Why families choose IMS.

The International Montessori School (IMS) was founded through a combination of the Montessori method and the unique teaching experience of IMS Directress, Ranee Dhadialla (Ms. Ranee). Ms. Ranee has spent the past forty-five years as a Montessori teacher in Kenya (where she was born and raised), London, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Indiana. Ms. Ranee originally received her training in London from one of Dr. Montessori’s apprentices; however, it is her extensive and invaluable experience of having taught all around the world and being a principal that makes IMS such an exceptional place for children to learn. Any school can call itself a Montessori school, but the quality of instruction and the overall environment will have a significant impact on a child’s development.

In addition to providing high quality Montessori education, our highly qualified staff includes specialized instructors who teach art, music, and Spanish. Through our art program, children learn about different types of art and the lives of prominent artists while working together to recreate famous pieces of work. Similarly, our students learn about famous composers while learning how to sing songs in a variety of languages. The children also learn different dances, which they perform with songs and individual presentations to celebrate certain events (cultural or otherwise). These performances give students the opportunity to enjoy sharing what they have learned with their parents and to become comfortable with public speaking at a very young age.

Our well-maintained facility also contains a greenhouse (next to the playground) and a well-furnished library. In the greenhouse, our students receive firsthand exposure to plant and insect life, which correlates with what they learn in the classroom, and are able to observe how organisms grow and transform. Each classroom also has its own garden that the students share responsibility for maintaining. During the spring and the summer, the children gain practical experience planting seeds and taking care of whatever they may choose to grow. Our library, which holds over 1000 books for students to borrow, ensures that the children never run out of reading materials.

The International Montessori School (IMS) establishes an environment that both celebrates and nurtures cultural diversity. The composition of students in the classroom is, in and of itself, representative of this diversity; however, all of the students are also exposed to the unique practices of people in the world around them. The ability to appreciate, understand, and communicate with people of different backgrounds is increasingly important. At IMS, we encourage students to learn about their own heritage while also learning from others.

Parents are encouraged to and often visit the classroom to help facilitate lessons about where they come from and their heritage. Along with participating in various celebrations (Chinese New Year, Persian New Year, Diwali, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc), the children learn about the significance of these events and the history behind them. An International Dinner, for both children and parents, marks the end of each school year with food from all around the world.

The students are taught to count up to ten in a variety of languages (Punjabi, Swahili, Mandarin, German, Farsi, Telugu, and of course English) and also know many songs in these languages. All of the students enjoy weekly Spanish lessons at an early age, when a child’s aptitude for learning language is highest.

Our students graduate into some of the top private elementary programs in the Indianapolis area, with placements at the Sycamore School, the Orchard School, the Park Tudor School, and at the International School of Indiana. Many of our students who go into the public school system find themselves in gifted programs and accelerated classes throughout their educational careers. Past students of Ms. Ranee populate the top universities in the country and continue to stay in touch as they get older.