear Gary,Bruce and I would like to give you some feedback regarding Rebecca and this Term in KP (from a parents point of view).You know that when your child gets into the car to go home after a day at school and makes the comment "I love my class" you are on to a good thing. This term she has shown such incredible enthusiasm for her homework and her classroom activities, a special thank you must go to Julie and Jill who are dedicated and enthusiastic Directors whom Becky adores.After coming from a previous school with many negative issues that remained unresolved it is such a pleasure knowing that we are now in place that puts the students first in such a professional and caring manner.We look forward to many more years at PMS, and cant wait for the realization of the high school.Thank you Gary for all of your hard work and that of Rebecca's teachers (Julie, Jill, Sally, Elaine, Todd, Adin).yours sincerely,Bruce and Jo HarveyTESTIMONIAL FROM OVERSEAS FAMILY 30 June 2006 Dear Gary We are so happy to be able to be at your school for one more extra week in the next term. Before we go back to our country, we would like to ask you one more favour. We would like to tell all our friends about your beautiful school and we thought it would be wonderful if we could take some videos about how your special school is organized. If possible we would like to take some shots in both Marika’s and Hirona’s classes. I am sure their Montessori kindergarten teachers in Japan would be so excited to see your school, because in Japan there is no elementary school that can teach in the Montessori way. Thank you again for the wonderful support you gave us, we will miss you all when we leave this country. Sincerely yours Kayo, Marika and Hirona Imanaga
Thursday 22 June 2006 Dear Gary and Staff With our son Samuel just about to complete his first full term at your school, I would just like to send our deepest thankyou to you all for the most amazing and wonderful start to his schooling career. The welcoming warmth and support shown to us not only in his classroom by his director and assistant (who we now call the "dynamic duo") but all throughout the admin as well, have made me a Montessori advocate!! This little boy is going from strength to strength and am told is turning into a true Montessori boy! Once again thankyou for the privilege of being able to be a part of your team. Kind regards Michelle and Jeremy Cousins
A Prospective Parent's Thoughts on Perth Montessori School’s Open Morning Saturday 27 May 2006
I just wanted to pass onto you our thoughts regarding the open day we went to in May and our classroom observations a few weeks later. The open day was a huge success with many people in attendance. It was very professionally done but relaxed at the same time. The staff as well as the parents were very approachable and informative. It was great to be able to see more of the school classrooms and grounds than we usually get to see on a Friday during Playgroup.
Both Brian and I were 'blown away' by our experience during classroom observations a few weeks later. Jackson has been apart of the Montessori Playgroup for around 2 years, we've done a lot of reading and research about the Montessori philosophy as well as having friends whose children attend or who have attended various Montessori schools. However, to actually be given the opportunity to observe the children during class time was very exciting.
We felt privileged to have had the opportunity to watch the children carrying out their various tasks and to see first hand how well the Montessori education model works. These experiences have only further concreted our decision to give Jackson the best education we can by having him a part of Perth Montessori School.
The only moment of sadness for us was thinking its such a shame all children do not get the chance to have such a wonderful education during some of the most precious moments of their lives, their childhood years.
Thank you to all the staff and parents who helped make open day and observations such a positive experience for us.
Brian and Rachael Campbell
March 2006 Jenny’s Transition to High School.
Since Jenny’s transition into High School in 2006 we have observed the following in her general attitude and behaviours.
Jenny appears to have a mature level of confidence and self esteem that is positively projected onto her peers which has been made manifest in being nominated and chosen to be Year 8 Student Peer Councilor.
Specific teachers including Jenny’s Food Technology teacher have made many comments on Jenny’s independent and diligent attitude towards her work. Other comments in this area include; constantly and consistently projecting in order to successfully prepare her culinary delights.
Both John and I have been equally impressed with Jenny’s reports on passing exams; including spelling, maths, English and science. More importantly Jenny now has attained the independence to make her own way to and from school without any undue pressure from her parents.
John and I both believe that all of these positive changes are the direct result of her five years at Perth Montessori School.
Jo Brown.
