Jason Phillips

Hello Lyonsgate Montessori Families,

You’re update is a day early this week because tomorrow — Friday, Nov. 2 — is a PD Day and both Lyonsgate campuses will be closed.

In other news, Lyonsgate clothing is still available for purchase online, for both children and adults.

Click here to visit our online store.

We have been searching for a Canadian provider but have not found a suitable one, so we will stick with the previous, U.S. provider for now. We are hoping that when the new NAFTA agreement comes into effect we can all take advantage of the higher rate for purchases before duty is applied, and we can keep costs down. In the meantime, please take advantage of 20% discounted prices.

The Lyonsgate store will be open until 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 11.

All purchased items will be shipped as a single bulk order and Lyonsgate will pay the duty. The shipping address has been pre-filled; under “Shipping Method” please check the “Ship to U.S. Address” option (it should be the only option). You will have to enter your billing address when paying by credit card.

This Week:

This week, we’d like to offer a reminder about the Lyonsgate schedule and the importance of arriving to school on time. A Montessori school day is divided into two work cycles, each lasting for approximately 3 hours. The morning Montessori work cycle at the Primary campus begins at 8:30; at the Elementary campus it starts at 8:45. The morning arrival schedule for each level is as follows:

• Toddler: 8:30-8:45. Please escort children to their guides outside the Toddler environment where they will be greeted and guided to prepare themselves independently; parents can help by saying a quick goodbye to establish a consistent routine. The Toddler guides are not available to greet students after 8:45.

• Casa: 8:30-8:45. Please have children come up the stairs on their own to be greeted by their guides. All students are to be settled into activities no later than 9:00 a.m. Guides are not available to greet children after 9:00.

• Elementary: 8:45-9:00. Please say goodbye to Elementary children at the gate so they can enter the school and cloakroom independently. The 8:45-9:00 period is essential social time at this age; when students arrive closer to 9:00, or later, they still seek to socialize but it becomes disruptive.

The purpose of the Montessori work cycles is to allow children large, uninterrupted blocks of time within which they can choose to work on the activities available to them, and to allow them the time and space to achieve a state of concentration and focus. Montessori children also receive planned presentations, sometimes individually and other times with small groups of other children who are working at the same level. The job of the adults is to observe and guide the children to activities appropriate for their developmental level, and to protect the sanctity of the Montessori environment from disruption during the work cycles.

Arriving late to school disrupts the morning work cycle.

We all have those mornings where everything goes awry, and we are all late every now and then. Please do your best to be on time every day so that your children, and their classmates, receive the full benefit of the Montessori education you have chosen for them. Thank you.

Toddler:

From the list of sentences you never thought you would write: We have an update on your children’s toilet activity — many of the children in the Toddler environment have transitioned to wearing underwear. Ms. Dee has some tips for continuing to help them progress at home:

• Making sure the potty/toilet is readily accessible to the children is the best way to remain consistent with using the toilet at home.
• The toddler-aged children are in their sensitive period for toilet learning; when sensitive periods are missed it becomes more challenging for children to learn, and for parents to help them.

In other Toddler news, the children are busy preparing for their winter concert. They are excited to show you their work and have been practicing daily.

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Casa:

Casa South: This week, we’ve been working on a lot of practical life activities — hammering, care of plants, making bread, and pressing flowers. Higher energy in children due to Halloween excitement means lots of practical life to help ground them.

There has also been a lot of practice with writing throughout the class, and lots of writing each other’s names.

On Wednesday, the third year Casa children visited the Hamilton Pumpkin House for their first community outing. This is an important step for the older Casa children as it is part of the preparation for their transition to the  Elementary Montessori program they will be entering next year.

Casa North: This week in Casa North we have been working on grace and courtesy. In the Montessori Casa environment, the children are shown many different presentations that fall under the “grace and courtesy” heading — how to interrupt, how to introduce yourself, how to clean your nose, how to pick up what someone dropped… and many more! These presentations are always enthusiastically received for two reasons: because they are fun, and because the children are so very eager to adapt to the world around them. They are constantly observing us adults, and our interactions with one another, so it’s nice for them to master some of these things now as opposed to trying to show them as teenagers when the sensitive period for such learning may have passed.

Thank you for your support, as always. We look forward to welcoming you for parent observations this month.

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Elementary:

Children ages 6 — 12 are cultural explorers, eager to understand and experiment with a variety of celebrations and rituals. This week, the Elementary students excitedly prepared for Hallowe’en, each working to carve a pumpkin independently, design a costume, and learn a bit about how our modern Hallowe’en festivities developed. The class has also been working in botany, conducting plant experiments and researching chrysanthemums.

We look forward to having parents come to observe our class at work throughout November.

Next Week:

• Plastic Bag Request: if you have an overflowing pile of plastic shopping bags, we’d love to take some off your hands. We have a variety of uses for them (you don’t want the gory details) and are running low.

