History
The history of Southern Montessori School is the story of our commitment to offering an authentic Montessori education in Adelaide’s southern suburbs.
Founded as a Preschool in 1983 by a group of parents seeking a Montessori education for their children, enrolments quickly grew and a primary school was established in 1989 moving to our present location in 1995.
In 2014, an Adolescent Program (Years 7 and 8) was offered for the first time as our community worked to establish a Montessori Middle School in the southern suburbs.
Finally, in 2019, after considerable searching, we were very excited to be able to open our new, purpose built Middle School for Years 7 to 9 in Woodcroft. Co-located with Kalyra Aged Care this move provides us with the unique opportunity to form an intergenerational partnership benefiting both students and Kalyra residents.
Our School Today
Today, Southern Montessori School provides an authentic, highly regarded Montessori education for children from 8 months of age to Year 9 across the following programs: Baby Steps, Toddlers, Preschool, Primary and Middle School.
The Montessori approach provides children with enduring intellectual capabilities, achieved through the framework of social and emotional learning. A vibrant community of learners, we are part of a close, supportive community and the future is looking bright.
Affiliation
The school is a member of the following organisations: Montessori Schools and Centres Australia, The Montessori Australia Foundation, and the Association of Independent Schools of South Australia. The school is also affiliated with the Montessori World Educational Institute.
Our Logo
The original school logo was formally adopted as part of the celebrations to mark the school’s move to its permanent site at O’Sullivan Beach. It was launched at the official opening ceremony held on 31st August 1996, one year after the move.
The symbols shown on the logo represent the school’s philosophy and vision. The triangle denotes home, school and community working in harmony. The stars represent the southern cross, our connection to Kaurna land, and environmental responsibility. The wave lines symbolize the three Montessori cycles, and our environment – rolling shape of hills and creek. Finally, the dove represents the spirit of the child liberated through education, and Montessori’s hopes for peace.
In 2020, following extensive consultation with our community, the School launched a new vision and mission statement and it was felt that this was an ideal time to review the logo.

Our logo is the embodiment of our mission statement. It represents the two hemispheres of the brain, critical thinking and creative thinking. The heart and mind are connected. The circular design represents the world or the trunk of a tree with the rings symbolizing different stages of learning and growth from Baby Steps, Toddlers, Cycle 1, 2 and 3 and the Middle School. Ochre represents our country and our connection with the Kaurna people.