Sports at Montessori East
Participation in sports at Montessori East (ME) teaches valuable life skills such as teamwork, perseverance, resilience, discipline and respect for rules. It also helps children build self-confidence, learn to handle success and failure gracefully, and develop a strong sense of camaraderie with their peers.
ME Preschool and Kindergarten
The ME preschool children have access to a range of activities so that they can develop their gross motor skills and master control of their physical body. The curriculum at Montessori East aligns with the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) outcome to give children a strong sense of wellbeing, encompassing the following.
• Children become strong in their social, emotional and mental wellbeing
• Children become strong in their physical learning and wellbeing
• Children are aware of and develop strategies to support their own mental and physical health and personal safety.
All ME children participate in a formalised sport lesson once a week. Playball is delivered by a trained coach and it is a comprehensive skills based program that is fun and challenging.
On a daily basis, the outside environment offers space to run, navigate obstacles, play ball games, agility and heavy lifting activities. Indoors; yoga and dance are offered to explore how we move our bodies.
ME Primary School
Montessori East considers the range of sport and physical activity options available within the school setting and in the community. Everyone is able to participate and we adapt these to suit the needs, goals and capabilities of the children.
Morning movement classes before going into the classroom, kick off the day to a good start for the lower primary school children. Movement classes are created to unify gross motor skills - hand/eye coordination - with synthetic movement’ - movement which is directed by the mind to an intelligent purpose, effectively preparing the children for the mornings academic work. Activities might include skipping, hula hooping, skill based games and obstacle courses.
Term sports The primary program specifically chooses sports that offer the children a variety while integrating Montessori principles that align with the curriculum as set out by the Department of Education.
The educators and sports coaches collaborate closely with the unified goal to create an environment that allows children to explore various sports, discover their interests, and develop their talents in a supportive atmosphere which offers them ways to experience competition and learn to manage themselves when they win and when they lose. The children are challenged to try something new and supports their mental development of linking body movement patterns to achieve an end-result, such as kicking the ball into a goal; while recognising that it can be enjoyable and promote their health and wellbeing.
Sports offered during the term include but are not limited to:
Dance
Indoor soccer
Swimming
Cricket
Pickle Ball (LH pic)
Gymnastics
Tennis
Ultimate Frisbee
Surfing - Cycle 3 (9 - 12 years)
The benefits of having a school close to the beach is the opportunity to offer the children sports unique to where they live. Bondi Beach is the perfect haven to learn surfing, which is not a typical sport a school would offer. In addition, surfing aligns with the Montessori approach that recognises that movement is not merely a means of physical activity but a vehicle (surfing) in which the children can explore, understand and interact with their environment. Surfing is offered over the summer period, Terms 1 and 4 of each year.
We choose surfing for the children within this age group for a number of reasons:
Fitness - surfing is a physically demanding sport that builds and motivates a level of physical fitness and is a full body workout.
Confidence - Learning to surf is not easy. Building courage in yourself to get up on the board and take a wave involves, in some cases, facing your fears. This can be challenging for some, but when overcome, can bring an immense amount of joy. When you ride a wave once, you build the courage to do it again. This is the scaffolding effect in play.
In nature - the children thrive when they connect with nature, participating with it, supports an awareness of the children's surroundings and working with the unpredictable nature of it.
Extra-curricula - After school club
When the children move into primary school, from 6 years of age, they can choose to do after school club activities which include sports which are inclusive of all ages and skill ranges; Floorball, Basketball, Soccer and general balls’ skills training. Again these sports are specifically chosen in order to build on and enhance the acquisition of their hand/eye coordination and ball skills. It also acts as training for the children who do school sports activities outside of school while offering the children an outlet to play with their peers in a team sport setting.
Free play every day - included in the playground is a great range of Kidsafe approved specialised play equipment that promotes climbing, balance, challenge, safe risk, problem solving, gross motor development, core strength and more.
In-community facilities
The school utilises community facilities and organisations to enhance opportunities for sport and physical activity for all students. We are fortunate to have excellent options within walking distance to the school, such as Waverley Oval and Dickson Park.
Why Montessori East?
The synergy of Montessori education and sport nurtures the all-round development of children - their physical, intellectual, emotional and social growth; preparing them to become well-rounded, confident and compassionate individuals; which all form the fundamental foundation of the Montessori East offering.