Lyonsgate Weekly Update | April 26, 2019
Hello Lyonsgate Montessori Families,
Thank you to all of you that were able to attend the Parent Education evening last night. It was wonderful to see so many Lyonsgate parents being actively involved in learning more about how Montessori education works and understanding how your children work to acquire knowledge. For those that couldn't make it, we understand. Life is busy and there are other evening activities and sometimes we're just tired and once we're home for the night, that is where we're staying. We will have another series of Parent Education evenings for you next year. We have been planning the school calendar for the 2019-2020 school year over the last few weeks and once everything is finalized we'll get it you so plans and schedules can be made.
If you ever have Montessori related questions, whether it's something your children are talking about, something you see in the weekly photos, something you see in the classroom, or something you are curious about how Montessori approaches and teaches, please don't hesitate to ask. We love talking about Montessori.
Reminder: please refrain from sending candy or chocolate to school around holidays (such as Easter — the chocolate holiday!). Thank you.
This Week:
Toddler:
One of the most rewarding aspects of the Montessori environment is its sense of community, and within it the partnership between home and school. We always encourage parents to maintain consistency at home by supporting creativity, maintaining order, fostering independence, and modeling positive behaviour. It is always refreshing to receive a note or an email providing updates on the children’s latest development at home — it shows that our observations and recommendations are valued; it also encourages us to adjust the environment to fulfill the child’s current need. We value the partnership and support of parents in providing a safe, stimulating, and nurturing environment to encourage each child’s holistic development.
We thank you for your participation in last night’s education evening as we discussed the importance of Practical Life activities in early childhood development. The Practical Life exercises prepare the child for the everyday activities of their life, producing a contributing, independent member of their world. Your participation in the bread baking proved to be successful! The children collectively expressed their delight in its taste. — Ms. Dee
“Education is a natural process carried out by the child and is not acquired by listening to words but by experience in the environment.” — Dr Maria Montessori.
Casa
Casa South: Thank you to all the parents who came to our Parent Education night last night. It is always so nice to connect and talk about Montessori philosophy and practice. We know that you all have busy lives and we appreciate your participation in our community!
As promised, here is the link to an article about the new World Health Organization guidelines about children under 4 and screen time.
As always, if you have any questions or comments I would love to hear them! This topic is definitely discussion worthy! — Ms. Moffatt
Casa North: First and foremost, I want to extend very warm and positive feelings of gratitude for our community. We had a great turnout for our Parent Education evening where we discussed the Casa-aged child as a sensorial learner and how to manage technology as a possible obstacle to the absorbent mind. We were able to come together to discuss Montessori, talk about some of the materials in the classroom and their purposes, and chat about your amazing children. Thank you for attending — we look forward to having an even greater turnout next year.
Making a connection between home and school is so important, not only for consistency (which is extra important in these early formative years) but to model to the child that there is trust and unity amongst the adults in their lives. We all have different pieces of the puzzle. When your child comes to school each day, I'm not there to experience the morning. I don't see how bed time or breakfast pans out. In the same regard, you aren't in the classroom to see how they are socializing, working, choosing, or simply being at school. This is the reality of our society, and so we must do what we can to really connect with each other (when possible!).
One of the goals I have each year is to model appropriate, healthy, and supportive relationships amongst adults (between myself and the classroom assistants, and myself and the parents/grandparents of the children). Learning that I need to prepare myself to set the best possible example for the children each day is something that the Montessori philosophy has really brought positively into my life. When you attend a parent education evening, the end-of-the-year picnic, or a Show and Share, it connects your child's two worlds in a way that is most meaningful to them.
Thank you for spending your Thursday evening with us — we know it can be tricky to navigate and can be stressful with work/other priorities, but I can't stress enough how appreciated it is. We look forward to welcoming you into the classroom for observations next month! — Ms. Boyle
Elementary:
Thank you to all the parents who joined us for our final Parent Education evening of the year to hear more about the Geography curriculum and catch our first screening of the student film "Welcome to Lyonsgate!" It is so wonderful to gather parents together from time to time in the children's space, with the opportunity to socialize with each other and connect with the materials and lessons presented to the students.
This week, group lessons from Geography included explorations of the hottest and coldest times of day in relation to planetary rotation, and examining the effects of water erosion under different conditions. The students love to share new discoveries, repeat simple demonstrations, and get their hands dirty! They are intrigued by stories of how natural forces and events shape human experiences through history, as well as their own daily experiences, but the greatest joy in these explorations is that of working together.
I hope you all can make the best of the wet spring weather and get out exploring the physical beauty of Hamilton and the immense power of water in shaping in our city. — Marissa
Coming Up:
Parent Observations will take place in the Casa and Elementary Montessori environments between May 6 and June 4. Observations in your child's classroom are 20 minutes in duration and occur during the morning work cycle. Before your observation, please review the Observation Guidelines for Casa, and/or for the Elementary program.
Please click the relevant link(s) below to schedule your observation(s):
- Casa North: Click here to schedule in Casa North (Ms. Boyle).
- Casa South: Click here to schedule in Casa South (Ms. Moffatt).
- Elementary: Click here to schedule in Elementary.
Lyonsgate Weekly Update | April 18, 2019
Hello Lyonsgate Montessori Families,
Happy Easter! Your update is a day early this week as there is no school tomorrow, April 19 (Good Friday), or on Monday, April 22 (Easter Monday).
Your next Parent Education Evening is coming up on Thursday, April 25.
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- From 3:30-4:00 the Toddler guides will be discussing and demonstrating the Practical Life area of the Montessori environment, both for your growing knowledge of Montessori and to give parents some ideas for the summer that will also help your children to thrive in Casa.
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- From 4:00-4:45 your children's Casa guides will discuss the child under six being a sensorial learner, and how technology can be an obstacle to the absorbent mind.
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- From 5:00-5:45 Elementary parents will have the opportunity to see how the Montessori geography curriculum works at the Elementary level.
- There will be childcare, with pizza. Click here if you'd like to register for childcare (registration required for pizza), and please do so no later than Monday, April 22.
For your convenience, we have digitized our "Medication Administration Form." If your child ever needs to take medication while at school, provincial legislation requires specifc written instructions from you. Please click here (and maybe bookmark it for future use) to access the form. Thank you.
This Week:
Toddler:
Sensitive Periods
Sensitive periods refer to a period when a child’s interests are focused on developing a particular skill or knowledge area. According to Dr. Montessori, the child learns from their environment without any conscious effort from birth until the age of six. Sensitive periods direct the child to what they need to learn and sensitivity disappears after the need has been fulfilled. Sensitive periods include weaning, movement, exploration, language, order, mathematics, social customs, morality, and social consciousness.
