"We have had three children attend the Montessori Shir Hashirim School.  We have been there for 7 consecutive years.  We could not imagine a more perfect fully rounded outcome for our children.  The MSH program incorporates a complete learning environment, blending academics with creativity, structure, responsibility, self-confidence and common sense.  Our children graduated the program with great friends, a love for learning, respect for teachers and more than prepared for the move to some of the best schools in the City.  We will miss the school and look forward to coming back to see the best preschool theatre productions anywhere."

Steve and Wendy Fishman

Both of my boys started attending Montessori Shir-Hashirim at age two.  Whenever anyone asks me what I think about the preschool, I always give the same answer:  It is the best school they will ever go to.  My children learn Spanish, Chinese and French.  They act in Shakespearean dramas and comedies.  They listen to Beethoven.  They do yoga, karate and ballet.  They learn about Greek myths and Frida Kahlo paintings.  They learn to read and write.  They work on the computer and play the piano.  It is a truly unique and inspiring place.  What I love most is the deep respect for each individual child's potential, and the attitude that learning is a life-long endeavour never too early to embark upon.

Ninax

Montessori Shir Hashirim has surpassed our expectations.  Elena Cielak has a profound understanding of the Montessori Method and brings the school to life with her magnificent unique flare.  Our family particularly appreciates the international mix of students and the performing arts component.  There is a long list of our children's accomplishments that as a parent I can take pride in, but most important to me as a mother is how engaged and in love with learning both our children are.

The Montessori Method creates a solid foundation of the building blocks of reading and math, but more importantly the Montessori way allows the teachers to respond to each child individually as they become ready to learn.  The teachers allow the children to succeed and through some magic bring out the best in each of them.  (I remember boasting to one teacher that our son had just learned to tie his shoes.  She looked at me with confusion and said, "But he's known how to tie his shoes for months.")  Our two children are incredibly different from one another, yet the Montessori Shir Hashirim experience has been excellent for both of them.

The most telling success that has grown out of MSH is visible when all the different families get together at birthday parties or play dates.  At these times the children play together beautifully.  (It is a bonus that they employ in their games verse from Shakespeare and characters from Greek Mythology.)  Most significantly, there is in each child a marvelous confidence, respect for others, and an understanding of the world around them that grows out of the MSH experience.

Choosing a preschool for one's child is an act of faith that as a mother I found profoundly challenging.  Nothing compares to MSH.  I know that our children are in excellent hands and I have learned so much about my children by watching them blossom at MSH.  My joy as a parent has been exponentially increased by our children's immersion in the most wonderful MSH experience.

Sascha Rice

What did Caroline learn while at Montessori Shir-Hashirim?

  1. Reading and writing
  2. Addition and subtraction
  3. Shakespeare
  4. Opera
  5. A few Mandarin Chinese songs
  6. That if you practice you get better
  7. Karate
  8. Yoga
  9. The Capital of Taiwan is Taipei
  10. How to make friends
  11. Pluto is a Dwarf planet
  12. The Blue Whale is the largest creature to have ever lived on Earth
  13. You can do it if you try
  14. A little piano
  15. Magma is inside Volcanoes and Lava is what it becomes outside
  16. Sharing
  17. Teaching others
  18. To feel comfortable in front of an audience
  19. How to listen, follow directions, and learn
  20. That school is fun, inspiring, and challenging
  21. All of the above and more!
Elizabeth Stephen 		Shir-Hashirim Montessori has been the most pivotal discovery that I have made as a parent.  I cannot say enough wonderful things about the school, except that I am truly grateful.  Elena Cielak is a nurturing educator, with an intelligent perspective on early childhood education.  My daughter, who is now in Second Grade, continues to draw from her experiences at Montessori Shir-Hashirim.  I STILL credit Shir-Hashirim for her continued happiness, independence and love of learning.

My daughter spent more time at Shir-Hashirim than she did at home, not because I needed the child care, but because she didn't want to come home.  The teachers are nurturing and encouraging, and the school is full of happy children.  Creativity and spontaneity work hand-in-hand with seriousness, and responsibility.  Shir-Hashirim, generously, nurtured my daughter's mind and heart.  The children of Shir-Hashirim are very fortunate, because during the time that they are there, they will learn that they are able, competent and ever curious.

The outlook of Shir Hashirim is very broad - the school truly is a gateway into understanding the world.  Exposure to languages, concrete visual tools that show the anatomy of a leaf and of the body, the solar system, listening for the musical notes on a keyboard, concrete learning tools that make math concepts clear, the continents and flags of the world, the holidays through music and stories, and then there are the plays.

The plays bring literature to life.  A real love of story and culture is illustrated by the children, who participate in both in the sentiments of the drama, and the fun and humor of the choreography and jokes.  However, the plays also serve as a platform for an even more important lesson.  They teach the children how to work together, and listen to one another.  The children collaborate over a period of time towards a common purpose, and it all culminates with a celebration.  A production that they are truly proud of.

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What I know about the Montessori classroom is this:
  1. The mixed-age classroom motivates the younger children to learn from the older children, and encourages the older children to be thoughtful, considerate, reasonable and generous.
  2. The Montessori method offers the freedom to decide what job the child wants to do, and puts into practice the discipline to complete the task.
  3. In a world of chaos and plastic, the children internalize a respect for quality learning materials.
  4. Montessori teaches gradually, and gently.  There is an isolation of task - in other words, my daughter could spell words with the wooden alphabet well before she knew how to hold a pencil.
  5. The Montessori jobs are objective.  There is a control, a sequence and consequence built into the learning materials that liberates the children from seeking, and relying on, adult approval.
  6. Montessori teaches children how to have respect for themselves, and one another, in a shared space.  The friendships that are made at Shir-Hashirim are very real, and continue into the future.
Elena believes that children feel good about themselves when they are challenged, and when their efforts are interesting and their minds are expanding.  She understands the magnitude of childhood, and that school can be one of life's most exciting adventures.

Thank you, Tatiana von Furstenberg

We cannot adequately capture in words the richness of our experience at Montessori Shir Hashirim.  We have learned as much from this school about life and parenting as our kids have about art, literature, music, language, dance, theater, reading, math, science and loving to learn.  Shir Hashirim provides this amazing amalgam of talented, caring teachers along with the ingenious Montessori method.  We also enjoyed the wonderfully talented families we met through the school and have maintained friendships with many of them after graduating two years ago.  We continue to attend Montessori picnics and plays and love being part of this exceptional community.

Curt Ewald