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25.01.2022 The first SA Montessori centre - Jescott Montessori Preschool - was opened back in 1989 by our founder Barbara Langford. You may know that the name "Jescott" is an amalgamation of the names of Barbaras children - Jess and Scott - as they were her inspiration for developing a Montessori preschool. Her daughter Jessica (thats me!) is now the Director of Jescott Montessori and a proud co-owner of Rosemont House, Lilliput Village and Little Oxford.... Her son Scott now lives in Sydney where he is the CEO of SGCH, the affordable housing organisation. Scotts work shares so many similarities with the values of Montessori - it focuses on social justice, empowering individuals and equipping them with the security and opportunities that they need to lead fulfilling lives. With Anzac Day approaching, Scott filmed a message for his workmates in honour of another member of our family who proudly lived his life in service of others. Scott has kindly allowed us to share his message. Scott would like us to point out that this was originally intended as an internal message for his staff members (hence the DIY filming happening quite informally), but as I reassured my big brother - nobody will be concerned about the production values of the video itself when they will be focused on the human values that it is celebrating. As Anzac Day approaches we remember those who served and sacrificed for us, and this year that inspiration is of particular relevance to all of us as we make adjustments in our lives for the protection of others. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FdCwQQFbEs&feature=youtu.be

24.01.2022 Save the date! We're delighted to announce that our annual SA Montessori Open Day will be held on Saturday 12th September. All six of the SA Montessori centres will be open on one day so that parents who are considering more than one of our environments have the opportunity to transition from one to the next in the same afternoon. ... We know many families have been eagerly awaiting the chance to visit our centres as we suspended tours for several months this year due to the Covid-19 situation. We are delighted that restrictions have eased and risks have reduced enough to allow us to hold an Open Day in a safe and healthy manner. Please note that we are still very conscious of the need to be 'Covid-safe'. We will have protocols in place at our Open Day to ensure a safe and healthy experience for our visitors and for the usual occupants of our classrooms. We will be checking temperatures at the gate (anyone with a fever will politely be offered a private tour on a date when they are healthy), we will be keeping records of attendees, we will be monitoring hand hygiene before entry and throughout the visit, and we will be thoroughly sanitising our surfaces and resources.

24.01.2022 Lilliput Village Montessori is true to its name - here are some pictures of the little village that the children explore as part of their outdoor playscape. A wonderful opportunity for socio-dramatic play that naturally introduces literacy and numeracy concepts in a joyful way and encourages each childs blossoming independence! These charming little stores were proudly on display during our Open Day last Saturday.

23.01.2022 We are delighted to announce that we have vacancies for 2021 in our 'Nido' environment for babies at Little Oxford Montessori. Dr Maria Montessori said, "The greatness of the human personality begins at the hour of birth." We share her conviction that our smallest children deserve the greatest respect, care and understanding. That belief underpins all that we do in our Nido environment; from our nurturing relationships with the babies, to the enriched learning programs we bui...ld to guide their development, to the exquisite furnishings we choose to create a beautiful, blissful physical space. Our Nido numbers are very limited so that we can create an intimate atmosphere, so we are extremely excited that we have an opportunity to welcome some new families into that community in 2021. Enquire now by emailing [email protected] or calling 7009 4588. You can learn more, and download our Prospectus, at: https://www.samontessori.com.au/little-oxford-montessori/

23.01.2022 This is an extraordinarily positive position for South Australia to be in right now! We wish to celebrate our South Aussie community for making sacrifices, taking precautions and following guidelines - our collective efforts have certainly paid off! We also acknowledge the health professionals who have been the ones guiding patients through their recovery. We can show our gratitude and excitement by keeping up the good work even as we start to step back towards our more fam...iliar routines. In the coming weeks you will notice that our SA Montessori preschools will continue with many of the protocols that weve implemented during the crisis. You might wonder why were still being so cautious when we have zero active cases in the state, but please be aware that were doing this to try to ensure it stays that way! Any changes or relaxing of restrictions will be small, gradual and staggered. It is important for all of us in South Australia to ensure that we dont become complacent. There is a difference between having zero active cases at present and having eradicated the virus entirely, and we should not confuse one with the other. We can be optimistic without becoming overconfident. We still need to be safe and sensible. We all need to continue playing our part in this ongoing recovery effort! Having zero active cases is a fantastic foundation for developing our new-normal, which consists of maintaining the health and hygiene strategies weve developed during the crisis while welcoming the return of some of the parts of life that weve been missing over the last couple of months.