Within the home environment, sensitive periods can be identified through intense interest in repeating certain actions — these sensitive periods manifest themselves by pattern of behaviour. Dr. Montessori stressed that if the child is not allowed to work in accordance to these sensitive periods, they would lose their special sensitivity and interest in the area, which would affect their psychic development. Sensitive periods are crucial to a child’s life, ergo it is important for the adult to create an environment that nurtures the child’s natural process of development, and is the guiding factor in the preparation of the Montessori environment.
Thank you all for your continuous contributions of flowers and proteins to our classroom community. — Ms. Dee
You may remember a little while ago there was an opportunity to attend a Canadian Council of Montessori Administrators event featuring a speaker discussing Montessori Toddler education. For those unable to attend, there is now a video of the talk available. Click here to view.
Casa
We have a request this week regarding children's clothing. The Lyonsgate Parent Handbook states: "All children should be dressed in clothing that is appropriate and tasteful for school. Nothing too fancy or playful as the children need to focus on their day's work and not on what each other is wearing."
We would like to include the sequin, glittery shirts that flip and change colour in this category. Children love to play with them, whether it is their own shirt that they are wearing or a friend's shirt. They are a considerable distraction to children in the Montessori environments and we ask that they remain a special, awesome shirt to wear at home, on weekends, to friends' houses, or on holidays, but not to school. Thank you for understanding.
Casa South: A lot has been happening in Casa South this week, including one student's return from a trip to South Africa! Such events lead to lots of questions and stories.
As we progress through the last term of this school year, the children begin to increasingly demonstrate their own progress and development. There has been a lot of focus on writing, and our third-year Casa students are taking on increasing leadership and mentorship roles. Watching them give presentations to younger students or take the lead during group time by reading stories and singing songs gives us evidence of how they have absorbed lessons and classroom culture; they are like little Montessori guides.
Casa South children have also been enjoying trips to the Toddler room to borrow items to dust and polish this week, as well as continuing to show their empathetic natures by comforting upset friends. Explorations with Montessori materials that were previously presented have also been undertaken this week, such as finding new ways to use the Montessori Brown Stairs to balance the pieces to make it very tall.
Our Reading Buddies program with the Elementary students is also starting to pay dividends with children bringing books from home to share with the class and mimicing their time with the older students by helping each other to read together. So lovely to see!
We hope to see many of you next week at our Parent Education evening, and wish you a wonderful Easter long weekend.
Casa North: Spring has sprung! (Hopefully... finally... permanently...). We are so excited for the warmer temperatures and longer days of sunlight.
This week in Casa North, I shared a book about Maria Montessori with the children. We read about her unique and accomplished life as the first female to study medicine in Italy, and her passion for creating a unique learning environment catered to individualized needs. We discussed words like "obstacles" (challenges that arise when trying to achieve a goal), "discovery," and "equality." Reading this book was a highlight of my time as a Montessori directress. Of course, it's lovely to discuss the work that I do with the children and where it originated, but more importantly I love hearing their thoughts on the world around them. When they learned that there was a time that girls couldn't study science unless they went to a boy's school, they were genuinely surprised. When they learned that Maria Montessori was integral in designing and constructing some of the first child-size furniture, they were in awe that there was a time it hadn't existed at all.
The child under six is working find their place in a smaller community (such as a Casa environment, or "Children's House"). The child who is approaching six years of age (and the next plane of development) is eager to expand outside of their small community and find their place in the world around them. When I read the book to them, it was a beautiful example of how a mixed age group serves different needs in the environment — the younger children were enraptured with the story at its face value and the older children were asking insightful questions like "Did Maria Montessori make our shelves?" and "Did Maria Montessori give you ideas, Miss Boyle?"
Thank you for all that you do, and we look forward to a wonderful evening of parent education next week. See you then! — Miss Boyle
Elementary:
Children of all ages enjoy the fun rituals and small wonders that come with cultural celebrations. Between the ages of 0-6, they are absorbing the sights and sounds of the holidays and learning to participate by decorating, cooking, and spending time with family and friends, but the Elementary child, now armed with experience, memory, and a sense of time, anticipates these annual celebrations in a new way: with a sense of nostalgia, a growing curiosity into the origin and meaning of the celebration, and why they celebrate it as they do. This week, the students have explored the history of Easter, working with the B.C./A.D. timeline, learning about the Romans and the crucifixion of Jesus, as well as secular symbols and celebrations of Spring. They have crafted eggs from paper and clay, prepared comic strips and stop-motion films, and researched Easter customs from other countries, and deepened their understanding of this part of their culture. Happy Easter! — Marissa
Jump Rope for Heart Info
This week you should have seen your child's Jump Rope for Heart package come home. You and your child can register at the event website or use the paper pledge tracking sheet that came home (we've already seen some of you have registered, made videos, and started gathering pledges — Thank You!). The actual jump roping event will take place on Wednesday, May 8 (this will be our Community Outing), and will consist of jump rope and a round-robin of cardiovascular activities at HAAA. The children have given themselves a class goal of raising $1,000.
Pledge forms and cash collection envelopes are due back on Tuesday, May 14.
If the class goal is attained, participating students will enjoy an active afternoon of bowling on Thursday, May 16.
Thank you all for your continuing support of the Elementary children's charitable pursuits. This is a significant part of their developmental stage.
We hope you had a chance to see the photos and video of your children's karate experience on Seesaw this week. For those of you that responded to attend the graduation ceremony this coming Saturday, April 20, at 2:00 p.m., certificates are being made up and UFMA is looking forward to welcoming you. Remember, your children are also welcome to attend regular classes until the end of the month.
For those that can't make it due to Easter weekend plans and trips and visitors and such, UFMA has graciously offered to host a second event for you on Saturday, April 27, also at 2:00 p.m. Children that attend the second event will be welcome to attend regular classes for a week or so into May.
All children that attend the ceremony will work through the curriculum they were taught in the sessions and then receive a certificate, a uniform, and their first (white) belt.
Please let us know via email to jason@lyonsgate.ca, no later than Monday, April 22, if you would like to attend the second ceremony for your children.
Coming Up:
Parent Observations:
Parent observations in the Casa and Elementary Montessori environments will take place between May 6 and June 4. Observations in your child's classroom are 20 minutes in duration and occur during the morning work cycle. We will have online sign-ups for you next week. In the meantime, please review the Observation Guidelines for Casa, and/or for the Elementary program.
Lyonsgate Weekly Update | April 12, 2019
Hello Lyonsgate Montessori Families,
Your next Parent Education Evening is coming up on Thursday, April 25.
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- From 3:30-4:00 the Toddler guides will be discussing and demonstrating the Practical Life area of the Montessori environment, both for your growing knowledge of Montessori and to give parents some ideas for the summer that will also help your children to thrive in Casa.
-
- From 4:00-4:45 your children's Casa guides will discuss the child under six being a sensorial learner, and how technology can be an obstacle to the absorbent mind.
-
- From 5:00-5:45 Elementary parents will have the opportunity to see how the Montessori geography curriculum works at the Elementary level.
