Montessori 3-6 is New Zealand’s first Trilingual Montessori Preschool and the only one offering English, Te Reo and Spanish to children in Hawke’s Bay.
As New Zealand becomes more diverse it is crucial that our children learn about other languages and cultures from an early age so they become respectful of everyone.
English
Our team support children to develop their oral language in English using a range of Picture Word Cards, Animals and our Montessori Materials. Over time our children learn the sounds of each sandpaper letter and associate everyday objects with them. Children who stay for news have opportunities to learn to listen, speak and respond in a positive, supportive environment to an audience. We start following the children’s interest using a phonics approach and lots of Montessori games that making learning fun. We have a sequential range of specific Montessori materials for our learners that lead to spelling, writing and reading providing a solid foundation before primary school. Children who love writing starting contributing to their own Photo Album themselves when they are ready.
Te Reo
To give children an appreciation of Te Reo as a living and relevant language as one of our official languages of Aotearoa. Our children count how many children are here each day so language learning is purposeful, and occurs intentionally as part of our routines. Over time children volunteer to count in the language of their choice which may also be their home language. Our teaching team all have specific Montessori materials that they teach our children as per the goal sheets in their individual Trilingual Curriculum Books. We are very lucky to have Erina who has had a decade teaching Māori to adults. She began introducing Te Ataarangi to our families and team in 2023 and led our team meetings at the start of 2024. Alix is learning Te Reo at EIT doing her degree and supports our children on Fridays.
Spanish
To give children an introduction to an international language we chose Spanish. Spanish is an official language in 22 countries making it the second most spoken language in the world! Te Reo and Spanish have the same sounds so are complimentary for language acquisition. Many Spanish speakers can pronounce Māori words better than many Kiwis! Dennise shares her language and culture through songs, books, games and dances.
We have had children travelling from Puketapu, Eskdale, Waimarama and Whirinaki to be part of Montessori 3-6. Ask us about the individual goal setting we create with each child and look through our photo albums when you visit.