Content Outline

1. Presentation

2. Our School2.1 History of the Centre2.2 Ideology2.3 Team2.4 Quality System

3. Educational Project3.1 Introduction3.2 Preschool Education3.3 Primary Education3.4 Secondary Education. ESO and Batxillerat (Compulsory Secondary Education and Sixth Form/High School)

4. Linguistic Project

5. Innovation and Research5.1 Innovation5.2 Research

6. Complementary Services6.1 Psychology and Counselling Department6.2 Workshops for Parents6.3 Montessori at Home and Montessori Playgroup6.4 Food6.5 Cafeteria and After-lunch Activities6.6 Transport6.7 School Reinforcement and Extra Support Lessons for ESO and Batxillerat6.8 Summer Courses

7. International Projects

8. Cultural and Sports Club8.1 Sporting activities8.2 Cultural activities

9. Facilities and Equipment

10. Contact

1. Presentation

This catalogue has been made with the intention of sharing our experience and our day-to-day activities as a leading educational centre. Our almost fifty years of history have allowed us to accumulate great knowledge on human development and how it can be accomplished by means of work at school.

CCE Montessori-Palau has a solid educational project based on Dr. Maria Montessori’s teaching philosophy. The centre is one in which, from the trust in the individual potentiality of each child, supports the development of their excellences and personalities. The implementation of this programme is possible with the help of the four core ideas that regulate the activity at our Centre: an environment prepared specifically for learning, personalised attention, highly qualified personnel and an advanced management system.

The great respect shown towards the children and the adolescents which has been transmitted from the Centre over all these years, has constantly motivated us to seek training in the original sources of the different educational and neuropsychological theories. At the same time, our continued training in business management allows us to develop on ideas that, applied to the educational field, lead to an added value to our students and their families. By means of this training, we optimise the best resources in order to use them for educational purposes.

We are convinced that education is the most determining factor for the improvement of society and that our students will face their future as competent adults who will be committed to the challenges that they set themselves.

We trust that these pages will reflect our concept of Education for Life. We are aware of the ambition of this challenge and we invite you to pay us a visit and to make our school your home.

2. Our School

2.1. History of the Centre

The School, as we know it today, was founded in October, 1967 from the alliance with the Escola Montessori de Girona. The founders of the new centre, Lluís Julià Ventura and Maria Barnadas Rigau, moved it to the outskirts of the city, to a location surrounded by a natural environment. From the first moment, co-educational schooling was chosen, which was also to include culture and sports in the education of all students. With this in mind, high standard facilities were designed.

Due to the good results obtained from this innovative method, the School experienced a period of growth in the number of students and in the quality of its infrastructures. This growth coincided with the generational change-over in 1991. At the same time, a teaching renovation took place directed towards adopting the Montessori Pedagogy, based on the training of the teaching staff with the certification of the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI). This process meant a professionalization of the management and organization of the Centre, without losing its identity as a family business.

The implementation of the Montessori Pedagogy, in the 90’s, along with the teaching innovations and educational research, lead Montessori-Palau to become a centre of international reference.

2.2 Ideology

The centre Montessori-Palau is a private, non charter, co-educational and lay school which maintains an attitude of respect, openness and tolerance towards all cultures, ideologies and religions that protect human dignity.

Its motto“Ad virtutem discendo” (“Towards virtue whilst learning”) summarises the way in which CCE Montessori-Palau understands education. The qualities of the person inside each student as unique beings are promoted in an intentionally welcoming environment for a good relationship with oneself, with others and with their surroundings, guiding them and accompanying them in the development of their potentialities. At the same time, the Centre encourages the working and learning abilities of the students as basic skills to accomplish the challenges which they may set for themselves and for their service to society. In order to work in the same direction, both at school and at home, the staff is at the parents’ entire disposal due to the fact that the educational task is understood to be teamwork.

This context pays special attention to the development of the individual, social and cultural identity in values such as tolerance, universality, humility, sensitivity, responsibility and intellectual curiosity as the basis for the child’s excellence and for school success.