- There will be childcare, with pizza. Click here if you'd like to register for childcare (registration required for pizza), and please do so no later than Monday, April 22.
Lyonsgate parents are welcome and encouraged to attend all Parent Education sessions, including those at higher levels your children will be moving up to in the future. We host these events to help you better understand the theoretical underpinnings and material practise of Montessori education, and we've been seeing more and more parents attend this year. We hope even more of you are able to make it to this event.
This week, your children's Montessori guides are discussing the importance of outdoor activity for developing minds and bodies. Once spring makes up its mind and we have regular nice weather, children can only benefit from outdoor adventures and exploration.
This Week:
Toddler:
Children are naturally drawn to outdoor play as it allows them to explore their environment, develop muscle strength and coordination, and increase fine and gross motor skills. Our outdoor recess serves as a bridge between the work cycle and lunch; the first part becomes an extension of the work cycle as the children practice self-dressing. Depending on the season, it might take fifteen to forty-five minutes for the children to get ready! They are encouraged to remove their indoor shoes, put on their jackets, outdoor shoes, and applicable accessories. It is fascinating to see how they have become completely independent and are able to dress without the aid of a teacher.
One outdoor activity the Toddlers enjoy is shoveling snow. The children will remind us of the availability of the shovels at the sight of snow and attempt to mimic the shoveling that they have seen at home (even if it may be less enjoyable for the adults at home). Shoveling allows the children to develop balance, endurance, strength, coordination, motor control, and see the immediate results of their work. Since Toddler recess precedes Casa’s, we get the fresh layer of snow and they can see the result of their work. The purchase of a shovel for your child might help render shoveling less arduous next winter season! -- Ms. Dee
Casa
Casa South: Children are spending less and less time outdoors and more time cooped up inside. It is no shock that technology plays a key factor in this recent outdoor disturbance.
Besides helping to unplug, the benefits to being outside are endless: creating memories, social bonds, reduce stress, exercise, vitamin D, exploration and adventure.
We are so lucky to live in Hamilton where we have plenty of trails and over 100 waterfalls. This week, I would love to propose that the families of Casa South get outside this Easter weekend. I would love to have a group chat with the children about their outdoor activities when we return! If each child could bring in a photo of their adventures that we could keep in the classroom that would be great!
If you need some inspiration here is a great website with trails in Hamilton. In addition, here is a nature scavenger hunt to do on your walk! — Ms. Moffatt
Casa North: Dr. Montessori strongly believed that there should be a fluidity and connection between the indoor and outdoor environments that the children interact with. We have talked about imaginative play and the importance of the child under six imagining within their reality. It's also critical that the developing child who still has his/her absorbent mind is free to interact with their outdoor environment.
There are many ways to go about supporting and encouraging this! While we do sometimes have structured and adult-lead games and activities outside, we want the majority of the time spent outdoors to be lead by the children. As in the classroom, we observe their social interactions and intervene where necessary, but we want the children to champion their own games and play. If we notice that an imaginative game is rooted in superheroes/bad guys/TV show characters, we will help the children arrive at a more appropriate level of play. We show the children how to hop on a hopscotch, bounce a ball, plant and care for seedlings, or comfort a peer with a skinned knee just as we would show them how to interact with their indoor environment.
If you're looking for ways to encourage a positive interaction with the outdoors, the best way to do it is to allow the children to be outside independently! Take them to the park, to soccer practice, release them into the wild backyard, and watch from afar. It's amazing what the children can do when they are provided with some play clothes that can get dirty and a little bit of freedom. Of course, you will observe them and keep them safe, but if they are given the opportunity to really interact with their outdoor space (wherever they are in the world) without adults leading their play, it will help shape independent, strong, self-confident, and self-assured human beings.
Thank you for all that you do for our community! We are grateful to have your support. — Ms. Boyle
Elementary:
The Elementary Campus is a magical environment for students in the Second Plane as it offers students the warm, welcoming, family-style environment of a home (with the kitchen and couch being very popular places to work), as well as access to an outdoor classroom space and the community beyond.
As our adult social experience becomes more entwined with technology (driving, texting, tracking, summoning Skip-the-Dishes while wearing pyjamas), children may be unwittingly drawn into an experience of nature deficit. Many children do not engage in enough outdoor time each day, whether at rest, free play, or athletic pastimes. Even the children who do make it outdoors regularly often have to do it according to an external schedule of when soccer practice is on or when an adult is available to join them for a bike ride. While these structured opportunities are valuable, children also thirst for the freedom to follow their natural impulses to be attuned to their own psychological or physical needs for restorative or strenuous time outdoors, and go outside when they feel like it.
Dr. Montessori emphasized in her writings the connection between movement and learning, as well as the physical work of the hand to develop the mind. Within the Elementary environment, it is essential that students be offered structured periods of physical and restorative engagement to develop self-regulation skills, be introduced to novel activities, or guided to connect more deeply with their environment. These type of structured connections to the outdoors may be practical (the walking school bus, trips to the grocery store), playful (the daily recess), or in academic pursuit (botanical sketching).
It is also critical that students in the Second Plane have the opportunity for outdoor experiences with purpose, but according to their internal timing: to take their yoga mats outdoors in the sunshine, to spend time preparing a garden bed for planting, or even salting an icy walkway. As the spring skies become bluer and the breezes blow more warmly, the classroom begins to empty as children take their notebooks and materials outside to work.
Perhaps the most important benefit of having outdoor spaces available for the students is the restorative joy of simply being in nature, alone and together — of laying in the grass, feeling the soft blades of tickling their skin and pulling off socks to squish the mud with their toes, to quiet their mind and focus on their senses, or giggling with friends as they canoe along a waterway, chatting about their adventures and letting their imaginations roam wherever the clouds and birds may lead them.
Each of these connections to the nature are vital to raising happy, healthy, active children who are passionate stewards of the world around them, and in our Montessori environment we want the children to have them all. — Marissa
Coming Up:
Next week is the Easter long weekend. There is no school on Good Friday, April 19, or on Easter Monday, April 22.
Lyonsgate Weekly Update | April 5, 2019
Hello Lyonsgate Montessori Families,
Sorry about all the parking lot construction chaos this week. We didn't know any work was being done until they showed up and started digging holes. Between that and the Locke St. re-construction work it has been an early start to construction season around these parts.
Also sorry (not sorry) for Mrs. Lyons's April Fools Day joke about it being a half-day on Monday. For those subjected to a moment of panic at the door, you'll be happy to know that Mrs. Lyons's children got pre-emptive revenge for you by setting clocks and phone ahead an hour so she arrived to work an hour early that day. Well done kids! We hope all of your April Foolin' went so well too.
We have a request from our Elementary students for donations of shoe boxes. They use them for dioramas. Since it's new rainboot/sneaker/sandal season we're hoping this is a good time of year to replenish their supply. If you have some to donate, they can be brought to either the Primary campus or directly to Elementary. Thank you.