• Parent Observations:
  • Observations in your children’s Montessori environments will be taking place throughout November. Observations are 20 minutes in length and take place during the morning Montessori work cycle. Please read and familiarize yourself the Lyonsgate Observation Guidelines prior to your visit:Thank you for taking the time to observe in our environment. An observation is an opportunity for you to get a glimpse of how a Montessori environment functions. There are a few things to consider when you are observing in the classroom:
    • The observation chair is an adult sized chair, intended for observers only. It is placed in a specific spot in the classroom. The children are aware of this. This is the space where observers can see the classroom from an open perspective, while allowing the environment to operate as usual with as little disruption as possible.
    • The guide will not be available to answer any questions during the observation; please ensure you make note of any questions and feel free to ask after the observation is complete.
    • The children may approach you. The best way to ensure that you are seeing an accurate depiction of the space is to politely say “Hello,” and tell them that you are here to see them do their work. Please refrain from engaging in conversation with them.
    • When your observation is complete, please quietly exit the classroom; do not feel the need to say goodbye to the children or the guides. We thank you for joining us, and hope that you thoroughly enjoy your time in the environment.

    When you are observing, you may want to take some of the following questions into consideration:

    1. Are the children choosing work independently?
    2. Is the guide the focal point of the classroom?
    3. How do the older children engage with the younger children (and vice versa)?
    4. Are the children focused on their work?
    5. How do the children solve conflict?
    6. How do children transition from one activity to the next?
    7. Is the environment productive? Respectful? Engaging?

    “Wait while observing. That is the motto for the educator. Let us wait, and be always ready to share in both the joys and the difficulties which the child experiences. Let us have endless patience with his slow progress, and show enthusiasm and gladness at his success.” — Maria Montessori

    Please click the relevant links below to book your observations. We ask that each family only book one observation slot, and that no more than two people attend each observation (please contact us if exceptional circumstances require multiple bookings):

    • Click here to book an observation in Casa North (Ms. Boyle).
    • Click here to book an observation in Casa South (Ms. Moffat).
    • Click here to book an observation in Elementary.

Hello Lyonsgate Montessori Families,

Remember, parent observations will be taking place throughout November. Please click the relevant links below to book your observations. You can find the Lyonsgate Observation Guidelines on our website’s Home page; please familiarize yourself with them before your observation. We ask that each family only book one observation slot, and that no more than two people attend each observation (please contact us if exceptional circumstances require multiple bookings):

• Click here to book an observation in Casa North (Ms. Boyle).

• Click here to book an observation in Casa South (Ms. Moffat).

• Click here to book an observation in Elementary.

• A new hot lunch menu is now in effect. Click here to view the fall/winter lunch menu.

This week, we asked each Montessori guide to share a moment of joy from the school year so far, whether it be a moment of joy for them, an individual child, or the class as a whole. We hope you enjoy reading about these wonderful moments that we get to experience every day with your children.

This Week:

Toddler:

“Hearing one of our newest students shout ‘I did it!’ after putting their shoes on their feet independently,” said Ms. Dee about a moment of joy in the Toddler environment. “It’s very important the adult plays an appropriate role,” continued Ms. Dee, “letting and encouraging them to do it themselves and only intervening when they ask for help, and avoid correcting things like shoes on the wrong feet.”

This past week, a lot of the toddlers have been working on activities that encourage fine motor skills: peeling off stickers, using tongs, sorting, spooning and transfering. The devlopment of fine motor skills is important for overall human development, but is especially important  when it comes time to learn to write and work with more complex Montessori manipulative materials such as the beads that are used when learning math.

Notes to parents:

• As you begin to prep for winter, please ensure clothing items and boots are practical for toddlers. Avoid things that are too tight or otherwise complicated; avoid cloth/knit mittens as they get wet and little hands get cold; and try to leave enough time in the morning to have toddlers dress themselves in their outerwear (and let them practice in the evening).
• If there is an accident or incident during the school day we will complete an accident or incident report; these reports contain all of the details about the accident or incident, and what steps were taken in response. A copy will be given to you and a copy will go into the child’s records. If you have further questions, please note them and contact Ms. Dee via email (winnie@lyonsgate.ca) with them, or to arrange a time to speak in person. The end of the day is a busy time when we ask the guides to keep their attention focused on all of the children in their care. Thank you for understanding.

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Casa:

Casa South: “I’m lucky enough to say that my moment of joy happens everyday in Casa South,” said Ms. Moffatt. “My favourite moment of the day is arrival. I love to see the look of joy in the children’s faces when they arrive to school. They are eager, excited, and, most importantly, happy to arrive to school.” Ms. Moffat added that seeing the evolution of children’s arrival to school highlights this moment of joy.

