Edition 4 | June 2018

From the Students

It all began 12 years ago

At 18 months old I arrived at Forestville Montessori School.
12 years later and I’ll graduate from the 9-12 class.
I remember on my first day of school I tried to eat a building block of Montessori Materials.

Elizabeth Harris, 9-12 StudentElizabeth Harris, 9-12 Student

The freedom to work and choose a subject area of your interest and research is one of the aspects of my FMS education that I have truly valued. The Montessori materials also play a large part in our learning. In maths, we use materials to consolidate new concepts: Racks and Tubes for long division; Checkerboard for long multiplication; and the Pegboard to find square root of big numbers, and many more.

Being respected as individuals is a something we all notice at FMS. We have no uniform so we can express ourselves in what we wear. Also, our work and research is completed in the class so we have no homework. Our class is multi-age group, that’s why it is called 9-12 class. The structure helps us to work and learn from each other. Our classroom is designed to give us the freedom to choose where we need to work and with whom.

Learning outside is also part of Montessori. I love cooking! The 9-12 children have their own garden where we grow corn, lettuce, watermelon, herbs and so much more. Our recipes depends on the produce that’s ready for picking and the season. We study music, art, Japanese and sport. Our playground is astroturf with a soccer field, a jumbo chess board, hop-scotch, a hand ball court and play equipment, which gives us lots of choice and opportunities to exercise.

Experiences such as the Young Leaders Day are all part of our learning. Young Leaders Day is where a few successful Australians give inspirational speeches. This year it was John Coutis, who become my idol after hearing him speak. His golden rule was “treat people the way you wish to be treated”, and the most important lesson I learned from him was, come out of your comfort zone, never turn back at a challenge and find your inner strength.

My time at Forestville Montessori School has given me so many opportunities, challenges and a way of learning that inspires me to step out of my comfort zone.

I love FMS but now I’m ready for high school!