This Week:
Toddler:
"I need to tell you something" was the trending statement in the Toddler classroom this week. The declaration was often followed by facts that the children deemed were worth stating — food consumed for breakfast or plans for the weekend. They were seeking an authentic ear, adults who will show them that they truly care about who they are and what they have to say.
The children were given the platform requested to share their thoughts and, quite often, additional questions were asked to encourage critical thinking and demonstrate attentive listening.
By validating their statement, we encouraged open communication — and by experiencing early on that their thoughts, feelings, and opinions have value, they are more likely to continue to share these well into their later years. Because children model our behaviour, being attentive listeners ourselves increases the chance that they too will show the same respect and appreciation in return.
I want to thank you all for your generous contributions to our classroom — the books, flowers, snack, and plastic bags. The children feel a sense of pride as contributors to their community. Thank you. — Ms. Dee
Casa
Casa South: “There are many who hold, as I do, that the most important period of life is not the age of university studies, but the first one, the period from birth to the age of six. For that is the time when man’s intelligence itself, his greatest implement, is being formed. But not only his intelligence; the full totality of his psychic powers.” (Maria Montessori, The Absorbent Mind)
The "Absorbent Mind" is only with a person for the first 6 years of life. The absorbent mind, and all of it's magical qualities, is why we put so much emphasis and focus on these formative years. I have to agree with Maria when she says these years are more important than university! The absorbent mind is in an active state of work but it is always unconscious. This is why it may take a few reiterations of a topic for it to sink in; it's always been there, it just may not be present. The absorbent mind is in a constant state of putting concepts and theories together to create a conscious state of being. The mind gathers information through repetition until it reaches a state of clarity and acknowledgment.
The absorbent mind is driven by an inner drive, a drive to survive. It gathers knowledge it absorbs sensorially and it does so without bias, judgement, no selection, and no fatigue. The unconscious mind does not register any of the difficulties we experience with regard to learning something new, it simply absorbs. The absorbent mind is dependent on the environment it is in, as the mind will only absorb what it is exposed to.
There is so much opportunity for gathering of knowledge during these first years. Our Montessori environments support these formative years with rich, stimulating, and scientific materials. The acquisition of language, for example, happens by the simple and pleasant interaction with our French teachers. Repetition presents a child that understands French, and responds in simple forms. So when you see your child working with numbers, phonograms, or putting together the puzzle map of Africa, you know knowledge is being absorbed.
Right now is the most opportune time for learning. Remember, what the child learns now will stay with them forever! — Ms. Moffatt
Casa North: The children in Casa North have been diligently practising how to engage in conversation with their friends. In the Montessori environment, we introduce everything with a presentation. This includes how to communicate. If the children are clearly needing some socialization, I sometimes encourage them to tidy up their work and help them to understand that having a meaningful conversation is also work.
As with anything in our space, there is freedom within limits. This means that the children are encouraged to talk with one another, or with a small group, but are also shown how to find a space that is appropriate for a conversation (i.e. not directly beside a friend who is focused on their work, or beside a new presentation). The children in Casa North seem to be really craving time in small groups, and it's been really wonderful to hear them communicating what the limits are — "Come over here, guys! Miss Boyle is in a presentation, let's find a better spot to talk!" I love being in an environment that not only allows but encourages this innate developmental need — it's one of my favourite presentations to give!
This week, we also welcomed some Elementary reading buddies into the classroom, which is a great experience for both age groups: the Casa children practise reading with other, older children with whom they can form new and different relationships, and the Elementary students realize how far they have come since they started their reading journeys while serving as examples to and mentors for their buddies. — Ms. Boyle
Elementary:
The Elementary environment is always a hive of activity, with the happy buzzing of student conversation, singing, and exclamations of discovery. The freedom of the students to verbally engage with each other and their work in different subject areas not only serves their social development but also motivates the refinement of reading and writing skills. At first, the children are encouraged by their own need to communicate and record what they have discovered. Later, they are fuelled by a desire to share their knowledge and demonstrate their abilities.
This week, many of our students prepared to serve as Reading Buddies for the eldest Casa students, or Story Tellers for the youngest, and their determination to do well at these tasks began with rehearsing and role play, before drawing them into formal work with the Elementary language materials. Word Study activities such as parsing syllables, defining prefixes, or finding the meaning of new homonyms help develop both reading and spelling skills, while exercises with adverbs, pronouns, and similes serve to boost expressive reading and creative writing skills. For the youngest members of our class, building their vocabulary with nomenclature activities, such as labelling the parts of a horse, are a fun and playful way to engage with language.
Despite some initial nervousness, all of the Reading Buddies and Story Tellers rose to the challenge, and enjoyed their time visiting the Primary campus and giving service to our younger students.
We wish you all a wonderful weekend! — Marissa
Also, Lyonsgate Elementary students started karate this week at United Family Martial Arts (UFMA). As a very gracious gesture, UFMA has offered to hold a graduation ceremony for your children on Saturday, April 20, at 2:00 p.m. The ceremony will consist of a short grading and the students will work through the curriculum they were taught in the sessions. They will receive a certificate, a uniform, and their first (white) belt. As a small token of appreciation for choosing to visit their school, UFMA is also offering Lyonsgate Elementary students the opportunity to come to regular karate classes for the remainder of the month. Please let us know (email jason@lyonsgate.ca) if you are interested and able to attend the ceremony on Saturday, April 20, at 2:00 p.m. Thank you.
Coming Up:
April is a quiet month in terms of events at the school. Things to remember:
- Easter Long Weekend: no school Friday, April 19, and Monday, April 22.
- Parent Education Evening: save the date for Thursday, April 25.
- From 3:30-4:00 the Toddler guides will be discussing and demonstrating the Practical Life area of the Montessori environment, both for your growing knowledge of Montessori and to give parents some ideas for the summer that will also help your children to thrive in Casa.
- From 4:00-4:45 your children's Casa guides will discuss the child under six being a sensorial learner, and how technology can be an obstacle to the absorbent mind.
- From 5:00-5:45 Elementary parents will have the opportunity to see how the Montessori geography curriculum works at the Elementary level.
- There will be childcare, with pizza. Click here if you'd like to register for childcare (registration required for pizza), and please do so no later than Monday, April 22.
Lyonsgate Weekly Update | March 29, 2019
Hello Lyonsgate Montessori Families,
This past week, a number of your fellow Lyonsgate families had the bureaucratic pleasure of making sure their children’s immunization records are up to date with Hamilton Public Health. This is one of those cracks in the system. Parents are required to notify Public Health each time children rececive a vaccination.
We always think it would be nice if the doctors offices just let Public Health know, but we imagine there are privacy and medical record issues, or just technological logistics, that prevent this. When children enter their second year of Casa (equivalent to JK), you will or may have been asked to complete a Hamilton Public Health vaccine/immunization history form; this is what enters children into the Public Health system and is the record that needs to be updated after each new immunization. If immunization records are not up to date, we receive a “Suspension Notice” from Public Health asking us to suspend children from school until immunizations, or records, are up to date.
