HISTORY

The history of this school begins with a special person, Dr. Maria Montessori. In 1896, Maria Montessori became Italy’s first female doctor. As a physician, Maria Montessori had an opportunity to work with many different children and to observe them under a variety of circumstances. Over time she formalized her study of children and sought to design tools to help children learn. As a result of her studies Maria Montessori concluded:

• All learning is an individual and personal experience. To be effective, education must be personal and individual.
• Certain stages in a child’s development make the child receptive to different types of learning. These stages must be identified and incorporated into an effective teaching system.
• Children are naturally both able and eager to learn when provided with the appropriate guidance, tools, and environment.
• The goal of early childhood education must be to develop in each child his/her natural talents and to stimulate his/her desire to learn.

Cape Farm Montessori School was established in 2010 with the support of 5 families who were looking for a personalized and holistic approach to education. Within 1 year, we had increased our numbers to 20 children, which was the total amount allowed by the authorities at that time. In 2015 we received permission to operate the school on a permanent basis from our current location with a maximum of 34 children. We currently offer authentic Montessori education to children from the age of 18 months to 6 years.

VISION

At Cape Farm Montessori school we strive to provide a personalized, compassionate and creative approach to education which nurtures the diverse talents of all our children. This is based on the belief in the value of the individual, the right to self-determination, our potential to evolve and have a fulfilled life and the importance of raising independent and happy children with a high degree of empathy for others.

OUR MISSION

Cape Farm Montessori’s mission is to facilitate the child’s total development in an environment that fosters respect, cooperation, order, choice and the opportunity to fulfil their potential using the Montessori philosophy and methodology. Pupils are taught in an atmosphere of beauty and inspiration, free from the burden of competition for grades, prizes or rewards.

This mission is accomplished by:

• Implementation of an authentic Montessori curriculum in the South African context with awareness of appropriate current educational and child development research.
• Allowing for individual and holistic physical, cognitive, emotional, social, normative and aesthetic development. Respecting and nurturing your child’s dignity and ability is a crucial element.
• Providing a naturalized outdoor learning environment to stimulate the diversity of children’s play experience and encourage spontaneous discovery and exploration.
• The integration of sufficient free play for the advancement of social skills, language skills and cognitive development.
• Infusing children with nature and encouraging contact with animals in order to cultivate a deep-rooted caring ethic with kindness, compassion and responsibility.
• Providing a foundation for good health and nutrition.
• Preparing children for a life of learning through flexible thinking and reasoning strategies which encourage them in individual and collaborative thought and questioning in their learning.
• Providing a classroom atmosphere of beauty and inspiration with emphasis on appealing furniture, ornaments, materials and objects from nature.
• Creating an independent environment where children can grow, flourish and become self-directed and confident with age appropriate levels of autonomy.
• Supporting the early identification and interventions regarding barriers to learning and development.

EDUCATION GOALS

• To enter into a partnership with parents in the education of their children
• To encourage the self-motivation and self-discipline that will lead to a lifelong pursuit of knowledge
• To lead children to mastery of precisely identified intellectual, social, and physical skills
• To help children develop a positive self-image as the key to the development of their full potential
• To foster open minds, compassion, and respect for others
• To balance self-reliance, independence, and responsible freedom with the skills of working cooperatively
• To instil in each child a sense of duty and personal responsibility for the world in which we live

Montessori embodies both a philosophy and a method of education. The program at our school focuses on the development of each child’s full potential, using both concrete teaching materials and a well-defined innovative curriculum tailored to the young child. Vertical age groups mirror the family structure and provide a multitude of benefits that are immediately apparent when observing a typical Montessori classroom. Younger children in each group have an opportunity to observe and imitate the older pupils as they work. Older students have an opportunity to reinforce their own knowledge by explaining what they are doing and assisting younger children. Each child can learn and develop at his own pace within a classroom that accommodates many levels of ability and complexity.