“Sometimes, the beginning of the school year can be a difficult month for arrivals,” she said, “but it’s that first day of tear-free peace that is so exciting for me. When a tear-y child walks in, for the first time, with a smile on their face… nothing is more exciting! That tells me that they are comfortable here, and that school is a happy place for them!

“We know that the children in our classrooms are being exposed to a plethora of academically advanced materials, but the most important thing is that they are happy to be at school. I hope that the happiness they cultivate for school at Lyonsgate trickles with them wherever they go.”

Casa North: Ms Boyle’s moment of joy involved a new, first-year Casa child doing the independent work of figuring out how his new community functions.

“I’ve been talking to them a lot about how we handle the materials,” said Ms. Boyle. “I was in a presentation with one little boy and he was being really rough with the materials, so I asked him if he wanted to continue or if he wanted to put it away and he said he wanted to put it away, so I told him that because we didn’t finish the presentation we would take it out to finish another day.

“Two days later, I asked if him he was ready for the presentation and I was wondering if he would remember it, because two days ago is a long time for a 3-year-old. He took it out, sat down with me, and said, ‘Don’t worry, that’s not going to happen this time,’ — he remembered the conversation. He was telling me he was prepared and ready for the presentation.

“We did it and it was so beautiful. He was so proud, so happy. I said ‘Thank you for working with me, you can take that out whenever you like; I’m so happy you’re happy.’ Two minutes later he had taken out another material from the same set and had completed it and was looking at me just beaming — ‘Look what I did!’ He was so proud of himself. It was so nice to see him come to his own resolution about what the expectations are and what is an appropriate way to work with the materials, and also gave himself some joy.”

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Elementary:

“A big moment of joy came this week,” said Marissa about a revelatory moment for some of the younger Elementary students. “The first and second year students were working on still life drawings of gourds, for the fall season, looking at capturing the single line shapes of the gourds, paying attention to texture, changes in colour, and layers of colour in the flesh of the gourds.

“They worked on the art project as a group, socially together but each working on their individual piece, with an explosion of joy and excitement as they all realized they could actually capture a realistic image with their pencils, rather than just something from their imagination.”

Note for Parent:

• On Monday, Oct. 29, we will be heading out to do some pumpkin carving for the Hamilton Pumpkin House — one of our Lyonsgate’s family’s home that is raising money for An Instrument for Every Child. If you’re running late Monday morning, please drop your child off at the Primary campus on Aberdeen, as we will be heading that way from the Locke St. Elementary campus at about 9:00. Some advice from the Pumpkin House-ers:
  • Remind the kids to dress very warmly and, if possible, it would be a good day for boots; the backyard will be quite a mess by the end of a full weekend of carving.  We will have rubber gloves they can wear over warm gloves, which I recommend; the pumpkin guts get quite cold on the hands.

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Next Week:

A couple of reminders for next week:

• Halloween: Everyone’s favourite candy holiday is coming up on Wednesday. This is a very exciting time of year for children (there’s candy!). Halloween excitement can, however, be a disruptive time in the Montessori environments. We ask that costume and candy joy remain a special time for families to enjoy together outside of school. Please resist the urge to slip a few pieces of candy into lunch bags or pockets, and keep an eye out for candy smugglers, too! Thank you.
• PD Day:  Friday, November 2, is a PD Day. Both Lyonsgate campuses will be closed. Lyonsgate staff will be busy attending Montessori workshops, doing prep work for the months ahead, and getting work done on some big projects that we never seem to have time for.

Hello Lyonsgate Montessori Families,

Last week, Mrs. Lyons attended the “55th Anniversary of Montessori in Mexico” conference at Colegio Montessori de Chihuahua. This is one of the largest Montessori schools and training centres in Mexico and the conference celebrated the achievements of the Montessori community in Mexico and their vision for the future. The conference offered some of the most renowned Montessori experts as presenters, and gave attendees the chance to see one of the biggest and most authentic Montessori schools — multiple buildings encompassing toddler to adolescent Montessori environments, with a full size sports field and farm animals. These conferences are always very inspiring and Rachel came home with lots of ideas for the present, and to work towards in the future. Enjoy a few photos of the campus below, including the Casa bee material — yes, the Casa children work with functioning hives and harvest their own honey, warm, Mexican weather outdoor spaces, and the adolescent program’s dining hall and chickens.

Also, be sure to read the “Next Week” section. There is information about school photos next Tuesday, Oct. 23, and online sign-ups for November parent observations.

This Week:

Toddler:

Care of the environment continues to be a popular activity in the Toddler room, and we are seeing an increased focus on language. Questions such as “why?” and “what’s this?” are common as toddler children learn to construct their knowledge using language. To support language development at home, encourage children to use full sentences (in both English and French, as well as any other languages spoken in the home), and discourage baby talk. It is also important to use the real words for things, such as “train” instead of “choo choo,” or “cut”/”scratch”/”injury” instead of “boo boo,” for example.