23.01.2022 18.11.20 2pm Dear SA Montessori families,...Continue reading

23.01.2022 The "Three Period Lesson" is such a handy and effective tool for expressing new information to a child. It harnesses the natural power of repetition to allow a scaffolded opportunity for a child to encounter a new concept and acquire new language. It can easily be replicated at home as well - simply substitute the pink cubes and sizes from this lesson with whatever objects and words youd like to introduce!

23.01.2022 "Hindsight is 2020"...a phrase we've heard so many times, yet suddenly feels so prescient. What are the challenges of this year teaching us that we wish we had learned sooner? What did we take for granted that we now appreciate? What did we fail to see that now looks so clear? This short story is a beautiful reminder that we can take the difficulty of the present and use it to inspire a better future.

21.01.2022 Our SA Montessori families are not just passionate parents - they are also skilled professionals! We encourage you to use this directory to look for services, businesses and organisations that might enrich your life while also supporting your SA Montessori community. Please send us a direct message if you would like to add your business.

21.01.2022 Have you got a cardboard box handy? Turn it into a "Mystery Box" and provide your child with lots of fun and laughter as they refine their sense of touch and problem-solving skills!

20.01.2022 South Australia is beginning to reopen its doors! Families are now free to get out of the house and explore a little more. Many businesses are responding to eased restrictions by reopening or moving back towards their usual ways of operating. In the coming weeks and months we can all make choices to support our economic recovery by buying local and engaging with small businesses. Wed like to get even more local by connecting our SA Montessori families to one another dir...ectly. We will be developing a Business Directory for our community. We know that many of you run your own businesses, or may work with organisations that you would be proud to promote, and we would love to raise awareness for your services. You can submit your details to our SA Montessori Business Directory so that other families can find you! Even if you dont submit a business, you can use the Directory to find one! Im sure we will all be looking for ways to shop and spend ethically to support our local economy, and so you can use the SA Montessori Business Directory to find passionate professionals who are not only locally operated but who share an extra connection to you as fellow members of the SA Montessori family.

19.01.2022 Our Practical Life activities are fun, engaging and purposeful (as they teach children real skills that they will use in their lives each day) but they are also excellent preparation for writing! The movements of the hand, the coordination and concentration that develop, and the strengthening of the pincer grip all help to prepare the childs hand and mind for writing.

19.01.2022 Our 'Practical Life' activities are fun, engaging and purposeful (as they teach children real skills that they will use in their lives each day) but they are also excellent preparation for writing! The movements of the hand, the coordination and concentration that develop, and the strengthening of the 'pincer' grip all help to prepare the child's hand and mind for writing.

17.01.2022 Tomorrow is Early Childhood Educators Day. At Jescott Montessori we are inviting our families to contribute to our Gratitude Wall where they can share a message of appreciation for our amazing educators!

17.01.2022 Lilliput Village Montessori is true to its name - here are some pictures of the little 'village' that the children explore as part of their outdoor playscape. A wonderful opportunity for socio-dramatic play that naturally introduces literacy and numeracy concepts in a joyful way and encourages each child's blossoming independence! These charming little stores were proudly on display during our Open Day last Saturday.

17.01.2022 Our community of families and educators have shown such resilience this year, navigating their way through a very unexpected and challenging journey (that still isnt over), and we know that weve been able to get through it because of the strength of our web of relationships!

16.01.2022 We are delighted to welcome families to our SA Montessori Open Day today. It is not only a chance to see our environments, but to FEEL the warm and comforting atmospheres that make our communities so special. There is still time for you to register, and luckily we have space within our Covid-safe capacity to welcome some spontaneous visitors even if you havent formally registered. For more information view our event page: SA Montessori Open Day

16.01.2022 DO YOU FEEL SAFE WITH VOLUNTEERS / STUDENT-TEACHERS RETURNING TO OUR CLASSROOMS? SA Montessori centres have always proudly supported emerging educators by hosting volunteers and student-teachers in our classrooms. Our passionate team members have always been generous in providing mentoring to those who are just starting their journey as early childhood professionals. During the Covid-19 crisis we suspended our hosting of volunteers or practical placement students. This was ...to follow the Government guidelines about social distancing and about avoiding non-essential activity. As restrictions ease we now have the capacity to reconsider our position on this matter. We would love to begin supporting volunteers and student-teachers again. It is beneficial to the individual, to the sector, and to our centres. It enriches our classrooms and our children to welcome new perspectives into our program, and it allows us to have a positive influence on the early childhood landscape by guiding new teachers to embrace the types of respectful, responsive practices that we offer in our centres. Yet we realise that the risk of Covid-19 has not entirely disappeared, and we also know that the sense of safety and security that our families feel is of the upmost importance. We do not want to reintroduce additional adults into our environment if it would make our parents feel that it poses a risk to their children. We would therefore like to consult with our parent community about whether you would feel comfortable with volunteers and/or student-teachers returning to our classrooms. We invite you to please participate in the poll below. Thank you! :)

