Savoorke
Parent-Infant Group, Toddler Community
and Children’s House
from 14 months to 6 years old.
International Montessori School
Savoorke
Age range: Parent-Infant Group, Toddler Community and Children’s House, from 14 months to 6 years old
Bergestraat 24
3080 Tervuren
Phone: +32 (0)2-7670276
Email: tervuren@international-montessori.org
This Child Development Centre is accommodated in a renovated, 200-year-old farmhouse. Besides being rustic and having a lot of character, the setting is very caring, quiet and tucked away from the daily hustle and bustle. It has a unique country charm atmosphere. On a daily basis, ’Savoorke’ caters to children from when they can stand independently and walk (on average around 14 months). The children continue at ‘Savoorke’ until Primary age, where they then move to 'Rotselaerlaan', which is also located in Tervuren.
A range of Programmes are available, thus catering to the various needs of the family. The ALL DAY Programme commences at 8:30 and continues to 18:00 hrs.
The Parent Infant Group has its own space at ‘Savoorke’, it is situated in an area known as the Parent Café. Every year, in Spring and Autumn, a new series is offered to parents and babies from 6 weeks to 1 year old. The group comes together one afternoon per week and share their experiences with a Guide. Developmental topics are discussed, offering substantial information on how to create an optimal environment at home for the infant.
The Toddler Community (walking age to 3 years old) is registered with ‘Kind and Gezin’ as part of the school, and is organised according to regulations applied to independent and private child development centres.
Green Spaces
‘Savoorke’ actually means ‘fishing pond’. And this is why the children, when playing in the back garden of the school, overlook the ponds with the Castle ‘Robiano’ as a backdrop. This green location has a special atmosphere.
History
‘Savoorke’ stems from the word ‘Scavoiren’ and is an old word for fishing ponds. When visiting this location, one notices immediately the beautiful location as it is situated in a special protected area with natural water-wells that together form the origin of the small river ‘De Voer’ which feeds into the local ponds.
The ‘Savoorke’ farm dates back to the early 1800’s. In 1864, it was enlarged to become the L-shaped building we know today. Until the beginning of 1900, Savoorke belonged together with the caste domain ‘Robiano’ which is situated on the opposite side of the street. The domain dates back to 1600, initially it was a manor named a ‘Farmstead over the water’. It was owned by successive families, including Willem van Oranje. The Farmstead was later adapted to a castle by the Robiano family and received it’s neoclassical look in in the 1877. From the 1920’s, the castle was rented out as an orphanage and later a holiday camp for children. Nowadays, it belongs to the software company SAS and serves as a training institute.
The ‘Savoorke’ farm produced the necessary fresh food for the castle inhabitants. It was made up of a small dwelling, a large barn to store produce, hay and straw and a home for the animals. Old photos show the farm was surrounded by farmland and the Bergestraat was an unpaved road. Much has changed since!
International Montessori renovated the ‘Savoorke’ farm twice. First in 2004, when the school was transformed from a restaurant (‘t’Savoorke’) to a school. It was renovated again in 2018 when a new roof was put on which gave the Toddler Community an attractive high ceiling feel on the inside. Simultaneously, floor heating was installed in all the downstairs learning areas, thereby allowing young children to be very comfortable on the floor.
The area surrounding the fishing ponds, ‘Scavoiren’, is protected Cultural Heritage.
