English info
Our school The 6th Montessori School Anne Frank is the school where Anne Frank, in those days, spent her elementary/primary school years. One schoolroom is kept in the original state. The 6th Montessori School Anne Frank is not a museum. It is a modern elementary school where the pupils are working on their own as well as in groups, based on the principles of Maria Montessori.
By means of this website the parents and visitors may find the following information:
- general information: enrolment, hours, etc
- visionchild
- pupil-following system
- team
- composition of team
- atmosphere: impression of school activities
- Anne: information about Anne Frank (not in English)
Anne Frank
Anne Frank was a pupil of our school between 1934 and 1941. The parents of Anne decided montessori education was the most appropriate form of education for their always talking and a bit stubborn daughter. Annes mother said, “god knows everything, but Anne always knows it better”Anne lived near the school at the merwedeplein. She could easily walk to the school, we suppose together with her older sister Margot, but she attended the regular school in het Dintel straat 500 meters away from the 6th Montessorischool. At first Anne started at the kindergarten Blauwe Zeedistel in the class of mrs Gudron. There she found her first big school friend Hanneli Goslar. They stayd friends the whole school period. Anne had a very pleasant school period. She liked theatre playing. The old head teacher mrs Kuperus remembered that Anne always had ideas, and not being shy, she always played one of the main haracters. At the end of the elementary school when Anne was 12 years old she left the school in September 1941. The German occupiers decided the Jewish children had to leave the public school. Jewish schools were formed in de summer of 1942 Anne went to the Jewish lyceum. Her older sister Margot attended the same school.
Atmosphere
Toppers
At the 6th Montessori School Anne Frank, we consider a pleasant, safe and caring atmosphere crucial for all who are coming here every day. But, it takes a lot to achieve this! When we want 300 children and 30 teachers to have a pleasant contact with each other we should pay attention e.g. to the manners amongst the children but also to the manners/attitudes of the teachers towards the pupils, and of the pupils towards the teachers. In order to know how everyone experiences the atmosphere in the schoolroom the children of the upper level (9 to 12 years) have to fill out a questionnaire.
Once every two years we also ask the parents about their impression of the school. Finally, each year, the teachers are asked to fill out a questionnaire, e.g. focusing on the pedagogical climate. Then all that data are worked out. Thus a plan for the pedagogical climate in the groups was designed recently. As part of the plan the teachers of the upper levels have attended a three-day course. This topper training took place at school on Wednesday afternoons and evenings . This teacher training aims at providing the teachers with more options to help those children who are insecure. We also have questioned the children about where and when they did not feel comfortable at school, more specifically with a view to possible teasing behaviour leading to regular pestering. This has led to an overall pestering protocol. Part of the protocol e.g., is a basic rule: a joke is only a joke if both can laugh about it. This rule, and other rules, are discussed in the groups. In addition to all these measures that are taking effect at moments when the child feels uncomfortable, we stress that children at school should feel comfortable with themselves. Thus, although the school values the educational results, it is never to the extent that a child may feel weighed down by a heavy load of the duty to learn. We also teach the children that it will often happen that one child may have made more progress in a subject than another one. For this reason we will stick to the idea of three age categories in one group. Thus children will always be at a certain time the youngest, the middle ones, the oldest. Thus they learn to take care of others but also to respect one another. During the lessons in the games room for the middle level learning to express yourself is central. Regular outings and excursions also contribute towards developing and keeping a nice atmosphere of togetherness. This may be to the Concertgebouw but also to the Amstelpark. Often the outing will have an educational character but togetherness always adds an extra value. Of course, in the upper level skating or taking part in a school basketball tournament has a sportsmanlike aspect, but children will learn to do things together in cooperation.
The child and its development
At our school we provide modern education with up-to-date materials. Here all children can reach the core objectives provided they have the necessary capacities. At our school the child and its development is the central theme. In order to follow the child’s development we use a pupil-following system. In this way we determine the rate of progress of the children at fixed moments during the year. We do this, among other things, by way of tests and observations.
Gathering data and reporting
The results are reported, neatly arranged per child and per group level, and at school level. By means of a computer the data are partly assembled in an electronic data base. The pupil-following system of the 6th Montessori school can be divided into a formal system; and in an informal system. The informal part consists of the day by day observations of the teacher at work with the pupils.
The teacher discovers a great deal with regard to:
- concentration
- working attitude
- motivation
- drive
- inventiveness /resourcefulness
- care for work
- motor system
- the way in which the child “behaves” verbally, expressively. musically
- the way in which the child expresses in words, makes contact with other children or adults
At least twice a year the teacher will discuss these observations with the parents, not expressing the results in marks however. The attitude of the child towards him/herself, to others and to concrete subject matter is given priority. The more formal part of assessment consists of a series of method-independent tests. It is not for nothing that these tests are mentioned only now since, from our point of view, they belong there. The observations of the teacher are valued higher than the results of the tests. Therefore we do not offer the tests as frequently as instructed by the makers. It is the information from the informal system of assessment mentioned above, that the teacher decides whether a child should have an extra test or even skip one, prompted by the progress the teacher has observed in the child.
General information about the 6th Montessori School
The 6th Montessori school is a public primary school. At this moment the school has well over 300 pupils divided into twelve groups: four lower level, four middle, four upper level groups. News letter /current information Enrolment:The school aims especially at enrolling children from the neighbourhood. You may enrol your child as from two years old.