The way in which the Centre understands the making of man is that human beings self-construct themselves from the interaction with an environment which respects the psychological traits and the expression of the human tendencies as described by Dr. Montessori. This is the adaptation and humanisation process which leads them throughout their whole life to grow and to construct their personality as unique individuals.

CCE Montessori-Palau offers an environment suitable for the construction of the human being to its maximum development, providing tools for him to discover his own happiness.

2.3 Team

The team at Montessori-Palau is formed by approximately one hundred and eighty people, including teaching and non-teaching staff. One of the priorities of the Centre is to have a stable workforce which is actively involved in the Educational Project. This is the reason why, when recruiting new personnel, the candidates undergo a strict selection process.

In CCE Montessori-Palau, staff training is a priority and is understood as a fundamental tool for team cohesion, for univocal criteria in the relationship with the pupils and to guarantee teaching excellence at the Centre.

- The General Management at CCE Montessori-Palau is formed by a multidisciplinary team that is forever studying and analysing educational and management technologies. They are also trained in this field in order to lead its implementation at the Centre.

- The Preschool and Primary teachers, in addition to their official degrees, have the Montessori Guide Diploma awarded by the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI).

- All Secondary and Batxillerat (sixth form/high school) teachers have their official degrees complemented by training in cooperative learning and in varied innovative methods. In addition, some of these teachers have AMI Primary training and have attended the Montessori Orientation to Adolescent Studies course in Cleveland, recognised by the AMI and by the North American Montessori Teachers’ Association (NAMTA).

The work that the teachers undertake and the prepared environment are object of regular consultancy and review on behalf of external Montessori trainers.

2.4 Quality Control

CCE Montessori-Palau includes in its motto “Ad virtutem discendo”, placing continuous education and development at the core of its philosophy

This educational philosophy is transferred also into the management, organisation, running and internal assessment, which is regulated by a strict Quality System (based on the EFQM quality criteria and the certification model ISO 9001: 2008). This is a system that is based on a cyclic way of working in which objectives are defined and where the necessary changes are designed, planned and introduced in order to accomplish them. Subsequently, the results are evaluated. In order for there to be a continuous improvement, new objectives are set with the aim of detecting the features which need to be improved, making adequate decisions and measuring the fulfillment of the commitments which have been agreed by the pupils and their families.

With this in mind, the Centre evaluates:

1. The performance of the pupils, with the aim of understanding the learning process and providing the most adequate teaching aid according to their needs (this forms part of the subject planning and the topics that are worked on in class).

2. The running and the organisation of CCE Montessori-Palau, by monitoring the organisational efficiency indicators. Several years ago, the centre decided to start following an EFQM management model which allows it to have a broader view and to measure its level of excellence in a more effective way.

The assessment system uses two hundred indicators. Out of them, some stand out, such as the audits and external evaluations, the compulsory external tests, university access tests as well as those in foreign languages, neuropsychological tests and the parent, pupil and staff questionnaires.

3. Educational Project

1. General Introduction

2. Preschool Education2.1. Brief Introduction2.2. Prepared environment2.3. The role of the adult2.4. The work of the child2.5. The Preschool curriculum and its extensions2.6. The legacy of the stage

3. Primary Education3.1. Brief introduction3.2. The prepared environment3.3. The role of the adult3.4. The work of the child3.5. The Primary Education curriculum and its extensions 3.6. The legacy of the stage

4. Secondary Education. ESO and Batxillerat 4.1. Brief introduction4.2. The prepared environment4.3. The role of the adult4.4. The work of the child4.5. The Secondary Education curriculum and its extensions4.6. The legacy of the stage

3.1 General introduction

The Educational Project at CCE Montessori Palau, following the basis of the Montessori Pedagogy, has the following main focuses:

The prepared environment:This term refers to the physical space, to the people with whom the pupils interact, to the proposal of developmental activities and to the guidelines which rule over its running.

According to the age group, the environments are organised in different ways in order to meet specific needs. The environment is run by the students themselves and is laid out in such a way that they will be able to feel it as their own and where the classroom dynamic becomes their territory.