Included in this week’s update is a link to sign up for observations throughout the month of November. Observations do not take place in the Toddler environment. Montessori observations are quiet, 20 minute timeslots after which parents are asked to just quietly leave the room. As you can imagine, toddler-aged children do not take kindly to mom and dad dropping them off, then coming back for a bit, then sneaking off again. Parent-teacher conferences will take place on November 30; please be sure to sign up for a conference time (sign-up will be available mid-November). Thank you for understanding.

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Casa:

Both Casa environments have noticed a number of children arriving to school in the morning still eating breakfast. Please have children finish food outside of the school so that we can maintain an allergy-safe environment and so that children are ready to begin their Montessori work cycle as soon as they arrive. Snacks are available, but a good breakfast that can carry them to lunch time is a key ingredient to successful learning activity. Thank you.

A note for families placing Scholastic orders online, the account is under the name of Sarah Kennedy. For those new to Lyonsgate, Sarah is our vice-principal/administrator and is currently on maternity leave, so yes, the “Sarah Kennedy” account is our Lyonsgate account.

Ms. Moffat and Ms. Boyle also want to thank their Casa families for the great turnout at our first Show-N-Share this week. The children were so excited to show you their work and how their Montessori environment functions. If you weren’t able to make it, the next one is at the end of January.

Casa South has a new baby fish! And a new bread machine! This is a solo job that mirrors many Montessori activities in terms of following a specific number of steps in order to achieve a goal, and it is self-correcting because if you don’t do it correctly, the bread does not come out right. Successful work with the bread job means a delicious-smelling and tasing addition to the snack table, so it’s also a great job to perform a service to the classroom community.

We are also seeing lots of work with the Montessori sensorial materials — some quintessential Montessori materials. These materials help to faclitate children’s reception to multi-sensory learning, which is an integral part of Lyonsgate’s focus on holistic learning. Learning involves more than just the brain! For the older Casa students, this means work with the Montessori collective materials (such as Golden Beads) that give children a sensorial awareness (visual and tactile) of mathematical operations such as addition and subtraction, and multiplication and division.

Casa North is continuing to see a great deal of leadership and peer mentorship, which is great for everyone’s learning. Some of the older Casa students have been giving  the younger students language lessons on the continents. We encourage and celebrate this because the younger students are having a repeat of a lesson they have received from a guide, but from a different, children’s perspective, giving them reinforcement of the initial lesson and forcing some cognitive work as they integrate the two perspectives into one object of knowledge; the older students also benefit by seeing it from a different perspective as they work to explain it to the younger children, cementing their knowledge in the process.

These types of peer relationships are cyclical in Montessori due to the three-year age groupings. Next year, when the third-year Casa students move up to Elementary, the cycle will start over again for them, and those Casa children on the receiving end of their peers’ experience and knowledge this year will take on the leadership and mentorship roles.

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Elementary:

Projects are being presented to the class, lots of new presentations are taking place, we had a community visitor get us started on sewing projects, and you got to come and visit your children’s space to see what they get up to. Every week is a busy week in a Montessori Elementary school.

Thank you to ALL of our elementary families who managed to make it to our Open House this past week. We hope you enjoyed your visit to your children’s little home away from home, and got to see some of the great work they have finished or are working on.

Also this past week, students received the Montessori presentation on the “Great Story of the Alphabet,” followed by explorations of the development of writing throughout history and between cultures. This work also includes learning about the representation of ideas using symbols — a key concept in developing an understanding of language as a human construct that we use to build meaning and understanding for both ourselves and in our communications with others. In the math area of the Elementary Montessori environment, students have been working on multiplication, squares of numbers and exponents, and are beginning to work with measuring surface area.

Elementary families, if you have children in both Elementary and Casa/Toddler, please drop them off at the Primary campus on Aberdeen Ave. on Tuesday, Oct. 23, for their school photo sibling pictures.

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Next Week:

School Photos and Details:

School photos will take place on Tuesday, October 23, at both the Primary and Elementary campuses. Class photos will be taken first at the Primary campus, so please be sure to have children to school no later than 9:00 a.m. We will also be taking sibling photos early on in the day, including siblings that are at both campuses. Elementary families, if you have children in both Elementary and Casa/Toddler, please drop them off at the Primary campus on Aberdeen Ave. on Tuesday, Oct. 23. The Elementary class photo will be taken when all students return to the Elementary campus.

