Testimonials

Shawnigan Lake Montessori never fails to put a smile on my precious boy's face. Lovingly and passionately, Nicky and Leanne prepare my son's growing mind for the next step in his life. Every day he is encouraged and guided to embrace his independence, to explore his creativity, and to learn generosity and kindness. I am delighted my little boy has the opportunity to attend Shawnigan Lake Montessori and to be nurtured by Nicky and Leanne's unfailing friendliness, their seasonal imagination, and their ongoing passion for developing young minds.

My family and I are forever grateful to Nicky, who is the first teacher to both our daughters at Shawnigan Lake Montessori. Nicky is a blessing and has instilled both confidence and a passion to learn in our children. We attribute Grace, our daughter’s focus, dedication, and success in Kindergarten and Grade 1 because of her early start with Nicky. Being a reserved and sensitive child, Nicky took Grace under her wing. A kind, gentle and patient approach is combined with Nicky’s wealth of knowledge and competence with children. She has a gift to see each child individually, each with their own unique strengths and personalities. Her love and dedication are something that we - as parents - are eternally grateful for. The teachings she imparts on our children are values that will stick with them as they progress through life. There is going to be a lot of sadness this June when our second and last child graduates from SLM!

We feel incredibly blessed that our son has had the opportunity to attend Shawnigan Lake Montessori Preschool. His positive transformation as a young learner has been amazing under the care of head teacher Nicky Constantine-Macdonald and early childhood educator Leanne Pachet. After having a difficult year at a previous Montessori preschool, he was guarded and apprehensive; rarely participating in group activities, and uncertain of whether he could open up and be himself in a school environment. After a year in Nikki’s classroom our son has emerged confident, articulate, enthusiastic, and purposeful. As parents it is a tremendous relief to know that your child is not only enjoying school but thriving in a learning environment that is that is nurturing, kind, stable, respectful, and inclusive. Nikki has the rare gift of tuning in to each child’s individual nature, witnessing their unique gifts, and supporting the highest development and expression of these gifts. Leanne has a wonderful ability to uphold a calm and peaceful learning environment while encouraging accountability and self-reliance in children. We are eternally grateful that our child had the opportunity to spend a formative year under the care and mentorship of Nikki and Leanne. We unreservedly provided our highest recommendation to any parent seeking an authentic Montessori school environment, staffed by these dedicated and talented educators.

What a fabulous program. My Grandson cannot wait to get to his class. Even while he visited another excellent care program he told everyone, "My teachers are Nicky and Leanne." These awesome ladies are changing my grandson's life for the better.