Elementary School - Montessori Perlička

Around the age of six, the child moves into a new plane of development. This plane is a period of big ideas and visions. The child enters the abstract world and the desire for knowledge and imagination becomes their main driving force.

It is an age of inspiration and lofty ideas, a time for broad horizons. Children’s imagination has no limits, allowing them to travel in time and space. Owing to this, we can give children seeds of knowledge that gradually sprout and grow. Children absorb the world and the entire universe.

In a Montessori school we see the child as a whole. We do not focus only on the development of the intellectual area and academic skills, but on the development of the whole personality of the child – intellectual, moral, social, spiritual and emotional.

Our work with children is not only about presentations, lessons and working with Montessori materials. Group work, planning of going outs, projects, services, meetings and class consultations are an essential part of the program. For children’s development, all these aspects are as important in our classrooms as the child’s individual work.

OUR SCHOOL ROUTINE

OUR DAY

OUTDOOR STAY

The school opens at 8:00 am. Children come between 8:00 and 8:30 am.

At 8:30 am, children start their first three-hour work cycle.

The morning work cycle, which includes the snack, ends at 11:30 am and is followed by outdoor stay and lunch.

On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, there is an afternoon work cycle from 1:00 till 3:30 pm. The snack is included and children can be picked up between 3:30 and 3:45 pm.

On Mondays and Thursdays, children work from 1:00 to 2:00 pm, then the after-school extracurricular activities take place till 3:30 pm, after which the children can be picked up. The children that do not attend any extracurricular activity, leave for home at 2:00 pm.

Focused work in the classroom needs to be supported by sufficient outside exercise.

In between work cycles, we go out with the children – we take advantage of the fact that our school is located in a lovely setting on the outskirts of the city and there is a river nearby with beautiful surroundings and a number of playgrounds. The children can also spend this time in the school yard. The time outside is essentially unstructured, with the children playing games and exploring their surroundings.

WHAT ELSE CHILDREN EXPERIENCE

English

English is taught by Czech teachers. We use the Jolly Phonics teaching system, which is a synthetic method for effective teaching of not only phonics, but also grammar, reading and writing from a very early age. Aspects of the teaching are enhanced by English speaking assistants.

Virtues Program

It is the policy of our school to support those qualities in children which are the adornment of good character. Thus, part of the curriculum is to focus on the virtues program and to practice and become aware of what leads to the development of qualities such as cooperation, friendship, perseverance, diligence, kindly tongue, striving for excellence, joy, or helpfulness.

After-School Extracurricular Activities

We offer after-school extracurricular activities right in the school. The extracurricular activities are provided by friendly organizations and qualified teachers. The selection includes art studio, drama club or sport activities. Extracurricular activities are not included in the tuition fee.

One-off events and visits

Children go on expeditions to discover things, they plan trips and excursions. They attend workshops, visit theatres, galleries, museums, libraries and other institutions. We encourage children to relate to culture, history and nature and try to show them the beauty of the world around us.

Going out

Dr. Maria Montessori recommends „Going Out“ as an integral part of education. Its objective is to connect the children to the outside world and to the society, because each classroom’s environment is necessarily limited as to the topics therein. The Perlička children thus embark on discovery expeditions that they themselves organize, plan and arrange. The places frequented often include the Anthropos, Moravian Museum, Moravian Gallery, the zoo, Czech Hydrometeorological Institute, the observatory and the planetarium, and also bookshops, libraries, airports, printing houses or, for example, chocolate factories.

Physical Training and Swimming

We have our own gymnasium for the P.T. which is housed in our school building.

As part of the compulsory education for the first stage of elementary school, our curriculum for lower elementary (the first three years) includes swimming lessons in the Kraví Hora swimming pool where children are taken by minibus.

Adaptation Stay and School in Nature

During the first weeks of each academic year, we organize adaptation stays for the children, to strengthen the team spirit in the classroom and support friendship among the children.

The lower elementary at the end of each academic year goes for a school in nature and for adventure in the Hostýn Hills (Hostýnské vrchy) and the beautiful environment of Rusava.

Ski Trip

We organize winter ski trips for the upper elementary and the adolescent program, which offer not only downhill and cross-country skiing but also promote the classroom’s team spirit and foster friendship and cooperation.