Parents as Partners

Being an active part of your child's learning journey

Here at the Earth School, we love children and firmly believe that their education is the most important thing you can do for them. This simple creed is what drives the school forward. An integral part of working with children and helping them succeed is fostering the relationship and partnership between their learning process at school, and your involvement with it as parents.

We want you to be an active part of your child’s learning process just as much as they are. We want you to be able to share in the successes and excitement that your children experience with us while learning and also allow them the opportunity to show you, their parent and first and most important teacher, first hand their newly found knowledge, skills, and self-confidence.

This involvement is crucial to your child’s development as a well-rounded, confident, capable individual. To this end, we want you to feel welcome and encouraged to get involved with your child’s learning in different ways.

The Earth School has an open door policy. You as a parent are welcome, after the first month of your child being with us, to visit the classroom and see first hand your child at work and play, and share with them meaningful and special moments. This is also the opportunity to schedule a meeting with your child’s teacher to catch up on their academic, social, and emotional development within the classroom.

Follow Your Child's Learning Journey

We offer multiple ways of communication to ensure parents are at all times well-informed about their children's progress, and address any issue that may need immediate attention:

The Earth School's Transparent Classroom Online Community is an innovative online management and communications tool that offers each family a password protected and personalized online portal accessible from any web-enabled computer or mobile device. Parents can access school records and activity calendars, see pictures uploaded weekly by teachers showing their child's individual work, and communicate with teachers, school administrators, and other parents. It also has a helpful illustrated guide showing the various Montessori materials available in the classroom and how they are used by your child.

Montessori Family Afternoons are held once a month on a Friday afternoon to give opportunity for children to demonstrate their mastery of skills and the use of Montessori materials. It is also a good opportunity for parents to learn more about the school's educational approach and methodologies.

Special Programmed Events happen along the year to celebrate special dates for the school and for the various cultures represented in our community. They are all good excuses to get together and enjoy our famous multi-cultural potlucks featuring special dishes from around the world.

Semi-Annual Parent-Teacher Conferences provide the quality time for a detailed review of the child's progress and strenghten the partneship between parents and the school in benefit of the child. Detailed reports are prepared and presented, questions are asked and answered, and joint strategies are developed.

Parent meetings are held ad-hoc during the year to discuss news and issues pertaining the school community.

Private one-on-one parent meetings can be organized upon request to discuss private or urgent issues. We have an open door policy.

Admissions

Learn about our admissions process and apply today!

Academics

Learn more about how your child will learn at the Earth School

Testimonials from our Partner Parents

"When we arrived in Kigali we were looking for a good and nice school for our two children. When we were welcomed at Earth School we knew immediately that we wanted to give our children this school. From that day our children went to school every day singing! We have experienced The Earth School as a warm and stimulating learning environment. The team is very involved with the children and always search for ways to help the children in their development. There is also a lot of fun and they are very well supported in the many changes in their lives. The idea of Montessori education is beautifully presented by putting the development of each child really central. It has given our children a wonderful experience and they have developed in those days as even more independent and happy children. A period that we still think about every day with a lot of warmth!"

Henk & Anne-Mieke

Holland

"During our three-year stay in Kigali, the Earth School has been a key factor for our wellbeing as a family. Our children have developed immensely, both when it comes to learning social skills and how to handle everyday activities, as well as academically. The staff is very professional and puts the needs of the children first. We can highly recommend the Earth School."

Andreas Scheja

Sweden

"The most rewarding part of our yearlong adventure in Rwanda has been our experience with The Earth School. We have three children ages 5, 8, and 10 and are amazed at how each of them has thrived within the Montessori curriculum. My youngest who was rather introverted within classroom settings has become a mentor amongst his classmates. My daughter struggled with reading when she started but now has this amazing love for books. My eldest, who rarely found anything of interest at school, has excelled academically and gained a new found pride in his work. Students attending The Earth School are from all around the world. That in and of itself provides a uniquely amazing educational experience.

In addition, I cannot say enough about the caliber of the teachers at The Earth School. What I have been most impressed with is when there is a problem, I am notified promptly, a plan of action is put into place, an update is provided and with each instance I was pleased to hear that the problem had a positive outcome, for both teacher and child. It is my opinion that The Earth School offers the best primary and elementary programs in Kigali."

Dana Walters, MD

Ontario, Canada

"The Earth School has provided an exceptionally warm and caring environment for our daughter. She came with little confidence and not keen on the concept of school and she is leaving a confident happy child who gets up in the morning asking is she can go! The teaching staff are to thank for that. They are kind and patient and offer an environment for children to learn and develop.

There is a great network of parents also and family evenings are a lovely way to interact. We have had a lovely experience with the teachers of the Earth School and would highly recommend it to parents in Kigali!"

Sophie Hodder

"When we came to Rwanda in 2014, The Earth School was the first experience for our 8-year-old son to an international school. Due to the warm and welcoming atmosphere, the great effort and high competence of teachers, the helpful staff and the wonderful learning environment Noé has quickly settled in and felt comfortable. Today Noé can’t wait every day to go to school, and whenever we ask him how his day was, he answers with shining eyes: Super, cool or amazing! That is what we want for his education."

Frank and Christine Luhm

Germany

"Since my son, 4 years, started in The Earth School his social and academic skills have developed exceptionally well. I am delighted with the care, teaching and dedication that I have seen from the staff and management of the school and I know that he will benefit for life from such a strong foundation in early learning skills!"

Alice Simington

Ireland

"As long time residents of Rwanda, we couldn't have been more pleased to enter our first daughter in the Earth School's inaugural class. Her sister followed and so will their brother. The Earth School offers an approach and environment for learning that's completely unique in Rwanda and is simply the best education available."

Josh and Alissa Ruxin

USA

"We moved to Kigali from the US in mid-2011 with our 18 month old son, around the same time that The Earth School opened. It wasn't until the end of the school year that our son joined the school, and he immediately felt comfortable and happy, as did we. He stayed at the school until it was time for us to leave Kigali at the end of 2013.

Looking back now at his time at The Earth School, we can say without hesitation that we could wish for nothing greater than the experiences and friendships he enjoyed each day during this wonderful, formative time in his life. The staff at the school was openly loving and welcomed our son's often-abundant displays of affection :). We also really appreciated the curriculum and how it gave our son a distinct advantage when he joined the US school system upon our return home - not just in terms of specific skills he had learned, but more that he really enjoyed being at school and viewed the experience so positively due to the warmth and direction he had received at the Earth School.

We really can't say enough about this school - we even considered extending our post in Rwanda just so my son could have a few more months of the Earth School in his system."

Ginger and Matt Jones

USA

"My two kids, 7 and nearly 5 years old, loved their time at the Earth School. Dropping in for a month-long work project with them, having the school as a supportive and loving community for us all made our visit to Rwanda even more successful and enjoyable than we'd hoped. We can't say enough great things about the flexible and supportive administration, the loving, well-trained teachers and staff, the central location. Thank you Earth School for spreading the Montessori approach in Rwanda!"

Wendy Lu

USA

Testimonials from our students