16.01.2022 One of the biggest decisions that new parents make is choosing a childcare environment for their little one. Trusting someone outside of the family to care for the most valuable treasure in your life is a big step. That is why we invest so much effort into building and maintaining meaningful, trusting relationships with parents as well as children. Little Oxford Montessori in Unley currently has limited vacancies in our Preschool classroom (children aged 3 to school age)

15.01.2022 Music is an important part of our Montessori programs, with song and dance bringing joy into the lives of our little ones. The magic of music isnt limited to children - people of all ages feel uplifted and inspired by song, and can be bonded and connected by singing together. An amazing example of this is The Caring Choir, a community group based in Unley which provides an empowering environment for adults with disabilities and their carers to come together to express the...mselves through song. There is no audition process or prior knowledge required, the goal is simply to sing for enjoyment and to help the carers and cared for share their voices. We were lucky enough to meet two members of this group, Mike and Liz. These two lovely individuals are kindly donating some wood from their very impressive gum tree for our nature play space and in the course of collecting the branches we found ourselves chatting about the Caring Choir. It is an inspiring endeavour and one that we wanted to share with our community. The choir is currently on hiatus for public health reasons but as the Covid related restrictions ease we will be looking at ways to partner with the Caring Choir by arranging performances for our children and potentially providing some rehearsal space if needed. In the meantime you can visit their website to watch some of their beautiful videos. http://www.thecaringchoir.com/442605735

15.01.2022 Separated by glass, but connected by friendship! Our Rosemont House children visiting their friends in the nursing home. We used to go inside to play together, but for now we keep our distance to keep our elders safe. We cant wait for the day that we can be face to face and hand in hand again!

14.01.2022 We realise that current events around the world, and here in Australia, might be making you think about talking to your children about inclusivity and diversity. This segment from Play School provides an empowering and age-appropriate introduction to understanding the importance of celebrating our differences and respecting one another. https://iview.abc.net.au/show/play-school-hand-in-hand

14.01.2022 In honour of Anzac Day, we are proud to present an Anzac Biscuit Tutorial starring an old scholar of SA Montessori. Wed love you to follow along at home by making a batch of your own as a symbol of remembrance and respect for Anzac Day 2020. Thank you to Emma and Cath for creating this video for our SA Montessori community.... If you make your own batch of biscuits over the weekend wed love you to share photos or feedback in the comments below!

13.01.2022 Thank you for all the submissions to our SA Montessori Community Business Directory. We have used a platform called Honeycommb to create a convenient list of the amazing services and organisations that our families have submitted. You can download the Honeycommb app, or go to their website, to find SA-Montessori (or copy and paste the URL below):... https://sa-montessori.honeycommb.app/invite We will also follow the businesses on Instagram - so if you follow sa_montessori youll be able to check who we are Following to help you connect with these great professionals. Well also have a Facebook Album featuring the businesses, and over the coming weeks and months we will promote one business at a time on our social platforms. You can keep contributing to the directory if you want to add your business, and we encourage you to use the platform to find some amazing services from within our SA Montessori community.

12.01.2022 Nature Play SA have developed an amazing free resource for families to support you through the Covid experience. It focuses on the well-being of children and adults alike, and provides practical inspiration for what you can do together during this time at home. It also provides embedded links to a range of other services, organisations and resources that might help you during this time. It is an absolutely fantastic guide and we highly recommend that our families download a free copy. https://natureplaysa.org.au/famili/family-nature-covid-19/

12.01.2022 Save the date! Were delighted to announce that our annual SA Montessori Open Day will be held on Saturday 12th September. All six of the SA Montessori centres will be open on one day so that parents who are considering more than one of our environments have the opportunity to transition from one to the next in the same afternoon. ... We know many families have been eagerly awaiting the chance to visit our centres as we suspended tours for several months this year due to the Covid-19 situation. We are delighted that restrictions have eased and risks have reduced enough to allow us to hold an Open Day in a safe and healthy manner. Please note that we are still very conscious of the need to be Covid-safe. We will have protocols in place at our Open Day to ensure a safe and healthy experience for our visitors and for the usual occupants of our classrooms. We will be checking temperatures at the gate (anyone with a fever will politely be offered a private tour on a date when they are healthy), we will be keeping records of attendees, we will be monitoring hand hygiene before entry and throughout the visit, and we will be thoroughly sanitising our surfaces and resources.

