International Montessori School of Prague

About Us

Our School History

The International Montessori School of Prague (IMSP) was established as a private school in 2002. It was originally located in the Blatenska campus of Prague 4. IMSP started with 16 children in two classes : Toddler (1.5 - 3 years), and Primary (3 - 6 years).

In September 2003 the school was moved to a much larger facility in the Hrudickova campus of Prague 4. That school year we started with three classrooms: one Toddler, one Primary, and one Elementary.

In 2005 a second Primary class was added, so now IMSP had 4 classrooms: Toddler, Primary 1 and Primary 2, and Elementary. In 2006 the Primary program extended its afternoon component with Yoga, Music and Movement, Arts and Crafts, and Czech languge and culture.

The 2007 Academic Year was initiated by the placement of the AMS Accreditation Plaque near the front door. The school was upgraded with brighter lighting in the halls as well as four beautiful murals by a Czech artist. The Toddler class got a new child-sized working kitchen and a changing room with child-sized sinks and storage. Also the Elementary program divided into Upper and Lower in 2007. Upper Elementary opened its doors on the first day of school with a beautiful new classroom. The Directress of Upper Elementary is a Montessori trained and experienced teacher who is fluent is Spanish and teaches to both Elementary classes.

Czech teachers are teaching Czech language for all subject matters in both Upper and Lower Elementary classes. The Physical Education Curriculum has a monthly skill building component. IMSP now has a Librarian and Elementary children have weekly library hours. In addition the IT (Information Technology) Curriculum is in place for Upper Elementary children to learn keyboarding as well as life long computer skills such as research skills and ergonomically correct body posture.

Our Staff

"We must be taught and we must be willing to accept guidance if we wish to become effective teachers."
- The Secret of Childhood: Fides Publishers, 1966: p. 149

Upper Elementary

Maria Bengoechea
is our Upper Elementary Lead Teacher. Known as Marijo, she has taught for 20 years in Mexico and Puerto Rico. Marijo has her AMI 6-12 Elementary diploma from the Montessori institute in Mexico City. Her B.A. degree is in Liberal Arts and Music and she taught piano to children and adults for 30 years. She comes from Puerto Rico.

Miroslava Chmelová
is our Elementary Czech Lead Teacher. Mirka is from North Bohemia and studied Elementary Education at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen. She taught as an Assistant in elementary schools in Britain and Finland before joining us in 2006. Mirka completed her Montessori training in 2007 in the Czech Republic. She is currently working on a Ph.D. in Elementary Education at the University of West Bohemia in Pilzen.

Alena Bělohubá
is our second Elementary Czech Teacher. She has her Elementary Education diploma from Charles University awarded in 1992. Her thesis was focused on small schools with several grades in one classroom. From this time Alena has been interested in complementary schools. She likes travelling. She lived in London and Melbourne. Alena also enjoys studying psychology and cycling.

Kathleen Renehan
is our Upper Elementary Assistant Teacher. She graduated from Stonehill College in Massachusetts majoring in Early Childhood, as well as received a minor is Psychology and Fine Arts. Kathleen is originally from New York, where she taught Art to people with learning and develop- mental disabilities. She has also worked as a one-on-one assistant and has one year experience working in a Montessori setting. Her other interests include Art, hiking, biking, horseback riding and traveling.

Lower Elementary

Amy & Stephen Ball
Amy and Stephen Ball are a wife and husband Lower Elementary Teaching team. Amy has been teaching in Montessori since 1989. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and AMS certification in Primary programs (3-6) and Elementary programs (6-9 and 9-12). Stephen has been teaching in Montessori since 1997, He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science and a minor in Marine Biology. Stephen’s Montessori certification is in Elementary programs (6-9 and 9-12). They have been married and working together in Montessori since 1997. Amy and Stephen enjoy teaching, outdoor activities, and learning about new cultures.

Primary 2

Jana Shulmanova Jana Shulmanová
is our Primary 2 Lead Teacher with an AMS diploma from Princeton Center for Teacher Education awarded in 2007. Jana has an Associate Degree in Early Childhood from SUNY in the U.S. She has been working with young children since 2001. Jana joined us in 2004, and this is her fifth year in Primary 2.

Wendy Charles
is the Primary 2 Teacher. She is from the Denver area of Colorado in the United States. Wendy obtained her Montessori (3-6) teaching certification with Mid-America, through the College of St. Mary. She also studied Early Childhood Education in college and obtained her Director Qualifications. She has been working in various aspects of Montessori over the last thirty years; as an administrator, teacher and teacher trainer. Her family of six children is an integral part of her personal education as they also benefited from Montessori education and philosophy.

Primary 1

Joanna Boone
is our Primary 1 lead Teacher. She graduated from Xavier University, in Cincinnati, OH in 2005, with undergraduate degrees in Montessori Education and Spanish. Through this program, she also received her AMS 3-6 certificate. Joanna joined us after teaching for three years at St. Maarten Montessori in the Netherland Antilles. Joanna also enjoys playing soccer and traveling.

