Jason Phillips

Toddler

I can hardly believe that the year is almost over. It seems like only yesterday that we were meeting some of the children for the first time. How strange it must have been to be away from home and greeted by strangers wearing masks and shields. It is inspiring how they have been able to grow and thrive during such unusual times.

The leaps made by the toddlers never fail to amaze me. The friendships, vocabulary, coordination, and personalities that develop between the beginning and end of the year is astonishing. I am so excited for the future ahead for the Toddler Community. I will miss those that are moving on, but I am confident that they will find joy and success on the next stop of their adventure. It has been an honour getting to know them.

Mr. Davis.

Casa North

Early this week a child asked me “What does cycle mean?” and it sparked such a wonderful conversation about the patterns we see in life. We talked about the tides, day and night, the life cycles of plants and animals, and the routines of our own days and years. We’ve all been acutely aware that the school year is coming to an end. It’s an exciting time but always feels somewhat melancholy for me. We’ve spent ten months working so closely with your children, caring for them, watching them grow, and June feels like “Goodbye.” I’m immensely proud of how hard each of the students has worked and how much they’ve grown since September. I look forward to next year with our returning students, and wish the best to our friends who are moving on to a new cycle in their lives.

Thank you so much for a beautiful year,

Ms. Dewey.

Casa South

Dear Casa South Families,

It has been a pleasure getting to know and to work with your children. I have seen them grow in many ways from forming friendships to learning new practical skills. As a new assistant coming in early in January, I learnt they had been through a few changes already, so I am very thankful for them welcoming me and that we developed trusting relationships since then, especially during a constantly changing pandemic. There have been many sweet moments, moments of working through emotions, and moments that made me laugh. There have been exciting breakthrough moments, many moments of listening and learning, and moments filled with hugs. I have to once again thank Ms. Robinson and Mme Perazzo for guiding me and being natural leaders. I’ve learned so much from them. I also want to thank Mrs. Kennedy & Mrs. Lyons for bringing me into the Lyonsgate family, as it has been a wonderful experience.

I hope everyone has a safe and lovely summer, and ones full of adventure!

Best Wishes,

Ms. Jefferies.

Elementary

It has been an exciting week at Elementary! The students were thrilled to share some of their recent work with you at the Cultural Fair. Thank you for joining us to explore the terrain, weapons, homes, clothing, toys, and foods of ancient Rome. Through the past few weeks, students learned about the political evolution of ancient Rome from kingdom to republic to empire. This set the foundation for the class to learn more about Canadian democracy, political parties, and current issues in Ontario. Older students were asked to work in small groups to complete the challenge of building the tallest marshmallow and toothpick tower possible — with one important twist: they had to operate under the political structure assigned to the group: a dictatorship, an oligarchy, a democracy, or an anarchy. All of our students discussed the concept of political parties and identified issues that are important right now to people living in Ontario. On June 2, the students eagerly lined up at the Lyonsgate polling station with their voter id cards, ready to cast their ballots in the Student Vote. They loved checking in with the poll clerks, receiving instructions from the deputy returning officers, and going behind the voting screen to make their mark under the watchful eye of our scrutineers. Andrea Horvath, representing the NDP in Hamilton Centre, received 45% of our students’ votes, followed by the Green Party with 31%, and the Liberal Party and PC Party tied at 10% each. We look forward to examining our Student Vote election results, as well as those from other schools in our neighbourhood and province, and comparing them to the official results of the provincial election.

Next Thursday, June 9, all Elementary students will be heading outdoors for the morning work cycle! Students in first and second year will be exploring plants in our neighbourhood and the Hill Street Community Garden, while students in years 3-6 will be learning about the Niagara Escarpment while hiking a section of the Bruce Trail. Students should come prepared with a small water bottle they can carry, a hat, closed toe shoes, and comfortable clothing for active learning. They may also wish to apply sunscreen before coming to school.

With so many interesting things still to learn, it’s hard to believe that summer break is only a few weeks away! We are looking forward to hosting two weeks of camp for elementary students this summer, with lots of science, art, outdoor games, and water play. If your child would like to join us for some fun and adventure, please register for camp by Monday, June 20. Camp fees are due upon registration and can be paid via e-transfer to accounts@lyonsgate.ca or by cheque made out to “Lyonsgate Montessori School Inc.” and dropped off at the Primary campus.

We wish you a happy weekend ahead!

