Montessori Star’s classroom, located in St Albans, Christchurch is designed specifically for 2 to 6-year olds. It is an orderly, child-sized world where organisation allows children to choose their own work and return it neatly to the shelf once completed. Children work with materials independently, with their peers or with a teacher. Adults treat children with respect and understanding, encouraging independence and building self-esteem. 

Our focus is on the whole child and choices of activities are carefully selected to provide interest, variety, and the necessary learning experiences. Coordination, manners, respect for others, and self are fostered, increasing your child’s social skills and awareness. 

Our curriculum is developed from 3 critical components: Montessori, Te Whāriki (“the mat”), & Emergent Curriculum. 

Montessori

The Montessori approach begins with the acknowledged potential of each child and provides for physical, cognitive and spiritual development through a prepared environment. 

With specialised equipment and qualified teachers that nurture independence, concentration, co-operation and respect while focusing on each child’s unique learning style and encouraging the child’s own natural desire to learn. 

Te Whāriki (English translation: “the mat”) 

This is the National Curriculum for Early Childhood Education. Unique in its bicultural framing, Te Whāriki expresses the vision that all children grow up in New Zealand as competent and confident learners, strong in their identity, language and culture. It emphasises our bicultural foundation, our multi-cultural present and the shared future we are creating. 

It implements a programme of learning and development that encourages and supports each child’s personalised learning pathway alongside adults who know them well and have their best interests at heart. 

The underpinning concept of the whāriki (mat) enables and supports this diversity. 

Emergent Curriculum 

This part of the curriculum is based on children’s interests, learning styles and dispositions. Through observation, our skilled teachers notice and record children’s activity choices and interests and plan ways to extend and develop these further. This allows children the opportunity to gain independence and direct their own learning.