The teacher's desire should not be to make the child learn things, but to let the light of intelligence shine from within.
Elementary
1st - 6th grade
Discovering the world and ourselves. We foster curiosity.
Children really enjoy coming here at any age. They look forward to their friends and teachers.
They explore, create and share with their friends. Sometimes they argue, but they always manage to come to an agreement. Their teachers and they understand them. They know when and how to inspire the children, when to support them to overcome obstacles and when, on the contrary, to give them space and time.
We develop self-confidence, creativity, critical thinking and communication.
Because that is what we need most in life, especially in this day and age. We learn together, in a lively manner, practically and in context. Through examining and making mistakes, without grades and comparisons, without a chalkboard, textbooks and cumbersome homework.
Who we are
Since 2014, we have been a community-based Czech-English Montessori school with open relationships with the children and parents and a strong team of teachers who put their heart into their work. In a homey environment of a villa with a garden by the Braník Forest, we learn together and experience every day in two age-mixed classes for grades 1 - 3 and 4 - 6.
Everything is interesting if I love it and I can show it for others to see. In harmony with their world and their way of perceiving and understanding. When children and teachers are friends, learning is easy and enjoyable.
How we learn
We inspire
We use a curious environment to open up the world and let the children examine it. Through Montessori materials, research projects, and real work. In the classroom, in nature, in the city. What we have experienced, discovered and used remains with us the longest. Not something we blindly tried to store in our memory.
Tell me and I will forget, show me and I may remember, involve me and I will understand.
We discuss
Instead of giving answers, we teach to ask questions. Instead of giving solutions, we show ways to reach them. Children, in fact, often find new ways and solutions. And it is this creativity and courage to address the unknown that is needed in today's world.
Nobody knows what the world will look like in five years, yet we have to educate for it. Creativity is now as important as literacy.
We look for context
Instead of taking in isolated bits of information, we examine the relationships between them. We link subjects and topics to projects from which the context naturally arises. Context is a purpose, the reason I am interested in something. And it is also the key to learning, to thinking about the world and piecing together its mosaic.
We observe and listen
We react to each child's interests, abilities and ways of learning. We respond to their ideas and give them space to immerse themselves in them. Instead of lesson plans and schedules, we show and inspire and the children follow their intuition and discover more because of it. We invite the children to our presentations like they invite us to theirs.
We love mistakes
We share our achievements as well as our failures. We give ourselves true feedback and learn to appreciate our strengths and to work with our weaknesses. A mistake is an experience, a tool for learning and creativity. Self-discovery and self-acceptance result in self-confidence, a source of joy and development.
If we are not prepared to be wrong, we will never come up with anything original.
We cooperate
Just like at home or at work, we do not differentiate by age. We learn together and mutually, the younger from older and vice versa. In our daily cooperation, we deal with different views and conflicts, we look for understanding and consensus. For a feeling of happiness in our lives, we need fulfilling relationships, for success in work we need openness and cooperation.
If we don't know ourselves and our own emotions, we can't understand others. However smart we are, we won't get far.
We were looking for a small school with an individual approach, which appreciates and develops strengths and supports weaknesses.
A school Ondrášek will enjoy going to, where he will feel safe. We found it in Willowtrees and we are grateful for that. We appreciate the friendly atmosphere and open communication. We like the variety of aids, the wonderful events for the parents, the natural teaching of English, the projects the children create. We couldn't have made a better choice.
I enjoy making presentations about what interests me. I like the fact we don't sit behind desks, we learn through aids or outside and we call the teachers by their names.
Everything we do is done in a fun way, not just by the teachers telling us. When we're interested in natural sciences, we learn more outside than from some book. And it is great that Tom teaches us how to light a fire with just a knife, for example.
Our experience with Willowtrees was fantastic in preschool, so we stayed, because we wanted a school that respects children.
A place where they learn to think for themselves and are led through natural curiosity, not authority and drill. I see a difference in the behaviour of children from Willowtrees compared to many classic schools. They are more cooperative, empathetic and mature.
I'm glad that we have greater freedom in what we want to do, what we feel like. And I like that we can joke with each other.
I like that we behave nicely to one another and that if I quarrel with my friends, the teachers help us resolve it. I want to learn to put my ideas into presentations more. And I look forward to the café in Roblin!
Practical info
Daily rhythm
Afternoon clubs
Ceramics with American artist Chris
Art with mexican painter Alejandra
Drama with young actress Adéla
Aikido with 6th dan Mirek „Grandpa Bumbác“
Other clubs are different every year according to the children's interests.
Prices of clubs range from CZK 1,900 to CZK 2,600 per semester.
Cooperation with parents
- Daily contact when picking up children
- Information and photos in the Twigsee mobile app
- Individual consultation with teachers
- Detailed verbal evaluation on report card
- Observation visits
- Evenings where parents experience our methods
- Events and celebrations for parents and the public
- Parent lectures and workshops about work, interests, experiences
Tuition
CZK 13,700
monthly (September - June)
Includes morning and afternoon care for grades 1 - 5. Does not include meals and clubs.
CZK 2,000
monthly / lunches
Meal prices correspond to CZK 100 per day. Morning snacks from home, afternoon snacks available at school, with a selection of fruit and vegetables. Lunches from Ecolandia with a choice of three meals.
Sibling discounts:
7% discount on tuition for the second sibling attending our school.
30% discount on tuition for the third sibling attending our school.
Enrolment
We accept 10 children into grade 1 each year.
Enrolment takes place in April. Prior to that from the autumn we offer and encourage morning observation visits of both parents along with a talk with our teachers followed by a one-day visit from the child.
We accept children into other grades throughout the year if vacancies open up. A transfer is preceded by a morning observation visit by both parents along with a talk with our teachers followed by a week-long introductory stay by the child.
Contacts
1st - 3rd grade
Nicole Horová
nicole@willowtrees.cz4th - 6th grade
Barbora Perknerová
bara@willowtrees.czUrgent messages
+420 606 715 202
Information forwarded to teachers up to 15.00
+420 773 882 534
Information forwarded to afternoon care from 15.00 to 17.00
Applications
Nina Kodymová