With the start of the new school year fast approaching, many families are trying to settle on a school. Lots of new parents are wondering how to choose the school that is most suitable for their child. It can feel overwhelming as there are so many questions to consider, such as, "how to compare the different kindergartens?" or, "why is Montessori popular?" and, "should I choose Montessori for my child?" Faced with so many choices, parents wanting to follow the international system need to gather a lot of information before making a final decision. These include learning about the curriculum and planning a school visit to experience the learning atmosphere. Only then, will you be able to make a confident decision.
What is Montessori? It is an education method named after the Italian female educator Maria Montessori (1870 - 1952). The unique early childhood education method she created has swept the entire Western world and has profoundly affected the education level and social development of countries in the world, especially advanced countries in Europe and the United States.
The characteristic of the Montessori education method attaches great importance to the early education of children, for which she has engaged in educational experiments and research for more than half a century; her teaching methods range from intellectual training, sensory training to sports training, from respecting freedom to building will, from the education of the common people to the education of the nobility, it has provided a foundation of generations of outstanding talents for the sustainable development of the western industrialised society.
The difference between Montessori and traditional education is that classes are not divided according to the age of the child. Montessori kindergartens usually only offer two types of classes, a small class for 0-3 years old and a large class for 3-6 years old. Young children can learn from older children, and older children can lead them to better adapt to the new environment. Children in the class are like in a small society. Children's love, self-confidence, learning ability and leadership ability will be better cultivated and developed.
Apple Montessori is a professional international childcare centre focusing on preschool education, affiliated with the American Montessori Society (AMS). As one of the first in a group of five kindergartens in the city to get the government license, it provides an authentic Montessori education in an immersive bilingual environment.
At Apple Montessori, the health and safety of children are one of our highest priorities. Each campus is equipped with an air purification system combined with regular air treatment. High-definition cameras fully cover the grounds to ensure the safety of children. The experience of Apple Montessori's health staff is an average of more than 6 years in the industry and regular health inspections are arranged for our children and our staff. Finally, we provide excellent teacher to student ratios to ensure the best quality care and education for each child. Our ratios range from 1 teacher per 5 students minimum for our oldest students to as low as 1 teacher per child for our youngest students.
Apple Montessori classrooms use official Montessori furniture and teaching aids. All details of the environment have been carefully considered and designed, even including the height of the stairs. We share the weekly menu with parents each week and we design a different menu for different ages as well as catering for individual’s allergies and other requirements.
Introduction to our Curriculum
At Apple Montessori, we provide a comprehensive curriculum that boasts physical, academic and bilingual emphasis. We achieve this by combining an in-depth Montessori curriculum with a separate Chinese and English language learning curriculum, supplemented with popular sports and other special programmes. We also offer a transition programme for our 5 to 6-year-olds, to prepare them for Grade 1.
What is the Montessori curriculum? We have our main Montessori work time every morning, but students will also choose work during schedule transitions throughout the day. The curriculum and materials are divided into the 5 learning areas：
Practical life
Sensorial
Mathematics
Language
Science and culture
Physical Education:
Young children need lots of physical activity in order to release energy in a safe and healthy way, to develop their gross motor skills and to cultivate good exercise habits. At Apple Montessori, we take students outside to play whenever the conditions are dry and the PM level is below 2.5. For our 3 to 6-year-olds we also hire professional sports teachers to introduce different sports to our students during the school week, such as Kung Fu, Fencing, Hip Hop dancing etc.
AI class:
Our weekly schedule for 3 to 6-year-olds boasts another special feature – AI class. The materials and curriculum are supplied by a top-end AI company and students get to do things like build and program robots, experiment with virtual reality etc. This introduces our children to the possibilities of new technology in an age dominated by computers and intelligent devices.
Transition Programme:
Finally, I’d like to mention our Transition curriculum for students aged 5 to 6 years old. This class is held during our daily nap time to help prepare our older students for Grade 1. This class uses more traditional teaching techniques to cover phonics, Chinese, writing practice and Math. Textbooks from the UK and the USA to ensure we offer the highest standard of international education. It’s still a lot of fun for the kids, with plenty of discussion and songs to sing, to make sure their last year at Apple Montessori is as memorable as possible.
To deliver these curriculums to the best standard, each class has a full-time Montessori teacher, who is AMS (American Montessori Society) accredited,they are also responsible for the overall class management and the Chinese language curriculum. They work with a full-time foreign teacher who delivers the English language curriculum and provides a bilingual environment for students throughout the day. All our teachers are hired with prior teaching experience that ranges from a minimum of 3.5 years all the way up to 15 years of teaching experience. They hold a range of teaching qualifications, such as Bachelor Degrees in Preschool education, licensed English teachers, Masters in teaching English, Kindergarten teaching certificates and many more. Several of our staff have won awards in previous workplaces or from external bodies. We are very proud of our teaching team and they’re at the heart of our curriculum and our school.
To find out more about our staff and curriculum at Apple Montessori please schedule a visit.
Quick Notes:
Accepted student age range: 6 months to 6 years old (Pre-school), no restrictions on household registration and nationality
Our Grades:
Infant class: 6 months-18 months
Toddler (IC): 18 months-3 years
Casa: 3 year – 6 years
School Type: International School
Campus location and size:
Pudong campus: 2000 square meters
Xuhui campus: 2100 square meters
Curriculum system: Montessori & bilingual
Tuition Fee (2021-2022):
Please contact us for more information including discount tuition. To visit or to register your child, please make an appointment in advance.
Main teaching language: Chinese and English (bilingual)
Featured infant class: Foreign teacher + Chinese teacher + senior nursery teacher, teacher-student ratio 1:1 or 1:2 depending on the student age
Toddler (IC): Foreign teacher + Chinese teacher + senior nursery teacher + senior nursery teacher, teacher-student ratio 1:4
Casa: Foreign teacher + Chinese teacher + assistant teacher + senior childcare worker teacher-student ratio 1:5
School hours: 8:30a.ml to 4 p.m. (dismissal time varies between classes); optional after school class runs between 3:30 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.
Featured courses: AI enlightenment, infant physical fitness, taekwondo, fencing class, toddler basketball class, Hip Hop dancing, Kung Fu, Transition class, etc...
School facilities: Independent kitchens, large indoor and outdoor venues, libraries, STEAM multifunctional classrooms, etc...
School doctors and nurses: Full-time school doctors and chief doctors of Shanghai Children’s Hospital serve as consultant physicians on campus; partner hospitals are Shanghai United Family Hospital, Shanghai Pubin Children’s Hospital, Shanghai Children’s Hospital; we have a clinic and a separate isolation station for children on campus.
Contact details:
Official website: www.applemontessori.org ; Click 'Read More' below to visit the website
WeChat public account: Apple Montessori International High-end Childcare
Pudong Campus:
Address: No. 356, Jinkang Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai (attached building of DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel East Jinjiang)
Phone: (021) 5077 1762/134 8264 8320
Email: campus.pudong@applemontessori.org
Xuhui Campus:
Address: Jiashan Intersection, No. 290, Jianguo West Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai (Podium, Phase II of K. Wah Royal Palace)
Phone: (021) 3356 7892/134 8264 4860
Email: campus.xuhui@applemontessori.org
Since opening, we have adhered to the professional Montessori teaching philosophy and worked with children from all over the globe so that our international community of students can grow up happily and healthily in the highest quality environment.
Sign up for the autumn class and enjoy great discount prices! limited spots available!
Scan QR code
To enter the Apple Montessori admissions channel
沪ICP备15036271号-2
