REVIEW OF École Montessori BY parent, Sutha Ananthakumar

(5) Student Experience

My child’s experience at Ecole Montessori is great. She entered the school with no knowledge in French and now after one year, she is able to read, write, understands and speaks a little bit of French. I was looking for a French Montessori school as she was already studying in a Montessori system and I wanted her to learn French. I was skeptical initially as I don’t speak French and if I didn’t know how I will be able to help her learn French. After speaking to the principal, it gave me the confidence with my choice. My child was welcomed into the environment and she adapted well. The other students were also very helpful towards her and helped her to speak and read French. Now they are all friends and happy to see them help each other out.

(4.5) School Leadership

What stands out about the school leadership and administration is that they are welcoming to everyone and wants each students to progress well and wants the students to learn French. They respond to problems appropriately and promote a positive school environment. They also handle discipline issues fairly. When I bring any issues that my daughter is facing with the other students at school to the teachers, they respond right away and make sure that it doesn’t happen again. The students know what is expected of them and the teachers communicate effectively with the parents.

(5) Teaching

I am happy with the quality of the instructions. The teachers always see the progress in the students and introduce the right materials that would help them go to the next level. The teachers are passionate and knowledgeable about the subjects. If my daughter is stuck with Math or French, they are always there to assist her. They take their time to explain to each students. They communicate effectively with me and my daughter and give tips on how I can help her learn French at home. I think my child receives both the challenges and the support she requires. She is always challenged to the next level because she is studying with students who are from grade 1 to 6, the teachers know which level to move her to depending on her performance.

(5) Academics

The academic program at Ecole Montessori is great. My daughter is in grade 1 and her subjects are French, Math, Science, and Social Studies. She is a little bit advanced in Math and the teacher gives her grade 2 Math to do at school. The school’s strength is that they notices each students progress and they are given next level of work if they are advanced, this keeps my daughter challenged and avoid boredom. Because my daughter is studying with Grade 1 to Grade 6 students, I feel that she is motivated and challenged to compete with the older kids in terms of work and it is something I like about the academic culture in the school. I feel that that academic program at Ecole Montessori is more than adequate enough for my child’s next step.

(5) Extracurriculars

I feel that there are enough extracurricular opportunities offered at Ecole Montessori. Last year, my daughter was able to do Soccer, African dance, knitting, Karate and Zumba. She is also in the Abacus Math Program offered thorough UCMAS. The students also gets to participate in a competition for Abacus. I feel the school is proving the right context in which to develop well-rounded students.

(4.5) Students

I like the size of the students in the class. There are about 14 students in total and I feel that this is the right amount of students that I want my child to be in. She will get the attention and the help she needs and it will also give her a chance to be close with her friends. What stands out most about the atmosphere of the school is that each child is from different culture and background and it will give the opportunity for the children to learn about each other’s culture. The students get along with each other regardless of their age and background and are willing to help each other. The student that speaks French fluently help the students who are learning to speak. They are always encouraged to speak in French.

(4.5) School Life

The overall quality of student life at Ecole Montessori is good. My child loves going to school. Being the only child at home, school is where she meets her friends and interact with her age group people. Even though she is learning French, the other students and teachers always encourage her to speak in French and help her when needed. She feels welcomed and they are all friendly towards her so she is happy to go to school. One thing I would say to improve the quality of the life of it’s students is to assist more with homework. If one of the parent speaks French, it makes it easy to help with the homework. If one doesn’t speak French, it makes it difficult to assist the child at home especially during online learning.

(4.5) Community

What stands out about the broader community at Ecole Montessori is that the parents are always informed and involved with any changes in the school and the teacher always communicate effectively and asks if the parents would be interested in certain types of extracurricular activities at school. Most of the parents are willing to participate and let the kids enrol in all types of activities offered at school. The parents are always welcome to be involved in the life of school. The areas that I think the parents can be more involved with the life of school would be to understand how the grading system works, how to prepare for a quiz or test and how to help the students at home for their growth.

(5) School Location

What stands out to me about the surrounding neighborhood and community of the school is that the school is inside a church and is surrounded my house areas. It’s a safe and quiet neighborhood. The play area for students is segregated from the parking lot and there is designated play area for the younger kids with a fence. I feel that the students are safe when they are playing outside.