30 June 2005 Dear Gary, I offer my brief story as a testimonial to the significant effect that the Perth Montessori School had on my youngest son (Jean-Luc) and our family. I love with all my heart my wife and two sons. My first son Jesse is 19 years old and is now a student at Curtin University majoring in geophysics. Jesse was almost the perfect child from a baby to now and never gave me anything but joy as he grew-up. He was smart, quiet, friendly, always listened and did what he was told (pretty much a parents dream). My youngest son Jean-Luc who is now almost 5 years old started out a couple of hand-fulls which increased to about 4 hands full by the time he was three years old. Jean-Luc was the opposite to my first son in almost every way so we had a lot of adjusting to the differences and it was providing a significant strain on our family life and marriage. We could see that Jean-Luc was smart and clever from an early age but he was very difficult to handle and he would not listen to what we said most of the time. Jean-Luc was a high energy child always wanting to run around and around wherever he was and had to have everyone's attention every minute of the day. We eventually came to learn that a significant amount of Jean-Luc's frustration between the years of 1 and 3 came from his inability to communicate. By the time he was about three years old my wife and I felt like we aged about 10 years. I wondered so often whether these difficult years will ever end and will things ever get better for us as a family. Unless you have been in a similar position yourself and have lived day after day under these difficult circumstances without so much as a one day reprieve (we had no parents or in-laws to help us) then it may be hard to understand that when you love your children so much and you feel that you are failing as a parent for some reason with a child, how hopeless and sad you feel at the end of each day. We tried everything you could imagine to reach out to Jean-Luc. My wife read about every book that was out on the matter of raising children who are extremely active and difficult to cope with.
Then one day a friend of my wife mentioned she had a young child in Montessori school and explained some of the differences between the Montessori way and regular schools. My wife told me about her conversation and I also remembered about a friend of mine years ago (who lost his wife to cancer) that had both his kids in a Montessori school and took me out one day to pick-up his kids from school and show me around. He explained the set-up to me which sounded interesting but rather unusual. So my wife and I decided to check-out the Perth Montessori school and met with the Principal (Dr Gary Pears) to see if this is where we wanted to send Jean-Luc at this time in his life. I remember later our interview with both the Principal and one of the directors from Children's House Ms Helen Baronie. Both my wife and I attended the interview and we were also asked to bring Jean-Luc along. I remember thinking please God let Jean-Luc behave himself just long enough to get us thru this interview. Well, we arrived and I was hoping for a really short interview thinking that the probability of Jean-Luc playing up increased with the length of the interview. I felt a bit uncomfortable throughout the interview as I was just waiting for Jean-Luc to act-up and that will be that. The interview probably went for about 30 minutes which seemed an eternity for my wife and I but Jean-Luc behaved himself exceptionally well and a lot better than my most optimistic wish. Jean-Luc got accepted into kindergarten and we were as happy as you could be. Jean-Luc's first couple of weeks at Perth Montessori School went better than expected. He settled in quickly and remarkably well. After about 2 weeks at Perth Montessori I noticed a very slight change for the better in Jean-Luc, which I thought, could it be? Jean-Luc seemed to be slightly more attentive and calmer and appeared to be wanting to listen to what were saying. I mentioned this to my wife and thought I hope this is the beginning of some change in him and not my imaginations wishful thinking.
About a month at school I definitely noticed a pronounced change in Jean-Luc and I was now assured this was not a mirage. My wife and I couldn't believe what we were starting to see. After about 2 months Jean-Luc was not the same little boy that attended his first day at Montessori school. After about 6 months Jean-Luc calmed right down, made excellent friends with some of the children at school and was significantly a happier child who was listening to his parents and doing a lot of what he was told. I could take my son to a movie when ever I wanted now and while some other kids were running and jumping around in the theatre, Jean-Luc sat next to me as quiet as a mouse watching the movie so attentively. I could not help but glimpse at him during the movie to see such a beautiful little quiet happy boy which gave me so much joy to see.
My wife and I became more interested to know what was going on in Perth Montessori school that was making such a significant effect on our little boy. We learned a lot had to do with the Montessori classroom and the fact that a significant emphasis is placed on children achieving self-discipline. The classroom is structured and when Jean-Luc arrives at school everyday his first job is to greet the teacher (Ms Helen Baronie) everyday at the door in an orderly fashion with a good morning and a hand-shake. You can noticeably see that the classroom is organised with happy little children working together and assisting and teaching each other and themselves.
The teachers at Perth Montessori are the best I have seen anywhere and without doubt obtain the respect of the children who listen to what they say and do what they are told. All this that is happening in the classroom is coming home with Jean-Luc. The Principal of this school is dedicated to his job and the Montessori way and the parents are encouraged by him to be involved personally in the school. He encourages that the Montessori philosophy be extended into the home life. This is without doubt a different school environment to what I was use to seeing with my first son.
Since starting at Perth Montessori School my little boy became a much loving and caring child thanks to the Principal, the teachers and the Montessori Way. Jean-Luc comes up to us individually at home now and out of the blue would just hug us and say I love you. Speak about melting your heart and the happiness that this brings!
Perth Montessori School significantly changed our little boy into a loving caring child who brings so much joy and happiness into our lives.
Kindest Regards,
Wayne
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