Our program is now available to Kindergarten and Grade 1 students.

We will consider late-entry for students who are coming from other Montessori programs.

Montessori learning involves tools, principals and methods which are unique to the Montessori program. Students coming from other styles of education would need to go back and learn the foundations of Montessori before they could effectively move forward.

Ideally, we want our program to grow and to continue opening new class rooms as our enrollment increases. The earlier in the year we receive enrollment, the more time we have to plan for growth in September.

Currently there is no wait-list.

Should there be more Students than spaces in September, spaces will be given out by lottery with priority given to Families living within the School District 22 area.

Right now, the program is by donation and run by volunteers. As long as we continue to have parent support, we should not need to charge a tuition.

Montessori is very much about independence. The ideal candidates are Students who can make decisions and carry out tasks without having a teacher “hover” over them. They often work in small groups or solo (opposed to the entire class working on the same thing at the same time). This requires self-accountability, focus and team work with their peers. Montessori learning is multi-age with older Students learning mentorship skills and the group developing a sense of community dynamic.

The Montessori program is exempt from catchments and is open to Students living anywhere locally. Families within the School District 22 area will be given priority.

Currently, the options for Kindergarten include Silver Star Elementary, Harwood Montessori, and Armstrong Montessori Academy.

Our Montessori program concludes at Grade 6. All Students (regardless of catchment) are welcome to stay at Silver Star Elementary to complete their elementary education.

We are hopeful to expand our program to grade 7 in the future.

The Vernon Montessori Society is a private entity in partnership with School District 22 (public). SD22 provides us with classroom space at Silver Star Elementary, Teachers and Faculty, as well as mainstream tools and supplies. The VMS is a registered non-profit organization operated by a volunteer board of directors who work to maintain Montessori principals and raise funds for specialized Montessori tools, supplies, teacher training and programming.

Essentially, we are part of the public system with a private “layer” for all things specific to Montessori learning.

A major principal of Montessori is multi-age learning. Classrooms are generally split by Grades 1 - 3 and 4 - 6. There may be some variation depending on enrollment.

Class sizes will range from 15 - 25 students depending on student enrollment, available class space and access to Montessori-trained Teachers.

Teachers handle day-to-day instruction, Silver Star Elementary handles general administration and building maintenance, parent volunteers are required for the following:

• board of directors,

• website and social media management,

• fundraising,

• field trip assistance,

• drawing enrollment for the upcoming year,

• communicating with Teachers, Faculty and School Board,

• purchasing of new tools and supplies…

Yes. All students at Silver Star Elementary are in one building sharing the hallways, library, gym, office, etc. They follow the same break and lunch schedules. We are part of the same PAC and Students are invited to join the same clubs, groups and teams.