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Montessori offers alternative in wake of provincial changes

Simcoe County parents have options when it comes to elementary school class sizes for their children
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NEWS RELEASE
KEYSTONE MONTESSORI 
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When you walk into Keystone Montessori School, it more resembles a one-room school house from yesteryear than a present-day traditional classroom.

“We actually have two mixed age classrooms, with two teachers in each classroom,” states Adam Hewitt, the school owner.

Keystone is Orillia's only fully comprehensive private montessori and elementary school, with ages ranging from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8.

The low 8:1 student to teacher ratio and small mixed-age classrooms are both very popular features of the school and allow the students the opportunity to thrive in a warm and welcoming environment.

The school's full French and music programs operate in a similar manner but with even smaller groups of three to five students.

“We believe our low 8:1 student to teacher ratio is one of the biggest reasons for our success. That, and our highly trained and passionate teachers! The low ratio allows for more time and energy to be devoted to each student, which helps foster a more personal connection between the student and teacher.” says Hewitt. 

Simcoe County parents have options they may not know about when it comes to elementary school class sizes for their children.

The government doesn't have control over how the private Keystone Montessori and Elementary School operates.

Since the 1990s Keystone Montessori (formerly Bright Horizon's Montessori) has emphasized the importance of a student focused approach to learning, individualized to the student’s progress level for each subject, and fine tuned to take advantage of the child’s natural curiosities.

This approach helps motivate the students to challenge themselves, and a positive cycle begins.

“Our end goal for each child is to develop a love of learning, because a self-motivated learner has no ceiling on what they can accomplish,” says Hewitt.

The school, based in the basement of St. David's Church on James Street in Orillia, follows the philosophy of the educational movement’s founder, Italian doctor and educator Maria Montessori.

Graduates of Montessori schools include Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, while the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge sent Prince George to a Montessori nursery.

“School Registration for Keystone Montessori is now open, continuing until March 31. For Kindergarten, any child turning four in 2019 can start school this September. For children age four and up, we have openings now for mid-year enrollments. We accept children from all municipalities and townships, and we have a Free Week Trial to help find out if your child would be a good fit for a Montessori education,” said Hewitt.

For more information on registration or about Keystone Montessori, visit our website or call (705) 327-ABCD (2223)

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