Putting the Pieces Together

Birth - 18 Years
National conference

Limited Early Bird Tickets are Available

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🗓️ Date: 17 & 18 May 2025

📍Location: The Montessori School Kingsley, Perth, WA

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About the Conference

Join us for an inspiring gathering of educators, parents, and professionals to explore best practices in early childhood education.

Key Highlights

Inspiring keynote sessions from renowned Montessori educators.
Workshops on innovative teaching strategies, Montessori therapy, and mental health.
Networking opportunities with educators and industry experts.
Interactive presentations on the latest trends in early childhood education, including the role of digital technology and mental health.
Conference Party: Food, networking, and dancing to celebrate the success of the conference!

May 17, 18 2025

Saturday and Sunday

Montessori school in Kingsley

18 Montessori Pl, Kingsley WA 6026

Conference Speakers

Program Schedule

Day 1 Schedule

Saturday, May 17, 2025

8:30am – 9:00am

Registration, Networking & Exhibitors

9:00am – 9:15am

Conference Welcome – with our guest MC Oliver Heatherington-Paige

9:15am – 10:30am

Prof. Mark Williams - The Importance of Real Connection

There is a lot of talk about 21st Century skills and what we need to teach students now so that they can thrive in the future. These skills usually include a group of “soft” skills like collaboration, cooperation, teamwork, communication, curiosity, creativity and leadership. One essential component of these and many other 21st Century skills is connection. Our ability to socialize and connect has catapulted our species to phenomenal heights of innovation, through collaboration and specialization. This ability is also our best defence against mental and physical health issues. We will explore how our brain has evolved to enable us to connect and why connection is so important for us all to focus on. By understanding human connection, we can use it effectively to work together towards a less divided, more sustainable, future.

10:30am – 11:00am

Cara Morris - Montessori in Australia - Sector update

Montessori in Australia has been growing and expanding, brick by brick, building stronger each and every year. From schools, playgroups, aged care and all that is in between, we look to the future to see what impact the Montessori principals and practices are having across our communities within Australia. Let’s come together, share and see what is on the horizon for Montessori in 2025 and beyond, and bask in the incredible work which is happening on our shores, and beyond in our modern world.

11:00am – 11:30am

Morning Tea, Networking & Exhibitors

11:30am – 12:30pm

Lucette van Someren Boyd - Montessori Therapy

What is Medical Pedagogy? How is this related to the original work of Dr Montessori? What is a Montessori Therapist and who do they work with? How can you implement change in your environment and remain true to Montessori theory? How do you help children who may take longer to find peace in the classroom, those who face challenges and children at risk? Lucette takes us through a short history of Montessori therapy, Dr Theodore Helbrugge and Mario Montessori, the role of the therapist and ideas for practical help in the classroom.

12:30pm – 1:30pm

Lunch, Networking & Exhibitors

1:30pm – 1:45pm

Connection Activity

1:45pm – 3:00pm

Rachel Cavanagh - Re-Wiring the Frazzled Brain

In this workshop Rachel Cavanagh shares her experimentation, methods and creative techniques for teaching and supporting the neuro-diverse child in the modern world of technology, isolation, deprivation and excess. Over two decades of careful observations with children Rachel has developed practical activities to re-wire a frazzled brain to be able to handle change, learn for sustained periods, efficient intake of sensory information for thinking and learning, emotional regulation and accountability. Through her work with her own boys, she identified a gap in traditional teaching and learning, developing techniques and resources to support multi-sensory, wholistic methods.

3:00pm – 3:30pm

Afternoon Tea, Networking & Exhibitors

3:30pm – 4:30pm

Mark Powell - Technology & Montessori

Montessorians often discount the potential of digital technology, both to engage 21st century learners and to undermine what Montessori has to offer. This presentation focuses on how digital technology is changing the world, the educational landscape, and even childhood. Mark will also take an honest look at the important contributions that digital technology can make – that no other material can make – in a Montessori classroom. Digital technologies are inherently customisable and interactive, and they have blurred the distinction between producers and consumers in the Information Age. When teachers understand the strengths and limitations of these devices, they can shape learning experiences that promote autonomy, authenticity, connection and inquiry.

4:30pm – 5:30pm

Oliver Heatherington-Paige - Tales, Tunes and Trivia

Songs, anecdotes and a bit of a quiz (in limerick form) to send people off to the party in good form!

5:30pm – 9:00pm

Networking Mixer

Networking Mixer

Join us for, some say, the highlight of our conferences! You’ll have a chance to network with other delegates, talk to the speakers, enjoy great food, Join us for, some say, the highlight of our conferences! You’ll have a chance to network with other delegates, talk to the speakers, enjoy great food, all with a nice glass of champagne. Food and beverages included.all with a nice glass of champagne. Food and beverages included.