11.01.2022 Caring for your children is our privilege, and we take our responsibility to protect them very seriously. In the past fortnight, 10 of our educators have had Covid tests as a precaution after developing mild flu-like symptoms. All of these team members took leave to self-isolate while awaiting their results (even if they felt fine). All of these results came back Negative. 5 additional educators took sick leave or were sent home early from work as a result of very mild sy...Continue reading

10.01.2022 We are saddened to learn of the recent passing of a former SA Montessori team member. Beth taught at Rosemont House Montessori several years ago, and her young children attended as well. Beth made many positive contributions to our centre and to the families that she engaged with. We can only imagine the immense loss and heartbreak that her family must be feeling at this difficult time, and we extend our sincerest sympathies. https://givealittle.co.nz/cau/bring-our-beautiful-beth-home

10.01.2022 We wish to remind our community of the importance of vigilance, caution and being proactive when it comes to any signs or symptoms. We are continuing our in-house Covid safe protocols, including temperature checks for attending children and strict cleaning procedures, but we need parent support to keep our community safe and our centres open. Please do not bring your child to Montessori if they show any signs of infectious illness. Please do not attend our sites yourself if y...ou are unwell. If you have even the mildest concern about your health, or your child’s well-being, please seek medical advice, get tested, and follow the isolation requirements. Adelaide has been extremely lucky this year but this is a strong reminder that we need to continue taking the public health situation very seriously. We are proud that SA Montessori has continued to maintain care and caution in keeping our centres safe and secure for children. We will maintain this as time goes on and follow any Government advice should the situation evolve further. As always, we will keep our parents informed of any changes that might impact them but in the meantime we appreciate your ongoing support and respect in following our established health and hygiene guidelines. Please take care of yourselves, each other, and our community. See more

10.01.2022 "Hindsight is 2020"...a phrase weve heard so many times, yet suddenly feels so prescient. What are the challenges of this year teaching us that we wish we had learned sooner? What did we take for granted that we now appreciate? What did we fail to see that now looks so clear? This short story is a beautiful reminder that we can take the difficulty of the present and use it to inspire a better future.

09.01.2022 Just give it an honest effort but really, no one expects parents to do it all.

09.01.2022 We are so proud of our team at Rosemont House Montessori for responding to Covid with creativity! Our sense of community is upheld from afar through the use of ICT to connect our social distancing children with their peers in the classroom.

08.01.2022 Today is Early Childhood Educators Day. An opportunity to express appreciation for the people who are not only a childs first teachers outside of the family, but the childs first family outside of their home. An early childhood educator isnt just a "teacher". They are nurses, psychologists, friends, playmates, mediators and more. An early childhood educator doesnt walk in and out of a job. They walk into little lives and leave footprints that often last forever.... An early childhood educator doesnt clock out when they leave the classroom. They take their little ones home in their hearts; smiling at the happy moments of the day, worrying about the tears they wiped away, pondering and planning to concoct creative ideas for the days ahead. An early childhood educator doesnt give "lessons" - they give their hearts and souls. At SA Montessori we are blessed to have a team of educators who are truly remarkable. This year has brought that into sharper focus than ever, as we watched them work under extremely stressful and uncertain conditions without ever compromising the quality of care that they offered to children and families. Being exceptional in the good times is impressive, but maintaining that excellence during an unprecedented challenge is nothing short of inspirational. To all of our team members..... Thank you! Thank you for every day, for all that you do, for giving these children gifts that they will carry for eternity.

07.01.2022 On Saturday 15th September, Rosemont House Montessori held their annual Open Day. This year looked a little different due to our current COVID protocols, however we were so grateful to the lovely families who patiently waited in line to enter. Our Edurarers were very busy showing parents through both of our environments and we found that the structure of the session provided families with the opportunity to ask questions specific to their unique situations. We were very fortunate to meet more than 90 new smiling faces and wish to thank our amazing staff, whose passion and joy is evident it all that they contribute to Rosemont House.

