The role of the Parents & Friends Committee at Perth Montessori is to share in the school’s vision by enabling the community to be involved with events and activities that ultimately support our students in their learning journey.
The Parents & Friends Committee (P&F) is a group of volunteers dedicated to furthering the vision of the School and Dr Montessori for the students. It is a sub-committee of the Montessori Children's Centre Foundation Inc. (Foundation), a not-for-profit association incorporated in Western Australia and registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (registration details). The Foundation was established to further the mission of Perth Montessori School and enables additional fundraising and works to be carried out that will benefit the students of the School today and in the future.
Our Melski Mural @ Perth Montessori... April 2022
“The greatest gifts we can give our children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence.”
Dr. Maria Montessori
The above quote is the official title for our mural at 150 Burswood Road. Maria Montessori is well known for her insightful quotes about children and learning. She has hundreds of them. Our school community chose this particular quote to best represent our School's philosophy and approach to guiding our students. It also aligns closely with our school crest.
With this particular quote in mind, we worked closely with artist Mel McVee (Melski) to come up with the concept for our mural. It was important for us to make it locally relevant using the flora, fauna, and traditional stories and knowledge from our area.
The nesting Welcome Swallows (Hirundo neoxena) symbolise family, birth, and new life. The traditional owners, the Noongar Whadjuk people, believe these swallows bring the rain. We need lots of rain in Perth! Mel originally had nesting Chitty Chitty (Willie Wagtail), but the Noongar stories describe them as "pesky gossips", so we figured we didn't need any more of that in a school!
The Long-necked Turtle (Chelodina colliei) is often seen by our students in G.O. Edwards Park when they have outdoor classes or playtime there. Our turtle is deliberately low down on the wall so that even our littlest students can pat his nose when they walk by on their way to the park.
Lastly, we chose the Little Corella (Cacatua sanguinea) as our main bird with wings in flight. We often see flocks in the area. And the local Noongar stories describe them as noisy and inquisitive, and they are one of the few bird species known to indulge in play. We thought that sounded a lot like our students! :-)
Our mural was only made possible by a very generous Place Grant from the Town of Victoria Park, which allowed the School to commission the work.
As part of the painting of the mural, members of the P&F organised a Community Painting Day as part of the Town of Victoria Park's April 2022 Art Season celebrations to allow students, staff, and members of the wider community to participate.
