Programs
Daycare
Each of the 2 and 3-year-old groups are comprised of one francophone and one anglophone educator. For this reason, children are exposed to both English and French upon their arrival at our Montessori daycare. There are 16 children per group, and they are paired with two educators. The minimum age required to integrate into our daycare is 2 years old. Please note that we prioritize children who have siblings at the school. Our daycare is open from 7:30 am to 6:00 pm from Monday to Friday. We are closed during the summer as indicated in the calendar.
Our Montessori daycare offers a class of toddlers a special year to develop in an atmosphere of affection, attention, respect, and comfort. They are guided closely and are provided with structure, so their social, emotional, physical, and psychological needs are met.
In this environment, there is room to move, space for individual work, and space for group activities. Everything is proportionate to the size of the child to ensure safety and make it aesthetic pleasing to them. The in-class work pace is simply slower than the Pre-Kindergarten level.
Prekindergarten 3 years old
Each of the two- and 3-year-old groups are comprised of one francophone and one anglophone educator. For this reason, children are exposed to both English and French upon their arrival at our Montessori daycare. There are 16 children per group, and they are paired with two educators. Please note that we prioritize children who have siblings at the school.
EMI children are given opportunities to develop their language skills, sensory skills as well as artistic and musical abilities. There is also a large emphasis placed on practical life skills.
This area provides children with the opportunity to develop skills to care for themselves and their surrounding environment. Emphasis is placed on the control of their movements, kindness, and courtesy towards others. Practical life activities are simple and can be accomplished by each child. They offer repetitive cycles which allow the child to establish patterns of order and sequencing. Due to the fact that these are real-life activities, students develop a sense of self-esteem which is the ultimate goal. This is accomplished through repeated success with these activities.
The Montessori classroom is a “living room” for children. Children choose their activities from open shelves with self-correcting materials, and they work in distinct areas throughout the classroom such as on the tables, on the floor, or on roll out rugs. Over a period of time, they develop an ability to concentrate well with few interruptions.
Kindergarten
At École Montessori International Blainville (EMI Blainville) we provide the children with an advanced program, and here is why:
We teach the whole child through the discovery of learning.
The Montessori math materials are concrete manipulative materials which allow children to visualize and better understand the concepts of numbers, symbols, sequencing, and operations. They also assist in the memorization of basic facts.
Kindergarten to Montessori International Blainville School
The language materials are introduced to the child by the written letter as well as through its sound. We encourage muscular memory through the touching of sandpaper letters. Various presentations allow children to effortlessly link sounds to their written symbols, and this ultimately allows them to develop their writing skills. Dr. Montessori recognized that writing as a coding skill comes before reading, a decoding skill.
While letter sounds are being learned, the child is introduced to objects and words as a matching exercise. These objects will then be used together with a Movable Alphabet allowing the child to ‘build’ words in a phonetic way. Pictures and word cards follow in preparation for tackling printed text in the form of simple phrases and then sentences. All materials encourage oral language development in both French and English. The child will also be introduced to Geography, History, Life Science, Music, Dance, and Gym.
Ground rules protect the rights and liberty of each individual child and the group as a whole. They promote the internalization of pro-social behaviors and values including the self-control of impulses, consideration of others, and a sense of responsibility for oneself and the welfare of the group. Ground rules can help make life at school easier, make the days run more smoothly, enable children to be more independent, and help to develop responsibility within the child. The number of ground rules is kept to a minimum, and they are stated and presented in a positive manner with an emphasis on safety and respect for others and the environment. The results of this benefit all the members of the group. We set a strong foundation for a smooth transition into cycle one
Elementary
Cooperation and a sense of community are at the heart of Montessori International Blainville. Individual differences are easily accepted and appreciated, while each child is treated and taught as an individual.
We promote an environment in which children are socially interacting with one another through collaborative learning activities. They are building social relationships while developing communication skills and empathy.
In an exciting research style of learning, elementary students work in small groups on a variety of projects that spark their imagination and curiosity and allow them to think critically. Carefully planned out hands-on activities help students develop both their reasoning abilities and their life skills. Our elementary program includes geography, history, languages (French, English, and Spanish), mathematics, science, music, and dance. In addition, trips outside the classroom foster a feeling of connectedness to humanity and encourage the children’s natural desire to make contributions to the world.
“EMI has taught my daughter to be a leader as well as a contributing member of a group. EMI’s teaching has helped her to be a productive citizen of tomorrow.” parent of a 7-year-old.
The EMI program is divided into 3 cycles. Grades 1 and 2 make up cycle one, grades 3 and 4 make up cycle 2, and grades 5 and 6 make up cycle 3. Each classroom has an array of hands-on Montessori materials and teachers who provide them with an abundance of diverse educational activities. We blend the provincial requirements and programming with the richness of the Montessori education. We provide our students with high-level activities which prepare them to succeed in the high school of their choice whether it be in English or in French.
Students at EMI are ahead of the learning curve!
Students are given weekly homework packages to reinforce their class lessons. In addition to their academic subjects, students participate in a well-developed art programs and a physical education program.
At EMI, we encourage all students to become active, independent, and controlled learners. Our pre- primary students are encouraged to work with the materials in a hands-on manner. The intrinsic sequence, logic, and order contained within all the Montessori materials improve the child’s mental capacity to be sequential, logical, and precise.
Our well-structured program allows students to think critically, develop wonderful work habits, and to become creative and curious individuals.
“The essence of independence is to be able to do something for oneself. Adults work to finish a task, but the child works in order to grow, and is working to create the adult, the person that is to be.” Dr. Maria Montessori.
Our address 325 Chemin du Bas de Sainte Thérèse Blainville, QC J7A 0A3