Day 2 Schedule

Sunday, May 18, 2025

7:00am – 8:00am

Mark Powell - Parent Education To Have Them Lining Up at the Door

Optional: Breakfast Session

Are you an educator who spends countless hours each year preparing for parent information evenings, only to have the same few parents turn up time after time? Why is it that those parents we most wish would come are the ones least likely to show up? While some parents may find it interesting to hear about the curriculum and our beautiful materials, most parents aren’t that interested in what their child is learning at school because knowing how the stamp game works doesn’t affect their family’s well-being on a day-to-day basis. In this presentation Mark Powell will show you how to help parents learn to use Montessori principles at home in ways that will not only help them enjoy parenting more but will also reinforce what is happening in your classroom. This could be the most valuable parent education program you share with parents!

8:00am – 8:30am

Arrival, Networking & Exhibitors

8:30am – 9:45am

Catherine Reed Holmes - Risky business – disrupting the status quo

Risk is a fundamental part of life. Every decision we make, whether it’s deciding what to have for breakfast or what route to take, all choices have an element of risk. If we look back to the pivotal moments in history – taking (calculated) risks can lead to radical and innovative change – just think politically, environmentally, socially or medically. Radical change by critiquing the world, transforming broken systems and standing up to the people who need to do better, stems from taking risks. As our youngsters move through childhood, adolescence and into adulthood, how can we set them up with the skills to be professional (calculated) troublemakers to disrupt the status quo and make positive change? In this interactive presentation, we will reflect on our own risk-taking behaviours, dive into children’s everyday risks in the modern world and discuss ways of fostering independence through risk-taking.

9:45am – 10:00am

Connection Activity

10:00am – 11:00am

Jane Newman - Empowering Choice: Embracing Democracy in Montessori Classrooms

In this thought-provoking session, Jane will explore how to create truly democratic learning environments in our classrooms. The three-year classroom
structure allows educators to create authentic relationships with students, however educators can sometimes become focused on aspects of their role
that get in the way of unconditional connection with students. When we foster a deeper level of self-awareness—both for ourselves and our students—
we create a truly relational environment where everyone’s voice is heard and valued. The more we understand the driving forces behind behaviour, the
better we can design environments that honour autonomy, promote collaboration, and encourage self-motivation.

11:00am – 11:30pm

Morning Tea, Networking & Exhibitors

11:30pm – 12:30pm

Susan Chahwan - What’s the point?

Showcasing Dr Montessori’s theory in action, Susan will walk the talk through the Montessori School from 3-18 years. She will discuss how and why these model environments exist and their intended impact on social change. “Resting no longer on a curriculum or a timetable education must conform to the facts of human life.” (The Absorbent Mind).

12:30pm – 1:30pm

Lunch & Exhibitors

1:30pm – 2:30pm

Michael Caldwell - The Friston Free Energy Principle and Montessori Philosophy

This presentation will explore the intersection of Dr. Karl Friston’s Free Energy Principle and Montessori philosophy. We will delve into the fundamental concepts of the principle, its application to understanding anxiety, and how these insights can inform Montessori educational practices.

2:45pm – 3:30pm

Rebecca Pelton - The big picture: MACTE and the future of the Montessori movement

It’s no secret that Montessori tends to attract educators who are fiercely independent and who value their classroom autonomy. Montessorians are renowned for their ability to do what’s best for their students, with or without direction, no matter what resources they have at their disposal. The diversity available in Montessori educator preparation programs mirrors the self-direction and independence of Montessori educators…so why do we need another organisation telling us what to do? In this presentation Dr Pelton will look at the role accreditation plays today in the world of Montessori educator preparation programs. Why it gives graduates the ‘golden ticket’ and what role MACTE plays in making Montessori universally accepted in the wider educational landscape.

3:30pm – 4:00pm

Afternoon Tea, Networking & Closing

conference venue & accommodation

The Montessori School Kingsley

We are delighted that our West Coast Montessori conference will be held at The Montessori School Kingsley, Australia’s longest-running Montessori school and the first in the world to offer the International Baccalaureate (IB).

With a rich history over 60 years, The Montessori School is nestled in natural bushland, overlooking the picturesque Lake Goollelal in the Perth suburb of Kingsley. The school caters to children aged 3 to 18, starting with pre-primary education until the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) and the International Baccalaureate Careers-related Programme (IBCP) for students in Year 11 and 12.

The school was the first Montessori school in the world to introduce the IBDP 30 years ago and are now in the process of building a new facility that will provide multi-purpose spaces to satisfy the growing demand for their senior secondary Montessori/IB education. We’re excited that the conference will be held in the new building!

Accommodation Recommendations

Joondalup Resort

08 9400 8888
Country Club Blvd, Connolly WA 6027
www.joondalupresort.com.au

Sorrento Beach Quality Resort

08 9246 8100
1 Padbury Cir, Sorrento WA 6020
www.sorrentobeach.com.au

Ocean View Motel

08 9447 9555
10 Lawley St, North Beach WA 6020
www.oceanviewmotel.com.au

Putting the Pieces Together

Birth - 18 Years
National conference

Limited Early Bird Tickets are Available