News

2019/09/24 by Natalie

Cross-Curricular Teaching and Learning in a Prep-ONE class

Our AHA! Moments take place in our classrooms, every day!

Brought to you by Rowntree Montessori Schools…Nurturing Tomorrow’s Achievers since 1969.

This past week, during a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) activity, our Prep-ONE students learned how to create 2D shapes using straws, Popsicle sticks, connectors, paper, scissors and magnetic shapes. Building strong engineering and math skills is important at Rowntree Montessori Schools because we believe that such STEM skills will help prepare our students for the future. However, we also believe that building students’ character is equally important. Teaching our students skills, such as working together in small groups, problem-solving, team work and leadership are all essential character traits. This lesson provided an opportunity for our Prep-ONE students to practice their math, science and engineering skills, as well as their collaborative and problem-solving skills.

To learn why it is so important for students to become 21^st century learners and to have a strong base in STEM, click here.

2D shapes during a STEM activity

To learn more about Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS), continue browsing our website and ideally drop by any of our welcoming, friendly and family oriented campuses for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm. If you prefer, call to book an appointment for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm.

More details about Rowntree Montessori Schools‘ approach to education can be seen by clicking here .

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2019/09/20 by Natalie

RMS is Celebrating 50 Years as an Award-Winning Private School

Rowntree Montessori Schools for many years has been selected as the BEST private school in Brampton by local residents, and since 1969 has offered a progressive, well-rounded curriculum that is ahead of the Ministry set guidelines. We are proud to announce that we are now celebrating our 50th anniversary, and thank all of the families, students, teachers and staff that have helped grow our school community into an award-winning private school in Brampton, educating children from Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 8! Some of the highlights of our programme include our French, Coding and Robotics curriculum, that begin as early as Pre-Kindergarten Montessori. We are often praised for our small classroom sizes, which means low teacher to student ratios and more one-on-one instruction. Our code of conduct supports discipline and security with positive reinforcement and praise. Plus the great news is that we accept children any time during the year to our private school, as we are always looking for great new families to join our community!

It is our pleasure to share with you some video highlights made by our students to celebrate our 50th Anniversary, who wanted to share what they love most about the Rowntree Montessori Schools community.

Click here to find out why Esha loves RMS!

Listen to Vansh talk about his favourite memories of our private school.

Keira’s favourite things about Rowntree Montessori Schools.

Find out why Balshar is proud to be an RMS student!

To help celebrate our 50th anniversary and display our Rowntree Montessori School pride, we have some special, limited-edition, commemorative gear for our parents, grandparents, teachers and past alumni. We invite you to purchase your very own Rowntree Montessori Schools Athletic Gear. We have available for purchase both Mens’ and Womens’ full-zip jackets.

Full-Zip Athletic Jacket, available in Mens and Womens: $49.95 plus tax.

Please note that InSchoolwear is supplying these pieces so they very high-quality pieces that will last you for years to come.

The following Mens’ and Womens’ sizes are available:

X-Small, Small, Medium, Large, X-Large and 2X-Large.

To order and purchase your Proud Parent or Proud Grandparent 50^th anniversary commemorative gear, online, please visit: InSchoolwear

InSchoolwear will deliver your purchase directly to your child’s campus for pick-up. These are great Christmas and birthday gifts! Please place your order soon to ensure that you receive it in time for Christmas.

Help us celebrate this milestone in our history by wearing your 50^th anniversary gear!

Again, we thank all of our families who have helped us grow into the largest and longest serving Montessori Private School in Brampton over the past 50 years.

To learn more about Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS), continue browsing our website and ideally drop by any of our welcoming, friendly and family oriented campuses for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm. If you prefer, call to book an appointment for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm.

More details about Rowntree Montessori Schools‘ approach to education can be seen by clicking here .

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2019/09/19 by Natalie

Lending a Helping Hand and Teaching Leadership at the Same Time

Our AHA! Moments take place in our classrooms, every day!

Brought to you by Rowntree Montessori Schools…Nurturing Tomorrow’s Achievers since 1969.

Did you ever stop to think that a simple act of kindness can actually help a student learn valuable leadership skills?[1] Studies have shown that a simple act of kindness, such as a welcoming smile, a high-five or simply helping a fellow younger student out, actually teaches valuable leadership skills. Leadership is one of the many skills that Rowntree Montessori Schools teaches our students as part of our curriculum.

Grade 8 students helping our younger students
Grade 8s helping our younger students on the first day of school
Grade 8s welcoming students to school
Grade 6 helping a grade 1 student

The first day of school can be an exciting day. But for many younger students, it can be a stressful day. At Rowntree Montessori Schools, our grade 8 students try to ease our younger students’ minds by helping them out and welcoming them to school with smiles and helping hands. This past first day, our grade 8s, greeted our younger students when they were dropped off by their parents, helped carry their backpacks and walked them to their classrooms.

