Reviews of Montessori Alberta (Kindergarten)

Tanya Keating

I cannot express how incredibly lucky I feel to have my daughter attend this school. This is her third and last year here and she/we will miss it and the teachers so much. I am amazed at what she has learned and how much she has grown here. The teachers are kind, caring and lovely humans who take great effort to educate and inspire all of the students.

Mr. Tinc

Words cannot express my gratitude for this Montessori school. We have been with the school since 2013, however the owner/directress changed with the 2016/2017 school year. Every change (both big and small) that she has implemented has been for the better. Beginning with the 2017/2018 school year they had a full day kindergarten program. Additionally they offer complimentary speech assessments for all the students and should your child need extra help they will arrange for he/she to work with a speech language pathologist during school time. My daughter is very shy (very independent but very shy) and this Montessori has developed and fostered her confidence and has allowed her to be more social. They strive to have students be self-directed and to be accountable for their decisions and actions. My daughter (and my older son under the old owner) both loved literacy and mathematics when they "graduated" from this school. I have two avid readers in my household (they are only 5 and 8 years old) and this is largely a reflection of all the literacy/phonetic work done at Montessori at a young age. This Montessori has instilled the love of learning in my children which made the transition to elementary school so easy. Our love for this school, has resulted in us changing the location of some other child care for our third child so he too can attend this school for the next three years. I would whole heartedly recommend this school to any parent who is looking for a program that will truly allow your young child to shine as an individual and to be exposed to a wonderful introduction to the world of learning.

Kathlin Smith

This is a wonderful Montessori in our area. My daughter is learning very fast and I also get to learn from her about numbers, stars, and sometimes about discipline also. It is really a great feeling to watch her grow so quickly and all the credit goes to this school and the teachers who are doing an amazing job.

Lamat Mulac

Not because it has a Montessori name it means it is a Montessori School. This school is NOT an ACCREDITED by The Canadian Council of Montessori Administrators. The owner - Diana Runge- is a VERY disrespectful person, not only towards some parents but towards teachers. That's why the good one never last. You never know why Diana will be so rude towards you about some simple stuff. She is very bossy but when you want to address some stuff she doesn't take criticism as something positive and she turns it into a personal thing. Some materials are not updated (She still has a solar system mentioning that Pluto is a planet!!) and some materials have missing pieces. It is common sense to update and replace materials and not having stuff since 19 years ago!!! She doesn't care about teaching kids, she wants YOUR MONEY. IT"S A DAYCARE rather than a Montessori School. They don't even follow what a Montessori curriculum does, but again it is not an accredited school.

Haider Nawab

My child is studying in Montessori Alberta for last one year. The environment is very friendly and teachers are very good and have taken care of my child well. The school maintains very high Hygiene standards. The negative reviews which I saw on google look to be from people who do not have their children studying in the Montessori and are just maligning the image of the Montessori. The founder Ron personally looks into the daily affairs of the Montessori and has great rapport with children.

Giedre Vitkauskaite

My daughter attended Montessori Alberta for the past 3 years and with every year we saw her grow and become more independent and confident. She now has no trouble folding clothes, making toast for herself, and even cutting some cucumbers! We are very happy with our choice for her to attend Montessori Alberta from preschool to kindergarten, as she will be going into Grade 1 with the ability to read, to spell (words like gift, sell, bell, stick), and to add numbers in her head up to 20. The program was very consistent and allowed her to excel where she was able to. I am a parent who believes in the Montessori style of learning, not expecting teachers to write me emails every week but confident that I will be properly updated on my daughter's progress. I know that she was greatly cared for at Montessori Alberta and I am very grateful to Ms.Celine, Ms. Angela and Mr. Stewart for the time she spent there. Now it's onto the next adventure.

John Thomas

It is beautiful to hear when my son tells me about the lessons he has learned in the school today. All the poems, stories and what his teacher told him to remember. I think this is a very good school for any child because the teachers here are experienced as well as they follow a simple and beautiful approach to help the little ones learn about various things important in life.

Kaushik Ghosh

Absolutely one of the best decisions my wife and I ever made was choosing the Montessori Alberta for our daughter's education! It operates true to Maria Montessori’s principles and is delivered by one of the most dedicated teachers in healthy ambiance. We love this school, teachers, and curriculum. The way her teachers have helped our daughter develop her individuality, while at the same time emphasizing self-discipline and respect towards others, has truly been a heartening experience. It feels more like good family and I would recommend it to anyone without hesitation.

Amanda Alonzo

Absolutely phenomenal Montessori preschool. My daughter spent two years in preschool here and her development has been incredible. The teachers also care so much for their students. My daughter was so sad to say goodbye at the end of year because she enjoyed her time there so much. I highly recommend!

Srk

Don’t expect this school to nurture and improve your child, especially if its the first time school experience for your kid. Imagine , my kid being just 3.5 years old when she joined this school, (never saw or interacted with other kids) and still Celine and staff decided it’s time to pack her bags up in just 4 days. So parents, never mind when they keep raising issues in the first few days & finally outset your kid in short notice. This school is only for kids who are well oiled and trained already. Calgary has wonderful other pre schools as well. If my kid can bounce back from that setback due to the help of a proper “school” and proper& kind “teachers”, then every kid can. Don’t worry!

