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11 | O akville B eaver | T hursday,F ebruary 17,2022 insidehalton.com tatsomreht cinortcelE egarots mumixam rof sevlehs ssalg elbatsujda htdiw flah 1 dna htdiw lluf 2 dna sevlehs rood 3 detaR ®ratS ygrenE yticapac )L 192( .tf .uc 3.01 SERUTAEF rezeerF tnuoM mottoB htiw egdirF gnivaS-ecapS BDW1B001FMBD - NWOHS LEDOM gniviL ecapS llamS dna ,secffiO ,stnemtrapA rof tcefreP 7491 ECNIS moc.ybnaD ta srotaregirfeR fo enil lluf s'ybnaD eeS www.dearcroft-montessori.com | 905-844-2114 | info@dearcroft-montessori.com Montessori Education A Timeless Approach In A Period of Great Change It's no secret that the pandemic has changed our lives.During the many closures and interruptions to our lives,we've lost our sense of belonging to a community, for enjoying the company of others and most importantly,many of us continue to feel the strain and pressures as a result of the lockdowns.The same is most definitely true for our children.Research released by SickKids this past year revealed that our children and youth have been greatly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, not only academically but physically and mentally as well.The bottom line from the ongoing research is that children need school, friends and fun. Education is perhaps the most critical component of a child's development. As parents, we want to give our children the best start and this begins with our children's need to feel fulfilled, happy, inspired and nurtured. The past two years have uncovered many challenges in the school system. Schools, teachers, students and parents have had to make last minute adjustments because of school closures or illnesses that have resulted in more and more families needing support for their children and youth when it comes to their mental health. "Parents are looking for stable and secure learning opportunities for their children," said Gordon Phippen, Director/Owner of the Dearcroft Montessori School."The pandemic has further highlighted the reality that not all children in our community and across Halton region have experienced the same level of happiness and ease of transition back into classroom-based learning. Many of these families are looking for consistency, robust curriculum, and strength of experience, the qualities of a Montessori education and the core values of a school community which is exactly what Dearcroft offers." Montessori education consciously designs social communities and educational experiences that cultivate the child's sense of self-awareness and empathy. Montessori learning environments allow for the respect and celebration of the individual spirit within people of all ages. At Dearcroft Montessori School, we look at the bigger picture for each student. While academic progress is at the forefront, we know that success happens when emotional wellness is addressed.Within a Dearcroft Montessori classroom, staff are aware of the challenges that many families, children and youth are facing today. Ahead of the curve, mindfulness was a curriculum component before the pandemic. During the pandemic, not only have we continued practicing mindfulness, but we have also incorporated the concepts into our programs at every level. Through this we have managed to create many other learning opportunities for our student and parent community. Whether this be through the reintroduction of localized off campus trips, outdoor class time, or by providing specialized Emotion-Focused workshops to give parents and staff the tools to help them when dealing with children's big emotions. One of the greatest benefits of Montessori education is building real-life skills that carry over when it is time to enter the workforce. Independence,problem-solving,creativity,teamwork and responsibility all run through the veins of a Montessori child.The Montessori curriculum is designed to foster these skills and to build resiliency to empower students to become responsible, productive and caring citizens with a sense of social justice and an understanding of environmental stewardship.When schools pivoted to online learning in response to the Covid-19 pandemic school closures. Dearcroft's students were able to carry on with their education while online in an effective fashion, avoiding the concern of learning loss. In fact, Dearcroft students flourished with online learning as they are already able to be independent, self-directed learners through a guided curriculum. Montessori students develop a responsibility for their own work,something most students do not learn effectively until their senior years of high school or even their post-secondary education.This is due to the fact that a Montessori education is based on developing a child's independence from an early age and as students grow, they are encouraged to manage their own worktime and workload.Through our online learning we found new opportunities to continue providing the highest possible level of education to our students.This truly outstanding effort was extremely well received and went well above what many students experienced in our province. Dearcroft teachers provided excellent online learning for all our students and we received tremendously positive feedback from our parents in this regard. Although successful through the school closures, we recognized the importance of in-person learning and how having a consistent routine for children not only helps with their mental and physical health, it also provides them with stability and comfort while empowering them to feel confident with a strong sense of belonging. "To me Dearcroft means love. It means family.Whenever I'm feeling sad my friends and teachers know what to do.Dearcroft is always trying to make the world a better place in every way we can." ~ Elementary Student At Dearcroft Montessori School our program hews very closely to Maria Montessori's model.Together, our staff, students, parents and community members foster and support a positive environment both in and beyond the classroom.As Dearcroft approaches their 55th year of operation, delivering bold and inspiring education, they are excited to grow with the community and bring high quality Montessori education to more Oakville families. Opening September 2022,Dearcroft's north location will be a beautiful and exciting new development, which will feature state of the art space created in partnership with Sigma Group, one of Canada's premier builders of hospitality space. Many parents are looking for stable and secure learning opportunities for their children. While Montessori education may be over 100 years old,Maria Montessori was ahead of her time.Born in 1870, she became Italy's first female doctor and worked extensively in education. She developed a unique"scientific pedagogy" that is known as the Montessori Method and has been practiced around the world in thousands of schools for over a century. Montessori classrooms are carefully prepared environments to capitalize on children's creative thinking, allowing for many types of learners, and have time for reflective thinking built in. February 20th - 26th is International Montessori Education week and this year will be celebrating its 115th anniversary. Dearcroft Montessori Trafalgar Crossing carries on the tradition of creating a stimulating learning environment for children in the heart of Uptown Oakville offering a wonderful synthesis of the natural and urban setting unique to Oakville. The campus will offer a warm and inviting environment with natural light through floor to ceiling windows, a beautifully landscaped, outdoor green space and spacious classrooms spread over 10,000 square feet. We are excited to welcome new families to our community. Dearcroft is uniquely poised to march forward in today's new world, by remembering Maria Montessori's words "Education is a work of self-organization by which human beings adapt themselves to the conditions of life." ~ Education For A New World, Published 1946. Advertising Feature