We strive to create a fertile, safe atmosphere that promotes and facilitates life-long love for learning and knowledge; curiosity, respect and love for nature (inner and outer), humanity and life, peaceful coexistence, acceptance and reverence for all living things. We aspire to achieve excellence in education within a learning environment that is not bound within the classroom, it is hands-on and child-directed. We aim to educate the whole child through a comprehensive education that cultivates self-directed action, flexible thinking, creativity, and non-standardized models of problem-solving. In this atmosphere we can prepare students to face the challenges of an ever-changing world. Our mission is to cultivate the full talents and potentials of each unique child in a holistically caring environment under the guiding principles of the Montessori approach. Our work is informed and inspired by the fields of psychology, psychoanalysis, and contemporary educational research and practices. At Morningside Montessori Elementary we address the emotional, intellectual, physical and social development of each child, in a secure and nurturing way. Creative problem solving and groundbreaking thinking are enhanced. Each child is viewed and treated as the individual she or he is: with different interests, learning styles, abilities, gifts, strengths, potential and talents that need to be discovered, enhanced and invested in. With respect and individualized attention, each child can become an independent, self-aware, self-disciplined and self-motivated learner and global citizen of the world. Morningside Montessori Elementary welcomes and is equipped to educate and assist children with atypical development who are high-functioning. At the present moment there is a large social gap in Cyprus, since the educational and psychological needs of these children are largely under-served and many times go undiagnosed and are not addressed. This fragile population’s needs are accommodated and underscored by our philosophy and practices. We believe that creating an education environment that understands and addresses the demands of each individual child explicitly implies the needs to include and cater to atypical populations. In welcoming gifted and talented students, and those with high-functioning atypical development we provide an educational opportunity not only to these underserved populations, but to all children who deserve to learn about differences in a constructive and inclusive way. Our school aims to promote grass root changes in Cypriot society towards peace and genuine egalitarian dialogue between future citizens of this country. At the heart of all of our programs is peace education, one of the foundations of the Montessori approach. As a country with conflict in its past, cultural integration for our new generation can offer hope not only for Cyprus but for the Middle East. From small interpersonal conflict, to larger instances of bias and bullying, educating for conflict resolution as well as for acceptance of differences is a cornerstone of our philosophy. We believe that we must embrace each other with empathy, in order to promote a culture of peace. It is for this reason that it is imperative to learn and understand each other’s language. Morningside Montessori Elementary is the first primary school of the country, where all three languages (Greek, Turkish and English) are embraced and taught.