Now Enrolling for the 2025/26 School Year. Current Families - Please return your confirmation of attendance forms by April 28.

Elementary 1

Grades 1 - 5

In the E1 learning community, each learner is loved, nurtured and supported as a whole person. Where inclusion and community come together and honour the strength that diversity brings. As a multi-age learning community, we empower ourselves and each other to get what they need out of the learning environment, taking on both the roles of learners and educators. Large group, small group, and individual lessons/presentations introduce and scaffold academic content in a way that has a low floor, high ceiling, and wide walls. This allows for multiple entry points, the development of sophisticated understandings, and multiple ways of completing a task.Elementary learners are social and inquisitive, and the learning environment is prepared as the third teacher to support this.

Elementary learners are curious about the community and world around them, both human and natural. We make a point to go out into the community often and to connect with nature while communing as a learning community guided by a culture of learning and care. Independent and self-guided learning augments instructional practices, helping deliver an individualized, interest-led experience while accounting for and scaffolding fundamental areas of study, including English Language Arts, French as a Second language, Mathematics, Music, Outdoor Education, Geography, Inquiry and Research, Philosophy, the Arts, and the Sciences. In all, we hope to impassion learners with a love of learning, a sense of community, and a balance of freedom and responsibility for their education.

Guiding philosophies:

All Children are Educable
All children want to do well and are interested in learning
Interest/passion guides learning
Knowledge is constructed, not purely transferred
There is a variety of learning preferences, and all children learn at different rates
Community is built by the community
School is not only a place to learn the core subjects but also a place to connect and belong
Diversity is anticipated and welcomed
It is okay to make mistakes along the way! In fact, it is expected and encouraged.

In Montessori: The Science Behind the Genius, professor and researcher Angeline Lillard identified eight basic principles central to Montessori education that contribute to positive outcomes in children. These principles are as follows:

Movement and cognition are closely intertwined, and movement can enhance thinking and learning.
Learning and well-being are improved when people have a sense of control over their lives.
People learn better when they are interested in what they are learning.
Tying extrinsic rewards to an activity, like money for reading or high grades for tests, negatively impacts motivation to engage in that activity when the reward is withdrawn.
Collaborative arrangements can be very conducive to learning.
Learning situated in meaningful contexts is often more profound and richer than learning in abstract contexts.
Particular forms of adult interaction are associated with more optimal child outcomes.
Order in the environment is beneficial to children.

"It is not enough to provide material for the child to work in school. He demands to go out into the world. Besides material, the school should provide also guides so that the child can go and find the material for himself. We have provided schools and material; they are not enough, he requires exploring the physical world and society. "

- Maria Montessori

Whole School Study

Each year, the learning community at CMCS selects an area of study that helps guide our learning. This culminates in an Open House during the second week of March, during which our current families and the greater community can come and explore what we have learned! The 2023/2024 Whole School Study is Space and the Solar System. Have a peek at the E1 Learning Community set-up for the big day!

Through a lens of inquiry and imagination, the E1 learning community has been exploring our whole school study, space and the solar system. From examining the features of the planets to investigating scientific milestones, we acquainted ourselves with the many features and phenomena of the universe. At the Open House, allow us to be your tour guides through the solar system and share with you what we found fascinating!

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