Parent Observations

Observations in your children’s Montessori environments will be taking place throughout November. Observations are 20 minutes in length and take place during the morning Montessori work cycle. Please read and familiarize yourself the Lyonsgate Observation Guidelines prior to your visit:

Thank you for taking the time to observe in our environment. An observation is an opportunity for you to get a glimpse of how a Montessori environment functions. There are a few things to consider when you are observing in the classroom:

• The observation chair is an adult sized chair, intended for observers only. It is placed in a specific spot in the classroom. The children are aware of this. This is the space where observers can see the classroom from an open perspective, while allowing the environment to operate as usual with as little disruption as possible.
• The guide will not be available to answer any questions during the observation; please ensure you make note of any questions and feel free to ask after the observation is complete.
• The children may approach you. The best way to ensure that you are seeing an accurate depiction of the space is to politely say “Hello,” and tell them that you are here to see them do their work. Please refrain from engaging in conversation with them.
• When your observation is complete, please quietly exit the classroom; do not feel the need to say goodbye to the children or the guides. We thank you for joining us, and hope that you thoroughly enjoy your time in the environment.

When you are observing, you may want to take some of the following questions into consideration:

1. Are the children choosing work independently?
2. Is the guide the focal point of the classroom?
3. How do the older children engage with the younger children (and vice versa)?
4. Are the children focused on their work?
5. How do the children solve conflict?
6. How do children transition from one activity to the next?
7. Is the environment productive? Respectful? Engaging?

“Wait while observing. That is the motto for the educator. Let us wait, and be always ready to share in both the joys and the difficulties which the child experiences. Let us have endless patience with his slow progress, and show enthusiasm and gladness at his success.” — Maria Montessori

Please click the relevant links below to book your observations. We ask that each family only book one observation slot, and that no more than two people attend each observation (please contact us if exceptional circumstances require multiple bookings):

• Click here to book an observation in Casa North (Ms. Boyle).

• Click here to book an observation in Casa South (Ms. Moffat).

• Click here to book an observation in Elementary.

Hello Lyonsgate Montessori Families,

We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, or otherwise enjoyed a great long weekend together. That’s it for short weeks for a little while.

Show-N-Share and Open House events are coming up on Thursday, October 18. These are opportunities for you to spend some time with your children in their Montessori environment, and for them to show you some of the work they have completed or materials they enjoy working with.

• Toddler Show-N-Share: 3:30-4:00 in the Toddler environment.
• Casa Show-N-Share: 3:30-4:30 in your child’s Casa environment.
• Elementary Open house: 3:30-4:30 at the Elementary campus on Locke St.

This Week:

Toddler:

The toddlers have been taking good care of their indoor environment: sweeping, mopping up spills, taking care of plants. These are great activities to continue at home, and acquring child-sized brooms and mops, for example, will make their participation more impactful and beneficial; children can properly accomplish tasks with tools/materials they are best able to control and manipulate.

As children grow, we can help them transition to purposeful toys and activities and away from those that no longer fulfill their developmental needs; you may notice changes in behaviour when  children hit these transitional points — it’s their way of letting us know they need something, even if they don’t know what it is. Involving toddlers in household tasks such as cleaning, as well as things like baking and cooking, or folding laundry, help them feel and know that they are contributing to their home environment.

We’ve also seen a change in the weather this week. Please check the forecast and make sure they have weather appropriate outerwear each day, and please remember to label everything.

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Casa:

Casa South has seen a burgeoning interest in learning the flags of the world this week, as well as an ongoing focus on phonogram reading. A phonogram is any written (gram) symbol that represents a sound (phono), and includes both single letters in our phonetic alphabet and combinations of letters that work together to make a single sound, such as ch, sh, ph, oy, oi, ew, oo, wh, or… or.

This time of year also brings the first round of coughs and colds, which we know some of you have had the joy of experiencing. We stress the importance of regular handwashing in Casa South, and encourage you to do the same at home. Together, we can break the cycle of germs!

Another way you can use home life to help your children at school involves clothing and dressing. It may take a bit longer during often-rushed mornings, but having children choose their own clothes and dress themselves is an excellent task for developing independence, confidence, fine motor skills, and self-esteem. You can help them to succeed by giving children a limited choice of items to choose from — clothing they can put on and take off, as well as button/zip/snap/tie themselves (for those need-to-go-right-now moments), and that is weather appropriate. This is supported in the Montessori environment with materials such as the Bow Frame, which lets children practice tying, snapping, zipping, and buttoning on their paths to self-care. [See the top photo of Bow Frame work in action]

Casa North: An important practice in a Montessori environment is having pride come from within the child, as opposed to having adults praising them. We always ask, “How do you feel?” when a child completes work, and we are often told “happy,” “proud,” or “great!” which is so much more valuable for their self-esteem than having us adults projecting our feelings onto their accomplishments. In the same regard, if the child says “not good” or expresses dissatisfaction, we can guide them to a resolution or simply model that sometimes we don’t love something we produce, and that’s okay too! If you’d like to learn a little more about praise and its effects on children, this short video about Dr. Carol Dweck’s work on praise and “growth mindsets” is a great representation of how contemporary research supports this Montessori practice.

