Lead Directress
Miss. Frances is our primary school Lead Directress and she oversees the work of the children aged 6-12, with the support of two other Directresses. Frances has been teaching in Drumnigh Montessori Primary School for almost two decades, predominantly with the primary aged children. Miss Frances is an A.M.I. qualified Directress.
Lead Directress
Chrissy Millar graduated from St Nicholas Montessori College in 2006 with a B.A. in Humanities in Montessori Education. Chrissy went from there to work in an Early Intervention School for children with language difficulties, where she worked in the preschool, before being trained and working in the ABA class.
Lead Directress
Miss Mariana is originally from Mexico and she studied the philosophy, theory and practice of the Montessori education for kids from 3 to 6 year olds, and graduated in Mexico from an AMI college in June 2009. She has obtained considerable experience working in Montessori schools in Mexico and Ireland over the last 11 years. She is also qualified in First Aid, Aistear and Síolta.
Directress
Miss. Nicola joined Drumnigh earlier this year and she is assisting in Ms Mariana’s classroom. Ms Nicola is completing a post graduate qualification in Montessori Early Years from St Nicholas Montessori College in Dublin.
Classroom Assistant
Mary Allen has over 20 years experience working with children of all ages and joined Drumnigh Montessori Primary School in 2004. Her qualifications include working with children in special needs environments.
Directress
Miss Sandra is graduated from Portobello College with distinction in Early childhood Care and Education (Montessori Pedagogy). She began her work placement in Drumnigh Montessori in February 2014 and joined the Drumnigh team full time in September 2016.
Classroom Assistant
Joanne Tyrrell is a former parent who first came to work with Drumnigh four years ago as our school administrator where she worked in the office and helped to manage our parent and toddler group. We all realised that Joanne’s heart was in working with the children and she has since gone back to train in the early years. She has two years experience working with children with extra support needs and this year she will be assisting in Ms Mariana’s room.
We were delighted when we found Drumnigh Montessori. We had been looking into the method for a while and were really impressed by the research, particularly how it promotes independent learning and the methodology for teaching maths. However, it was after our first class visit that we were completely hooked. We had never seen a classroom quite like it – the children quietly and contentedly choosing their own work and using beautiful materials to teach themselves. It was magical. We have now been involved with the school for three years and feel we belong to a real community. The Directresses are wonderful and instrumental in ensuring that our two children are happy, confident learners. Next year our daughter will join the newly reopened 6-9 class and we are very excited that our children will have the opportunity to continue learning the Montessori way. Eva & Merrill
“Our family is connected with Drumnigh for almost 3 years now – our eldest child attended for 2 years of pre-school Montessori and is continuing to reap the benefits of this very special school at primary school. Our youngest child has just started his second year of pre-school Montessori and is very happy there. We chose Drumnigh for our children as we had a wish that our children’s first experience of pre-school would be in a place of education with a genuine Montessori-based approach to learning. In this way, Drumnigh has and continues to significantly exceed our expectations. The standard of education is excellent – children are guided through concrete tasks using an extensive range of specific Montessori equipment until such time as they have the ability to choose and complete their work themselves. The Montessori-based approach imparted by Drumnigh’s directresses/teachers has encouraged our children to become more independent, articulate, confident people with a keen interest in the world around them and a great appetite for learning. With twice-yearly parent/directress meetings, parent working mornings (i.e. special mornings where parents and guardians are invited into the classroom to watch their child(ren) complete a number of Montessori tasks using the Montessori equipment), school trips, Christmas show and annual sports day, Drumnigh is very accessible to parents and guardians, both from an educational point of view and, also very importantly, from a social perspective. What makes a school unique is its teachers and the directresses and classroom assistants at Drumnigh are very special – they are passionate about the ethos of Montessori and are educated to degree level. Their enthusiasm is infectious and makes for a fun learning environment. For parents and guardians, entrusting your children to a school, childcare facility, etc. constitutes a very important decision and you hope that your child/children will be happy, well cared for and thrive as they learn to stand on their own two feet. The directresses and classroom assistants at Drumnigh are unfailingly kind to all the children at the school: my children have always been treated gently and with respect and this will serve as a wonderful example to them as they get older. I have no hesitation in strongly recommending Drumnigh to any parent or guardian and I wish the directresses and classroom assistants the very best now and for the future.”Sinead Hession
“We first started bringing our twins and baby to the Toddler Group in 2012 as I had heard about it from a friend. I enjoyed going to the Parent & Toddler Group and was impressed with the friendliness and professionalism of the staff. My twin girls started at Drumnigh Montessori in September 2013 and have enjoyed every day with Miss Frances and Miss Chrissy – they look forward to doing their “work” and are so happy in the school. Now, our baby daughter (almost 3) is starting this September 2014 and already knows the Directresses and how the school day runs. Myself and my husband were very impressed with the healthy eating policy as my girls weren’t very good at eating fruit but now they enjoy healthy snacks with their friends at school and at home. My girls have learnt so much at Drumnigh and their confidence has grown over the past year.”Trish & John
“All three of my children attended Drumnigh and completed the 3-6 programme. I believe it has given them an invaluable start in life. The teaching staff are outstanding and the Montessori method gave my children a concrete and hands on introduction to language and numeracy. My sons and daughter also now attend the afterschool maths club which enhances what they learn in national school and really helps them to properly grasp maths concepts like fractions, decimals etc. Education aside Drumnigh is a warm and nurturing environment which really focuses on each individual child.”Tara & Jason
Drumnigh Montessori Primary School has been providing Montessori education on the north side of Dublin since 1962. We have had many locations over the years, but we have been homed in St Colmcilles, Donaghmede for over 15 years. Sadly, as a result of the rising population figures in the area, St. Colmcilles can no longer…
The first day of school is bound to incite just as much anxiety and excitement in parents as it does in children. For children it may be their first time being cared for outside the home and the uncertainty of doing something and going somewhere they have never been before is overwhelming. Most children take…
Did you know that Montessori is not a protected term in Ireland? Montessori has come to mean preschool or playschool in Ireland. In fact, Montessori is a teaching philosophy that dates back more than 100 years and is based on Maria Montessori’s observations of how children love to learn. So if you are seeking…
The Association for AMI Teachers Ireland invite you to a talk by Philip O’Brien, President of Association Montessori Internationale. When: Saturday the 2nd of December 2017 Where: The Talbot Hotell, Stillorgan, Stillorgan Road., Time: 2pm The talk is of huge benefit to anyone who has an interest in Montessori and promises to have a huge impact on Montessori in…
