Jason Phillips

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!

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:

• • 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.

• • 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.

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.

Hello Lyonsgate Montessori Families,

Thank you all for your patience and understanding this past week as we endured the two-day closure due to the ice storm. It’s definitely been an interesting couple of weeks with the snow storm, a teaser of a spring day, and two days of ice. We hope you all had a safe experience.

Last weekend, Ms. Boyle and Ms. Moffatt attended the annual Montessori Refresher course for Casa guides at the Foundation for Montessori Education in Toronto, where both received their Montessori training. This year’s course focused “on the supports and practical tips in the casa environment that help our children reach optimal points of self-discipline and concentration.”

“After two full days of being immersed with our peers and our trainers,” said Ms. Boyle, “I feel connected, grounded and (as it goes) refreshed! We are happy to be a part of a true AMI Montessori program, and are thrilled to see how the children thrive because of it.”

“We had a great time,” Ms. Moffatt added, “seeing our trainers (Sandra Girlato and Lynn Woodward), and connecting with colleagues.” Ms. Moffatt also encourages you to visit the Foundation website to learn about their Information Sessions available for parents or those interested in undertaking Montessori training.

Not many photos this week due to the closures. Sorry. We got a few from the Elementary kids today, but we’ll try to get lots for you next week.

This Week:

Toddler:

This week, we experienced a spontaneous crossover and we were elated!

A student from Casa North brought ingredients for bread making into our classroom and he immediately gained an audience that comprised of eighty percent of the students in our environment.

It was yet another opportunity for the adults to step back and this time watch a Casa student work on a presentation. The toddlers were in awe, watching every little detail as the Casa student combined the ingredients. They were captivated by the Casa student’s confidence, ecstatic that they were chosen to participate in the process, and eager to consume the bread that was baked. During our afternoon communal snack, the classroom was filled with the pleasant aroma of the baked bread and the unified sound of “mmm delicious.” More importantly, the children were reminiscing on that particular activity that occurred in the morning and their faces beamed with joy.

The Casa student was once a part of our Toddler community and his presence represented a full circle moment — with the outgoing students becoming more excited about being in Casa in the fall and the teachers overwhelmed with a sense of nostalgia and fulfillment.

We are thankful to the Casa student and Ms. Boyle for this experience, and we look forward to these wonderful subtending moments as the year progresses.

Casa:

Casa South:

Grace and courtesy is a foundational element in every Montessori classroom. “Treat others the way you want to be treated” runs deep in Casa South. Please and thank you’s are of course an important factor, but being kind, thoughtful, and empathetic are our goals for creating kinder adults for the future. As guides, we model to one another, to the children, and to any vistors that come into our classroom. We conduct small skits and demonstrations such as how to introduce yourself, how to open a door for yourself and others, and how to navigate yourself out of a conflict, just to name a few. It is so important to remember that our 3-6-year-olds are in the process of learning social etiquette, so consistency is key. If we demonstrate kindness, they will as well!

Casa North:

This week (despite all of the snow and ice days) one of our older Casa children brought the materials from our Baking Bread activity to the Toddler environment to present a demonstration of how we bake bread each day. I was able to sit back and observe and see how the younger children were enthralled by what the Casa student was doing. This is a wonderful example of how the different levels influence one another — the third year Casa child felt leadership and responsibility while the younger children felt guided and inspired. All the while, I got to see his kindness and respect as he thanked the children and teachers for the opportunity, and responded warmly (albeit timidly) to their gratitude. What a wonderful, natural opportunity for grace and courtesy in our environment, as well as theirs.

Elementary:

The class has engaged in a cultural exploration of Chinese New Year this week, exploring the use of myths, the connection to geographic phenomenon, and reflecting on the characteristics represented by the zodiac animals. In addition to “A Legend of the Great Race,” students are learning about solstices, moon phases, and the 12-year revolution of Jupiter, and making art of their own zodiac animal.

Elementary children are always excited to learn about special days and celebrations because they reflect our social values and beliefs and connect them to history. These cultural studies help build the next layer of grace and courtesy for students in developing a general knowledge, respect, and appreciation for different cultures and beliefs.