Warmly,

Marissa and Michelle.

Photo Gallery

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Toddler

Hello Toddler Families,

I’m excited for the parent-teacher conferences next week and welcoming you into your children’s classroom in person. We’ll talk about all of the wonderful progress they have all made, especially in developing their sense of community.

Please bring any questions you have about how your toddler has been spending their days, what they are showing interest in, how they are showing us they learn, and what next  year may look like for them. We will only have 20 minutes for each conference so I ask that you do your best to be on time and to stick to the schedule for all of the other toddler parents.

Between the upcoming conferences and the chance we had to speak during the Parent Education this week, it will be lovely to have so much opportunity to talk with each other as the school year comes to a close. I hope we also see all of our toddler friends at the picnic in June.

See you next week,

Ms. Gervais.

If you still need to sign up for a Parent-Teacher conference, please click here to select a time. Child care is available during your conference time.

Casa North

Hello Parents,

I am looking forward to hosting you next week — in person — for Parent Teacher conferences. As always, it will be a joy to set some time aside to focus on the successes of each of your children. It has been a busy year, and I know you will be so proud of their progress & growth since we last connected in November.

I will be using the same format as always, bringing you up-to-speed with your child’s academic development in Practical Life, Sensorial, Language, Mathematics, French, and Culture, and sharing some observations regarding their Social/Emotional development. What a treat it will be to have the materials at our disposal — to touch, maneuver and examine — as we discuss the specific academic heights each of your children have reached this past semester. Feel free to scan Seesaw and ask about a specific material — if time permits, we can go through a presentation!

I invite you to bring your questions and comments. This is our last chance to speak before your child becomes a 2nd year Casa student or a graduate, so I have allotted much of our time for discussion.

I ask, in advance, to please be cognizant of the strict conference time you have chosen. Please arrive a few minutes early, so we can start right away, and know that we will only have a 20-minute slot per child. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding with keeping things moving.

Reminder — although we always welcome books or stories from home, we ask that stickers, beads, coins, toys, & jewelry do not come to school (in your child’s backpack or on their person). Even in the backpack, these items act as a distraction to your child during the work cycle. Again, thank you for your cooperation in keeping these items at home.

See you next week!

Best,

Ms. O’Sullivan.

If you still need to sign up for a Parent-Teacher conference, please click here to select a time. Child care is available during your conference time.

Casa South

Greetings from Casa South,

It’s good to see how many parents have signed up for the third term conferences. I’m looking forward to meeting with everyone to share more of how and what your children have been busy with during these past months. Also, to learn more about them from your perspective, as well as to answer any questions you might have. During our meeting I’ll provide you with more detailed information about the growth your child has experienced since we last met.

Last week’s classroom visits provided a peek into what the children are currently working with and finally gave you the opportunity to physically sit in their “office.” This may help you visualize materials and activities discussed during our conference.

As you will see, the schedule for the day is tight with many back-to-back meetings. If we all do our best to be on time with both arriving and departing according to the schedule, we should be able to keep on track. I recognize that everyone’s time is valuable.

As I write this, I realize that once again the school year has flown by, summer is in the air!

See you at the gate,

Ms. Robinson

If you still need to sign up for a Parent-Teacher conference, please click here to select a time. Child care is available during your conference time.

Elementary

After weeks of preparation, the Elementary students were thrilled to plant their vegetable garden! Older students spent weeks monitoring our two garden plots for sun exposure and researching ideal growing conditions for a variety of vegetables. They created a map for where to plant beans, broccoli, cabbage, corn, and pumpkins for the best results. To protect their newly planted pumpkin patch, the children constructed a simple fence using wooden stakes and string. Younger students sowed and raised seedlings indoors until they were hardy enough to plant. They have spent weeks preparing garden beds by turning the soil and adding fertilizer, including Zeus’ eggs! Finally, after many months of caring for a colony of red wriggler worms indoors, students harvested the fresh compost and transferred it outdoors. The worm colony has been refreshed so they can continue to make compost for our class. As part of their regular weekly contributions, students also planted marigold seeds and transplanted lilies of the valley to the front flower garden. Planting these gardens gives students the opportunity to experience the life cycle of plants and their interaction with other living things, including us! We hope you enjoy visiting our garden during the Cultural Fair next week.