The role of the adult:According to their personal experience and technique, it has the aim of achieving the maximum potential of the child, from the most suitable prepared environment according to their needs depending on the educational stage (between 0 and 18 years of age), under the following focuses:- Creating an appropriate bond between the child, the environment, knowledge and the adults.- Guiding the families throughout all the stages (in order to make the most of the educational opportunities).

The child’s main job:Is their self construction from their interaction with the prepared environment. The term self-construction means that when the child works, they observe, they choose freely, they make decisions, they experiment, they learn from their mistakes and they deduct the conclusions which will allow them to evolve to a higher state of growth, improving their concentration, self-discipline and responsibility.

The styling of the curriculum and its extensionsBased on the Montessori Pedagogy, the curriculum keeps the sensitive periods in mind as well as the psychological traits of the pupil and the human tendencies. The certification of the faculty by the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) guarantees the authenticity in the implementation of the Montessori Method.

Education is personalised, as each teacher plans targets for each individual student. This is the reason why, the educational style is guided towards revealing the potential of each pupil in relation to the capacities, the emotional intelligence, both social and

creative, initiative and personal autonomy. With the extensions, pupils with a higher level in some activities will be allowed to work individually in order to increase their knowledge on specific subjects.

The Centre also guarantees the knowledge of the subjects needed to successfully pass the external tests set by law. The fifty years of teaching experience that Montessori-Palau has, allows for the design and review of a curriculum based on experience, on theoretical and technological knowledge and on the selection and integration of educational innovations.

The Innovation and Training Department alongside the Psychology and Counselling Department and the teaching staff, work under the guidance of international research centres, including the AMI, which have identified the convergence of the most recent research in neuroscience and the Montessori Pedagogy. The studies which are currently being carried out in neuroscience support the efficiency of this teaching method.

The legacy of school life at Montessori-Palau:Once the student has finished school life at 18 years of age, s/he is ready for a life with abilities that the Montessori Method emphasizes, such as: the ability to set goals, decision-making, continuous improvement, the curiosity to learn with a special interest in improving society and the natural environment, as well as the abilities to work within a team and leadership.

3.2 Preschool Education

A child who is between 1 and 6 years old is at a stage in the development of the brain, named by Dr. Montessori as “stage of the Absorbent Mind”. This stage is the foundation for the creation of a person. At this age, the child has a unique unconscious sensitivity for some areas, such as language, order, sensory acuity and precision in movement.

The prepared environment:

CCE Montessori-Palau has classrooms which are 200m2 in size for the youngest pupils, until they are 2 and a half years old and 100 m2 from when they are 2 and half until they are 6. They all have exterior natural surroundings and are equipped with materials which are within the children’s reach, set out with a specific, precise order and designed in a way that awakens their interest and sensitivity. This environment is similar to that of a house. The opportunities of movement inside the classroom are aimed at a refinement which will be necessary for the achievement of the abstract concepts of knowledge of the environment and for all the other areas of the curriculum.

The role of the adult:To guide the children with great respect for their potentialities (being a model for them). In order to create a bond between the children and the environment, the Montessori guide eliminates any possible obstacles for the autonomous work of the child. The guide presents the classroom development materials with which the children will be able to work and will allow them to practice with these materials respecting their freedom.

The work of the child:The pupils build neuronal connections in their brains through carrying out and repeating the materials with which they have been presented and through their sensitive exploration, which will allow them to express the human tendencies for their self-construction.

The Preschool curriculum and its extensions:The Preschool Curriculum at CCE Montessori-Palau goes beyond the official curriculum. The main basis is the adaptation to the world through the development of the brain. Bearing in mind the characteristics of the child’s brain and its sensitive periods, inside the classroom the pupil has the opportunity to work with materials which challenge order, which attend to the development of the senses, which refine movement and encourage language and communication with their classmates and adults.

The legacy of this stageDevelopment of self-discipline, of self-discovery and of control of movement, which are necessary in order to start a new stage.

3.3 Primary Education

When between the ages of 6 and 12 years old, the child is at the stage of reasoning, imagination and the acquisition of culture and of moral and intellectual development.

