Letter From The Founding Head of Schools
Dear Parents,
Thank you for your interest in St. Mary's Montessori School. It was in 1994, after the birth of my son and daughter, that I embarked on the journey of becoming an educator. My son, whom at the time was two years old, was attending a "Montessori School" and I was very interested in this method of teaching. I did a lot of research and in 1995 I started one of the best experiences and journeys of my life, which includes majoring in Child psychology and completing the Association Montessori International (AMI) Diploma with honors, for children ages 2 to 6 years.
Reminiscing of my 23+ years as a Montessori teacher and Head of Schools, I know that the best gift we can give our children is a strong foundation during their formative years; from birth to 6. That is why St. Mary's Montessori Schools are dedicated to assisting children’s success spiritually, academically, socially, and emotionally. The "work" that the children will be engaged in will inspire them to create an importance of concentration, self-discipline, responsibility, critical thinking, respect, and concern for others.
We strive to teach our students, through words and personal example, that the gift of God's great love is to be shared with others in acts of Christian service to those in need within our school and in the community. We believe this is an integral part of helping our students develop into socially responsible and caring individuals. They learn that what they do and say is important, and that they have the potential to make a genuine difference in the world no matter how young they may be.
My experience working with children has brought so much joy to me and the families I have worked with. I look forward to working with each and every family at St. Mary's Montessori schools and thank you for entrusting us with the best years of your child's life. It has been a lifelong dream of mine that one day I will start my own Montessori School, and with the support of my family, friends and the blessing of God this has now become a reality.
Yours faithfully,
Nelioufer Jayawardana
Founder and CEO - Head of Schools | St. Mary's Montessori Schools
Letter From The Founder
On July 25th, 2012, When Nelioufer and I first came to see the property located at N Victoria Windrows Loop, Rancho Cucamonga with our realtor, we fell in love with the location next to the beautiful Windrows Park. Initially, the location was a rundown building that housed a pre-school; it was in need of a lot of work in order to bring it up to our standards.
Nelioufer turned to me and said, “this is it” as we pulled into the parking lot. At the same time that we arrived, we met the president of the owning company of the building who was supposed to meet realtors from CBRE to list the property. I asked him if he can make an exception and allow us 24 hours to make an offer.
Soon after our conversation, we got together with our Realtor and wrote our first offer which we submitted to the owners of the property.
Several days later, I came back to the site to conduct a market survey by talking to the neighbors. I had the pleasure of speaking to a mother and her toddler who where enjoying their day at Windrows Park. I introduced myself as a possible school owner for the building next to the park, and she informed me that she recently moved to the area from Riverside and was waiting for her friend and their child, who lives across the street, to meet them for a play date. She mentioned her friend will be able to answer my questions better since she is a long-term resident of Rancho Cucamonga and that this is a beautiful city with lots of young families.
I went to my car and waited for the other lady to arrive. As soon as I got into my car, I was considering all the calls I needed to make but then I saw my rosary on the dashboard. I began to say the rosary while I wait, instead of making any phone calls.
While saying the rosary (a catholic prayer dedicated to divine intervention from the mother of Jesus; Mary) my phone rang- it was my realtor informing me that we may have a deal to start a new school at this property. Our realtor informed me that the owners have rejected our first offer, however, they are very interested in negotiating a deal. I was thrilled!
As soon as I got off the phone, I called my wife Nel and told her what happened. I asked Nel if she would be ok if we name the school after Jesus’s mother, Mary, since I was saying the rosary when I receive the phone call. She agreed and Saint Mary’s Montessori School was born.
After going through a complete remold that consisted of upgrading the entire building and playgrounds for almost 6 months; we opened our doors for the first time to 48 children on March 25th , 2013.
This is the story of St. Mary’s Montessori School.
God is good all the time,
Chris Jayawardana
Founder | St. Mary's Montessori Schools