Elementary students are welcome to invite their parents, siblings, or other chosen family members to join us at our Cultural Fair after school on Monday, May 30th. The Cultural Fair will open at 3:15, and families are welcome to visit the fair anytime between 3:15-4:00 p.m. We politely request that visitors consider masking during the event due to the larger crowd and limited space, and as a courtesy to others within our school community. As all Elementary students will be participating in the Cultural Fair, all students should check out with Caitlin at the side gate prior to leaving for the day. Once the Cultural Fair has ended, our regular aftercare program will continue in the backyard.

We look forward to seeing you all next week!

Marissa and Michelle.

If you still need to sign up for a Parent-Teacher conference, please click here to select a time. Elementary conferences will take place via Zoom.

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Toddler

This week, the Casa children were having their show and share, where they get to demonstrate some of their favourite presentations to their families. It is a wonderful opportunity to welcome families into the classroom and to share in children’s the joy of discovery. This got me thinking about how we measure success in the Toddler room, as well as the difference between wanting and needing help.

Some of the biggest, proudest smiles that I have seen on a child’s face have happened seconds after they have said, “I can’t do it.” Sometimes the encouragement to try just a little longer is the true key to success. The hardest work can be the most rewarding when the end result is a stronger belief in our own abilities. It is usually easy to see when a child has accomplished something new or difficult. “I did it” isn’t always far away from “I can’t do it” if we take the time and encourage them to believe in themselves the way we believe in them. Show and share is everyday with our toddler friends!

Mr. Davis.

Casa North

Hello families! It was so much fun having each of you in our classroom this week. This was my first Show and Share and I have to admit I was nervous. Several of the students also seemed to have some big feelings the day that their parents were coming in. Some were more sensitive or restless, some looked for reassurance, and some worked diligently to practice the activities they were sharing. Yet, without fail, once they began their work each of them shone with pride and confidence.

As teachers, sometimes I think we can take for granted how bright and capable our students are. Sitting with families this week, answering questions, observing your interactions with your children, puts me in mind of the wonder I felt when I began working in Montessori environments. It’s a valuable reminder that, given the right guidance and bit of patience, children will rise to and exceed our expectations.

Thank you so much for making time to visit us! It has been a lovely cap to each day this week, and I hope we can have all of you in our classroom much more often in the future.

Reminder: We would love to hear any thoughts you have on your Show and Share experience. Mrs. O’Sulllivan has sent out an email and any feedback helps us improve.

Ms. Dewey.

Casa South

What a great week of Show and Share with our Casa South Families. It was beautiful to see how excited and proud the students were to show what they’ve learned, along with the new skills they’ve mastered. I have seen the same focus and happy faces myself when the children learn a new activity and eagerly want to show me. I must give thanks to Ms. Robinson and Mme Perazzo, who have taught not only our students but myself with such grace and care that I am very grateful to be on their team. It was very rewarding to see our students want to teach their parents as many pieces of work as possible, but alas we only had 20 minutes. Have a great long weekend and here’s to relishing in all the proud moments, big or small!

Ms. Jefferies.

Elementary

This week, the Elementary students enjoyed a field trip to Dundurn Castle, the 19th century mansion built for Sir Allan MacNab, to participate in the Kitchen Garden program. We explored the two-acre garden, touching, smelling, and even tasting a variety of plants from mint to rhubarb. We discovered plants grown at Dundurn Castle that could be used as food, medicine, pest deterrents, and for making clothes. The students were thrilled to make their own contribution to the garden by helping to make a new compost heap. They layered dried leaves, water, fresh greens, and compost to prepare the new children’s garden. They also harvested a variety of herbs for cooking. In the cellar kitchen, we worked in low-light conditions with 1850s tools to try our hand at making rissoles, balls of potato and herbs rolled in egg and bread crumbs. After they were fried in butter on the wood stove, students had the opportunity to eat the final product. Yum! Students enjoyed finding out about the lives of people living and working in Dundurn Castle, and comparing life 150 years ago to their own modern experiences.

We hope you all enjoy an extra-long weekend of fun!

Michelle and Marissa

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Toddler

Glorious Spring weather is upon us! All of the local gardens are rapidly growing back and bursting with colour and our toddlers are showing rapid growth and development simultaneously. My grandmother had a theory that children grew more rapidly in the Spring and Summer and I am now thinking she might be right about that. We are witnessing an explosion of language and communication, and a drive for independence skills in the Toddler community this Spring.

