The enchanting, semi-rural campus that is Caboolture Montessori School (CMS), located at 200 Old Gympie Road, has experienced unprecedented but planned growth in student numbers and buildings. Last month, CMS celebrated the opening of a two-storey, architect-designed building.
Since the ‘breaking of the soil’ ceremony on the identified building site in 2016, the School community has been witness to every part of the construction, with the great outdoors always an inspiration for the children’s learning. Caboolture Montessori School Principal, Yvonne Rinaldi, said the building was conceived through intensive consultation with all members of the School community and Towill Design Group’s principal Architect, Rachael Towill, engaged directly with the students.
Principal Rinaldi stated, “We embrace the demand for Montessori education, and with the additional building we can now cater for a cap of 300 students in our community and have already surpassed the 200 student mark.”
The School’s reputation is such that families have been known to relocate from both interstate and overseas specifically to attend the Caboolture Montessori School. Montessori is taught world-wide and has been in Australia for over 100 years.
CMS has been in the Moreton Region, on its current campus, for 19 years, and offers a Nationally-recognised curriculum, catering from the pre-Prep infant community through primary years and is an ISQ (Independent Schools Queensland) member organisation.
Principal Rinaldi stated, “As a school of Montessori distinction, the context in which children are educated is considered to be critical to their learning; this is why we have a specially prepared environment, with the youngest students even having scaled furniture; our teaching materials are also specially sourced and the equipment beautifully crafted. The new two-storey structure is no different in that it is architect designed to incorporate multiple functions.”
The state-of-the-art building showcases environmental aspects through sustainable design and locally sourced products, and landscape elements accommodate purposeful plantings in the ‘Land for Wildlife’ setting.
Integral to official building launch proceedings were Senator, the Honourable James McGrath, Queensland Senator and Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister; the Honourable Mark Ryan, Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Services and Minister for Corrective Services, State Member for Morayfield; Susan Lamb Federal Member for Longman and Andrew Powell MP, Member for Glass House.
The whole of School event on Friday, August 25, saw VIP’s tour the building then join with community guests for an official afternoon, student-organised, ceremony comprising Acknowledgement of Country, school performances and addresses by Senator McGrath, MP Mark Ryan, Principal Yvonne Rinaldi, Architect Rachael Towill and Board Chair Nick Willemsen. A plaque unveiling, ribbon cutting and performances of the school song concluded the ceremony, following which the children enjoyed celebratory cake.