REVIEW OF Stirling Montessori Academy BY Alum, Aaron Coelho

(5) Overall Experience

One of the first things I remembered on my first day in the CASA program was how safe I felt. The nurturing nature of the teachers and the other students at the school immediately felt like family, which was so important to me as a young child who had never attended preschool or daycare or been away from my mom at that time. Being in a mixed-age classroom encouraged empathy but also helped develop leadership skills. The teachers were so patient in showing us various works to choose from during our work cycle that I was able to learn at my own pace, which allowed me to focus on understanding the work rather than just checking off tasks. But also fostered curiosity, self-motivation, and navigating challenges.

Looking Back

The freedom of being allowed to choose my own work was a fond memory of mine because it taught me to make independent decisions, but also taught me how to use the peeler on an apple to make apple sauce.

Current Perspective

As a small student, everything seemed so much bigger and so colourful, but looking back now, there was always still such calmness in the classrooms.

Your Advice

My experience at Stirling, whether it was hands-on learning, learning at my own pace or building meaningful connections with friends and teachers, has been beneficial for me in learning and in social situations to this point in my life and will continue beyond.

(5) School Leadership

There was always positivity and warmth from the staff and teachers at the school. My parents never felt that their questions or concerns were brushed aside. If there was ever a disagreement between the students, we were often encouraged to use our words to work it out. My parents had the opportunity to speak to one of the directors of Stirling at the open house, and they knew right away this was the school I was going to be enrolled in.

(5) Teaching

I always felt encouraged, even on days I didn't know how or what to do. The kindness and patience from my teachers allowed me to feel confident in asking for help at any time, and they were always able to pivot to meet the needs of each individual student in the work that they were learning or working on. The teachers made reading or learning new work so exciting to get into that it made me look forward to learning more challenging things and with each new work I learned I felt so much more encouraged to push on. I was fortunate to have Mrs. Cumpstey as a teacher because her patience, calm demeanour, and empathy allowed me to grow as a CASA student at Stirling Montessori.

(5) Academics

The academic program at Stirling Montessori followed a true Montessori philosophy. Students were given the freedom to learn, but still within a structure that helped them learn based on the level they were at. We were given longer periods of time to work (Work cycle) so that we could really engage and learn what we were working on. I found that the peer mentoring helped encourage the students to cheer each other on and/or strive to do just as well as their classmates. The teachers were firm but very respectful, which helped in modelling being calm but having boundaries. The program at Stirling Montessori Academy has been a good base for me in school and in life. It has helped fuel my personal growth, creativity, and curiosity as it allows me to always want to learn new things and see things from different perspectives.

(5) Extracurriculars

There were class trips to the farm, physical education class, yoga, guest speakers that came to the school, and a spring concert where we learned songs and performed for our family. These extracurriculars sparked new interests, and I found I was more receptive to learning. It gave me the confidence to navigate changes in new environments and changes in routines.

(5) Students

We had so many different personalities in the class, but everyone was very friendly and kind toward each other. We were always encouraged to use our words to communicate and not use our hands if we were upset and to include friends who were shy to join in a game or an activity. Some students were natural leaders who inspired the other students (such as myself) who were a little more shy to step out of their comfort zone. By the end of my time at Stirling, I had learned so much from my peers socially and academically from observing older peers in my first year and how they dealt with self discipline, conflict resolution, and work and in turn building leadership skills by mentoring younger ones in my second year.

(5) School Life

I was very happy to go to school everyday because I was learning new things The student-teacher ratio also made learning less chaotic even though most of my peers were all doing different activities, my teacher was always able give me the time to guide me if I was unsure but still at a pace that I was comfortable with. The activities we got to do were meaningful and engaging while still developing skills (Example: Peeling an apple to make apple sauce, sewing buttons, cleaning the window, etc.) I looked forward to snacks, lunch and recess. The equipment in the yard was minimal, but it allowed us to be creative with our time outdoors and we tended to play together as a big group more.

(5) Community

The Stirling community, although it has grown in size since I was there, still maintains a close-knit relationship with the current and past families and students and will always have wonderful things to say about their time there which is such a testament of the strong relationships, and engagement between the staff and the families. Parents are always welcome to be involved in the life of the school, whether it is to volunteer on school trips, have a parent come in to be a special guest speaker for the classes, or participate in an activity during school hours. Although I don't often see many of the friends I made at Stirling, when I do see them, it still feels familiar because of the impact my time at the school has left on me.

(5) School Location

The location was nice as it is located in a mature part of town with so much history and surrounded by so much nature. When the weather was nice, we would walk to Victoria Park for phys. ed. I'm so happy to hear that since I was last at Stirling, there are so many more programs and activities in the neighbourhood beyond the school grounds that the students participate in during the school year.

(5) Admissions

The open house tour is a MUST. It gives parents and children a feel of the environment and to see if it's the right fit. My parents got to meet, chat and ask questions and got to see the type of work the students work on in the year, and they knew right away that this would be the school I would be attending. The admission process was simple with the information provided at the initial meeting. Every question or concern my parents had prior to me joining Stirling Montessori was always returned with honesty and positivity.