The Montessori classroom is commonly referred to as a “Prepared Environment”. This name reflects the care and attention that is given to creating a learning environment that will reinforce the children’s independence and intellectual development. The prepared environment includes the classroom furnishings, the materials and the teachers working within it.
A Montessori class is composed of a three year grouping of children. Classes tend to be stable communities with only the oldest third moving on to the next level each year. At Boundary Bay Montessori the classes are as follows:

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• Preschool/K, ages 3-6,

• Primary, ages 6-9,

• Intermediate, ages 9-13

 

Each child is a unique individual with their own interests, abilities, strengths and weaknesses. They learn at their own pace and have their own learning style. Montessori classrooms include curriculum that covers a span of interests and abilities that support all students including accelerated students in the class thereby creating a highly enriched learning environment. The materials are unique in that they range from simple to complex and lead the student from concrete experience to an abstract mastery of concepts. In a mixed level class, children can always find peers working at their current level. Young children are stimulated by the older children’s work and the older children develop mastery by serving as tutors and role models for the younger ones.