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| Halifax Montessori Childcare PROGRAMMES |
- Programmes
- Curriculum
- Chinese Language
- Reading
- Nutrition
- Our Hours
Children are unique individuals and with that in mind our Montessori Programmes are designed to address the developmental needs of each child. We are here to assist them achieve their goals every step of the way. Each programme builds on the one before it, providing appropriate challenges to the child's skill levels thus engaging the child's interest in pursing and acquiring new knowledge.
We Offer Four Distinct Programmes: Please Click On the Various Tabs Below To Learn More
“Tangerines”, as we affectionately call this group of children, are toddlers learning to conquer the world. They are just like the tiny golden oranges – sweet and adorable. Handling them needs a great deal of care and attention. Emphasis is placed on developing the child’s fine and gross motor skills, enhancing eye-hand coordination, gaining independence in self-care and care for the environment, acquiring language abilities and inculcating a sense of order.
At the end of this stage, the child should have attained self-care skills like feeding, putting on shoes, dressing up and toilet-trained. He/she should be able to communicate effectively, sing and dance. Most importantly, he should be able to focus and have a good attention span.
Before they turn 3 years old, our small “Tangerines” will be accessed by their teachers. If they have achieved most of their learning milestones, they will be promoted to juicy and polished “Apples”. They are more compact in terms of content and have polished appearances. The emphasis for this group of children is developing the child’s language and mathematical abilities, although self-care and caring for the environment continues to be an integral part of this curriculum. Respecting and following the ground rules is also of utmost importance in this classroom.
At the end of this stage, the child should be able to read, write and speak the English and Chinese language and understands simple Mathematical concepts. He/she should increasing demonstrate his capabilities for independence and self-discipline.
We don’t call them “Watermelons” because they are rounded and fat! Of course they are the eldest and biggest in size but they are also more polished and compact in content, not to mention, bright red, juicy and full of passion and zest for life! The emphasis for this group of children is to further develop the child’s language and mathematical abilities. Heavier emphasis is also placed on the Montessori’s cultural section where more abstract concepts of sciences and geography are introduced. Half a year before the child moves on to primary school, we prepare them for a smoother transition by introducing the Reception Program, which helps the child understand the rigorous expectation in the primary school system and get ready for the new environment.
At the end of this stage, the child should be able to read, write and speak the English and Chinese language fluently and is able to perform simple Mathematical operations. By the age of 6, the child should have successfully passed from solitary play, through onlooker play and parallel play to associative play where he has learnt to share materials. Many will have reached the later stage of co-operative play where there is voluntary interaction, the children having a shared purpose. The child should also be ready to move on to the challenge of a new environment in primary school, with a keen interest in learning and acquiring new information, being resourceful, having good attention span and able to focus on his given tasks.
OUR MONTESSORI CURRICULUM
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OUR NON-MONTESSORI CURRICULUM
We also supplement our Montessori curriculum with Music and Movement, Speech & Drama, Cookery and Art & Craft sessions conducted by professionals in their respective areas. Field trips are conducted on a regular basis to complement our curriculum themes. Outdoor play and physical education is also a regular feature in the school curriculum.The children, with the help of their teachers put up an annual Concert and Graduation Ceremony towards the end of the year. Community Service is also introduced to the children to sow the seed of compassion from young.
Our school places great emphasis on bilingualism as we strongly believe that bilingualism is an asset, not a liability. Each class has an English speaking and a Chinese speaking teacher who conduct their respective circle time activities at the designated time slots but simultaneously operating in the classroom, during outdoor play and also on field trips, immersing the children in a simultaneous bilingual environment. This arrangement is based on studies which found children perform better when they are exposed to natural language, where the focus is on communication rather than in "a formal environment, where focus is on the conscious acquisition of linguistic rules or the manipulation of linguistic forms. Our past experience shows that this method develops the child's language proficiency in both languages while promoting academic achievement. Studies have shown that an important aspect of the language learning environment seems to be the availability of visible referents, talking about what is present and observable helps the child understand and is thus crucial to acquiring language. Hence our classrooms have both Chinese and English literature and visual aids.
Riding on the amazing capacity that children have to learn language in the early years of their lives, we aim to provide our children with a strong foundation of the Chinese language so that they will continue to love the language in the future.
Every meal in the school is carefully planned, prepared and cooked in the school’s kitchen by our experienced cooks. Our menu changes daily and is rotated once every 2 months. The menu is planned according to the children’s nutritional needs, resulting in a healthy and balanced diet. The only meat we serve to our children are fish and chicken. Vegetarian cuisines are served on certain days to encourage the children to eat more vegetables and tofu. The school served a variety of dishes ranging from Chinese and other Asian cuisines to Western food. Children in our full day programme will have their morning snack, lunch and afternoon tea in school. In class, the children are constantly reminded to consume fluids.
| 18 months - 3 years | |
| 3 - 5 years | |
| 5 - 7 years | |
| 7 -12 years |
Our Operating Hours
| Monday - Friday | Full Day | 7.00 am - 7.00 pm |
| Half Day - Morning Session | 7.00 am -12.30 pm | |
| Half Day -Afternoon Session | 1.30 pm - 7.00 pm | |
| Saturday | Child Caring Service Only | Morning Half Day |
Monday,Wednesday,Friday
Flexi Programme (2 or 3 times weekly, Playgroup half day only)
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• NEW! 2010 Calender / Events Contact Us We are conveniently located near KK Women’s and Children Hospital and within the vicinity of Thomson, Newton, Bukit Timah, Orchard Road, Bishan, Serangoon Road, Toa Payoh, Balestier and the CBD. Nearest MRT Station : Novena (NS Line) and Little India (NE Line) Bus Number :
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