When your child receives a new immunization, please report it to Public Health via:
- Phone: 905-540-5250
- Fax: 905-546-4841
- By mail:
Vaccine Program
P.O. Box 897
Hamilton, ON L8N 3P6 - Online: Click here for info and access. (This new online system is designed to replace paper records — the yellow immunization cards — and make reporting easier)
Thank you. Let us know if you have any questions.
This week, your children’s Montessori guides are once again highlighting a specific material or activity from the Montessori environment and explaining what it is and how it helps children’s development and learning. Be sure to read what they have to say to help reveal some of the mysteries of Montessori education (such as, “Why is my child always talking about metal insects?”).
This Week:
Toddler:
Practical life activities in the classroom present themselves as a logical, sequential chain of activities that lead the children to grander things. A child is first introduced to Transferring and Pouring, helping them develop fine motor control and isolating single skills the child will later need for more complex processes. It is also an opportunity for the child to practice the prerequisite skills that will set them up for success in the more challenging activities that follow, such as table washing and cloth washing.
Through control of error (the water spills), the child learns to correct themselves in their work, eliminating the need for adults to point out mistakes.
Pouring helps the child build concentration as they are preparing for more complex work requiring more steps. The ability to pour oneself water to drink builds independence. Coordination is built by the child’s ability to pour the water without spilling. Gradually, the child learns to evaluate the amount of water in a jug and estimate how much should be poured, helping them develop a mathematical mind. Small muscle control is developed by moving from a whole hand to a pincer-grip movement — an indirect preparation for holding a pencil and writing.
“To have a vision of the cosmic plan, in which every form of life depends on directed movements which have effects beyond their conscious aim, is to understand the child’s work and be able to guide it better” — Maria Montessori, The Absorbent Mind.
Reminder: With warmer weather approaching, we want to remind parents to provide sunscreens (if applicable) for the children to enjoy the outdoors. Sunscreens should be applied in the morning prior to the children’s arrival to school. We will apply another layer in the afternoon prior their last recess. Please remember to label everything. — Ms. Dee
Casa
Casa South: This week, I decided to talk about the Montessori material “Metal Insets” (sadly, as some of you may have come to believe, they are not metal insects). I chose this material because it is a very popular material, often filling up the children’s files. Although it may look like your child has been tracing circles every day of the year, there is much more going on beyond these curvilinear lines.
The Montessori Metal Insets consist of ten flat metal squares; within each square is a metal shape cut-out. The cut-outs are the same shapes found in the Geometry Cabinet and on the Sewing Cards. The Metal Insets are accompanied by coloured pencils, white or coloured square paper, and a tray.
The child is free to select the shape(s) and coloured pencils they desire and they will be shown a total of 10 presentations. These presentations begin by tracing the frame and outline of the inset and progress to using two insets, three insets, multiple colours, grading, shading, and design.
The Metal Insets help the child to prepare their hand for writing, but what does this really mean? Metal Insets help the child to:
- Grip and hold the pencil (and hold the pencil upright)
- Refine hand control to steady the pencil
- Develop hand-eye coordination
- Develop movements of straight and curved lines, up and down motions, and side to side, which is direct preparation for letter formation and cursive writing
- Develop lightness of touch
- Develop fine muscles in the hand, but also larger muscles required for sitting and maintaining a writing posture.
- Develop concentration
- Develop geometric sense, learn the name of each shape, how it looks when turned or moved, and how it relates to other shapes.
- Plan out and carry out artistic designs.
— Ms. Moffatt
“When the child has begun these exercises, she/he is seized with a desire to continue them, and she/he never tires of drawing the outlines of the figures and then filling them in. Each child suddenly becomes the possessor of a considerable number of drawings, and she/he treasures them up in their own little drawer. In this way she/he organizes the movement of writing, which brings her/him to the management of the pen.” — Maria Montessori, Dr Montessori’s Own Handbook, A Short Guide on Her Ideas and Materials.
Casa North: Happy Friday, Casa North families!
We have introduced some new Practical Life materials in the classroom. The children are starting to prepare their own snack, start to finish. They are given a presentation (like any other material) to demonstrate how to wash, slice, rinse, and cut the snack that we will enjoy each morning and afternoon. The children are thrilled to have autonomy and responsibility for such an important part of the day.
We have been having discussions about serving size as well — in our environment, we encourage the children to be reflective and to self-regulate when choosing what they will eat for snack. We sometimes check in with them to see how they are feeling, what portion they feel hungry for, and discussing the importance of not wasting food that others could enjoy. The open dialogue is intended to encourage the children to communicate with us, but more importantly with themselves! Feel free to have discussions about serving size and include them in serving their portions for home meals as well (within reason, of course!). A big hearty breakfast will help them manage until snack is served by their peers as well.
Thank you for your support and we look forward to another full week next week! — Ms. Boyle
Elementary:
The Montessori math curriculum is tremendously successful in making connections between concepts and facilitating independent work through an extensive series of manipulative materials. In the Casa environments, children begin work with fractions sensorially, working with circular metal insets that have been divided into halves, thirds, fourths, and so on. These same materials are present in the Elementary classroom to assist students to perform operations and work with different denominators. The next step is to learn to express these fractions as decimal quantities, using the Decimal Fractions Material.
The familiar place value colour-coding that has supported students from the Stamp Game through the Bead Frame and Chequerboard are still present, but now the colours are shown extending in the opposite direction and diluted in colour. Where tens are represented by dark blue, tenths will be pale blue. To introduce the expression of fractions as decimals, different expressions of units and tenths are compared, before looking at the procession of hundredths through the millionths. A series of lessons using this material will demonstrate numeric and word form representations of decimal fractions, as well as performing all the operations with them.
In other Elementary news:
- During Immersion Week, your Elementary children were introduced to and listened to the Carnival of the Animals/Le Carnaval des Animaux. This Sunday afternoon, March 31, at 3:00 p.m., Melrose United Church (corner of Homewood and Locke) is holding a free concert in which two pianists will perform the Carnival of the Animals/Le Carnaval des Animaux. It is a free concert — any donations go to the church’s organ fund (the performers are donating their time).
- Elementary students will begin two weeks of karate at United Family Martial Arts next Friday (April 5). As a very gracious gesture, UFMA has offered to hold a graduation ceremony for your kids on Saturday, April 20, at 2:00 p.m. The ceremony will consist of a short grading and the students will work through the curriculum they were taught in the sessions. They will receive a certificate, a uniform, and their first (white) belt. As a small token of appreciation for choosing to visit their school, UFMA is also offering Lyonsgate Elementary students the opportunity to come to regular karate classes for the remainder of the month. Please let us know (email jason@lyonsgate.ca) if you are interested and able to attend the ceremony on Saturday, April 20, at 2:00 p.m. Thank you.
