Treetops | A Montessori and International Bacalaureate School

Starting School

The start of the 2023 school year has seen Treetops with our highest number of enrolments across the school since 2007, including the most Secondary students that we have ever had. This increase in enrolments has greatly been encouraged by our community’s powerful word of mouth, and the school’s continued efforts in providing an affordable, student-centred, and holistic approach to education from Pre-Kindy to Year 12. Starting at a new school can be a challenging and exciting time for students of all ages, and especially for younger children who are entering school for the first time. Our Children’s House has welcomed many new 3-5 year olds this term, who are learning the routines of the classroom and benefits of a prepared environment.

The ‘work cycle’ is an uninterrupted block of time in the morning. During this time, children are able to explore the prepared environment and engage with materials of their own choosing and other activities that are presented by the teacher. The time is meant to give them opportunities to enjoy the work they love, while also cultivating basic life skills and concentration. Our new students are learning to fetch an activity from the shelf and once completed, tidy away and place the activity back where they found it.

One of the main features of a Montessori school is the multi-age classrooms, which allows students to interact with children of varying ages, and helps young children feel more comfortable with older children. Older children also benefit from being in multi-age classrooms because it develops their leadership skills by being able to serve as mentors to the younger students and assist them with their work.

Our Children’s House utilises the Montessori curriculum, which encompasses all aspects of a child's wellbeing, including social and emotional intelligence. It nurtures the whole child. While a traditional school may focus mainly on developing a child’s cognitive abilities, the Montessori curriculum aims to develop every aspect of a child. These aspects include the four major elements that make up what Montessori refers to as the whole child: physical, emotional, social, and cognitive.

The Montessori work cycle is extremely beneficial to the educational, social, and emotional needs of each child as it allows students to:

• become independent learners

• develop at their own pace

• pursue their unique interests/ passions

• learn how to focus for long periods of time

• learn how to be respectful of their materials, environment, and other students.

Our new students have settled in well. The older children have been so helpful in setting the example and helping our new children to feel welcome!