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Children with Montessori
backgrounds who have attended
mainstream schools since leaving
Montessori Pre-School may apply
if they attended their
Montessori Pre-School until they
were six. An enrolment decision
will depend on the eligibility
and suitability of the child. In
this case the school requires
the child to visit for two days
to a week to give the directress
a chance to assess how well the
child appears to cope with
self-directed learning and the
multi-age grouping.
High
School students are assessed on
their academic ability,
independence and their ability
to work in a self-directed
manner. All prospective High
School students are assessed on
their social skills and their
ability to work in a close
community.
Family Commitment
All
primary caregivers should attend
a parent interview as Montessori
education is most effective when
a child's caregivers understand
and co-operate with the
long-term
programme.
Parents and caregivers need to
show understanding of the
Montessori philosophy of
teaching and fully support its
methods. They need to agree to
support the VMS staff.
Parents and caregivers need to
be willing participants and
fully support all initiatives of
the school in fundraising
ventures, working days, parent
education evenings, equipment
making and social events. We are
very happy for parents to
indicate their own particular
skills and preference for areas
they would like to assist with.
Parents and caregivers are
expected to communicate with the
school and the teachers in an
open and reasonable manner.
Parents and caregivers need to
acknowledge that every place in
the school can be reviewed at
the beginning of each year.
Compliance with the Terms of
Enrolment is also
reviewed.
Special Needs
The
Enrolment Committee reserves the
right to limit the number of
children with special needs to
ensure we can meet the needs of
that child as well as the needs
of all other children in the
class.
If
there are any circumstances
(including medical conditions or
disability) that require special
consideration by VMS, please
inform us by separate letter
attached to this application.
The
Application Process
For
any potential pupil to be
considered we must receive a
completed application form
accompanied by a copy of the
most recent academic report as
well as any therapy or relevant
medical or professional reports
and recommendations. We cannot
proceed with the application
until we receive your forms.
Parents are strongly advised to
submit the application form as
early as possible because
enrolment date is a factor in
establishing priority in the
event of a shortage of places.
Young children may be placed on
the waiting list. It is
important that younger siblings
are also enrolled as soon as
possible.
Parents will be notified by
written invitation of the dates
and times that the child is
required to attend an
assessment. Prior to the
assessment date the non-
refundable application fee of
R1500 must be made. Students are
assessed for two consecutive
mornings, giving sufficient time
to ascertain whether or not the
prospective student will thrive
in a Montessori setting.
Assessments take place in the
Montessori environments.
Preschool children need to be
fully toilet trained, three
years of age and emotionally
ready to follow basic verbal
instructions and have a basic
understanding of English. They
will be required to demonstrate
and display the potential to
cope and adapt into the
Montessori Pre-School
environment. Parents will be
notified in writing of the
results of their child’s
application in the week
following the assessment and are
asked to notify the school
either verbally or in writing of
their intention to accept the
place within the week. If your
child is accepted, the Good
Faith Deposit is payable within
the time stipulated to secure
their place in the school.
Should the child be accepted,
parents will also be invited for
a parent interview. The
interview is held with both
parents/caregivers, the Village
Montessori Enrolment Committee
and the Principal. This is a
platform for both sides to
explore expectations and
suitability. The Enrolment
Committee considers a number of
factors but the key
considerations are the
suitability of the child to the
Montessori environment, level of
family commitment to the
Montessori Method, welfare of
the school and smooth transition
for the child.
Allocation of Places
Selection will be based on a
variety of factors. These
include application date, the
child's history of learning in
the Montessori environment, the
child's overall suitability,
willingness of the family to
participate in activities to
support the school and the
ability of the Enrolment
Committee to make places
available for siblings. The
Enrolment Committee retains the
right to make all enquiries
necessary to obtain information
which may assist it to reach a
decision in any particular case.
All enquiries will remain
confidential. Confirmation or
denial of placement into the
school remains ultimately at the
discretion of the Principal.
Where
the number of applications
exceeds the number of places
available, Village Montessori
School (VMS) may, at the
discretion of the Principal,
give special preference to
siblings of a pupil already at
VMS.
Waiting List
A
child's name may be placed on
the waiting list at any time.
From time to time we will
contact families to request
re-confirmation of their
intention to remain on our
waiting list. Please inform the
school in writing if you should
decide to remove your child’s
name from the waiting list.
Miscellaneous Matters
If
the Enrolment Committee
discovers that an application
contains a false statement, the
Enrolment Committee may ask the
Principal to reverse the
enrolment decision to accept a
child. In this circumstance the
application fee and deposit, if
already paid, would be
forfeited.
Examples of situations that
would be considered false
statements (this is not intended
to be an exhaustive list) are:
- If
a child did not attend a
Montessori school as is stated
on the application form.
-
Failure to disclose all
information regarding a child's
behaviour and educational needs
at the time of application and
interview or failure to disclose
a change in circumstances
following application and
assessment. The onus is on the
applicant to notify the school
of any changes to any
information relied
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