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Elementary:

It was a short but busy week in Elementary. The highlight was definitely the cross country event at LaSalle Park in Burlington with students from four other Montessri schools. All of this year’s phys. ed. classes have been training and practice, and our Lyonsgate runners succeeded in achieving overall top placings, personal bests and accomplishments, great support of each other, and, most important of all, having a lot of fun with other Montessori students. Back in the classroom, your kids created fossils this week, began studying the fundamental needs of humans, and finished their first set of projects by presenting them to the class. Their projects will be on display for parents during the Elementary Open House next Thursday, Oct. 18, from 3:30-4:30.

Don’t forget, Scholastic orders — either paper forms or online — are to be submitted by Friday, Oct. 19.

Next Week:

The Show-N-Share events in the Casa and Toddler Montessori environments, and the Open House at the Elementary campus are events to remember for the coming week, on Thursdsay, Oct. 18:

• Toddler Show-N-Share: 3:30-4:00 in the Toddler environment.
• Casa Show-N-Share: 3:30-4:30 in your child’s Casa environment.
• Elementary Open house: 3:30-4:30 at the Elementary campus on Locke St.

Beyond next week, we have school phtos coming up on Tuesday, Oct. 23.

The next PD Day is Friday, Nov. 2.

Parent observations in the Casa and Elementary environments will take place throughout November. We’ll have online sign-ups and observation guidelines for you next week.

Have a fun fall weekend.

Hello Lyonsgate Montessori Families,

Happy Thanksgiving!

Please remember that Lyonsgate Montessori School will be closed on Monday, October 8, for the Thanksgiving Holiday. We hope everyone finds time to get together with friends and family over the long weekend, as well as time rest and recover from turkey/tofurkey feasting.

We’d also like to thank everyone for heeding the synagogue’s request to not use the main glass doors to the parking lot when exiting the school these past rainy days. One other request: we’d also like to remind everyone that the synagogue parking lot is one way; please enter off Cottage Ave. and exit the parking lot through the laneway at the east side of the lot. Thank you.

This Week:

Toddler:

The Toddler class is starting to settle into a routine. “It’s beautiful,” says Ms. Dee, “they’re busy, and there’s a lot of role modelling from the older ones.” Water play and activities are popular in the Toddler environment these days — lots of geting wet, but in the good way.

Speaking of gettng wet, the Toddler guides are aiming for a lot of toilet learning in the coming weeks. Parents can put what they learned at the Parent Education Evening into practice at home and help our little friends achieve their toileting independence. Thank you for coming to the Parent Ed. session; they are an important way for us to share what we do, and why, so that we can all work together and provide the children the consistency they need to succeed in their growth and development endeavours.

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Casa:

We have a request from both Casa rooms: if your child takes regular naps at school, please send them with a favourite, comfy blanket they can use during nap time. Thank you.

Casa South has seen a lot of sewing and French knitting work get started this past week. These types of activities work to continue the children’s fine motor skills development, as well as giving them a burgeoning appreciation for aesthetics and creativity, an opportunity to make something for themselves or gifts for others, and are fantastic for bringing children to an organic state of concentration.

Other Montessori Practical Life work is also well underway in Casa South. The children are helping one another — a lot of leadership from the older students — and we are all learning some new autumn songs.

Thank you to all of our parents that came to the Parent Education Evening. It is inspiring to see so many of you finding the time to attend these events and share in your children’s education.

Casa North would like to thank everyone who came to the Parent Education Evening this past week. We had a great turnout — one of the best ever — to learn about the importance and role of critical thinking development in young children:

• Let children come to their own conclusions (learning is messy, and that’s ok).
• Ask questions in return rather than supplying immediate answers.
• Montessori environments and materials are prepared to allow children to understand their mistakes and figure out how to correct them.
• They will make mistakes, and that is ok too; they’ll figure it out in their own way when given the time and space to do so. We are here to observe them on their own paths.

Puzzle maps have been a well-used activity lately. These Montessori materials introduce basic geography, and also complement development of language, the pincer grip required for later writing, and also introduce a natural progession from general to specific as the children move from maps of the continents to more complex maps of the countries that make up the continents, and maps of states and provinces.

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Elementary:

A number of students had presentations with chess this week, and it has become a very popular daily activity. Chess is an excellent activity for developing brains — rules to remember, our own moves to plan, our opponents plans to figure out, the joy of victory, and the agony of defeat. A few reminders:

• This year’s cross country run with other Montessori schools is on Wednesday, Oct. 10.
  • Drop off and pick up are as normal that day. We will be departing from the Primary campus, by school bus, at 9:30, so we will walk over from Locke.
  • Students will require a litterless, nut-free packed lunch for a picnic at the park, clothes and shoes to run in, and a pre-filled waterbottle.
  • This year, the host school, Fairview Glen Montessori, is asking that each student make a $10.00 donation to their charitable support of SOS Children’s Villages-Uganda.
  • Parents are unfortunately not able to attend; the permit required to use the park has capacity limits. Thank you for understanding.
• Phys. Ed. is on Thursday afternoon each week. Please help your elementary students remember to wear or bring running shoes for phys. ed. As we enter the winter months, they will need indoor gym shoes as we move phys. ed. to the indoor space at the Primary campus (daily indoor shoes that can double as gym shoes are the best way to go).