Jana Ruzickova Jana Růžičková
is the Primary 1 teacher. She has a B.A. in Psychology from the University of New York in Prague. She also continues to complete her studies in Psychology at the Palacky University in Olomouc. She finished her Montessori training from PCTE in Princeton, NJ, in 2009. She has worked for two years in our Primary program. She loves dancing.

Toddler

Glynis Hull-Rochelle
is our Toddler Lead Teacher. She completed her AMS Infant/Toddler diploma from the Montessori Teacher Education Center in New York in 2009. She has a B.A. in Liberal Arts from the New School in New York City. She has taught prenatal, classical, mother and child yoga, and stretching, movement and rhythm with toddlers. Glynis joined us in 2007 and she incorporates nature and peace in her classroom.

Jana Vamberska Jana Vamberská
is our Toddler Assistant Teacher. She completed her education in a private Secondary Family school specializing in Social Work in 1999. At this school she studied Psychology, focusing on human development of young children. Jana has worked here since 2007 as a Toddler Assistant and 2006 in Childcare.

Anna Sta Maria
is our Toddler Assistant. She worked in customer service for 8 years where she worked with the public including children. She also volunteered at an orphanage in Malaysia. She is married and raising two young children. She loves cooking and baking, sewing, traveling, decorating, handicrafts and charity work.

Specialists

Petr Kroutil
is the IMSP Music Teacher who started here in 2007. He studied music at The Jaroslav Jezek Conservatory of Music and then at Berklee College of Music in the United States. Petr has won numerous awards and the most recent (2003) is inclusion in the Lewis Porter World Jazz Encyclopedia as a Jazz Clarinetist and Performer. He leads his own Petr Kroutil Quartet, a brand new band playing in ethno-jazz style. In his free time, Petr enjoys spending time with his family.

Milada Corvinová
Milada is in her 8th year as the IMSP Art Teacher. She has 28 years of experience teaching art to children and adults at many schools such as the Folk School of Art, and the Secondary School of Textiles, Arts and Crafts. Milada received her diploma from the Secondary School of Arts and Crafts in Prague as well as Art Education from the Charles University. In addition, she has received a Ph.D. in Theory of Culture from Palacky University in Olomouc. Milada enjoys dancing, gardening, yoga, hand-weaving as well as creating bobbin lace.

Child Care Teachers

Sandra Cabajova Sandra Cabajová
is the Lead Child Care Teacher. Her Montessori training course took place in Bratislava. She has worked with children for four years, starting at IMSP in Child Care. Sandra has also studied and worked in Scotland.

Kathleen Renehan
is our Child Care Teacher. She graduated from Stonehill College in Massachusetts majoring in Early Childhood, as well as received a minor is Psychology and Fine Arts. Kathleen is originally from New York, where she taught Art to people with learning and developmental disabilities. She has also worked as a one-on-one assistant and has one year experience working in a Montessori setting. Her other interests include Art, hiking, biking, horseback riding and traveling.

Administration

Kateřina Bečková
is our Executive Director. She founded the school in 2002 in order to give her children the best possible education. Kateřina has a Masters degree in Economics.

Susan Sears Smith
is our Head of School. Susan has a Masters Degree in Education with a Montessori Specialty from Loyola College and a Masters degree in English as a Second Language. In addition she has Director Qualifications for Early Childhood programs. Susan has been in educational administration for 9 years, and teaching in Early Childhood Education for 11. From 2000 Susan began working and training in Montessori settings. She completed two trainings and received an AMI Birth to Three diploma and an AMI Primary diploma. She comes from Boulder, Colorado, and started at IMSP in 2005.

Miroslava Lansdorfová
is the Business Administrator. She received her Masters degree in Adult Education and her secondary school diploma from the School of Economics in Prague. Mirka has many years experience in customer service and sales coordination. In her free time she likes biking, traveling, and reading.

Martina Hráská
is our Office Manager who started in the Fall of 2007. She studied Business at the Commercial Academy. Also Martina completed one year of English education and received a Certificate in Advanced English. Martina worked for a year in the US in childcare.

Each year IMSP gathers specialists to teach weekly afternoon classes in their professional field to elementary students. We have specialists for Art, Music and Spanish. Also IMSP offers Afternoon Enrichment classes in dance, ceramics, arts and crafts, soccer, choir and cooking.

Parents′ Association

At IMSP, we have created a partnership with our parents. Parents are the child’s first and most important educators. We recognize the importance of the family in the child's development. The partnership we have developed with our parents is a two-way, interactive relationship.
The child's fullest development demands involvement of both the family and the school. Our directresses and parents engage in periodic dialogues to discuss the developmental and psychological needs of the child. Parents grow and learn along with their child, and we in turn also grow through this collaboration.
This partnership goes beyond parental education. Parents are asked to take a more active role in their child’s educational experience. They are encouraged to do so by participating in our Parent Association.
The goal of the Parent Association is to promote a positive atmosphere, increase communication and enrich children's lives by planning and implementing family events and cultural celebrations.