On Thursday, February 14, from 3:30 – 4:00, in the Sanctuary at the Primary Campus, the Elementary students will be presenting French plays that they have been working on this term. We hope as many of you as possible can make it.

PLEASE NOTE: there is NO pick-up at the Locke St. Elementary campus that day.

Next Week:

A couple of items to keep in mind for the coming week:

• Valentine’s Day: We ask that you do not bring Valentines cards or treats for your child to hand out as we celebrate our love for each other every day here. Below is our Valentine’s Day policy:

Valentine’s Day: We ask that you do not bring in Valentines for your child to hand out as we will be celebrating Valentine’s through out the month of February. We will do this by adding hearts to pasting activities as well as a push pin activity to cut out hearts. This will help to keep the classroom flow and consistency and to model to children that they can make pictures, etc., for their friends instead of buying Valentine’s cards. **Please note that if a child does bring Valentines to school the staff will not permit them to hand them out.**

• PD Day and Family Day: Because we all need a couple more days off after this past week… Friday, Feb. 15, is a PD Day and Monday, Feb. 18, is the Family Day statutory holiday. Lyonsgate is closed both days.

Hello Lyonsgate Montessori Families,

We had a snow day! And a deep freeze…

Just so everyone knows, Lyonsgate takes advantage of the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board’s (HWDSB) process to determine whether or not to close school during inclement weather. Here’s a quick summary from them about how the decision is made:

• 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. Families can always make the choice they feel is best when it comes to sending their child to school.

We 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.

We follow the HWDSB’s lead in these situations because, as a private school without cachement restrictions, Lyonsgate families travel from all areas of Hamilton. Please remember, even if the weather doesn’t look so bad in your neighbourhood, it might be awful elsewhere in Hamilton. The purpose of closing schools is always for safety. Reducing the number of cars on the roads (especially cars with children in them) makes for a safer commute for everybody. We know that snow days can wreak last-minute chaos on morning and work plans, but please trust that the HWDSB only closes after following a thorough process of information gathering and decision-making.

This Week:

Toddler:

The end of our daily work cycle is announced through a request to clean up and an invitation to meet me in our library for Gathering. It has slowly transitioned from a sing-a-long to conversations. It is incredibly rewarding to listen to the children recall what they consumed for dinner the night before or even what they did throughout the course of the weekend — from circus school to scavenger hunts at the park. The children also take turns asking each of the adults in the classroom about our weekends and will chuckle as they listen to our adventures.

Our Gathering encourages the development of self-expression and honours our basic human tendency to communicate. Taking the time to expose the children to a rich vocabulary fosters the ability to share knowledge and ideas precisely and concisely. Abundant oral language experiences inspire the children to become poised and effective communicators through the power of well chosen words.

A couple of reminders this week:

1. Sick Children: We’ve all had that call to come pick up sick children from school. We know that having to take time off work to pick up and care for sick kids can be frustrating, but there are mandated Hamilton Public Health guidelines you have to follow depending on the child’s illness. We’ve put together a little website you can check to see what the public health requirements are for a variety of common childhood illnesses (it’s a good one to bookmark).
2. As always, please remember to label everything! Our lost and found basket found at the entrance can be searched in the event that a clothing item is missing.

Casa:

Casa South:Thank you to all the parents who attended the Show-N-Share on Thursday! It is one of our favourite events in Casa South. It’s so lovely to see the pride and excitement on the children’s faces as they show their parents their most recent presentations.

We’re seeing a lot of lightbulbs going off in Casa South, not literally, of course, but in the minds of the children. The children are doing lots of “big work,” as we say in Montessori, wherein they are using skills gathered from smaller activities and applying them towards larger work; the pouring and snipping and dusting transform into care of plants, for example.

We’ve also seen a lot of projects happening by the third years — making their own maps of the world and labeling them! It’s so exciting to see this transition from primary to elementary happen.

We caught a little video this week of a Casa child mastering one of the jobs that leads to bigger work: braiding involves following specific instructions, sequential order, repeating patterns, motor control, and concentration — all skills that come into play during future work in all areas of the curriculum.

