CMS Strategic Plan 2024-2029

Strategic Plan 2024-2029

Canberra Montessori School

Canberra Montessori Society

Board Chair and Principal

“We must look to the children as a vehicle for bringing change to humanity.”

Dr. Maria Montessori

This profound insight encapsulates the ethos driving our strategic plan, which serves as a beacon guiding our efforts towards sustained excellence in education. Grounded in our commitment to student development, connectedness with the world, and efficient business operations sustainability, our board, staff, and community have engaged in extensive discussions to craft a strategic plan that will guide us from 2024-2029. Each of these principles has a set of strategic priorities that will allow us to focus on the things that matter most.

During the life of this strategic plan, our Society embodies three fundamental principles:

1. Teaching and Learning:

With a culture deeply rooted in authentic Montessori principles throughout our curriculum, we ensure each child experiences a holistic and enriching education. By strengthening our learning environment, we aim to achieve outcomes that foster personal and academic growth.

2. Community and Connection:

We are committed to fostering global perspectives and connections, enriching our students' learning experiences, and preparing them for a diverse and interconnected world. Through meaningful interactions and experiences, we empower our students to become compassionate and responsible global citizens. Canberra Montessori School remains dedicated to maintaining strong connections with our community. By actively engaging with parents, alumni, local businesses, and community organisations, we enrich the educational experience and strengthen the bonds that unite us.

3. Financial Sustainability and Responsibility:

We are committed to prudent financial management, ensuring the long-term viability and growth of our community. By strengthening the foundations for a secure future, we uphold our responsibility to our students, families, and staff.

As we embark on this journey, we will closely monitor our progress, seeking feedback to ensure we remain aligned with our shared vision. We invite each member of our community to join us on this journey towards a brighter future for Canberra Montessori. Your support, involvement, and enthusiasm are invaluable as we strive to provide a world-class Montessori education that inspires a lifelong love for learning.

Board Chair: Tim Bourke

Principal: Halima Khurram

Our Philosophy

At Canberra Montessori, we adhere to Maria Montessori's principles of respecting the child, creating a prepared environment, and employing specialised materials. Our classrooms offer children the freedom to explore and engage with carefully designed learning materials. Our approach is highly structured, with teachers guiding and providing resources while children choose their learning paths. This hands-on method allows each child to develop at their own pace, fostering a love for learning that lasts a lifetime.

Our Vision

At Canberra Montessori, our vision is to empower each child to become a self-directed learner, compassionate individual, and an engaged member of society. Grounded in the Montessori philosophy, we strive to cultivate an environment where children flourish academically, socially, and emotionally. By fostering a deep respect for each child's unique abilities and interests, we aim to instill a lifelong love of learning and a sense of responsibility towards themselves and their community. Through our commitment to excellence and innovation in education, we aspire to inspire the leaders and innovators of tomorrow.

Our Values

Respect

At Canberra Montessori, respect is foundational. It emphasises treating each child as a unique individual with their own strengths, interests, and pace of learning. Teachers, students, and staff respect each other's thoughts, feelings, and boundaries. Respect also extends to the environment, fostering a sense of responsibility towards the classroom materials and the natural world. Through respect, children learn to appreciate diversity, empathy, and kindness.

Curiosity

Canberra Montessori places a strong emphasis on fostering curiosity and a love of learning. Curiosity is encouraged through hands-on exploration, inquiry-based activities, and open-ended questions. Students are given the freedom to follow their interests and pursue knowledge at their own pace, sparking a lifelong passion for learning. Teachers nurture curiosity by creating an environment that stimulates the senses, encourages experimentation, and celebrates the joy of discovery. Embracing curiosity helps children develop critical thinking skills, creativity, and a deep understanding of the world around them.

Connectedness

At the heart of Montessori philosophy is the belief in the interconnectedness of all things. We believe in building strong connections – within each person, within our community, and with the world around us. Students learn about their place in different communities, from their classroom to the wider world. Through working together on projects, playing in groups, and learning about feelings, children develop empathy skills, cooperation, and a sense of belonging.

This connection also extends to nature, teaching students to care for the environment. At Canberra Montessori School we aim to nurture caring, socially aware individuals who want to make the world a better place. We also respect children's abilities and believe they can make a difference by learning about important issues. As teachers, we are always learning too, and we support our colleagues and the wider school community. By working closely with our local community, we help children feel proud of where they live. Together, we create a welcoming, supportive environment where everyone can grow and make a positive impact.