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Next Week:

We have another quiet but short week coming up. Both Lyonsgate campuses will be closed on Monday, Oct. 8, for the Thanksgiving holiday. We do have Show-N-Share and Open house events coming up on Thursday, October 18, that we want to let you know about in case you need to book time off work or do some schedule juggling:

• Toddler Show-N-Share: 3:30-4:00 in the Toddler environment.
• Casa Show-N-Share: 3:30-4:30 in your child’s Casa environment.
• Elementary Open house: 3:30-4:30 at the Elementary campus on Locke St.

In other upcoming event news, if you want to book haircuts and make sure favourite shirts are clean, school photo day is on Tuesday, October 23.

Finally, if your child recevies any new immunizations during the school year, they must be reported to Hamilton Public Health. Here is some info on how to report them:

• Immunization reporting is now available online. Click here to visit the Hamilton Public Health Services Online Immunization Reporting website (this a great alternative to trying to keep track of the yellow cards).
• When reporting student immunization records, you will need your child’s yellow immunization card or a record from their doctor that includes the following information:
  • Your child’s health card number
  • Dates your child received immunizations
  • Immunization names
• Hamilton Public Health Services provides a number of additional ways to report immunizations:
  • By phone: 905-540-5250, Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm
  • By fax: 905-546-4841
  • By mail: City of Hamilton Public Health Services, Vaccine Program, P.O. Box 897, Hamilton, Ontario, L8N 3P6

Hello Lyonsgate Montessori Families,

Next Wednesday, Oct. 3, is your first Parent Education Evening at Lyonsgate. These evening events are very important and we strongly encourage you to attend. At Parent Education Evenings, you will learn a little more about Montessori education and what goes on in the classroom, and why. Childcare is available during the event. Please scroll down to the “Next Week” section for event details and to register for childcare.

This Week:

Toddler:

Now that your children are out in the larger world of school, we’d like to let you know you that illness and injuries are going to become a regular part of their lives. Accidents resulting in minor injuries are a normal part of growth and exploration. If your child is injured at school during the day (bumps and scrapes and such) you will receive a report at the end of the day with details pertaining to the accident. For any (very rare) more significant injuries we will contact you during the day if medical attention is required. We will also call you if your child becomes ill while at school. Hamilton Public Health sets the rules for which illnesses require children to be absent from school, and for how long. For your convenience, we have made their “Illness Exclusion Table” available here (it’s a good one to bookmark).

A few other reminders from the Toddler guides:

• Please remember to check the weather forecast each morning and ensure children have appropriate clothing for the weather — boots for rainy days, jacket for cooler days, hats and mitts for cold days — and, as always, please do your best to provide them with clothing they can put on and take off themselves to help encourage and develop independence.
• Speaking of independence, it might not look perfect, but please join us in celebrating their successes throughout the process; clothes might be inside out and shoes might be on the wrong feet, but the children got them there themselves!

Casa:

Casa South has seen a lot of yoga and meditation activity over the past week. These are excellent activities for children still learning to refine the mind-body connection — being able to control our bodies so they do the things our brain wants them to do. Geography work with the Montessori Puzzle Map materials has also been popular. This material not only helps children learn basic geography, but also complements their sensori-motor skills as they develop the coordination and hand strength required when they start to write. Phonogram work with consonant blends — things like sh, th — is well underway in Casa South.

We are also excited to welcome you all to our first Parent Education Evening on Wednesday. Remember, childcare is available, and we hope all of our families are able to attend.

Casa North:The early months of school tend to have many changes-of-clothes as children adjust to new washrooms, being extremely engaged with their work and forgetting to use to toilet, and so many water activities in the classroom. Please make sure that everything you send with your child is labelled so that in case of a mix-up (a child mistakenly taking someone else’s clothing home) we can easily return items back to their rightful owners. Thank you!

In terms of what has been happening this week, we have noticed a surge in independence in Casa North as the children are cleaning up their environment after lunch. We have been observing them with pride as they take ownership of their classroom and make sure their plates are scraped, their placemats are cleaned and returned to their designated spots, and their tables are wiped and the floor swept. We are thrilled to see their adjustment to this busy transition so early in the school year.