Casa North: Casa North has been abuzz with impassioned, enriched conversations lately. I’ve loved listening to the children discuss anything and everything with one another. The community really thrives when children are free to communicate. The adults are regularly repeating the phrase, “Why don’t you ask a friend?” when we are asked a question. Their ability to understand, to empathize, to articulate, and to listen become infinitely stronger when they are engaged in discussion with their peers. As adults, of course we are able to simply give an answer because we have it. It’s much more rewarding and important for them to talk it out with other children. This week, I heard conversations about family vacations, favourite types of dinosaurs, how a volcano erupts, and how to say, “I love you!” in Spanish — and that was in one lunch period! Socialization is critical and I’m so happy to work in an environment that supports that need.

Thank you so much for attending our Show-N-Share. What a huge success! The children were thrilled to show you what they have been working on. As teachers, we got to watch and feel the swell of pride for them that I’m sure you all feel every day. Thank you for sharing them with us, we are grateful!

Elementary:

Your kids love to read! Although many appreciated the snow day on Tuesday, everyone was excited to start reading in support of the MS Society this week. Students are tracking their individual minutes (and practicing telling time!) with stopwatches and clocks during the work cycles, as well as participating in a 20-minute group reading period each day. The children are proud to colour bands on their hourglasses and excited to share what they are reading, but what stands out most is the generosity of spirit exhibited by them all.

Whether it be mentoring a friend to improve their reading skills or their genuine concern for unknown people living with MS, the students embrace every outreach project with full hearts. Activities like this emphasize for the Second Plane children that although they are young, they can have an impact on real people. They are able to contribute positively through simple actions, empowering each of them to go bravely forward as a complex world unfolds before them. At an age where they become aware of social ills and injustices, it is important to feed their imaginations with ways in which they can make a difference.

Next Week:

A nice quiet week coming up next week, unless the weather has more fun surprises for us.

Do remember that Lyonsgate will be closed on Friday, Feb. 15, and Monday, Feb. 18, for a PD Day and the Family Day stat holiday, respectively.

Hello Lyonsgate Montessori Families,

Well that was fun! Hope everyone survived the up and down winter weather over the last week. Next week’s looking to be another cold one so make sure everyone has all the warm gear.

We have lots of pictures this week to make up for not having any last week, and it was nice to see so many of you at the Parent Education evening on Thursday.

To continue the learning about Montessori, each of your children’s Montessori guides have highlighted a specific Montessori material this week and explained what it is and the role it plays in your children’s education and devlopment. Enjoy!

This Week:

Toddler:

The Montessori classroom provides a prepared, language-enriched environment where the children are able to practice exploration of the world around them, care of self and care of the environment, as well as gross and fine motor development.

Dr. Montessori firmly believed that the child’s cognitive processes are assisted by combining movement with an organized task. One activity that facilitates those needs is Arranging Flowers, which satisfies the child’s innate desire to imitate the skills that they see adults perform around them. The activity follows a prescribed sequence which requires a great deal of attention and mental concentration. It also allows the child to exercise discrimination and judgment and development of their aesthetic sense.

The children often choose to bring their arrangements outside of the classroom. They always look proud of their work and are happy to be able to share it with others.

We thank you all for your weekly contribution of fresh cut flowers for the children to work with!

Reminder: Blankets are sent home every other Friday in order to be washed. Please ensure they are brought back to the school on the following Monday to ensure that your children have a restful sleep.

Don’t forget about the Toddler Show and Share next Thursday, 3:30-4:00, where you may get a chance to see this and other Montessori materials in action.

Casa:

Casa South: The Knobless Cylinders are a material found in the Sensorial Area of the Montessori classroom.

The Knobless Cylinders are an opportunity to grade, explore, and design with a material they’ve already worked with, the Cylinder Blocks. The Cylinders Blocks have a control of error within the material, a specific slot for a specific cylinder so it will end up in the right order. The Knobless Cylinders ask the children to use their internal sense of order and control of error to grade them the way that seems most fitting and satisfying.

After working with the material the children are shown how to design with the material: spirals, towers, and so much more.

This material allows them to use their sense of order, size, shape and colour, explore surface and height, develop their aesthetic sense. One material with so many levels, certainly not just building blocks!

Don’t forget about the Casa Show and Share next Thursday, 3:30-4:30, where you may get a chance to see this and other Montessori materials in action.

