MONTESSORI BLENHEIM
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Noble Purpose
   Mā te ahurei o te tamaiti e ārahi i ā tātou mahi
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                     Let the uniqueness of the child guide our work   
         
                                                                              


Guiding Principles
​Koa - Joy
Children experience joy through purposeful, hands-on learning experiences that enable exploration and spark curiosity and creativity.

Kaitiakitanga - Guardianship
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Children see themselves as active global citizens who are responsible for their actions, engage in sustainable practices and show aroha for Papatūānuku.


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Mana - Respect 
Children celebrate diversity, demonstrate humility and manaakitanga and contribute to a cohesive learning community.
Tipu - Holistic
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Children develop a sense of belonging, feel a connectedness to their identity and follow their natural trajectory of learning through building concentration and independence.


Philosophy Statement

Montessori Blenheim acknowledges the importance of whanaungatanga - fostering reciprocal, respectful, and responsive relationships between the Montessori and the home environment.  We believe whānau are at the forefront of what is important in gaining insight into children and providing consistent approaches to nurturing their wellbeing and development.  Whānau contributing to decisions around the learning that is valued is essential, similarly, so is inviting children to be a part of decisions that directly affect their learning experiences.  Our child-led learning environment considers a child's wellbeing, their feelings and connectedness with nature and their environment, allowing them to explore, discover and develop ā tōnā wā - at their own pace, in their own time.

Developing children's independence is fundamental to the functioning of our learning community.  For children to develop their sense of self, they must first develop their independence.  Maria Montessori refers to this as 'valorisation' of the personality; for a child to feel validated as an individual, they must be acknowledged for the vital role they play in our learning community. 

Children are 'empowered to learn with and alongside others’.  They develop a deep-rooted respect and aroha for others and demonstrate these characteristics through their spontaneous actions.  Children seek ways to behave in certain social situations and through 'Grace and Courtesies' they feel accepted, have value in the community and learn to work harmoniously together.  Children develop social skills by understanding the reciprocal nature of cooperating, collaborating and communicating with peers.  They become mindful of returning their work so that it is ready for the next child, show kindness to those who may need help or awhi for children younger than themselves and respect those around them who are engaged in their learning. 

The 'Prepared Environment' is an environment for children, carefully considered and prepared by their kaiārahi, it is equipped with the foundational tools that allow a child to freely explore and act on the interests of their inner being.  It is a place where they develop a sense of belonging, kaitiakitanga (guardianship) and a connectedness to their social, cultural, and spiritual identity.  It is the children’s house - where their potential being is provided for, assisting their natural development.  As children engage with activities and settle into a work cycle, their concentration extends and deepens.  Children feel joyful and content, allowing the development of positive character traits.

Our Montessori prepared environment becomes the children's tūrangawaewae - their place to stand - a place where their holistic development is nurtured, physically, mentally and spiritually and indeed a blueprint for their yet to be mapped future place to stand.


​Ko te iho o te tamaiti ko te ara ki anamata - “Within the child lies the fate of the future”.

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​​Children love Montessori. 

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Tamariki have the freedom to explore and learn through self discovery in the classroom. 

​The calm, engaging and nurturing environment promotes self initiated learning, respect, confidence and social development. Children become life long learners through experiencing joy in their natural development. 


​What is the Montessori difference?


​The Montessori classroom is unlike other early childhood centres, the environment is calm and focused as each child is engaged in an activity that interests them.  Your child learns at their own rate in a classroom with a 'hum' of working activity.

The classroom remains orderly throughout the day as the children return each activity to its shelf before choosing another. Children are taught how to invite friends to join in with their chosen activity, but also that it is ok to say "no thanks, I want to do this on my own". Their workspace is respected - the children learn how to move carefully around each others activities and to not interrupt a child who is concentrating. ​

The activities themselves are each purposeful and beautifully presented to appeal to the child. The whole environment is designed to be aesthetically pleasing - from the leafy villa entrance, the orderly and spacious classroom to the lush back garden. Children work with materials for as long as they wish, repeating activities until they have mastered it. As children move on to learning the next skill once they have mastered the present one, there are never any gaps in their education, or need for remedial education.
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Montessori children leave for school as capable learners, independent and confident in their own abilities. In addition to honed fine motor skills they have solid foundations of numeracy and literacy, often reading, writing, identifying numerals to at least 20, doing basic addition, subtraction and understanding the decimal system.


In addition to their knowledge, Montessori children are able to focus their attention and enjoy learning. One of Maria Montessori's goals was for children to develop concentration. This is one of the fundamental skills for learning, and one that is largely missed in traditional school systems. A Montessori day is structured so that a child's focus is never interrupted by having to move on to the next lesson, before they have finished their current one.

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Montessori children are independent, self-assured in their learning and in their relationships and interactions with others and the world. Your child will master the important life skill of being a self-directed learner. Montessori's aim is to nurture and develop inner motivation to find intrinsic satisfaction in learning.


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Our History

Montessori House of Children, Blenheim, was opened in September 1994 as the 44th Montessori School in New Zealand. Today there are more than 100 Montessori schools in New Zealand, and thousands worldwide. Our school opened with two teachers and twelve children, growing over 30 years to include the wonderful indoor and outdoor environments we provide today.

Meet Our Team

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Rachel Roundhill
Centre Manager and Owner

Tēnā koutou  

Ko Tapuae-o-Uenuku te maunga
Ko Wairau te awa
Ko Totaranui te moana
Kei Ōmaka tōku kāinga ināianei
Ko Roundhill tōku whānau
Ko Rachel tōku ingoa

My husband, Willy, and I have two boys, Oscar (8) and Ned (6). We enjoy spending time together, walking and biking and catching up with our extended family.

