The Montessori name is in the public domain. It cannot be copyrighted; neither can it be patented. It is, therefore, possible for any school to call itself Montessori even though it offers education that differs from Montessori philosophy and methodology. Information is available to parents who want to be sure their child is getting a traditional Montessori education. An objective third party opinion is very helpful. Maple Leaf Montessori Schools has been a long standing member of the Canadian Council of Montessori Administrators (CCMA) as well as being accredited by this organization.

What does this mean?:
An accredited CCMA school offers...

* Teachers educated in the Montessori philosophy and methodology for the age level of the class they are conducting. There must be at least one teacher per class with an A.M.I. or MACTE accredited training institute diploma.

* A partnership established with the family. The family is considered an integral part of the individual's total development. There are regularly scheduled parent and child conferences.

* A multi-aged, multi-graded grouping of students. In Casa, children are between 3-6 years old in one class. Lower Elementary groups 6-9 year olds and Upper Elementary has 9-12 year old students.

* A diverse and complete set of specific Montessori materials, activities and experiences which are designed to foster physical, intellectual, creative, social and personal independence. The Ontario curriculum and all other Ministry of Education guidelines are integrated into our program.

* Standardized tests are done annually at the Elementary level.

* Schools licensed by the appropriate Provincial licensing authority

* All classrooms require five day a week attendance.
For more information contact CCMA at (416) 239-1166 or www.ccma.ca/ccma

Additional Programs and events offered include...

At the Casa (or pre-school) level, the children have French and Italian regularly throughout the week. Along with the traditional Montessori curriculum, each class participates in songs, stories, crafts and occasionally cooking.

The Elementary students attend *French and *Italian classes daily. We have an extensive *Music program beginning with recorder up to band level. The children perform in three concerts per year. We also offer annual *Arts and *Science Fairs where students display their projects. The *physical education program includes *gymnastics, *soccer, *swimming and *skating all taught by professionals. There are at least *5 class trips to venues such as the Toronto Symphony, Young People's Theatre, Kortright, the ROM, Stratford Festival. Special guests visit the school as well. Throughout the year, all our families are invited to attend events such as our *Family Carnival, *Skating Party and end-of-the-year *Picnic.