There are many new toilet learning toddlers enthusiastically working hard to figure out how their bodies work, so I will be hosting a parent education session on toilet learning and Casa readiness to help prepare the children who will be moving on to our wonderful Casa communities next September.

Safe in the Sun: Now that we are experiencing warmer weather please send your toddler with these items each day:

• A water bottle to be used outside at recess.
• A sun hat — we will do our best to inspire a habit of wearing hats outside in sunny weather.
• Sunscreen — we will assume that they are wearing sunscreen when they come to school in the morning and will reapply it for afternoon recess.

Toilet Learning and Casa Readiness: May 24 at 5:00 p.m.

Parent-Teacher conferences: June 3

Ms. Gervais.

Casa North

We are so excited to welcome you for Show & Share next week. Casa North has missed the hustle & bustle of our outside community!

Montessori relies so heavily on the connection between our classroom and the greater world. It will be fantastic to have parents demonstrating how they move & act in the space, sharing in our classroom successes, and being able to “corroborate” (in a way) that the components of our classroom are recognizable & practical to those from the outside world. How wonderful it will be for the students to see that their moms & dads hold trays with two hands, and tuck in their chairs, too; that they recognize our plants, flowers, kitchen items, and books by name, too; that they recognize Sweeping, Polishing, and other materials by name, too; ultimately, that you relate to our space like we do! How exciting for our students to make the connection that the things we do at school prepare them for life beyond the classroom!

For Show & Share in Casa North, your child will choose a few activities (the morning of) that they would like to show you and those choices will be added to their list. They can refer to their list with your guidance and show you their chosen activities. The lists will also help to ensure there is as little overlap of materials as possible.

Our team would like to encourage parents to please observe your child’s engagement with the materials with as little physical or verbal interference as possible.

Trust the process! Even if your child is using the materials in a way that seems odd to you, it can still provide a key to who they are while working. You may see your child spill things, drop things, forget things, etc. — and that is okay! That is part of the experience! We have prepared them for the little mishaps that take place along the way, and always show them patience while waiting to see if they can arrive at the solution themselves. We truly invite you to step back & observe how your child shares their favourite items with you, however that may look or sound, because we know it will show you what points of interest and what value they have held onto when choosing this work for themselves.

So, sit back, watch, ask questions, fight the urge to interfere or step in, and give your child the space to present to you how they deem fit. They are inviting you into their world, and we know you will be blown away by their growth and confidence!

Reminders:

• Please provide sunscreen for your child, labelled, which will remain at school until the end of June.
• Please continue to send both a used mask bag and a new mask bag, labelled, each day, and at least three clean masks for use per day. Masks are only required to be worn indoors.
• Please send a new cooler, seasonally appropriate change of clothes to keep in your child’s cubby bins. Please label everything.

Looking forward to showing & sharing with you all.

Best,

Ms. O’Sullivan

If you still need to do so, please click here to sign up for Show & Share.

Casa South

Greetings from Casa South,

We’re looking forward to welcoming our parents into the classroom for Show & Share next week!

Your children will each have some materials and work selected and set up to show you. Show & Share is your child’s chance to show you how they work and what they work with. They will present their Montessori material work to you, demonstrate how they put it away, and then give you their tour of their classroom, pointing out other things they like to do and items and areas of the classroom they find interesting (but will be leaving those items on the shelves).

While your children are presenting to you, please just observe what they show you without asking questions or seeking to correct their work. They’re teaching you. You can certainly ask as many questions as you can think of when they are giving you their tour of the classroom.

Reminders:

• Please provide sunscreen for your child, labelled, which will remain at school until the end of June.
• Please continue to send both a used mask bag and a new mask bag, labelled, each day, and at least three clean masks for use per day. Masks are only required to be worn indoors.
• Please send a new cooler, seasonally appropriate change of clothes to keep in your child’s cubby bins. Please label everything.

See you at the gate,

Ms. Robinson.

If you still need to do so, please click here to sign up for Show & Share.

Elementary

The students were delighted to participate in an impromptu outing in our neighbourhood today. Part of the Elementary program is the flexibility to respond to current events and novel opportunities in our community. This morning, we were surprised to discover that our bearded dragon, Zeus, had produced a clutch of eggs! During the pandemic, Zeus has been residing at Marissa’s house. The children have missed her presence in our classroom and ask about her often. This afternoon, the children enjoyed an outdoor visit with Zeus, and learning about reptile reproduction. You never know what exciting event will occur during the day at Lyonsgate Elementary!

