SES Blog

Growing Roots, Reaching Heights: Montessori End of the Year Celebration at Surabaya European School

A joyful tribute to learning, independence, and the SES values nurtured through Montessori education

As the academic year came to a close, the Montessori students of Surabaya European School (SES) took to the stage with grace and confidence, marking the end of their learning journey with an uplifting celebration. The spacious white hall, filled with natural light and curious anticipation, was transformed into a place of reflection, expression, and celebration—true to the spirit of Montessori and SES values.

This special event was more than just a performance. It was a moment for the children to demonstrate what they had gained throughout the year—not merely in knowledge, but in character. Clad in various shades of green, a symbol of growth and renewal, the children stood proudly in their places, each one representing a unique learning path guided by independence and curiosity. From their posture to their focus, one could see the fruits of months spent in a nurturing environment where learning is child-led, purposeful, and deeply respectful of the individual.

At SES, Montessori education is closely intertwined with the school’s core values. Respect is visible in the way children interact with one another and their environment—moving with care, speaking with kindness, and listening with intent. Responsibility is fostered through everyday routines that allow children to manage their own learning materials, make choices, and care for shared spaces. The celebration served as a living display of perseverance—as students remembered steps, maintained their positions, and completed their group performance with quiet confidence.

Parents and teachers watched with pride as each child contributed to the event, not as performers in search of perfection, but as active members of a community grounded in integrity. These children were not trained to impress, but encouraged to express. That difference made the celebration not just beautiful—but meaningful.

The event also reflected a strong sense of compassion, as children supported one another on stage, smiled reassuringly, and applauded together. This sense of unity mirrors the kind of classroom they experience every day—where peer learning, mutual respect, and kindness are valued as highly as literacy and numeracy.

Finally, the celebration was a reminder of how deeply curiosity fuels the Montessori experience. From engaging with activities to exploring their own interests, these children have developed the kind of self-motivated mindset that will serve them well beyond early childhood.

As the ceremony came to an end, what lingered wasn’t just applause, but a shared sense of gratitude—for a school that honours the child, for educators who believe in potential over perfection, and for a community that uplifts every small step forward.

At Surabaya European School, we don’t simply mark the end of the year—we celebrate the beginning of who our children are becoming

Building More Than Robots: Shaping Confident and Creative Learners

Creative Thinking in Action

In this hands-on project, students at Surabaya European School took part in a unique challenge: designing and building their own robot buddy from scratch. Using recycled materials such as cardboard boxes, bottle caps, and paint, the children were encouraged to stretch their imagination and apply critical thinking. The result? A colourful collection of robot creations that are as unique as the young minds behind them.

Fostering SES Learner Outcomes

This activity reflects the SES commitment to holistic education through its learner outcomes. Students demonstrated confidence in expressing their ideas through design, engagement in every step of the creative process, resilience when facing challenges or mistakes, and independence in managing their own projects from start to finish. These values were evident as each student navigated their way through problem-solving, testing, decorating, and preparing their robot for presentation.

More Than Just Building

The robot buddy project was not merely about constructing an object — it was a multidisciplinary learning experience. Students practised planning, designing, and communicating. As they explained the functions and features of their robot to peers and teachers, they developed essential communication and presentation skills in a supportive environment.

Sparking Joy and Innovation

As seen in the image, one student carefully adds final details to her robot with great focus and pride. These quiet moments of creation show how deeply invested our learners become when given the space and support to bring their ideas to life. Projects like this highlight the SES belief that learning should be joyful, purposeful, and empowering.

Nurturing Future-Ready Learners

At Surabaya European School, we strive to shape students who are not only academically prepared but also socially conscious and creatively driven. Through interactive activities like this, we help them discover their voice, their strengths, and the courage to innovate.

Discover Excellence at Every Stage: Open Enrolment at Surabaya European School

Surabaya European School (SES) is proud to open enrolment for all year levels — from Montessori (age 3+) through to Secondary (Year 13) — offering an enriching and values-driven international education for families seeking academic excellence and holistic development in a warm, inclusive setting.

At every stage of learning, SES cultivates independent, curious, globally-minded, and resilient individuals. These qualities are embedded in our learner outcomes, supported by an internationally respected curriculum, and guided by a community that places high value on character, creativity, and compassion.

Whether your child is just beginning their learning journey or seeking a new school to grow and thrive, SES offers a seamless educational pathway tailored to every learner’s stage of development.

 

Montessori Years (Ages 3–6): A Gentle, Joyful Beginning

Our Montessori programme is designed to nurture the natural curiosity of children aged 3–6 in a calm and carefully prepared environment. Children learn through hands-on exploration and self-directed activities that foster independence, coordination, focus, and confidence.

Guided by AMI-trained Montessori teachers, children progress through sensorial materials, early literacy and numeracy, cultural exploration, and practical life skills. The mixed-age classrooms encourage collaboration, respect, and mentorship. Students are empowered to follow their own interests while developing foundational skills for lifelong learning.

Aligned with the early stages of the International Primary Curriculum (IPC), the Montessori programme introduces global themes and early inquiry in a child-friendly way—ensuring a smooth transition into formal Primary learning.

 

Primary Years (Year 1–6): Where Learning Comes Alive

The Primary Years follow the International Primary Curriculum (IPC), an integrated thematic approach that builds subject knowledge, conceptual understanding, and personal development. Students explore rich global topics while developing skills in Maths, English, Science, Geography, History, Art, Music, and Languages.

Each unit encourages students to ask questions, investigate deeply, and apply what they learn to real-world contexts. Learning is active, meaningful, and joyful — with children regularly presenting their work through class projects, exhibitions, and assemblies.