Coming Up:
The synagogue is getting ready for Passover. Please know that no food or drink can be brought anywhere in the building, except the Lyonsgate section, from Monday, April 8 to Saturday, April 27. Thank you.
Other than that, we’ve got nothin’ but schoolin’ for the next few weeks.
Things to remember in April:
- Easter Weekend: no school Good Friday (April 19) or Easter Monday (April 22)
- Parent Education Evening Thursday, April 25.
Lyonsgate Weekly Update | March 22, 2019
Hello Lyonsgate Montessori Families,
It was very nice to welcome everyone back from March Break this past week, especially under some warmer, snow-free, skies. We are now into the spring term — the final term of the 2018-2019 school year.
This is the term when Montessori students work to master the new skills and knowkedge they have been developing, and when they start looking ahead to next year; that can mean anticipation of a move into a leadership and mentorship role in their Montessori environment, or it can mean preparing oneself to progress to the next level of Montessori education as a first-year student in Casa or Elementary. It is a time of both conclusion and of progress, nerves and excitement.
Your children's Montessori guides will be working to make sure everyone is preparing themselves for their next step — academically, emotionally, physically, and socially.
Be sure to read the updates from your children's Montessori guides.
(We'll be back to photos next week).
This Week:
Toddler:
Welcome back! We hope that you all had a wonderful March Break! The children have expressed how much they enjoyed the extra time spent at home with you, and they shared details about visits to the grocery store, trips to the park, and surprises from extended family members.
It is wonderful to witness that an explosion of language has occurred among the younger children; they are now forming five word sentences and are able to actively participate in conversations with their older peers. — Ms. Dee
Casa:
Parents: we are looking for donations of plastic bags you may have at home for our Casa classrooms. Our supply is running low. Thank you!
Casa South: A Montessori work cycle is an uninterrupted period of time, in most cases (including at our school) 3 hours in length. During this time, children are able to explore the prepared environment and engage with materials of their own choosing. The classroom environment focuses on concentration, coordination, order, and independence. Children must be given time to fully submerge themselves in their work in order for these traits to manifest. A work cycle would be incomplete without the "Prepared Environment," a space with materials that spark the child's interest.
Montessori says that, "...the child can only develop fully by means of experience within their environment ...in order for the child to develop, he or she needs to have the chance to focus solely on the materials in the environment ...the essential thing is for the task to arouse such an interest that it engages the child's whole personality." (The Absorbent Mind)
What we get to see everyday is the child get so engrossed in their work that all other chaos is ignored. If interrupted, they will not truly be able to develop the concentration that allows them to repeat, explore, and discover. When we think of traditional school systems, classrooms are full of interruptions: art time, circle time, dance time, reading time, etc.
You can see the breath of fresh air the child breathes in as they enter their classroom everyday; it's magical and full of opportunity. It's their time to develop themselves, at their pace, naturally. — Ms. Moffatt
Casa North: Welcome back, Casa North Families! We hope you had a restful, relaxing, and, most importantly, fun March Break. I'm thrilled to be back in the classroom welcoming your children back to their final term of the year.
This week, I've noticed a lot of exploration and imagination in the classroom. Imagination is one of the purest, most beautiful expressions of childhood. We see it all the time in the classroom: the Practical Life materials comprise an entire area of the curriculum that allows the children to explore, create, and nurture themselves and their environment. Imagination in the Montessori environment is always rooted in reality — rather than playing "monsters" or "princesses and superheroes" (which are characters created by adults for children to consume), children are encouraged to explore within their reality. We show them how to build the Pink Tower, but if they choose to build it differently than they are shown and are still learning something, we leave it! So long as they are respecting the materials they are free to take things apart, put materials together, make inferences and connections, and satiate their inner need to be imaginative.
If you're looking for ways to encourage imaginative work and/or play at home, we encourage you to allow children to get outside and interact with their environment! Boredom is wonderful — it allows children to find creativity and imagination all around them. Make sure they have appropriate clothes on (that are fine to get a little messy!) and have a safe and secure environment, but also allow them to play independently or with other children exclusively. As an adult, one of the best parts of my job is watching what they can really do when it's as though I'm not there.
As always, we thank you for your dedication to the Montessori philosophy and for sharing your beautiful children with us. We look forward to a great final term! — Ms. Boyle
Elementary:
Salut tout le monde! On vient de passer une bonne semaine ensemble en Français. On travaillait beaucoup, on chantait et on a essayé de parler plus en Français aussi. On a écouté de la musique classique tous les jours, composée par les différents compositeurs Français. Jeudi on a examiné l'art de Matisse et vendredi on a appris un peu sur La Journée Internationale de l'eau. Aussi, on a regardé un film en Français! C'était un grand plaisir de passer une semaine pleine de la culture Française avec vos enfants. Merci à tous et bonne fin de semaine. — Madame Egan
Reminder: On Monday morning, don't forget to help Elementary children remember to bring a Show-N-Tell item they can present and discuss at Aberdeen Gardens on Wednesday.
Coming Up:
We are free of PD Days, statutory holidays, special events, and snow days (I'm confident I'm not cursing it by saying that!) for the next few weeks. The next dates to keep in mind are the Easter long weekend April 19-22 (no school on Good Friday or Easter Monday), and the next in the series of Parent Education events on April 25.
It's so nice to have everyone back and to have three solid months, with nice weather, of the school year to go.
Lyonsgate Weekly Update | March 7, 2019
Hello Lyonsgate Montessori Families,
Happy March Break! Remember, Lyonsgate is closed for March Break starting Friday, March 8, through Monday, March 18.
We return to school for the spring term on Tuesday, March 19.
We hope you all have a wonderful time on your trips to warmer climes, or enjoy the peace and restoration of a quiet week at home together.
This week, we have a little photo retrospective of the Montessori school year so far:
Toddler:
Casa:
Elementary:
Next Week:
March Break!
Lyonsgate Weekly Update | March 1, 2019
Hello Lyonsgate Montessori Families,
Well, we almost had a 5-day week…
March Break starts next week. March Break runs from Friday, March 8 [no school], through Monday, March 18 [no school], inclusive. Lyonsgate is closed on those dates.
We return to school for the spring term on Tuesday, March 19.
Be sure to read the updates from your children’s Montessori guides to learn what’s happening in your child’s Montessori environment.
This Week:
Toddler:
This week, the toddlers gave us a subtle reminder that absence does indeed make the heart grow fonder. There were some absences this week marked by illnesses, holidays, and the inevitable snow day, and the children conveyed their sentiments.
The children present were concerned about their peers’ absences and frequently asked about their returns.
Once we returned to our regular attendance, each child who was previously absent was welcomed with hugs, cheers, and the heartwarming, “Where were you? I missed you.”
It is remarkable to witness the development of language among the toddlers, and even more remarkable to see them openly express their feelings.