My Montessori education began as a preschooler at Berhampore Montessori in Wellington in 1990. As a teacher, walking into Montessori Blenheim brought a real sense of 'coming home'.
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I love this school, the children and the sense of community it fosters. We are incredibly proud of our exceptional team of hardworking kaiārahi, and the families who we work with.
​ I look forward to meeting and working with you.
TtheKo Tapuae-o-Uenuku te maunga
Ko Wairau te awa
Ko Tōtaranui te moana
Ko Waikawa te marae
Ko Native American te iwi
Nō Waiharakeke me Waitohi ahau
Kei Anakiwa me Tirimoana tōku kāinga ināianei
Ko Whatamonga tōku Turangawaewae
Ko Tredinnick tōku whānau
Ko Paul tōku matua
Ko Louise tōku whaea
Ko Sarah tōku ingoa 
I was born in Whatamonga Bay and am now living in paradise in the Marlborough Sounds where  I have a special sense of belonging.  I am passionate about making a difference to the lives of young people, with both my Primary and Early childhood graduate diplomas. 
 I have completed my International AMI Montessori Diploma - a profound spiritual and self journey that has shed new light on my teaching perspectives.  I am talented in Visual and Performing Arts and I spend most of my weekends exploring the outdoors, camping and fishing in the Marlborough Sounds. 
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                           Sarah Tredinnick
                                              Kaiārahi (Guide)
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Manhua Hu
 Kaiārahi 

Kia Ora (Ni Hao)

My name is Manhua Hu. I am originally from China, I've lived in New Zealand for about six years now. I'm excited to introduce myself as one of the new teachers at Montessori Blenheim. 

It's been the beginning of an incredible journey, and I've already developed a deep affection for Montessori. I'm passionate about nurturing and educating our young tamariki. Witnessing their growth and learning fills me with a sense of achievement. 

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​Ko Mollie Bradley tōku ingoa.
I grew up in England and migrated to Marlborough as a teenager.  My husband Steven and I have our beautiful 3 year old, Harry, and Jack Russell, Ruby. 

My passion for working with children came from the joy I got from playing with my nieces.  I also become fascinated about the growth and development children go through in the first 5 years of life. 

​I am passionate about Montessori not only due to the philosophy but for the close family relationships we have here.  I love the uniqueness that each child and family brings with them and enjoy providing them with a nurturing, respectful and inviting environment, where they are able to 
develop a love of learning. 

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Mollie Bradley
Kaiārahi

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Kia Ora, my name is Walde, which means ‘forest’ in German.
I studied for a Bachelor of Early Childhood Education in Malaysia. 
In 2020, I decided to travel to New Zealand and explore the country. 
I discovered a whole new world while tramping in the maunga, exploring caves, meditating in the forest, volunteering in an animal sanctuary, building a tiny house, watching shooting stars and listening to stories from people all around the world. 
My future life goal is to be self sustainable. Therefore, I decided that I would like to stay in New Zealand and hopefully plant my roots here.
I attended a Montessori Preschool in Malaysia when I was a child. 
It is a privilege and joy to work at Montessori Blenheim as I am starting to love this calm, peaceful and nurturing environment.

Walde Tan
Kaiārahi

He tauira tau tuarua ahau o Te Rito Maioha
E whai ana ahau i te tohu paetahi 

Nō reira ngā mihi mahana ki a koutou

Ko Tapuae-o-Uenuku te maunga

Ko Wairau te awa

Ko Tōtaranui te moana

Ko Ōmaka te marae

Ko Ngāi Tahu te iwi

Nō Waiharakeke ahau

Kei Renwick tōku kāinga ināianei

Ko Mathieson tōku whānau

Ko Courtney tōku ingoa 

Nō reira

Mauri ora ki a tātou katoa

I was born in Blenheim and live in Renwick with my partner, Lachie, and our cat, Baxter. My passion for working with children came from babysitting in my teenage years. I enjoy watching little people develop their own personalities and watching them spread their wings. I love the Montessori environment and the philosophy that underpins the education we offer. I enjoy working closely with whānau and building relationships. I am currently in my third year of studying ECE. My hobbies outside of work connect back with whenua. I love fishing, hunting, diving, shooting my bow, playing football and touch rugby and spending time with friends and whānau.

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Courtney Mathieson
Kaiārahi in training
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Hui Liu
Kaiārahi

Kia ora! My name is Hui and I am thrilled to be part of the Montessori Blenheim whānau and begin my professional journey in such a nurturing and inspiring environment.

Teaching is not just a career for me—it's a passion. I am dedicated to
supporting young children's learning and development through culturally responsive practices that empower them to explore, grow and thrive. 

Every day, I am inspired by their curiosity, creativity and unique potential.

Outside the classroom, I enjoy photography and travelling, capturing
special moments and exploring new places that fuel my creativity. 

I am excited to bring my energy and enthusiasm to Montessori Blenheim and look forward to building strong, positive relationships with our tamariki, whānau, and community.

Montessori Fees

Montessori Fees: $9.50 per hour
20ECE* for 3-6 year olds: $3.00 per hour Optional Charge**
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*Up to 6 hours per day, capped at 20 hours per week.
**We request a $3.00 per hour Optional Charge for these hours to enable us to continue to provide our exceptional programme.
Optional Charges pay for additional  teaching staff,  over and above the required ratios.
​We also provide specific Montessori materials, Practical Life and baking supplies, sunblock, tissues etc.


Hours

Monday - Friday:
7.45am - 4pm

ADDRESS

5 Francis Street
Blenheim

EMAIL

[email protected]
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