The prepared environment:CCE Montessori-Palau has classrooms which provide access to all fields of learning, with specific areas designated for personal and educational development. Real life society is also part of this environment and by means of cultural outings, the students learn to understand how the world works.

The role of the adult:To guide the pupil towards the acquisition of knowledge, respecting the interests of the child and, at the same time, being a model who will introduce them to the environment and will guide them should it be needed.

The work of the childSelf-construction through experimenting and exploring the environment, through the autonomous practice of the activities with which they have been presented and their extensions. The child works simultaneously in three languages (Catalan, Spanish and English) and learns a fourth complementary language (German).

The Primary curriculum and its extensions:The curriculum for Primary Education is based on the foundation of the Montessori Pedagogy which integrates all the fields of learning, which are worked on in an interdisciplinary way and which guide the pupil via their own interest. Dr. Montessori called this global vision of the curriculum “Cosmic Education”, as the child has the need and the interest to know the whole world, with a clear guide on how to study the environment.

The legacy of this stageThe discovery of their social and individual responsibility understanding the goodness of humanity. They will have reached the required level for each of the different fields, which will allow them to broaden such knowledge during the Secondary stage of education. 3.4 Secondary. ESO and Batxillerat (Compulsory Secondary Education and High School)

When between the ages of 12 and 18 years old, the teenager starts a stage of social creation. Once they have acquired a general knowledge and culture, what is needed for their education is to dig deeper into their self-knowledge in order to build their own identity and to actively participate in the real world.

The prepared environment:All classrooms and spaces are equipped with state-of-the-art research and communication technology at the service of the teaching method.

The classrooms for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd of ESO are 200m2 in size and are each equipped with a kitchen and a laboratory. They are distributed in a way in which there are diversified work areas which allow work in cooperative groups and knowledge management. This environment promotes the pupils’ initiative, autonomy and responsibility.

For the 4th of ESO and Batxillerat, the classrooms are for specialisation and are designed for further study into the chosen field of knowledge. The environment allows the pupils to work in teams in common spaces in an autonomous way. This way they can also consolidate their social personality and their identity.

The rest of the school also forms part of this environment as do society and the real world. This is why, during these school years, many activities take place outside the centre and they receive the visit of many specialists in different fields.

The role of the adult:To give the pupils the maximum of opportunities, offering them a wide variety of experiences, knowledge, lines of scientific research and voluntary work. The adult encourages the pupils’ critical analysis and guides them whilst observing their emotional, personal situation and the changes that take effect regarding interests and concerns, in order to adjust to their needs.

This is the reason why, between the ages of 12 and 15, there are two teachers in most classrooms, which helps to reduce the ratio to approximately fourteen students per teacher. The work of the child:Consists in a continuation of self-construction in order to consolidate their personal identity as a social individual. This process is carried out through dialogue and the critical analysis of knowledge, as well as through experiencing real life situations via work, business and volunteering experiences. At these ages, the students have the possibility of getting to know the world and its diversity through international and local programmes, outside the School.

The Secondary curriculum and its extensions:The pupils continue developing their initiative through the use of guidelines set for each teaching unit, where they are presented with different research and discovery

projects, guided according to the individual needs. This work system is made for the student, using their creativity, to maintain the eagerness to keep learning. These projects are structured as real life problems which the pupil will have to solve as a source to gain knowledge (it is carried out via Problem-Based Learning -PBL-). The Socratic dialogue reinforces the debates and the analysis in order for the pupil to progress in his development.

A further step toward the approach to the real work is what the “Occupations” allow. These are productive activities which generate micro economy and which are managed by the pupils themselves.

The legacy of this stage:Dr. Montessori believed that the pupil, once having turned 18, was entering maturity. After having spent their school life at the Centre, the pupils have reached a degree of development which allows them to continue the process of self-construction in an autonomous way, motivating their own enterprising skills. They obtain the main functions which allow them to be able to organise themselves, make decisions with mental flexibility, to maintain the responsibility to face the circumstances in their own lives and to contribute to the improvement of the world. This is why Dr. Montessori called it “Education for Life”.

