Our Mission
Who we are
Our mission at The Bay Academy Montessori is to provide quality education and character development for your child at our school. Through the use of the Montessori philosophy and curriculum, it is our aim to nurture your child’s love of learning, inspire a passion for them to achieve their personal best. Using an educational method that places your child at its centre, we are able to develop the unique intellectual, physical, spiritual, artistic and academic potential inherent in your child. Our mission is to meet their individual needs while simultaneously creating an atmosphere of cooperation, group participation and community.
Our Facilities
An Environment for Our Students to Grow & Excel
For self-directed learning to occur, the whole learning environment – the physical space, learning materials, and social climate – must support the learner. The Directress provides the necessary resources and opportunities for children to function in a safe and positive environment. The Directress thus gains the children’s trust, which enables them to try new things and build self-confidence.
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Our intent is to
… provide an authentic Montessori education; partnering with parents to prepare your children for life. To always strive to create the highest quality of learning environment that discovers and develops the unique potential in every child.
The Bay Academy Montessori offers an authentic Montessori environment for children during their second “plane of development”: Childhood (6 to 12 years of age). The children are grouped in classroom environments according to the principles of the Montessori philosophy, formed around the distinct characteristics that children of different ages have. Junior Primary (6 – 9 years), and Senior Primary (9 – 12 years). The mixed-age grouping in our environments supports the natural progress of socialisation and development.
It is fundamental to our Montessori philosophy that learning, and development is not linear, but rather flows in cycles. We focus on enabling each child to fulfill their own unique potential academically, emotionally, socially, and spiritually. Our educators are heart-centered and mindful guides. They strive to connect with every child, and are dedicated to develop a love of learning, self-awareness and respect for self and others.
The Teacher
The Primary school teacher is called a “Directress”. The Montessori adult functions as a facilitator of learning. The adult guides the children through their education, allowing the child to have autonomy in their own learning; they are able to follow their own interests and the natural curiosity they have about the world around them.
The Directress is a role model, designer of the environment, resource person, demonstrator, record-keeper and observer of each child’s growth and development. They encourage respect and loves each child as a special, unique individual. The Directress also provides support for parents and joins them in a partnership to nurture the development of the child.
A Holistic Curriculum
The whole child approach: the primary goal of a Montessori programme is to help each child reach their full potential in all areas of life. We make use of both concrete teaching materials and a well-defined innovative curriculum tailored to a three-year cycle. Activities promote the development of social skills, emotional growth and physical co-ordination, as well as cognitive preparation. The holistic curriculum allows the child to experience the joy of learning and to develop self-esteem and independence.
The Prepared Environment
For self-directed learning to take place, the whole learning environment – room, materials and social climate – must be supportive of the learner. The children need to feel intrinsically motivated by their learning environment.
Montessori operates on the principle of “freedom within limits”. Every environment has its set of ground rules which differs from age to age but is always based on core Montessori beliefs: respect for each other and for the environment.These ground rules are developed each year by the classroom community, allowing each child to have input and have accountability thereafter.
These are the core of our Primary School culture learning area. Our culture learning area (comprising of biology, science, history & geography etc.) acts as a linking element between the other different learning areas (mathematics, language, etc.), enabling us to offer an integrated curriculum.
The Great Lessons are an essential part of the Montessori Primary Curriculum. They appeal to the children’s imagination, and impart new facts that the child is motivated to explore further. Their curiosity is awakened as they are inspired by new ideas, awed by the world around them and enthused by the human potential.
There are Five Great Lessons that are told to the children near the beginning of each year in Primary School. The stories give a general overview on five topics, and provide the children with the keys to knowledge that enable them to launch into more distinctive learning that interests them personally.
- First Great Lesson – Coming of the Universe and the Earth
- Second Great Lesson – Coming of Life
- Third Great Lesson – Coming of Human Beings
- Fourth Great Lesson – The Story of Language
- Fifth Great Lesson – The Story of Numbers
Throughout the year, when new presentations are given in the different learning areas, the stories are referred to. This provides cohesion to the various learning areas and offers the child a fully integrated curriculum.
Building Emotional Inteligence.
The Primary child is sensitive to developing their understanding of certain aspects between the ages of 6 to 12 years of age. Some of which include; social development, imagination, justice and morals, human history and culture, money and economic value, and investigating time and the universe.
Our Primary School provides the children with a prepared environment and the appropriate adult guidance, in order for them to encounter and explore these sensitive periods optimally.
Social Development
Children crave the company of their peers and want to learn together and from each other. This is a time where they develop their skills of conflict resolution and teamwork. They gain understanding of the benefits of friendship, and the balance between meeting their individual needs and those of the group.
Imagination
The Primary Children love to use their imaginations. They make use of imagination to place facts and make sense of them. Stories are often used in our Primary Environments in order to impart information. It is for this reason that The Five Great Lessons are an essential part of our culture curriculum.
Justice and Morals
Children at this age want things to be fair. It is important for them to understand the reasoning behind rules, actions and consequences. At this age they are interested in learning about character development and the impact their actions have on others.
A Message From
The Head of Primary
As part of the Montessori Primary (6 -12 years) program, children are given lessons in small groups. Follow-up activities are not assigned, but rather children are encouraged and supported to come up with their own project ideas, research questions, and then complete the work they have chosen. Providing students with the freedom to plan, initiate, and solve problems nurtures their sense of responsibility. In a Montessori community children take an active role in their learning as opposed to passively participating, which promotes curiosity, creativity, and retention of knowledge through meaningful experiences.
Testimonials
What Parents are Saying
The Montessori approach is such an empowering and supportive education system. The children have a noticeable quiet confidence, and they are inquisitive and secure in their individuality: they are shown every day that their opinions are important, that they will be heard, and that their unique contribution to the school environment is welcomed and valued. Understanding the Montessori system and following the natural development of the child has made parenting easier and has built a relaxed and respectful atmosphere at home. My children look forward to school every day and really that is the best testimonial I think one can give. We love the Bay Academy and are very grateful to be part of this mindful, responsive and insightful community.
When I began my Montessori journey with my oldest son, I knew nothing about Maria Montessori or her philosophies. I had lost faith in all schooling systems and was applying in desperation to find a solution to my child’s education. I felt hopeless and defeated. Fast forward 5 years and it is overwhelming to have watched my anxious, low self-esteem child find his voice and flourished into a confident, charismatic young man. These past five years have changed not only my children’s schooling experience, but my parenting ethos too. I am a true believer and cannot recommend enough how amazing this school is.
Bronwyn
Parent
“My daughter came across from Hout Bay Montessori & started in senior primary at The Bay Academy this year. It has been an amazing journey watching her love for learning grow and her enthusiasm to go to school everyday, in this wonderful new environment.
The directresses have encouraged her to be a confident, independent and inquiring child.”
Benita
Parent