Tomas F

We've had our daughter at the school for 2 years. However, things got progressively worse as the director overcrowded the school. The director's favourite response to any suggestion for improvement is to start yelling "If you don't like it, leave my school!!". We have witnessed it on a number of occasions. Parents feel threatened, the teachers feel trapped. Yes, it's a convenient location, and it was ok at first, but if you want your child to go to a real Montessori pre-school, this is not it. I regret not withdrawing my child earlier, but I also fell into the trap of convenience. I saw really high turnover of kids and teachers, lot of kids sign up, but as many kids left as soon as they find out that this is not for them - it was really weird but as I learned more, it became clear as to why. It's because it's a bad pre-school in a good location. It's a overcrowded daycare claiming to be Montessori. The teachers try hard, but the director has an overbearing and twisted idea of what a Montessori should be. There is a lack of materials and the kids do the same activities over and over as if they are training for a sweatshop career ... that is not Montessori.

Cait Thompson

Ms. Celine, Ms. Angela and Mr. Stewart are caring, nurturing and friendly teachers at Montessori Alberta. When I first enrolled my son I discussed with Ms. Celine some challenges I anticipated. One was my sons speech - she helped me get my son accessed and we started working with a Speech Therapist which has massively improved his communication and language skills. The second thing they helped me with was over coming my son’s intense separation anxiety. Every day for 4 (long) months Ms. Celine worked with my son... and now he jumps, hops and skips to the front door of school, barely saying bye to me :) This year I have two children enrolled at Montessori Alberta and both of them leave school with smiles on their faces. It’s a safe, inclusive, fun and friendly environment in which I feel complete trust in the teachers there to educate the kids not only in academics but in how to be kind little humans. I fully and completely recommended Alberta Montessori. As a side note to the Pandemic - Ms. Celine and staff have done all the diligence to follow protocols and I’m very happy with their attention to cleaning / safety for the kids and themselves.

Genie W

Montessori Alberta is a wonderful school. My son has only been attending for about 6 months but the development and growth he has experienced in all realms - social, emotional, fine motor and academic - has been incredible. I would recommend this school to any parent who wants to foster a love of learning in their child. My son loves going to school and having the freedom to choose what he will work on for the day. Miss Celine is fantastic. She will work with the kids individually or in small groups to teach lessons in math, science, literacy, etc. I highly recommend attending the 3 Parent Information sessions at the beginning of the school year. They really help your communication at home with your child so you're "speaking the same language" regarding the tools and activities in the classroom. Once I proved to my son that I knew the terminology and was familiar with the different tools/activities, conversation flowed so easily because he didn't have to explain every little detail. If you're looking for a Montessori preschool, this is the place to go. The space is clean and the teachers are great. As a bonus, the kids get to go outside to play when it's not too cold or snowy out.

A Simpson

Miss Celine is an amazing Directress. Miss Karolina and Miss Vassu are wonderful teachers. This is my daughters second year here and she loves it. She cannot wait for school to start every day. They also have a kindergarten program now which is all day. This is an excellent Montessori school.

satie narine

I am giving this review because of the new ownership of the school as of June 2016. To be fair to Miss Celine who has just arrived at the school. I have known Miss Celine for the past 3 years. She has thought my son when she was at Calgary Montessori. I can assure any parent that she is well aware of the Montessori traditions. My son is having an amazing time at his new school thanks to her. She is kind, patient and innovative. I was thrilled to hear that she was taking over Alberta Montessori as the new owner! I always thought it was her calling. She created such an exciting world for the kids in her class. Their experiences were definitely unique. The kids in her classroom had the opportunity to meet and speak with guest speakers, a doctor, dentist, police officer, fireman, pilot, banker, sales personand even a former Calgary Flames hockey player! The kids had so many questions and were so excited every time. She had cooking classes so kids would learn about how their food was made. She thought them etiquette and how to socialize with their peers. She also created a science class for them. One of the parent was a Science teacher and she volunteered her time. It was definitely a fascinating time for the kids. They learnt to integrate the classroom and the real world. I believe Miss Celine will make a lot of changes to accommodate the kids and make sure that they have the best Montessori experience. She truly does care and wish the best for each child.

Ajita William

Here, each child is valued as a unique individual and they follow the most comfortable way to educate a child so that he or she finds it interesting to learn about it. Also, here the atmosphere is very friendly and every child learns at their own pace with the guidance of their teacher.

lesleigh sturge

My son has been attending Montessori Alberta for almost 2 years. During this time he has been guided by Ms Celine, Mr Stewart and Ms Angela to develop more independence, a stronger sense of self and find his voice. It is clear through my interactions with his teachers that they care about his growth and development and that their approach is nurturing and attentive. Their focus is strong in understanding the individual needs of the child. He enjoys the science program immensely and is developing skills to start kindergarten. The school is clean and comfortable for the children and the outdoor play program is a great bonus.

Terris Diesel

After meeting the teachers at Montessori Alberta Ltd. and the president, it took me only a few seconds to decide that my son will study here. After a couple of years I am very happy to say that, I was not wrong, rather was able to take a wise decision at that time. Montessori Alberta Ltd. is a well designed and reputed institution and they deserve all the praise they are getting.

Catherine Bebb

My daughters have attended this school for preschool, preK and kindergarten. They have thrived, grown and been challenged academically. Miss Celine, Miss Angela and Mr Stewart are amazing, kind, patient and understanding teachers. My youngest daughter struggles with sharing and taking turns and they have gone above and beyond to work with her to help her manage all her big feelings. The school is diverse, always clean and tidy and they also participate in extracurricular activities such as soccer and science classes. We have been so happy to have our girls attend this school and we often pop in just to say hi! Highly recommend this school for its Montessori program and fantastic teachers!