4. Linguistic Project

Maria Montessori: “If it is said that speaking different languages makes mankind different, in the child we find someone who doesn’t speak any languages but who is willing to learn any.”

The Linguistic Project at CCE Montessori-Palau doesn’t offer languages as an extracurricular subject and instead integrates them as part of the daily learning of the student in each of his educational stages. Students are prepared at all levels to be skilful in as many languages as possible. Making sure to strengthen the synergies between languages with the aim of developing a high multilingual and intercultural ability. This is why, from Preschool until the last year of Secondary Education, a total of six languages are taught.

Preschool 0-3 (multilingual stimulation)

Catalan Spanish English German

Preschool 3-6 Catalan Spanish English German

Primary Education 6-9 Catalan Spanish English German

Primary Education 9-12 Catalan Spanish English German

Secondary Education 1st-3rd

Catalan Spanish English German French

Secondary Education 4th -BTL

Catalan Spanish English German French Latin

Languages are worked on from a practical angle and in an environment where the students have to use the language on a daily basis. The Centre counts on an International Projects’ team which is in charge of motivating different initiatives such as exchanges with Germany or Finland, the Young European Parliament and the Montessori Model United Nations, amongst others.

5. Innovation and research

5.1 Innovation

All the departments and levels of the Centre, as a result of teamwork, experience and self-learning, are constantly developing in order to approach the improvement and the efficiency of the service. External training activities, conferences, exchanges with other national or international centres and the result of experience are the engines for innovation.

The innovative activities, which cover all areas and departments of the school are grouped in:

Innovation, renewal and review projects for the Curriculum or extracurricular contents for each stage, as for example:

In Preschool Education, the new approach for a part of the extension programmes in language, botany, zoology, geology and environmental science.

In Primary Education, the inclusion of routines and work at the school’s vegetable patch, farm and woods, as part of the project The Natural Child.

In Secondary Education, the MAMSP (Montessori Autonomous Management and Support Projects), the realization of the European Business Competence Licence programme (EBCL), the emotional education programme Watch2grow and the Occupations.

In Batxillerat (sixth form/high school), the entry into The Montessori Institute for the Science of Peace and to the Montessori Model United Nations, as members of the high schools group that lead it.

Extension projects for intellectual capital, such as the realization of the Official European Master’s Degree in Montessori Pedagogy by the University of Vic and the Montessori Institute of San Diego (MISD), recognised by the AMI. CCE Montessori-Palau is the coordinating centre.

Innovation projects for different services, such as Family Counselling carried out by the Psychology and Counselling Department, the new activities offered by the Cultural and Sports Club or the Cafeteria service, which incorporates a diet that is designed to be able to include the maximum possible amount of nutrients and to minimise additives.

5.2 Research

The Montessori Method, as a scientific method, expects an attitude of continuous observation, analysis and ability to reach conclusions. This is the reason why, the training received by the Montessori guides, trained under the criteria of the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI), includes preparation and training in the basic tools for research, knowledge, observation and analysis.

The Psychology and Counselling Department works alongside the Teaching Department on research aspects, as well as with Montessori schools worldwide.

The main lines of research are currently as follows:

• To find and validate new exams and tests in order to collect, in an objective and verified way, the development of the abilities that the students should achieve and that are not evaluated by traditional tests (which are aimed particularly towards contents)

• To design and implement a Montessori programme for adolescents, alongside 60 other schools from around the world and the North American Montessori Teachers’ Association (NAMTA).

• To investigate language teaching methods based on a learning programme for foreign languages, on the basis of a bilingual environment but in a real multilingual context.

Due to this commitment with the students’ training process and with the research of the best learning tools, the School is constantly receiving requests to take part in conferences and to receive visitors.

6. Complementary Services

6.1 Psychology and Counselling Department

The Psychology and Counselling Department is designed to give support to the educational work at all stages. It provides criteria, knowledge and understanding for the methods and the programmes. In the same way, it also offers resources for all the students, both for those with high abilities and for those who need support in their academic performance and their emotional well-being.

Career and further studies counselling is another service offered by Psychology and Counselling Department. It is developed through specific programmes and personalised attention.