Reminder: Please remember to continue dressing the children according to the weather to ensure their safe and comfortable participation in outdoor recess.
Casa:
Casa South: Order
When parents come into a Montessori classroom, they often remark on how neat and tidy the classroom is. It is a key element in cultivating a calm, peaceful place of serenity. It always makes me laugh to hear the children remark with such hilarity, when an object is out of place, “What?! Who put that there?!” So how is it that a classroom of 24 children can be neat and tidy when a home of 1 or 2 can be a constant source of messy headache.
Order can bring a great feeling of balance and peace in an adult, as well as a child. Knowing exactly when something is going to happen, who will be there, or where something belongs gives a great sense of fulfillment and comfort to a child. Developmentally, the child is simply trying to understand the world. Order and consistency allows the child to understand what is right and wrong. Spatial orders of the world are acknowledged: big/small, chairs on the floor, ceiling above, relationships between people. It is the framework for the intellect and essential for brain development. Establishing order in the world around you is a step towards understanding the world and getting a grasp on what is going on.
With all this mind, it is no wonder that the classroom gives the child a sense of relief. Objects have their specific locations and they know exactly where they belong. If we think of a toy box, in comparison, what a headache that must be for the child who is trying to find a specific toy.
Acknowledging this desire for order in the child can make our lives so much easier if we create an environment that allows order to happen. Baskets, trays, and small boxes can easily organize like items. Limiting the amount of toys, and having excess toys in storage and on rotation, allows for simplicity and re-excitement to occur. Having a designated spot for all the children’s items allows for independence — the child will know where it goes and therefore, tidy up.
Casa North: As adults, we have developed somewhat of a stigma around work. We see it as a means to an end — to support our families, to complete in order to reward ourselves with a break, to get through until we reach the end. Children, however, innately and desperately desire work! This is why we don’t say that the children are “playing” in the classroom, but rather that they are coming to “work” with the materials.
I am regularly reminded of the children’s resilience, perseverance, and desire to challenge themselves. This week, I watched a child create a spill to sponge it up (repeating over and over again) for just under half an hour. This wasn’t tedious or mandatory for him, but it was a clear example of how he was listening to his own inner need to refine a skill, contribute to the community, and do something. Another child received a presentation with the Dot Game (a math activity that requires adding four-digit addends together to introduce the tens of thousands as a new mathematical family). When I present the activity, I include 6 or 7 addends to provide a sufficient example of what we are doing. To my delight, this particular child asked, “Is it okay if you give me TWENTY addends?!” To which I responded, “Of course!” I love seeing how the desire to work can transfer from the three-year-old child to the six-year-old child when they are immersed in an environment that supports this natural part of their development.
Thank you for your dedication to the Montessori philosophy, and for sharing your beautiful children with us.
Elementary:
We spent another tremendous day with Peter and Tara of Studio on James working with a variety of cameras to capture the class in action through the work cycle, as well as some student testimonials. Some children discovered they enjoyed the technical side of lighting and camera angles, others loved organizing people and conducting interviews, and, of course, there were many eager to be on camera!
As we approach the term project presentations next week, Elementary students are busy editing their written reports for spelling (and legibility!), preparing visual aids, and practicing their public speaking techniques. For many of our younger students, this will be their first formal project and they are excited to share what they have learned independently about topics that truly interest them, including the solar system, prehistoric creatures, arctic animals, and even some favourite characters from the Pokemon world. The novel study group will be baking and serving refreshments related to their investigation of growing up in Toronto during the Great Depression through their reading of That Scatterbrain Booky.
With all the wild weather this February, students have been eager to return to geography studies of wind and water, and how they shape both the Earth and the human experience. We have looked at major rivers, topographic maps, and the insulating effect of the Earth’s atmosphere.
Notes and Reminders:
- Your amazing Elementary students raised $1325.00 during the MS Read-A-Thon! Incredible! Thank you so much for your help (and donations) in achieving their goals and developing their reading.
- Elementary Scholastic orders for this month are due on Thursday, March 7. This is the last day before the March Break. We will enter all of the orders but will hold off on submitting it until Tuesday, March 19, when we return to school.
- Please check your email for which day your child is presenting their project on, and please RSVP no later than 9:00 a.m. on Monday, March 4, if you can make it — there will be refreshments. (Emails were sent Tuesday, Feb. 26, if you need to track it down). Project presentations are generally 5-10 minutes and length. We know that some parents have to work and will not be able to attend. For those that can, we ask that parents come and stay for all of the children’s presentations that afternoon. They will be presenting from 2:30-3:30 (so please arrive no later than 2:25).
Next Week:
A few reminders and notices for next week:
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- On Tuesday, March 6, Alectra Utilities is installing new hydro poles on the east side of Cottage Avenue. Access from Aberdeen to Cottage and access from Cottage to the parking lot will be restricted. They expect the installation to last 3-4 hours and will probably begin sometime in the morning. Access to the parking lot from Mountain Avenue will not be affected.Please remember that the parking lot is one way and Cottage Ave. is an entrance to the parking lot only (exdept on Tuesday, March 6); please do not exit the parking lot onto Cottage Ave. at anytime.
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- The Canadian Council of Montessori Administrators (CCMA), the body that accredits Montessori schools like Lyonsgate, is presenting two events geared for toddler Montessori guides and parents. The first is at Clanmore Montessori in Oakville on Wednesday, March 27, from 7:00-9:00, and the second is on Thursday, March 28, from 7:00-9:00 at Bannockburn School in Toronto. It is the same presentation on both evenings, and cost is $25.00. Click here for more info.If you would like to attend, please let us know by Wednesday, March 20, so we can register the Lyonsgate attendees (you do not need to complete the registration form you will find when you follow the link).
- Finally, please check out this opportunity from one of your fellow Lyonsgate Montessori parents: With the collaboration of community-based service providers in Hamilton, we are offering free online sessions for youth and families who are either waiting for mental health services OR currently receiving mental health services in the Hamilton area.
Lyonsgate Weekly Update | Feb. 22, 2019
Hello Lyonsgate Montessori Families,
No Snow Days! (Although we anxiously held our breath with the freezing rain warning early this week).
Now that the weather is hopefully improving, we’re asking everyone to please commit to arriving to school on time.
The Montessori school day is divided into two distinct, long work periods — Montessori work cycles. These are the periods when children are guided to engage in focused work and to achieve deep states of concentration. Late arrivals disrupt these work cycles for other children, and make it difficult for your child to settle into the routine. Furthermore, presentations of Montessori materials often take place at the beginning of the work cycles so that children can take the time they need to work with them; late arrivals cause children to miss these presentations.
- Casa and Toddler students are asked to arrive at 8:25 to be ready to begin their work cycle at 8:45.
- Elementary students are asked to arrive at 8:45 to be ready to begin their work cycle at 9:00.
Thank you, everyone, for making your best efforts.