Our Strategic Plan

The plan provides a clear roadmap for achieving our core goals. While it covers five years, it guides our annual plans, reviewed yearly by the Board. Every three years, the wider community also joins in reviewing it. This approach keeps us future-focused while staying grounded in the present, ensuring our goals stay relevant and effective over the next five years.

Our Strategic Principles

1

Teaching and Learning

Canberra Montessori School takes great pride in the Montessori education we provide for our children. By following the key Montessori philosophy of allowing the child to develop according to their intrinsic needs, the school delivers life-long learners into the broader community, ready to constructively contribute to their society. Our students also benefit from being part of a strong community that they can contribute to long after they’ve left school. In every Montessori environment, there is a strong partnership between the staff, students, and the parents. Thus, in considering our key pillar of Excellence in teaching and learning in our Strategic plan, we examined how we can best support and develop our students, our staff and build the capacity of our parent’s community in playing a vital role in their children’s learning journey.

Strategic Priorities

1. Data Driven Student Development

We will be committed to objective collection, analysis, and utilisation of data across all facets of our educational delivery. This practice ensures the accurate demonstration of student achievement, early identification of issues and opportunities, transparent reporting to parents, and the formulation of evidence-based decisions.

2. Increased in-house training opportunities

We will establish cadetships and other programs aimed at offering in-house, accredited Montessori training to highly skilled, TQI certified graduate teachers. We will become, or align with, a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) to provide Montessori training and/or professional development to a range of applicants in Australia and worldwide. This will ensure that staff have the agency to develop an empathetic, creative and responsive approach to work.

3. Lifelong learning for everyone

We will cultivate a culture of continuous learning and knowledge sharing among all staff members, mirroring the values we expect them to instill in our students.

4. Focus on best practice

We will align our curriculum with contemporary, innovative practice by building on scientific method embraced by Maria Montessori observe, hypothesise, test, refine we aim to continually enhance our Montessori practice as a school.

2

Community and Connection

CMS holds in high regard the close-knit community that has been nurtured over the past years. We recognise that without this community, the school would not have reached its current stature. However, as an institution, we are committed to ongoing evaluation and enhancement of our operations to align with the evolving needs of modern families. This encompasses communication, engagement, partnership in their child's education, and involvement in the school. Moreover, we are dedicated to providing avenues for former families and staff to maintain active participation in our welcoming school community.

Strategic Priorities

1. Prioritise Engagement

We will integrate parent engagement in children's education and foster effective family-school partnerships as fundamental aspects of the school's mission. This involves collaborating closely with Aboriginal and Indigenous communities and incorporating these practices into our philosophy and curriculum.

2. Diversify Our Community Education and Connection

We will offer a wider range of parent-focused information in more accessible formats to better serve our community. We will improve and broaden our communication channels, acknowledging the diverse needs of current and former families, staff, as well as prospective and non-community members.

3. Fostering Safe and Inclusive Environment:

We are committed to fostering a safe and inclusive environment where children, staff, and families feel empowered to express themselves and their ideas openly and safely.

4. Creating Advocates

We will provide opportunities for children and staff to advocate for sustainable practices, encouraging them to become advocates for Montessori principles within their communities.

5. Service to the Community

We will empower children to comprehend that Montessori values entail serving the world, instilling in them a sense of duty and responsibility towards the common good.

3 Financial Sustainability and Responsibility

As an independent Montessori school and a non-profit organisation, we navigate a complex regulatory, governance, and business landscape. The creation of a secure environment for children, while fulfilling all business and regulatory obligations, is paramount to the school’s success. Over the years, we have optimised our resources to ensure our day to day operation. Moving forward, our strategic priorities include:

Strategic Priorities

1. Data-Driven Decision Making to Improve Enrollment Base

We are committed to enhancing student enrollment and retention through data-driven models, supporting strategic planning and enrollment initiatives.

2. Diversification of Revenue Streams

Exploring alternative revenue streams will reduce our dependence on fees and government funding, ensuring greater financial sustainability.

3. Streamlining Operations with Technology

We will continue to leverage technology to streamline operations, simplifying administrative, educational, and organisational tasks while enhancing transparency and documentation for regulatory compliance.

4. Development of Environmentally Responsible Practices

We will continue to implement processes and procedures that promote environmentally responsible use of all resources, contributing to our sustainability efforts.

5. Attraction and Retention

We will work on attracting and retaining staff who align with the best Montessori practices. We value individuals for their unique qualities and contributions, fostering an environment where everyone feels appreciated and empowered.