This service is also addressed to the families who need counselling in their educational role at home. The team of specialists help to find the most appropriate strategies and techniques and provides psychological and educational criteria to optimise the students’ performance.The Department is made up of a team of professionals who are specialised in neuropsychology, educational psychology, psychotherapy, education, speech therapy and psychomotor activity. It is designed for students who belong to the Centre and also for those who come from elsewhere.

6.2 Workshops for Parents

“The child is the father of man” Dr. Montessori.

Each stage of development of a child is an unrepeatbale moment for the parents, for whom new questions arise. CCE Montessori-Palau offers a service aimed at answering these questions and accompanying the parents at each step, in order to provide ideas and resources and to unite the educational task that the parents and the School carry out, together. Through this service, sessions for small groups of parents are organised and coordinated to talk and to exchange experiences.

In order to address all aspects and needs, different workshops are available with the following themes:

• The role of the mother and the father in the life of their child• Psychomotor development and physical activity• Practical life as a source of development for all areas of intelligence• Responsibility, self-discipline and freedom• Life at school• Emotional nature and sexuality• Parent-child communication• Social development• Emotional and physical health• Decision-making

6.3 Montessori at Home and Montessori Playgroup

The first few years in the life of a child are crucial. The brain is undergoing a formation and development process in all aspects (from the most functional ones, such as hearing, vision, movement and language differentiation up to the emotional and quotidian aspects, such as diet or hygiene).

CCE Montessori-Palau offers the parents of young children who do not attend the Centre two professional support services. These services provide the opportunities and experiences that their children need for the development of these functional and emotional aspects.

1. Montessori at home

The aim of the service Montessori at Home is to design a personalised programme under the supervision of one of the School’s Montessori guides, so that each family can work at home on the functional and emotional aspects that are learned at the Centre. This programme is combined with sessions in a Montessori classroom, prepared specifically for this purpose. If need be, materials and books are provided for the families in order to favour its implementation. Supervision sessions are organised on a regular basis in order to update the programme.

2. Montessori Playgroup

Montessori Playgroup is an opportunity to share the experience of being a mother or a father with other families and to enjoy with their children the work in a Montessori classroom which has been especially prepared for children of this age in the company of a Montessori guide. These sessions are planned beforehand and are carried out on a weekly basis.

6.4 Food

From the beginning, CCE Montessori-Palau has offered a canteen service with home made meals. There are currently two kitchen facilities, one for the infants from 0-3 years of age and another for the remaining grades. The daily menus are based on a mediterranean diet, with the aim of offering fresh seasonal products which guarantee a balance in nutrients.

All menus are designed by the Centre’s biologist and nutritionist in order to offer a diet which allows the students to work in the best conditions. There are three types of menu according to age: for infants who are between 0 and 3 years old, which is individualised for each child; one for the 3 to 6 year olds and, finally, the menu for the rest of the age groups, which offers an alternative option.

Students with allergies and food intolerances are attended to with a personalised diet, agreed upon with the parents and the team of specialists.

6.5 Cafeteria and After-lunch Activities

The cafeteria space and the moment of dining are important during the student’s formation, as it allows better school coexistence and much more educational impact. In considering the cafeteria as an educational space, it is possible to learn about and to work on everything that happens during mealtimes, such as educating in good manners or eating habits.

Since the moment in which a child starts to walk in preschool, different aspects of practical life and personal autonomy are worked on, such as the laying and clearing of the table, cleaning their place and serving themselves. Additionally, during Primary Education, good table manners are also worked on and a social component is also included. Students also take part in the management of the cafeteria and in the nutritional contents. During Secondary Education, the children collaborate in the monitoring and compliance of the obligations of their schoolmates and they work on and consolidate the aspects related to diet and nutrition.

The time after lunch is complemented, depending on the age, with different extracurricular activities, such as learning how to play the violin or learning German. There are other activities like working on the garden patch and on the farm, sports and varied traditional games, participation tasks in school management (MAMSP) or, in Preschool, the nap. All activities are guided by the teaching staff of each stage.