This week, your children’s Montessori guides have each taken the time to reflect on the importance and role of relationships in the Montessori environment relative to peer learning, and emotional support and development. Enjoy!
This Week:
Toddler:
Peer learning creates the dynamics for a strong learning community. Some of the practices in Toddler that allow the children to interact with each other are: setting up for lunch, individual snack preparation, and washing dishes. Each activity gives the children an opportunity to respectfully alternate between leading and following.
Within this community, we often observe a sense of genuine concern at the sight of sensitivity. We often hear, “Are you okay?” followed by comforting words. There is seldom need for our intervention in such events because the children are attentive to their peers and demonstrate a strong capacity for empathy.
The classroom community comes together daily for academic lessons: to sing, read stories, or receive lessons in grace and courtesy. It presents a great opportunity for the children to take turns to speak and listen.
Reminders:
- When picking up children at 3:30, please be mindful of the Casa children lined up for the recess. If there is a need to come into the school, it is encouraged to wait for the Casa children’s exit in order to avoid interruption to their end of day routine.
- Please remember to dress the children according to the weather and to label ALL of the children’s clothing.
- Thank you.
Casa:
Casa South: The Montessori environment allows for relationships to thrive. It is a realistic representation of relationships that they will have an opportunity to cultivate in the real world. The classroom functions as a small society, and within this society, like in life, everyone has an important role to play. Having a 3-year age mix promotes social cohesion, and it also means there will always be someone at your level. I love to see the older children helping the younger children… better yet when it is the reverse!
As adults, we are there to support and guide the child emotionally and academically. The adult assists the child on the outside so that the child can build themselves on the inside.
Casa North: Hello, Casa North Families!
First things first, thank you for your patience and understanding with all of the unexpected, weather related time off. The children are certainly affected when there is a disruption to their schedule! Montessori identified that there are sensitive periods that each child will experience under the age of six, with Order being one of them. Order can mean physical order, as well as anticipating their daily schedule and making sense of week days versus weekends (in our society, at least!). It has been a process to help them get back on track, but they are resilient and have been getting there beautifully.
Some of the children have been a little bit emotional, trying to get back into the swing of things. It’s times like these that I understand why Dr. Montessori observed and understood the importance of creating a mixed-age community. I’ve witnessed compassion, empathy, understanding, and camaraderie this week as the children help one another back into our groove. Often, the younger children get to see a taste of what is to come with the physical materials in the classrom (whether it be through observing a presentation with a third year, or seeing the older children work independently with their work). One of my favourite things to see, however, is how they also get to witness how the older, more evolved children cope with the intangible. By modelling self-regulation, self-confidence, and a sense of ownership over the environment, the older children provide solace and comfort to the younger children sometimes without even knowing it. It’s not unusual to see someone stop to rub a back, give a hug, or a word of reassurance before moving on their way.
We thank you for continuing to choose this environment for your child to learn and thrive! See you next week.
Elementary:
During our recent Parent Education discussion of the Planes of Development, we identified the elementary years as a period of gradual change and cognitive development, as compared to the fire planes of infancy and adolescence where adaptation is focused on emotional growth and increasing independence. For this reason, the elementary class enjoys a greater span of age ranges, with students from ages 6 – 12 collaborating and sharing discoveries. Mentorship is a critical part of the intangible atmosphere; the youngest students, who wish to be perceived as big are inspired when assisted by an older child rather than an adult, as they can imagine themselves soon becoming a master of a concept or material. While adults often appear to be able to do everything with ease, older students will kindly share their experiences of challenges and perseverance, enticing younger peers to embrace their mistakes and try again, and with a positive attitude.
The benefit to younger children from being in a mixed age grouping is clear, but what of the class elders, those wise senior students? The mixed-age grouping may bring them the greatest benefit of all. They have had the opportunity to observe and receive presentations, and see how things work. They have had the chance to work with their hands and their minds, to do and experience things concretely. Then, they must use that knowledge and experience, consolidate it, and apply it to teach it to another. Not only do the class elders lead through what they have learned, but also how they have learned, with grace and courtesy, good humour and respect, and a sense of wonder and awe.
Next Week:
Next week is our last full week, followed by a short, four-day week that brings us to March Break.
- March Break starts on Friday, March 8, and runs through Monday, March 18, inclusive. Lyonsgate is closed from March 8 – March 18.
Lyonsgate Weekly Update | Feb. 14, 2019
Hello Lyonsgate Montessori Families,
Errmmm... Hi, remember us? Your kids sometimes go to school here.
We know the last two weeks have been very challenging with the weather and school closures, and we very much appreciate your patience and understanding. We have received a few expressions of frustration as school closures mean missed work days and early morning scrambles to find babysitters.
The weather and closures over the last few weeks are unprecedented. There have not been back-to-back school closures since 1999, and we had two over the last two weeks. We have also had more closures in the last three weeks than we've had over the course of any recent winter seasons.
Lyonsgate will continue to take advantage of the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board's (HWDSB) process to determine whether or not to close school during inclement weather. We do so because, as a private school without cachement restrictions, Lyonsgate families, and staff, travel from all areas of Hamilton. Please remember, even if the weather or roads don't look so bad in your neighbourhood, or in the area surrounding the school, they might be awful elsewhere. Trying to make an independent decision each time there is inclement weather is not feasible because we do not have the resources to gather information from all parts of Hamilton and surrounding area. Furthermore, HWDSB posts cancellation notices at approximately 6:00 a.m., which gives us time to notify you and avoids even worse last minute scrambles that a later notification would incur. This means that sometimes, like this week's closures, decisions are made based on weather forecasts that may change over the course of the day.
The HWDSB process for determining whether or not to close schools is as follows:
When bad weather is expected, Hamilton-Wentworth Student Transportation Services (HWSTS) carriers check weather reports, road conditions and road clearing, starting as early as 4 a.m. Based on this information, the Director of Education makes the decision in conjunction with Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board. HWDSB will announce the cancellation of school and board operations by 6 a.m. based on the best information at the time. We share this announcement on the HWDSB website, HWDSB’s Twitter account and on the HWSTS website. We also contact local media outlets including CHCH TV, CHML and the Hamilton Spectator. A school cancellation is a tough decision – and some families may disagree with HWDSB’s call.[In our experience, HWDSB's Twitter and website are the most prompt, accurate, and reliable].
Lyonsgate will email everyone and post the closure on lyonsgate.ca as soon as the HWDSB posts their notice. To avoid confusion, we will only post closures.
This week will remain challenging as Lyonsgate has a scheduled PD Day on Friday, Feb. 15, that leads us into the Family Day long weekend. There is no school on Monday, Feb. 18, because of the statutory holiday.
Since we were only here two days this week there is not much for your children's guides to update you about, and no photos of your children's Montessori work, so everything in the posted update is included in your update email. Let's hope this is the end of the terrible weather and there are no more closures this year.
Thank you again for your patience and understanding over these last two difficult weeks.