Thank you to all the parents who attended our Parent Education event yesterday. We look forward to having more of these workshops with you in the fall.

Wishing you a beautiful warm weekend ahead!

Michelle and Marissa.

Photo Gallery

Happy Friday Lyonsgate Families,

This week, your Casa and Toddler children’s French assistants have some information about how they, and you, can support French learning beyond the traditional classroom materials, and the Elementary Montessori guides have a beautiful summary of the practice and purpose of literature in the Elementary program.

Show & Share (No Observations)

Thank you for your patience while we deliberated whether or not to host parent observations in the Casa classrooms this year. While the situation is improving, we have decided to hold off and instead host Show & Share in the Casa classrooms during the week of May 16-19.

Toddler

Bonjour!!

As we near the last leg of our school year, I am consistently reminded of how much our Toddler community has grown as a whole and as individuals. Your children have braved a whole new world of independence and trust with their teachers and their peers. I have found that over the course of this year your children have made leaps and bounds in respect to speaking French, and as much as some may find learning another language daunting there are many ways you as parents can ensure your children continue to be exposed throughout the time they aren’t in their classroom: introduce a few easy to read French books, perhaps ones that your child may already know in English; when you’re in the car try putting on a French radio station for a few minutes; look for signs and advertisements that have French and English on them.

Songs are another great way to help grab their attention. It really doesn’t matter if you know the words or not, they are listening and absorbing. If you have a local library you enjoy attending, maybe look into if they offer a French story time. There are many ways you can expose yourself and your children to the French language without making it complicated. Take it one word or song song at a time :).

Mme Craigie

Casa North

French Language in the Casa classroom extends beyond the use of Montessori materials on the shelf.

Our students love the “Ou Est?” game. It familiarizes them with the environment that they see — they point to things, label things, and classify them by their French name. We have added a lot of sound effects and fun to the game itself — they love hearing me make a frog noise & duck noise! By making it fun, and getting the students to laugh, we see more memorization and willingness to participate.

We love counting to 20 (sometimes higher) as a small group. We do this daily. We have started to hear students counting in French while they work with materials from the shelf.

We also use a lot of French reading material. Often, a book will be read in English, and the following week we will introduce the same book in French to mirror vocabulary they already know. Our 2nd & 3rd years are also beginning to read from the Primary Phonics series this term, that they have been reading in English.

Parents can encourage their children to engage with French Language at home through song! We have a very musical class this year. Some of our favourites include:

• Une Souris Verte
• Pirouette, Cacahuète
• Un éléphant qui se balançait

En attendant, je vous souhaite une agréable fin de semaine!

Mme Murati

Casa South

Bonjour tout le monde!

Here are a few ideas of how you can incorporate French at home.

My favourite is singing songs, especially those with actions like “Tête, épaules, genoux, orteils…”. Movement helps to make connections, understand, and remember. Even just hearing French songs in the background will help a new learner with some sounds, pronunciation, and vocabulary.

Movie nights and cartoons can be enjoyable too. Story books, poetry, and games are additional ways to get children excited about speaking French. One of the games we enjoy is “Où est?”. I took pictures of many items in the classroom. I show the child a picture, I say the name of the object, I ask the child to repeat the name, and then they have to locate the item. It’s a wonderful activity that allows a lot of movement.

Repetition gives much needed practice and reinforcement.

Have a fabulous weekend everyone!

Mme Renée Perazzo

Elementary

Enter the Elementary environment at any time and you are sure to see a student looking at a book! Whether they are exploring beautiful illustrations, researching animal facts, or discovering a new story, books are an exciting part of childhood and a gateway to the world beyond the classroom. Throughout the year, elementary students participate in literature circles, meeting weekly with a small group to encourage a love of reading.

Early readers are first invited to read together from the same book, developing reading skills such as recognition of common sight words and increasing knowledge of digraphs. Regular practice reading aloud helps a student strengthen their decoding skills and ensures the guide can assess their progress and provide further keys to reading. Taking a turn to read aloud, as well as listening to others, encourages concentration and accuracy, as well as fluency and expression.

As children move on to short chapter books, they begin to focus on comprehension and discuss with each other settings and characters. As they become more independent in reading accurately and efficiently, children transition to longer chapter books and they complete their weekly chapter readings before their circle meeting. They are welcome to read independently or with a friend as they enjoy an extended narrative and increasingly complex plots.