6.6 Transport

CCE Montessori-Palau offers a school transport service which covers the main regions of the province of Girona and outskirts: Alt Empordà, Baix Empordà, Selva, Maresme, Pla de l’Estany and, above all, Gironès.

The bus-ride becomes a good time to work on important aspects such as the autonomy of the students, good manners and the respect for traffic regulations. There is a guide who is in charge of attending to the students should an incident occur.

In order to process the transport service, the Centre provides the families with a computer programme, pioneer in the educational field, which allows each family to modify the chosen options when necessary.

6.7 School Reinforcement and Extra Support Lessons for ESO and Batxillerat

CCE Montessori-Palau offers a school reinforcement service and extra lessons for ESO and Batxillerat. The service is designed to attend to those students who need to devote some additional time to studying or those who need to increase their ability levels in autonomy and personal organisation.

In this way, extra guidance is offered, both for school study and for personal development, in order meet the needs of those children who have a curiosity to learn more about specific school subjects or those who have high abilities.

The school reinforcement and extra lessons are carried out individually or in small groups and they are aimed at both students from inside and from outside the Centre.

6.8 Summer Courses

The Summer Courses turn school holidays into a personal enrichment and emotional period via varied activities and proposals, designed specifically for each age group, such as:

- Montessori Summer- Intensive English Summer + Tennis- Musical Summer- Sporting Summer- Programmes for Adolescents:

● Intensive English Summer + Tennis● A week in the mountains● A week at sea● International Programmes● School reinforcement

All activities are designed for students from both inside and from outside the School.

7. International Projects

CCE Montessori-Palau has established alliances with educational and research institutions around the world, which has taken the Centre to become a model worldwide.

The students take part in many international programmes which allow them to get to know different ways of working, and where they use foreign languages as the lingua franca, as for example: the Montessori Model United Nations, exchanges with Germany and Finland, or the participation and organisation of many European Youth Parliament meetings. The Centre pays special attention to the research of new opportunities in internationalisation, in order to strengthen the students’ contact with culturally enriched environments and to prepare them for society.

The School participates, on a regular basis, in conferences and international courses with talks on different innovative teaching aspects. It also welcomes teachers and directors from schools and universities from countries such as the United States, Switzerland, Finland, Italy, Japan, Germany and France, amongst others. In the same way, it also makes visits to prestigious international centres in order to observe how they work and to complete the investigation and research that is carried out at the Centre.

International teacher training is one of the pillars of the internationalisation policy and a measure indicator in the Quality System at CCE Montessori-Palau.

8. Cultural and Sports Club

The Cultural and Sports Club was founded in 1969, as one of the main pillars of education, in order to meet the sporting and artistic needs of the students.

From the beginning, it has worked from the premises of sport, performance and values with the aim of guiding daily work towards personal progress via sporting, musical or artistic disciplines.

8.1 Sports Club

It consists in sporting activities which are practised at the Centre’s facilities once the school day is over. They are planned for all ages (from 5 years upwards).

The Centre offers activities such as: Sporting School, Basketball, Football, Five a side Football (indoor football), Volleyball, Multisport, Athletics, Yoga, Judo and Modern Ballet.

8.2 Cultural Club

It includes musical and art activities with the aim of working on the more expressive and creative aspects. All activities are designed for students who are 6 and up and they are also carried out at the Centre’s facilities.

CCE Montesori-Palau gives the opportunity to take lessons in a series of instruments, such as the piano, the violin, the viola, the flute, the guitar and the drums. It also offers the possibility of taking singing lessons. Additionally, several concerts are organised, on a yearly basis, in auditoriums around the city. Amongst the musical activities which are offered, there is also an orchestra of string instruments and the Pop Rock group.

At the same time, the students can choose Chess as an activity to encourage their intellectual development. There is also an Art Workshop, where they work on drawing, painting, sculpture and creating objects.

9. Facilities and Equipment

The School Montessori-Palau is made up of five buildings, surrounded by woodland, playing and sporting areas with a total of 150.000 square metres. This layout allows us to maintain and strengthen the advantages of a small school, such as familiarity and individuality, enriched with the benefits of a large school which has classrooms of up to 200m2 in size.