Lodestar Montessori Preschool
at 23 Jalan Teliti, Singapore 537319
Lodestar Montessori Preschool welcomes children from 3 to 6 years of age. Learn more about what we have to offer.
ECDA Centre Code: PT9579
Licence Period: 10/09/2021 to 09/09/2023
The Lodestar Montessori Preschool Environments
Our environments and outdoor spaces
Keystone environment
Our bright, naturally lit and beautiful Keystone environment is located on the ground floor and overlooks the peaceful garden space. It houses the full range of Montessori materials.
Polaris environment
Our attractive and well organised Polaris environment is located on the first floor and overlooks a lush balcony of plants . It contains the full range of Montessori materials.
The outdoors (front)
Our spacious outdoors (front) consist of various sports vehicles, a climbing structure for children to exercise their gross motor skills, a standing basketball ball hoop for practising their shooting skill and hand-eye coordination, a sandpit for creative play with sand toys and play area for exercise and games.
The outdoors (back)
Our spacious outdoors (back) consist of beautiful garden umbrellas and outdoor furniture for the children to relax amongst the plants. It also has a vegetable plot, flowering plants, herbs, fish pond and lily pots for the children to appreciate nature and do some gardening!
The Lodestar Montessori Preschool Prepared Environment
The 4 distinct areas of a Montessori (3-6) prepared environment
Practical Life
One of the first areas the child is introduced to is the Practical Life area. The Practical Life activities act as a link between the child’s home environment and the prepared Montessori environment. They are the exercises the child sees performed in the home environment even before the child comes to the Montessori environment. These exercises that care for ourselves, for others and for our environment make up the Practical Life exercises. The exercises reflect the culture that the child is in; so that by working with these materials, the child will be able to adapt to the local environment.
Sensorial
Our senses help us to understand our world; they act as “scouts” and are the pathways to intelligence. Senses gather information, but the brain processes and analyses the information as it is connected to every sense. Education of the senses is educating each sense to be aware of the smallest stimuli, thus increasing the sensitivity of each sense. The Sensorial activities allow the child to discriminate small differential stimuli and gives the child means by which he or she can order the mind. With refinement of the senses, the child learns to appreciate the world and this deepens the understanding of it.
Language
When the child comes to the Montessori environment, the child already has the foundation of language. The Montessori guide helps the child to be aware of the sounds that make up the word. When the child becomes familiar with the symbols and sounds the letters represent, the child realises that thoughts can be expressed into symbols and transmitted to others. The child progresses from forming and reading phonetic words, to double phonogram words, to sight words, to simple phrases, and finally, to simple sentences. The Montessori approach is to help the child achieve reading, comprehension and appreciation of language.
Numeracy
Numeracy activities start when a child is approximately 4 years of age. It isolates and offers one difficulty at a time. The concept of numbers is abstract and depends on concrete experience. The Montessori approach gives the child concrete experience with the materials. Each material leads the child more and more into abstraction. The Numeracy area is divided into 6 main groups:
Group 1: Introduction to Numbers
Group 2: Introduction to Categories
Group 3: Introduction to Quantities
Group 4: Operations
Group 5: Abstraction
Group 6: Fractions
The Lodestar Montessori Preschool Programs
Details for the Montessori Primary & Enrichment Programs
Montessori Programs
We are pleased to offer the Montessori Primary Program for children from 3-6 years old and the Montessori Enrichment Program for children from 5-6 years old. Do note that the Montessori Enrichment Program is only open to children in the Montessori Primary Program.
The areas are taught using the Montessori approach, which includes one-to-one, one-to-few and one-to-all presentations.
The children work with the Montessori materials in the environment.
Duration of Programs
The Montessori Primary and Enrichment Programs run during term time. Each term spans 10 weeks. There are 4 terms in an Academic Year that begins in January.
The Montessori Primary and Enrichment Programs run for a duration of 40 weeks in an Academic Year from Monday to Friday, between 08.30 to 12.30 and 12.30 to 15.30 respectively.
We follow the local school terms and term holidays as given by the Ministry of Education, Singapore.
Assessment
The guides assess each child through their daily observation of the child at work with the help of the Montessori materials which have the ability to reveal a child’s understanding when working with them.
The guides maintain rigorous records of each child in the different areas. The guides meet with parents twice a year during Parent-Guide Conferences (PGCs) to give them a Progress Report of their child in the different areas of development.
The Lodestar Montessori Preschool Admission Process
Eligibility Criteria and Admission Procedure
Eligibility
Due to the nature of the Montessori Primary Program, we only accept children between (and including) the ages of 3-5 years old, i.e., a child can only enter our preschool at the Nursery 1, Nursery 2 or Kindergarten 1 level.
If a child is permitted to enter at the Kindergarten 2 level, then the child must also register for our Montessori Elementary Program after completing the Montessori Primary and Enrichment Programs.
Failure to proceed to the Montessori Elementary Program will result in the forfeiture of the Enrolment Deposit.
Admission is based upon availability and with consideration to age and gender ratios. With the understanding that consistency and continuity are vital to a young child’s optimal development, admission preference is given to families whose intention is to remain with Lodestar Montessori Preschool for the full 3-year Montessori cycle.
Steps for Admission
Fill up the book-a-school-visit form. The school will arrange a Zoom meet with both parents. After the Zoom meet, if the parents’ and school’s expectations are aligned, a school visit will be scheduled.
After the school visit and upon successful Entry Assessment by the respective team of guides, fill up the necessary documents and make payment of the Enrolment Deposit, Application, Term and Bus (if applicable) fees.
Scanned copies of the following are also needed for submission:
- Parents’ NRIC/DP/PR/EP and passports for non-NRIC holders
- Child’s SG Birth Certificate/DP and passport for non-SG BC holder
- Child’s Health Records (if any)
- Child’s Educational Reports (if any)
Note: Please note that documents must be translated if they are not in English.
The Lodestar Montessori Preschool Program Fees
Montessori Primary & Enrichment Program Fees
Application
FeeThis fee is a one-time fee upon application and is not refundable.
Enrolment
DepositThis fee is refundable when the child graduates or when the child leaves school provided a 1-month advanced written notice is given during term time.
Montessori Primary Program
FeeThis fee is charged termly and is not refundable if the child leaves school during the term.
Montessori Enrichment Program
FeeThis fee is charged termly and is not refundable if the child leaves school during the term.
A Montessori education is a gift to your child and an investment in your child’s future. Although we would like to assist families-in-need and offer a Montessori education to every child; however, our resources are limited. We offer need and diversity scholarships to new and existing Lodestar families, not exceeding 35% of the annual tuition fee based on the income of the family.
Lodestar scholarship eligibility is established every year the student applies for and receives scholarship aid which is guaranteed for each year of their study. Need is determined with information from a fair and reasonable assessment of a family’s financial strength. The other criteria is the number of siblings (or other household members), the financial assets of both student and parents and the diversity that the student brings to the school community. Please get in touch with the school for more details.
Pathways after the Lodestar Montessori Primary & Enrichment Programs
Undoubtedly, parents wonder if their child is able to adapt to a traditional school after a Montessori education. The answer is, most definitely, a yes! A Montessori education is holistic in nature, addressing academic areas as well as social and emotional areas, thereby supporting the growth of the child at every stage of development.
Montessori children, who are citizens, are able to adapt fairly easily to the local schools. Montessori children who are non-citizens have the option to go to any International Elementary School, where again, adaptation is fairly easy; or they can continue their Montessori education in our Montessori elementary school – Lodestar Montessori School – where transition is seamless.