Rowntree Montessori Schools encourages all students to be caring and nurturing individuals, as well as to be mentors to our younger students. Being caring and nurturing are critical qualities in tomorrow’s leaders.

Furthermore, our grade 8 students are encouraged to become members of the Rowntree Leadership Council where they will be in charge of the different activities within the school community, providing them with ample leadership opportunities that will help them in their future grades.

[1] Why Compassion is the Key to Being a Great Leader https://www.lollydaskal.com/leadership/why-compassion-is-the-key-to-being-a-great-leader/

To learn more about Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS), continue browsing our website and ideally drop by any of our welcoming, friendly and family oriented campuses for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm. If you prefer, call to book an appointment for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm.

More details about Rowntree Montessori Schools‘ approach to education can be seen by clicking here .

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2019/09/13 by Natalie

A Hands-On Approach to Learning at Rowntree Montessori Schools with Cross-Curricular Teaching

**Our AHA! Moments take place in our classrooms, every day!**

Brought to you by Rowntree Montessori Schools.

Nurturing Tomorrow’s Achievers Since 1969.

Grade 3 students planting new plants in their classroom as part of a cross-curricular activity

At Rowntree Montessori Schools, our focus is on 21^st century learning, which utilizes a variety of teaching methods. This week, the grade 3 students took a break from their notebooks and Chromebooks to do some indoor gardening. Inspired by our cross-curricular real-world issue of deforestation, students had the pleasure of tending to the classroom plants by re-soiling old pots and starting new pots for some fresh new plants for the classroom.

This classroom activity helped to reinforce the positive impact that plants have on our planet while providing students with the opportunity to engage in hands on learning.

Gardening is known to be a very therapeutic activity. Students who are exposed to this type of activity can benefit from the peace and calm that it brings. Additionally, this activity allows the students to take in their classroom space and helps to add to the ambiance of their class, which is their home for the day!

For a great little article about the benefits of growing plants in the classroom, please click here.

To learn more about Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS), continue browsing our website and ideally drop by any of our welcoming, friendly and family oriented campuses for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm. If you prefer, call to book an appointment for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm.

More details about Rowntree Montessori Schools‘ approach to education can be seen by clicking here .

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2019/09/13 by Natalie

Reading Buddies in Grade 1

This year, the Grade 6 class at Rowntree Montessori Schools partnered up with the Grade 1B class to participate in the Learning Buddies Programme. According to experts from www.edutopia.org from the George Lucas Educational Foundation, “Partnering with higher achieving peers can have a positive influence on a student’s learning, and students who are older, more capable readers can be these peers for young students.”

At the Academy Campus, this programme runs each Thursday, as Grade 6 students are paired with Grade 1 students, whether in the classroom or library, and together the students work through an educational reading activity. This programme initially began with the intention of being reading centered only, but when the teachers saw how well the two classes worked together, they decided to change to focus to learning in other areas as well. The activities each week may start with a reading exercise, but may also be combined with a larger themed activity, whether learning about personal identity, speech writing or even goal setting. The students often engage in activities based off of what events are happening in the school that week.

A grade six student helping a grade 1 student with reading

Here are some examples of activities that the students have completed:

All About Me booklets
Story writing
Themed crafts
Hour of Code
Goal setting and New Years resolutions
Speech writing
Speech presentations
Read aloud

Through these weekly peer interactions, the students have created meaningful relationships with children outside their grade levels. This has positively contributed to the social environment at RMS. The younger and older students get very excited when it is time for them to see their learning buddy outside of the regular Thursday morning schedule.

To learn more about Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS), continue browsing our website and ideally drop by any of our welcoming, friendly and family oriented campuses for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm. If you prefer, call to book an appointment for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm.

More details about Rowntree Montessori Schools‘ approach to education can be seen by clicking here .

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2019/09/06 by Natalie

The Importance of Music in Education

Many educational researchers believe that music lessons improve class grades and IQ. At Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS), we recognize the importance of music education and its positive impact on the educational development of children. Researcher E. Glenn Schellenberg completed work that indicated that when “6-year-olds were given a year of voice or piano lessons, they saw a significantly larger increase in IQ than a control group that waited a year for musical instruction.” Click here for more information on this study.

Students playing the keyboard during music class at RMS

At RMS, students are involved in music classes from a very young age. Informal music lessons begin in Pre-Kindergarten Montessori to Prep-ONE (Senior Kindergarten). Formal music classes begin in Grade 1. Each grade level studies music theory at their appropriate level, and has an element of practical application in creating music as well.

