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School Overview
Maria Montessori Academy (MMA) is a thriving Montessori school in the Gordon Head community of the Greater Victoria region. Founded in 1982 in the basement of a small church, the school has grown to serve preschool to Grade 12 grades in a larger elementary school space.
Why Teach at Maria Montessori Academy?
Our Mission, Vision and Values
From a foundation of empowerment, students at Maria Montessori Academy engage with the world thoughtfully, creatively, and with a global sense of purpose.
Guiding Principles
- We recognize each child as a unique individual.
- We provide a safe, nurturing, and welcoming community.
- We foster the personal and professional development of educational staff
- We value development of the whole child and, therefore:
- We are committed to our students becoming flexible and creative problem-solvers;
- We cultivate leadership, independent thought, self-confidence and innovative thinking:
- We encourage students to try new things, to take risks, and to be themselves:
- We teach students to become adept at recognizing, correcting, and learning: from their errors in a way that promotes wellness;
- We model respect, consideration for others, and a belief in peaceful conflict resolution as foundations for building community; and
- We recognize that internal satisfaction drives students’ curiosity and interest and results in joyous and lifelong learning
Our Educational Philosophy
Montessori methodology refers to a form of education established by Maria Montessori. Through her scientific observations and work with children, she developed an environment and educational philosophy prepared for meeting the progressive needs of the developing child. Montessori education emphasizes independence, freedom within limits, and respect for a child’s natural psychological development.
Montessori’s child-centred educational approach fosters a love of learning based on intrinsic motivation. In the Montessori classroom, learning initially occurs through the use of concrete materials as representations of abstract concepts. We emphasize process over product and independent problem-solving. The teacher’s role is to guide children; to enable self-directed learning to help children reach their full potential.
The Montessori setting is reflective of social settings in everyday life. Multi-age classrooms are typical, and since children reach milestones at varying times, their individual needs are more readily met in this type of environment. In this setting, older students can act as role models and teachers to younger students. This, in turn, helps to foster confidence and cooperation.
Draw for Employees
Families are drawn to our community because of our focus on holistic learning and seeing each student as an individual. Teachers and staff are drawn because of MMA’s incredibly supportive atmosphere and resources available to meet the needs of each student.
A Feeling of Community
Walking through the halls of Maria Montessori Academy, there is a tangible feeling of our community embracing you. Our teachers greet every student in the morning to check-in with them at the start their school day. Our older students know the younger students by name and often greet our families at the front door in the morning.
Why you’ll love it here
We are strong advocates of lifelong learning for both students and teachers. We provide teachers professional development opportunities to grow mentally, physically, and spiritually as a whole person.
Community & School Culture
We have a tight-knit school community, and we often engage in fun team-building and social activities outside of school hours.
School Community
At Maria Montessori Academy, we actively cultivate community between staff, students, and families. Many staff describe the school as their second home and consider their colleagues as extended family. MMA provides educators with an impeccable balance of autonomy and support.
We also support staff and encourage them to pursue professional development opportunities. We regularly engage in group learning, and our onsite Montessori consultant regularly works with staff and students to promote the Montessori methodology.
The Community
Maria Montessori Academy is located in the Gordon Head area of Victoria, BC nearby many fantastic walking trails, the beach, and the University of Victoria. On Vancouver Island, you can do just about anything outdoorsy that you can think of, from hiking, biking, paddling to exploring the Gulf Islands.
Salary and Benefits
Compensation details
In addition to a competitive salary, we offer:
- Medical, dental, and extended health benefits for employees and dependents;
- Group life insurance benefits;
- Accidental death & dismemberment insurance benefits;
- Long Term Disability insurance benefits;
- Group RRSP matching.
OTHER PERKS
Regular staff-wide professional development opportunities and the option to explore individual interests. Other perks include fresh local coffee and Silk Road tea in the staff room! We also have staff appreciation days and monthly casual days.