Once children transition to reading middle-grade novels the focus shifts to a deeper understanding of theme, archetypes, and the emotional lives of child characters in response to specific real-life challenges. Some of these are works of fiction while others are based on real people. This is space for diverse representation and an introduction to challenging topics beyond personal experience, such as differences in privilege. Some of the topics included in our literature choices are living with different abilities or disorders like dyslexia, anxiety, or autism, family issues such as poverty, or personal challenges such as confronting bullying or the death of a loved one. Through these stories they evaluate the decisions of characters, offer alternate choices, predict outcomes, and consider the consequences of choices made.

Students work on weekly assignments, on their own or with a friend, to think more about the story and clarify their thoughts about the narrative. As the novels become more complex, students may take on a specific role to facilitate weekly discussions, such as the summarizer, vocabulary builder, or timeline artist. Literature circles serve many purposes, from developing literacy and emotional intelligence, to cultivating collaborative work habits and responsibility. Of course, for the children, the joy of sharing a good book with a friend is the greatest purpose of all!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Marissa and Michelle

Photo Gallery

Good Afternoon Lyonsgate Community,

This week, your children’s Montessori guides are speaking to the concept of community in Montessori, and they have some beautiful things to say.

Mask Requirement Extension

While we are certainly doing better in terms of illness relative to a couple of weeks ago, there are still positive COVID cases among students and Lyonsgate families that indicates the ongoing presence of community spread. Lyonsgate is extending the requirement for all staff and students in the second year of Casa and up (kindergarten aged) to wear properly fitted and properly worn masks at all times while indoors. Masks for first year Casa students are strongly recommended. The mask requirement is being extended until at least May 6.

Beginning next week, masks will not be required to be worn outside by staff.

Elementary Parent Education Reminder

Elementary parents are invited to a Parent Education event on Thursday, May 12 at 4:00 p.m. for a curriculum workshop showcasing material progressions in math, biology, and geography. Parents who are attending can register their Elementary students for free aftercare with the classroom assistants during the event. Parents are asked to RSVP to elementary@lyonsgate.ca by Monday, May 9.

New Lunch Menu Updated

The new spring/summer lunch menu for the Primary campus is now updated with the vegetarian and vegan options, and the dietician endorsement.

Graduation Photos Next Thursday

The photographer will be here next Thursday, April 28, to take graduation photos of our graduating Montessori students.

CWELCC Letter from City of Hamilton

Click here for a letter to parents from the City of Hamilton about the implementation of the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care agreement.

Toddler

Community and sense of belonging in the Toddler community.

The social determinants of health are a home, a job, a friend. These three elements are the key to a human being’s mental health. We all need a safe place to land, a place where we can relax and be ourselves, important work to do, and a companion to share our experiences with.

Babies arrive in the world hard wired to communicate. They are seeking connection and they look to those around them to find out who they are, how they fit in, and what they are supposed to be doing.

The family is the child’s first community. For a while this is all a baby knows and experiences, then the world opens up into a wider circle to include a few friends and regular visitors, extended family members and familiar faces at the park or the library, then to include a school community where there are more opportunities to form friendships, build independence skills, and figure out how the world works.

As the circle widens and the list of familiar people in a child’s life expands the child’s awareness of themselves and the world around them grows. They learn that they can rely on and trust people other than their immediate family and they begin to seek their purpose in the community. They build a sense of belonging by participating in the daily routine. They want to participate! There is a basic need to feel productive and to perform valuable work. Small children do not need to be cajoled or bribed to participate in a community. They already have a natural drive to work and interact purposefully in the environment. They watch and replicate whatever the adults are doing. They, as my grandmother would say, “see a job.” If the floor is wet, they notice, and go and get the mop. If a plant tumbles to the floor they go and get the dustpan and the small hand broom. They enthusiastically help to serve snack or hand out water to their friends. They are taking responsibility for their world and are an active participant in their community. These jobs might seem small or insignificant but the instinct to take action is important in a larger sense. This is all evidence of what might be possible if this enthusiasm to help and care for our environment and each other continues throughout life.

We have it within ourselves from the beginning of life to coexist peacefully, to seek connection, to work together to take care of each other and our world.

Dr. Maria Montessori believed that each new generation offered the possibility of creating a more peaceful world:

“Averting war is the work of politicians, establishing peace is the work of education.” Maria Montessori (Education and Peace, p. 24)

Ms. Gervais.