In addition to academics, SES focuses on developing the whole child. Social-emotional learning, growth mindset, and respect for others are part of daily routines. Students participate in school-wide events, service learning, and creative arts programmes that develop confidence and connection.

Highlights:

  • Personalised learning in small classes
  • Daily reading and library time
  • Foreign languages: Bahasa Indonesia, French, Mandarin
  • International Week, Science Fair, Creative Arts Showcase
  • Active parent involvement and family engagement

Secondary Years (Year 7–11): Ready for the World

At the Secondary level, SES offers a future-focused academic programme based on the Cambridge Lower Secondary framework and IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education). These globally respected qualifications provide strong preparation for advanced study and university admission.

Students dive deeply into subjects like English, Maths, Sciences, Humanities, Languages, ICT, and Global Perspectives. Emphasis is placed on critical thinking, collaboration, research skills, and self-reflection. Assessment is meaningful and supports continuous growth, with personalised guidance at every step.

Beyond the classroom, students take on leadership roles, engage in community service, and showcase talents through performances, debates, and innovation days. The nurturing yet challenging environment helps them grow into responsible, articulate, and globally competent individuals.

Opportunities include:

  • Student Council, leadership training, and mentoring
  • IGCSE exam preparation and academic counselling
  • Community service and eco-projects
  • Sports, drama productions, and inter school events
  • Residential trips and cultural excursions

 

One Community, One Vision

Across all levels, what makes SES truly special is the sense of community and shared purpose. Students feel seen, supported, and inspired. Parents are welcomed as partners. Teachers are dedicated, globally minded professionals who guide learners with care and intention.

The SES core values — Respect, Integrity, Responsibility, Resilience, and Compassion — are woven through daily school life, helping to shape not only capable students, but also kind, thoughtful people.

Whether your child is taking their first steps into education or preparing for life beyond school, SES is a place where they will be challenged, cherished, and championed.

 

Enrol Now — A Journey of Lifelong Learning Begins Here

Open Enrolment is now open for all year levels: Montessori, Primary, and Secondary
 Book a personalised school tour to meet our teachers and visit our beautiful campus
 Attend an Open Day event or join a class taster session

Explore how your child can grow with confidence, creativity, and purpose at Surabaya European School.

Learn. Lead. Thrive.

Week 5 and 6

Dear Parents,

Over the past two weeks, our Grace and Courtesy lessons have focused on social interactions.
When passing someone in a narrow space, we remind the children to say “Excuse me.”
When asking for something, we encourage polite requests using “Can I… please?” rather than “I want…,”.
We also practiced responding to greetings from teachers and staff with a cheerful “Hello” or “Good morning.”
Additionally, we discussed the importance of kindness when playing or working together. If a friend asks to join a game or activity, the polite response should be welcoming rather than rejecting.

We would also like to thank you sincerely for your generosity in bringing snacks and flowers to school. The children take their snack duties seriously, peeling carrots and cucumbers, spreading jam or peanut butter, and carefully cutting flower stems. During snack time, when everyone thanks the snack duty helper, the child feels a great sense of pride.

As mentioned in the parent information meeting, this is part of Montessori Practical Life. Snack preparation and sharing are valuable exercises practiced in most Montessori schools, guided by principles of healthy eating and community building. The children enjoy this experience greatly as they share food together with their friends.

In Week 5, we concluded our unit on All About Me by focusing on feelings. We identified a wide range of emotions and discussed how we express them. We also explored strategies to turn our feelings around or ways to help ourselves work through them.

We have started a new unit on Our Five Senses, beginning with ‘sight’. The children explored a 3D model of an eye and learned about how our eyes function. They also played a “guess the missing object” game and created their own optical illusion called Bird in a Cage. To end the lesson, we discussed the importance of protecting our eyes from the sun.

Year 1 additional learning covered – Week 5 and 6

Phonics
To identify sounds represented by more than one letter, for example /ch/, /sh/
To use phonic knowledge to read decodable words. Reading CVC words and adjacent vowel / consonants using sounds covered.

Language / Literacy – Reading. Guided Reading groups – Practising fluency of reading and gaining the confidence to recognise sounds and blend them to read words.  Reading comprehension, to be able to answer direct questions about the book.

Language / Literacy- Weekend news
The children planned their writing by recording key words on their planning sheet:. ‘My weekend snapshots’. They concentrated on using capital letters and punctuation when writing their sentences.

Using their writing from Monday – weekend news, the children rewrote the sentences by adding further information and connective words: First, Next, Then, Finally.

Maths
Length
The children had the opportunity to compare objects and learn new vocabulary when describing the length of objects:  longer than, shorter than, longest, shortest.
Odd and even numbers
The children have continued to identify and understand even and odd numbers as ‘every other number’ when counting from 0 to 20.

Number names
Learning the names of the numbers was a fun time had by all. We played matching games to familiarise ourselves with the visual name of numbers and practised writing the names on our white boards: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.

Parent Teacher Conferences
Please be informed that Parent Teacher Conferences will be held in person /face to face, in the classroom, on the 29th and 30th of September.

On both of these days, all children; Nursery, Reception and Year 1 should be picked up at 12:00 (Lunch will not be provided).

Please use the attached document to sign up for the time that is convenient for you. Parents with 2 children in the class kindly sign up for back to back slots where possible. A gentle reminder to log in using your child’s school email address. Thank you.

Please arrive on time to adhere to our schedule. We will strictly follow allocated time slots, and there will be no extensions for late arrivals.

Peace Performance
Our Peace Performance will be held on Thursday, 27th November, at 11:30 a.m.
Please let us know by Wednesday, 24 of September if your child will not be attending this event. Further details about the performance will be shared closer to the date.

Kind regards,
Montessori Team