The Ecole Mésanges bilingual Montessori school has just moved to spacious new premises near the French/ Swiss border at Veigy.
Currently the only bilingual Montessori school in France on the Rive Gauche, Ecole Mésanges not only follows the Montessori pedagogy, but also has a strong holistic approach to the education of its children. It welcomes children from the age of 2 ½ to 12 years old.
Founded in 2009 by the headmistress, Chantal Detournay, the school has become increasingly popular in the region over recent years. Having outgrown its former premises, Chantal was fortunate to find larger premises in the same village of Veigy, which would allow her to take the school forward to the next stage in its development. The new campus comprises a bright and airy 500 square meter villa with a huge garden outdoors for the children to play in.
The move in September means that the 30 children in the 3-6 year old classroom now enjoy 100 square meters of open space to explore. The older children in the 6 – 12 year age group also have a wonderful classroom upstairs, with a sloping roof and arched windows, which cast interesting shadows over the bright, luminous space. This classroom has the capacity to take up to 20 children
Asked which kind of parents send their children to the school, Chantal told knowitall.ch, “We welcome children from both Switzerland and France as we are located on the French/Swiss border in Veigy. The school attracts families who are looking for a bilingual, Montessori or alternative education for their children. Typically, our classes represent at least 7 nationalities within the students. It’s truly international!”
Indeed many of the school’s parents are attracted to the holistic approach to education, which Chantal has adopted throughout her school. Each year, the school organizes a variety of conferences for the parents on important topics such as nutrition, the expat impact, non-violent communication etc. Each child has a personalized education based on his needs, interests and level of development. To kick start the learning process, the primary classroom begins with 10 minutes of yoga, which helps to put the children in the right frame of mind for the day ahead.
One parent, Nathalie Andre, told knowitall.ch “We have two sons attending the school, one in his fourth year and the other in his second year. We were attracted to the school mainly for the bilingual aspect, but ended staying on due to the dedication of the staff and their genuine concerns and efforts to help in this important stage of our children's childhood. Our two boys, both very different, have both done well in the personal and familiar atmosphere there is in the classroom. The new location is also fabulous: spacious and luminous with a great outdoor space!”
Younger children are recommended to attend school at least 4 half days per week to ensure the best integration in the classroom and to maximize the benefits of the pedagogy. The school is open from 8h00 to 18h00 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. The full-time schedule is from 8h15 to 16h00, or until 17h30 if the children stay for the afternoon snack and after school recess. The part-time schedule is from 8h15 to 11h45 or until 13h30 if the children remain for lunch. Before and after school care is available from 8h00-8h15 and from 17h30-18h00 to accommodate working parents. Holidays follow the French school calendar for the Grenoble region (Zone A).
Ecole Mésanges
Rond point des 5 chemins
Veigy 74140
France
+33 9 53 89 75 36
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www.ecolemesanges.com