Casa North: In the Montessori curriculum, we show the children writing before reading. There can be quite a weight on children to learn to read — they know what it means, and it can seem a little bit daunting. For this reason, we want to make sure that the child is introduced to Sandpaper Letters to gain a solid understanding of the phonetic sounds the symbols represent. Once they demonstrate an ability to recall these symbols, we show them the Large Moveable Alphabet. This is a material that allows them to write words with the sounds they know. We aren’t focused on spelling, grammar, or punctuation at all during the Casa years! We just want to support them as they get out the thoughts they have and represent them in written form.

After much practice with the Large Moveable Alphabet, I will show the child the Phonetic Object Box. Here, I will have a discussion about each individual (very cute) object so the child is sure to know what the objects are called. I then tell the child I’m going to write some labels, and invite them to “help me to place them where they belong,” ensuring I’m not asking them to read. The child will sound out the labels I write, and place the labels with the corresponding objects. This is one of my favourite presentations to give, as it is almost always met with pure joy upon the child realizing they can read! A major purpose of this material is to provide the child with the confidence to take on the reading that will come next.

After the Phonetic Object Box, we introduce the child to the Phonetic Cards — many cards with printed words that allow for much reading practice without the many tricks that the English language contains.

The Language Area is set up to prepare the child to be successful, confident, and independent with his or her learning. This is consistent within the rest of the environment, and yet another reason why I love what I do.

Thank you for attending our Parent Education evening this week — we look forward to seeing even more of you at our next one!

Don’t forget about the Casa Show and Share next Thursday, 3:30-4:30, where you may get a chance to see this and other Montessori materials in action.

Elementary:

One of the students’ most beloved materials in the Elementary classroom is the Montessori Chequerboard. Dr. Montessori imagined a game board for long multiplication in which the squares were colour-coded by their categories (green for units, blue for tens, and red for hundreds), and this pattern would repeat through ascending number families (the simple family, the thousands, and the millions). The first horizontal row would be used to multiply by one digit, the second by two, and so on.

Expanding upon the young child’s prior experience with coloured bead bars for building teen numbers and skip-counting chains, those bead bars could now be placed within a colour-coded square to assign value to any category.

Young students who have gained experience with simple multiplication learn to make and read numbers into the hundred millions on the Chequerboard. The next step is to learn to multiply by a single digit, and then how to represent exchanges between categories when multiplying produces more than 10 in that place. This work may be undertaken for a few weeks or a few months before mastery is attained.

By the age of 9, most students have sufficient imagination and intellect to take on a greater challenge. The fourth step is work with a two-digit multiplier, creating partial products with bead bars, and combining them to find the final product. As students memorize and apply times table facts the process is streamlined, and less beads are used for counting and exchanging. As the child’s facility with both facts and process develop, they are empowered to increase their multiplier into the hundreds or even thousands range. There is no number too large to multiply!

In other news, the Lyonsgate Elementary class will be participating again in the MS Read-a-Thon in support of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada. The Read-a-Thon will run from Monday, January 28, through Thursday, February 14. Pledge sheets are coming home and details about the online component will follow next week.

Don’t forget: on Monday, all Elementary students need to bring a Show-n-Tell item to bring to Aberdeen Gardens next Wednesday. This should be an item they can discuss and demonstrate with/to the residents. Awards and trophies, science-y items, things they have made, or even something to perform — dance, instruments, etc.

Finally, on Thursday, February 14, from 3:30 – 4:00 in the Sanctuary at the Primary Campus, the Elementary students will be presenting French plays that they have been working on this term. We hope as many of you as possible can make it. PLEASE NOTE: there is NO pick-up at the Locke St. Elementary campus that day.

Next Week:

There are things happening at each Montessori level next week:

• Toddler Show and Share will take place from 3:30-4:00 on Thursday, Jan. 31, in the Toddler classroom.

• Casa Show and Share runs a little bit longer, from 3:30-4:30, also on Thursday, Jan. 31, in your child’s Casa classroom. In order to give your child enough time to show and share all the things they want to, please plan to arrive no later than 4:15.

• Elementary parents, your children’s progress reports will be coming home on Thursday, Jan. 31. Check those backpacks ;).