Casa North

Our Casa students recognize themselves as part of multiple communities — the community of the classroom, the community of their family and neighbours, and the community of the wider world. We are constantly demonstrating that the community and world around us shapes what is on our shelves — that what we are learning in our classroom is a key to a larger world.

In relation to “community of the wider world,” Montessori believes in a Universal Child, who understands their role in their world and society. This is woven through all areas of the classroom — through Practical Life activities that mirror their home life (that are, in essence, practical and relevant to the child); through our Culture area that emphasizes our geographical ties to one another (we are part of Ontario, then Canada, then North America, and the larger Earth) and that provides opportunities to view & learn about same-age children around the world; and through our Language area which mimics the sounds and words we use in our day-to-day routine.

In relation to “community of the classroom,” students are encouraged to collaborate and contribute to class life. Practical Life gives opportunities for each student to feel valuable in caring for their environment (polishing items, folding cloths, washing tables, arranging flowers, etc.) and themselves (washing hands, dressing, etc.); it shows them how to find solutions and resolve problems for themselves (sponging a spill, sweeping floors, etc.).

Grace and courtesy — as a branch of Practical Life — also connects students to their peers and community members. We don’t take for granted that a child has inherent peer entry skills or automatically knows how to be a part of a group, so we are always modelling how to greet others, thank others, ask questions, share feelings, and generally engage with other beings.

Perhaps most importantly, we model how to be kind to others as a means of building relationships — a lovely example is seeing two children exchange a “thank you” and “you’re welcome” when holding open the door for one another, or a child offering a cup of tea to a classroom visitor as a friendly greeting. Being able to appropriately interact with others builds the confidence needed to be a part of one’s community — the child tells themselves, “I know what to say, I know how to act, I am valuable and can be a part of this group.”

We look forward to cohort rules shifting so that we can begin to actively explore our outside community (working with students from other classrooms, having guests visit our classroom, engaging in field trips, etc.). Allowing our surroundings to influence our learning is a cornerstone of the Montessori method, and we are so grateful to have a fantastic Lyonsgate community of students and families to learn from.

Ms. O’Sullivan

Casa South

Greetings from Casa South.

Community, what does it mean? Three general characteristics may be used to describe it:

• a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.
• the condition of sharing or having certain attitudes and interests in common.
• a group of independent plants or animals growing or living together in natural condition or
  occupying a specific habitat.

This last descriptor strikes me as being most inclusive of all parts of community and is a particularly apt way to describe how we live and grow together in our classroom. Children are allowed and encouraged to be independent while working together as a group; learning to take care of themselves, each other, and their environment.

At this point in the school year, we can clearly see how much they have adapted to this habitat. They move about the room with a greater level of confidence and skill. They know each other well, know how to work as partners, and how to push some of their classmates’ buttons. The learning never stops no matter what situation arises.

This week, we’ve been discussing what it means to take care of our larger community — our planet. What do we see, hear, smell, feel when we are out in the world? What can we do to take care of plants, animals, the ground, the air, and the water? Why do we recycle and compost? We’ve been sowing a lot of seeds lately, not only to make our environment look prettier, but also to help us breathe and make food for butterflies and bees. We enjoyed making suncatchers from some of the leaves collected and pressed during the year to hang in a window at home.

It’s a lovely time of year to connect with the space outside our walls; we hope you can get out to see and smell some spring flowers this weekend.

See you at the gate!

Ms. Robinson.

Elementary

The Elementary curriculum invites children to study geometry as part of both math and the natural world. This week, younger students looked at characteristics of 3-dimensional solids and used these attributes to name each figure. Students had fun playing a variety of games to build their vocabulary for geometry. We reviewed the names of regular polygons and how their prefixes indicate the number of sides and angles. We then compared different polygons to a circle. Students were excited to consider the circle as a polygon with an infinite number of sides!

Upper level students were challenged to find a formula to calculate the area of a rhombus using Montessori Metal Inset materials. They built upon previous experiences in calculating the area of rectangles and made comparisons between the parts of each shape. So far, they have discovered that an equivalent rectangle’s base is equal to the minor diagonal of a rhombus. Further investigations will help them discover a working formula!

For those of you who are curious, the area of a rhombus = d x (D ÷ 2) 😉

We look forward to more geometry explorations related to botany coming soon!

Wishing you a beautiful weekend ahead,

Michelle and Marissa

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