06.01.2022 We love when an activity is engaging for a child and also relatively easy for a parent to set up and supervise. We know our families want to keep offering inspiring experiences for their children, but with parents juggling lots of different tasks and carrying a heavy mental load its important to embrace the opportunities that dont require a lot of time or input from the parent but still offer lots of positives for the child. This one certainly ticks those boxes!

06.01.2022 Lest We Forget, In recognition of Remembrance Day, our Montessori children have been learning about the history of this day and the meaning of symbols such as the poppy and rosemary, and have been participating in activities to honour the memories and legacies of those who served to protect our country. The Montessori approach is more than simply a style of education; it is a philosophy for life, and one which strongly advocates for the importance of peace. As Dr Montessori said, "Establishing lasting peace is the work of education; all politics can do is keep us out of war." We are working each day to cultivate caring citizens of the world who will work together for a peaceful future.

05.01.2022 Dr Maria Montessori said "Of all things, love is most potent" and surely we could add "and of all love, a mothers is most powerful." Happy Mothers Day to all of the mums in our Montessori community and around the world. What you give to your children is immeasurable and irreplaceable. Whether you gave birth, adopted, foster or step-parent, you are giving your little ones an extraordinary gift by guiding them through life. ... If you are part of the sisterhood helping women to raise their little ones - the grandmothers, the aunts, the friends who are always there - thank you for all that you do to support those children and their mums! If youre waiting to become a mum one day, today is a great opportunity to look around you at the mothers you admire to absorb the values that you hope to emulate one day. We also wish to acknowledge that today there are some people missing their mums, and mums missing their children. If your loved one is at a distance, or no longer here on earth, today can be bittersweet as the joyful memories and the painful absences sit side by side. We are sending you love and strength as you celebrate the people who are still within you even if they are not beside you.

05.01.2022 We are so proud to be a part of this innovative project with ECH for their new retirement living apartments at Smart Rd, Modbury. The importance of empowering our elders with opportunities for independent living has always been important, but it feels more crucial than ever in a time where we are seeing some of the shortcomings of traditional aged care environments. ECH is not just creating a building, they are developing a transformative community where individuals continu...e to live with purpose, engagement, autonomy and dignity. We are honoured that we will be able to be in that same environment, connecting our children with their elders. If youve ever doubted how important that intergenerational connection truly is, simply ask a grandparent who was isolated from their grandchildren because of Covid this year. They will tell you how uplifting those relationships are, how much joy stems from each shared moment, and how much richer life is when they can be together. We are creating a space where children and elders will have the chance to connect safely in a natural, meaningful way where each individual chooses their level of involvement and where the two age groups join together to form one village. A long process of dreaming, designing, planning and perfecting has been going on for several years behind the scenes, and being able to see that take shape with the physical construction is so motivating. We are excited to watch the environment continuing to take shape, and we cant wait for the day that we can step inside to create our community!

05.01.2022 In honour of Anzac Day, we are proud to present an Anzac Biscuit Tutorial starring an 'old scholar' of SA Montessori. We'd love you to follow along at home by making a batch of your own as a symbol of remembrance and respect for Anzac Day 2020. Thank you to Emma and Cath for creating this video for our SA Montessori community.... If you make your own batch of biscuits over the weekend we'd love you to share photos or feedback in the comments below!

04.01.2022 "Hands in the air, rockabye your bear..." This song is always a crowdpleaser at Preschool and now it is reaching across the generations - and around the country - to connect people from afar! Wed love to see our SA Montessori families getting involved! ... If youre staying at home we invite you to sing and dance along - and well be uploading some videos from within our centres too!

02.01.2022 Cedars Montessori (Unley) currently have vacancies available from 13th July 2020. Please email [email protected] for more information or to register your interest!

02.01.2022 There is a lot of conflicting coverage about when and how the Childcare Relief Package should be phased out. This article is a helpful reminder that free childcare isnt free - it is subsidised by educators and centres, and so it still comes at a cost to parents who might struggle to get access to the days of care that they need, who might miss the key educators who are a vital part of their childs life but are now working fewer hours, who might feel saddened by the change...s within a service that are necessary for it to afford to keep operating. Families in need deserve significant and sustained support through this crisis, but this package does not achieve balanced outcomes for every stakeholder. We hope that the transition back to the Child Care Subsidy system will include greater rates of funding and increased access to additional Financial Hardship support so that families who are struggling can be supported without sacrificing educators or robbing parents of the right to make choices about their childs early learning experiences.