Grade 1 students learn note and rest names and values, and they express their creativity through singing, percussion, and music games. Grades 2-4 increase their theory knowledge, and begin learning how to play the glockenspiel. The glockenspeil is a keyboard-based percussion instrument that encourages keyboard knowledge and group performance.

Starting in Grade 5 and continuing to Grade 8, the students transition to piano keyboards and learn how to apply their theoretical knowledge to learning to read and play both treble and bass clefs. Grades 7 and 8 also learn about pre-1950 composers and have the opportunity to compose and create their own music on a technology-friendly Google App.

Our commitment to music ensures that students are given the opportunity to reap the benefits of music education and its positive effects on learning. The students are prepared for further education and leave Rowntree Montessori Schools as well-rounded individuals.

A Rowntree Montessori Schools student paying the recorder.

To learn more about Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS), continue browsing our website and ideally drop by any of our welcoming, friendly and family oriented campuses for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm. If you prefer, call to book an appointment for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm.

More details about Rowntree Montessori Schools‘ approach to education can be seen by clicking here .

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2019/08/30 by Natalie

At Rowntree Montessori Schools, Math is Fun!

Not everyone will agree that math can be fun but the students at Rowntree Montessori Schools love math. As the great, William Paul Thurston stated, “mathematics is not about numbers, equations, computations, or algorithms; it is about understanding”. The teachers at RMS are excellent at teaching one of our core subjects, math, and fostering a love of this subject.

Rowntree Montessori School students shopping during Math Day

Math is one of the core subjects taught in Prep-ONE (Senior Kindergarten) that we teach at Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS). During our math circle time, we start the year with counting from 1 to 100, counting by 2s to 20, and 5s and 10s to 100. We often make this engaging for students by adding songs because studies how that children learn well when lessons are fun. We teach students greater than and less than, as well as before and after numbers (up to 100). Students really enjoy this because the lessons are conducted using Montessori manipulative materials. These materials include number cards and object counters.

We also teach our students addition and subtraction to 10 using the Montessori Addition and Subtraction Boards. When students are learning double-digit addition and subtraction, we use the Stamp Game. This provides children with a learning tool that they can touch and see. At an early age, we also introduce 2D and 3D shapes, sorting, time by the hour,m and by the half hour, graphing, fractions, and place value.

Recently, our students learned about Canadian money which they used it in a real-life setting, during our annual “Math Day.” On this day our whole school transformed into a shopping mall and all of our students became shoppers. They learned how to purchase items and budget their mock money to buy toys, books, clothing, etc. Another exciting activity was teaching our students about “place value” through the use of Montessori materials. In this activity, students were able to create numbers by using the Montessori Golden Beads.

As a Kindergarten teacher, I can truly say that our Math programme is well-organized, and well balanced to suit the needs and learning styles of our young children. Our programme is truly ahead of the Ministry set guidelines. I look forward to many more years of watching our young students build a love for math, as they become interested in it through well thought-out activities and an excellent planned curriculum.

To learn more about Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS), continue browsing our website and ideally drop by any of our welcoming, friendly and family oriented campuses for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm. If you prefer, call to book an appointment for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm.

More details about Rowntree Montessori Schools‘ approach to education can be seen by clicking here .

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2019/08/23 by Natalie

Supporting Mental Health in Kindergarten

According to experts on mental health, there are multiple factors which can impact the positive well-being and mental health of children in Kindergarten. Below is a description of these factors, and how we at Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS) make an effort to offer each child the most positive mental health experience while at school.

Positive Regard Builds Self-Esteem:

The safety and well-being of children should always be of the utmost importance for educators. At RMS, we know that small children need to feel that they are welcome, enjoyed, and valued among the people in their world and environment. A child entering the classroom with a high-five or pleasant “Good morning” from his or her teacher will have a positive morning experience and joyous reaction. We believe that positive regard is more than being nice. It is wholehearted acceptance that helps children feel that they matter.

Emotional-Regulation:

The small everyday things that teachers do to encourage self-regulation can instill mental health skills that children can use throughout their lives. The occasional overreaction or meltdown and having negative reactions in unfamiliar situations is common in a Kindergarten classroom. Therefore, preparing young children for what is to come next helps build emotional-regulation. Giving children time to solve problems or giving them advanced notice before needing to tidy up can help students by offering them sufficient time to respond, as opposed to being impulsive which can cause fear or overreaction. We also know that teaching children to wait their turn when sharing toys or materials in class, helps them learn patience.

Creating Awareness for Mental Health:

Having a Mental Awareness week at school and integrating it as part of the curriculum helps children understand their varied emotions. The children in this age group generally have a difficult time communicating their feelings at the beginning of the year. Oral communication techniques, such as asking “How do I feel?” – happy or sad – can help a child become aware of how to act in any given moment. At RMS, we offer activities such as reading books about feelings and conduct puppet plays, among many other things to build an awareness of emotions. This enhances each student’s ability to comprehend his or her own feelings, as well as those of their peers and teachers.

