Beehive Montessori is a village by the sea, located on Whadjuk country, adjacent the Indian ocean. Our school environment comprises architecturally designed, purpose-built classrooms, communal spaces and outdoor facilities. Each space - macro and micro - is conceived with physical, mental and social wellbeing in mind.
Connection to place
Native bushland and ocean provide opportunities for experiential learning, bringing biology, ecology, meteorology, geology and art to life in the open air.
Access to bike paths encourages cycling to school. We are also within walking distance of Victoria Street train station.
Our Junior Primary playground was designed by Francis Burke (Earthcare) with the highlight of the dingo and crocodile recalling the story of the creation of Walyalup.
In 2023, Terry Farrell (Nature Based Play) worked with Elder Geri Hayden to create our primary playground based on the Noongar story of the seven sisters in the night sky to Pleiades.
Purposeful design
Our school’s design embodies a sensitive environmental footprint. Rammed earth was chosen as an indigenous material which provides a tactile connection to the land as well as a robust shelter from wind and salt spray.
Solar passive design allows for the ingress of natural light for lighting and minimises the need for active cooling – taking advantage of prevailing winds to cool and refresh classrooms.
17kW of solar panels utilise the abundant sunshine in Western Australia and help us reduce reliance on electricity from the grid.
A village by the sea
The piazza connects us with each other. The entrance faces the rising morning sun and welcomes staff, families, students and guests to school.
It provides a pleasant place to linger before school gatherings in the hall and a marketplace for Coastal – the micro-business run by the Adolescent Program.
Beehive's Montessori classrooms – prepared environments
‘The Prepared Environment’ is a key concept in Montessori pedagogy and forms the foundation of meeting the child’s psychological needs.
Just as Dr. Montessori’s very first class was named ‘Casa dei bambini’ or ‘House of the children’, all of our classrooms are named ‘Casa dei…’, as they are more reminiscent of a house or second home than a traditional classroom. Every room has a kitchen, a quiet reading area, and opportunity to work alone, in groups, at tables or on the floor.
Our classrooms are spaces for self-directed learning as much as they are vibrant communities, where children have a breadth of opportunities to develop and hone social and soft skills.
Connected places
Our classrooms are generously sized, open, accessible spaces. Connected spaces within classrooms which allow children to freely choose where they work. Window seats bring the outdoors in and provide seclusion. Covered courtyard areas provide fresh air extension to the common working areas and are especially suitable for activities involving lots of water. All our classrooms are adapted to enable children to move freely around the space. Being surrounded by 'knowable space' helps children to feel secure – space that is accessible and which the child is free to explore at their own volition.
Knowable space
‘The Prepared Environment’ is a key concept in Montessori pedagogy and forms the foundation of meeting the child’s psychological needs. All our classrooms are adapted to enable children to move freely around the space. Being surrounded by 'knowable space' helps children to feel secure - space that is accessible and which the child is free to explore at their own volition.
An ordered environment
Order in the environment promotes and establishes mental order in children. Simplicity, lack of clutter are hallmarks of the Beehive Montessori aesthetic. Learning materials are arranged in an ordered and inviting manner, allowing children to choose freely and independently. Children contribute to maintaining spatial order by putting their materials back the in the right place – a task which enhances autonomy and self-confidence.
Concentrated activity
The concentration that is needed for a particular kind of learning will depend very much on the type of work. Zoning within classrooms offer various degrees of seclusion for uninterrupted concentration and collaborative work.
Our classrooms help children to develop independence and self-confidence to choose appropriate places for the tasks they’ve chosen.
Sharing of Noongar stories
Our new primary playground designed by Terry Farrell (Nature Based Play) and with the help of Elder Geri Hayden is inspired by the rich palette of Indigenous dreaming stories and cultural caring for country practices. Embedding the following ancient Noongar themes ensures our children actively enliven and share in the stories when at play:
- The journey of the seven sisters in the night sky to Pleiades.
- The Waugal tunnel stretching from the Swan River to the Indian Ocean and its resting places at the 2 caves located in Rocky Bay.
- The Noongar 6 seasons and the associated seasonal movement and hunting patterns.
- The walking lines along the coast collecting the various coloured sacred ochres for ceremonial use.
- The gathering places used to seek permission to enter country, to rest, to share stories and knowledge and to exchange items before moving on through country.
- The respect for the flora and fauna of this place, with many of the animals and plants contributing to the Dreaming stories and customs.
The serpentine movement of the Waugal is represented by circuitous limestone pathway, where four ochre-coloured circles represent the meeting places of Elders on their ceremonial journey. Each circle allows for future student artworks to elaborate on the dream stories.
Children are also drawn to the ‘heart space’ of the landscape, the large Yarning Circle amphitheatre, which represents the place for ceremony, sharing, truth telling, performance and resting.
Earth stewardship
Montessori materials
As early as Playgroup, children experience the value of beautifully crafted natural materials and their limited availability, developing a relationship with the earth’s resources and the necessity to steward them wisely.
Connection to nature
Taking care of class animals and plants helps our children to develop responsibility, empathy and the opportunity to observe natural growth and life cycles.
Waste and Water Wise
Initiatives such as Waste Sorted and Water Wise help us to consider how resources are used and actively assist us to Rethink, Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. We include native plantings where possible on site.