For more helpful information about how to have a conversation with your children about Mental Health Issues, click here.

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To learn more about Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS), continue browsing our website and ideally drop by any of our welcoming, friendly and family oriented campuses for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm. If you prefer, call to book an appointment for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm.

More details about Rowntree Montessori Schools‘ approach to education can be seen by clicking here .

2019/08/16 by Natalie

Cooking Class in Kindergarten

This year the students from the Downtown Campus at Rowntree Montessori Schools had the opportunity to participate in weekly cooking activities. Experts suggest that cooking, whether independently or with a friend, can help a child develop valuable skills. In addition, cooking can provide learning experiences and build great memories. For a Kindergarten Montessori (Junior Kindergarten) student, cooking can sharpen fine-motor skills through stirring, whisking and rolling. As a student’s vocabulary develops, he or she can refine his or her communication and early math skills by reading about ingredients and preparing measurements.

As our students age, teaching them basic safety in the kitchen while they learn to work with a team, builds leadership, collaboration, and self-confidence. These benefits can continue past childhood, as students learn to prepare multiple types of nutritious food dishes, and learning about how to make health conscious decisions. Learning about food preparation requires more than just cooking skills; it involves science, math, reading and teaches life skills.

Recently our students were excited when they found out that they would be cooking and baking things beyond their traditional “kid foods.” They learned how to prepare yogurt parfaits, waffles, pizzas and cupcakes from scratch. This was an exciting challenge and a new experience for most involved. Students instantly became interested in trying new foods. Their positive attitude and interest had the older students searching for cookbooks, and excited to talk about what they prepared at home.

Cooking class is a place where students, who may not always excel in traditional extracurricular activities like sports or art classes, may find success and a sense of belonging. Their creative personalities really shine during cooking class. This is a place for students to keep busy, release energy and stay engaged. They listen, follow the rules and participate because the end result of a prepared meal or dish! Click here for some child approved healthy recipes you can make with your child at home.

To learn more about Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS), continue browsing our website and ideally drop by any of our welcoming, friendly and family oriented campuses for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm. If you prefer, call to book an appointment for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm.

More details about Rowntree Montessori Schools‘ approach to education can be seen by clicking here .

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2019/08/12 by Natalie

The Value of Sportsmanship

At Rowntree Montessori Schools, we value sports for the part they play in providing a well-rounded education to our students. Over the past few decades, sports have played an important role in uniting people from a variety of cultures and backgrounds. They play a valuable role in health and fitness, and can be a source of happiness, excitement, and sheer joy to both players and spectators. Sports open the door to meeting new people and building new friendships, through a common interest that one may share in the game, or towards a specific team. However, sports can only thrive if players exercise good sportsmanship.

Students competing in a team at Mini-Olympics.

Building good sportsmanship skills is one of the many great things that our students learn at Rowntree Montessori Schools. The numerous sports clubs such as Cricket, Soccer, Basketball, Track and Field and Cross-Country Running, give our students the opportunity to exercise good sportsmanship. Our students learn to play together and enjoy the game. They build each other up through encouraging words of praise and they are always willing to lend a helping hand to a peer playing alongside them.

Student from RMS running at Track and Field meet.

Our monthly Spirit Days also offer an opportunity for students to experience friendly competition and have some fun, while uniting peers from different cultures and backgrounds together. Our students consciously and consistently learn, develop and apply the core values of good sportsmanship (which are to respect one another regardless of the situation, celebrate victory with humility and accept defeat with a positive mindset, encourage and support each other, and above all do your best)!

Student particpating in the Mini-Olympics jumping station at RMS.

Our coaches and students work hard to achieve their goals when playing sports. Staying committed to their practice schedules (whether its early morning or late afternoon) shows dedication and a willingness to learn and improve. Our students put maximum effort into what they do when playing sports, which is evidenced not just on the sports field, but also in all other areas of our learning environment. We learn together and grow together as a team. We recently concluded our Senior Track and Field Meet and the Junior Track and Field Meet, as well as the Mini Olympics, which highlight that the effort we put into building a well-rounded education for our students is a priority for us, as we include many opportunities to excel in sports and related activities.

Students at the soccer station at the RMS Mini-Olympics.

For more information about how to teach your child to be a good sportsman, click here.

To learn more about Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS), continue browsing our website and ideally drop by any of our welcoming, friendly and family oriented campuses for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm. If you prefer, call to book an appointment for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm.

More details about Rowntree Montessori Schools‘ approach to education can be seen by clicking here .

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