Elementary:

The Elementary class dove into the past this week, examining the history of life on Earth from the Paleozoic Era and exploring different impressions of the enormity of time with classic Montessori materials such as The Black Strip and The Clock of Eras. Students engaged in discussions of how geologic changes and events have affected the diversity of life seen today. The group also participated in their first outreach outing this year, delighting the residents of Aberdeen Gardens with a variety of Show and Tell items, including ballet demonstrations, a chess set, a storm lamp, as well as a variety of trophies, medals, and art pieces!  A few elementary notes:

• Lyonsgate Elementary students will once again be participating in a fun run with students from other Montessori schools on Wednesday, Oct. 10, at LaSalle Park in Burlington. More details to come soon, but for now:
  • This year, the host school, Fairview Glen Montessori, is asking that each student make a $10.00 donation to their charitable support of SOS Children’s Villages-Uganda.
  • Parents are unfortunately not able to attend; the permit required to use the park has capacity limits. Thank you for understanding.

Next Week:

As noted above, Wednesday, Oct. 3, is your first Parent Education Evening of the 2018.2019 school year. Here’s what you need to know:

• Toddler, 3:30-4:00: Ms. Dee will be covering the Montessori approach to toileting.
• Casa, 4:00-4:45: Ms. Boyle and Ms. Moffat will be discussing critical thinking and problem solving relative to the Casa child, and why making mistakes is a good thing.
• Elementary, 5:00-5:45, at the Elementary campus on Locke St.: Parents are invited to take the stroll to our Locke St. Elementary campus where Ms. Achong will show you the Montessori history curriculum.
• Childcare:
  • Children registered for childcare will have pizza available. If you already take advantage of after school care and/or extended care, and will be attending the Parent Education Evening, please also register for childcare for this event so that we know how many children to expect.
  • Please click here to register for Parent Education Evening childcare.
• All parents are welcome and invited to attend all of the Parent Education sessions at each level.

Hello Lyonsgate Montessori Families,

We want to thank everyone for accommodating to the alternative pick-up and drop-off schedules we needed this week for the field trips. We know it can be difficult to change daily routines and we very much appreciate everyone’s efforts. Thank you.

The children all had fun and valuable experiences on their trips. Field trips are not just a fun day out, they also become touchstones for future presentations and learning. Montessori guides will ask questions such as, “Do you remember when we went to the farm and learned about/saw/smelled/watched/felt/tasted…” when presenting material that can be related to the various field trip experiences.

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This Week:

Toddler:

Your wonderful toddlers are starting to adjust to their new school routine. To help make the transition to school happen more smoothly, please know that a quick drop-off, between 8:25-8:45, is the best thing you can do for your child. Consistency is key; a pre-arranged “one-hug, one-kiss, one ‘I love you,'” or similar routine, that your toddler is a part of developing with you (giving them some freedom, within set limits), is best. Then stick to it consistently, every day. Before you know it, the tears and calls for “one more hug” will dissipate and your toddler will begin to enter the classroom willfully.

A few notes and reminders from the Toddler guides:

• If you are latedropping off your toddler — after 8:45 — please remember to help your toddler change their shoes and then guide them to the classroom door to be greeted by one of the Toddler guides.
• The “Flower Arranging” sign-up sheet is posted. Flower arranging is a Montessori job for the children and each child is invited to bring in fresh-cut flowers each Monday (carnations, daisies, tulips, mixed bouquets). Please sign up for your family’s flower Monday.
• We have also posted a “Protein Provision” sign-up sheet posted. Like the flowers, each child is invited to provide a protein element for the children’s snack each week — cheese, hummus, yoghurt, etc.
• Toddler students also require two pairs of shoes that they can put on independently. Thank you.

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Casa:

Casa South celebrated Ms. Moffat’s birthday this past week. Birthdays in the Montessori environment are celebrated in a very specific way. Children (and their guides) are invited to “walk around the sun” to represent the number of years they have been alive. Besides being a fun way to celebrate, this activity also complements their understanding of number sense, the passage of time, and annual and seasonal cycles — relevant this past week as we move into fall.

Casa South would also like to remind families to please do your best to avoid sending children to school with pop culture branded items of clothing or accessories (such as backpacks and lunch bags). These items can be a distraction in the classroom, and we also want their time in Montessori to be a breath of fresh air from commercial media. There is a noticeably different calmness in the classroom without branded items present, and more organic, individual imaginative play. Thank you.

Casa North would also like to thank all their moms and dads for helping to make this past week’s early-year field trip a success. In talking with the children afterwards, many different “favourite parts” of the trip were revealed, showing us that the children were engaged throughout the whole trip, and  that a variety of interests were touched on, and some new interests sparked.

• Casa North would like to remind everyone to check the Lost and Found regularly, especially as we enter the fall months and the weather becomes more variable throughout the day — sweaters, coats, and hats are sometimes abandoned.

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Elementary:

This week in Elementary, students began work with the Montessori Timeline of Life, beginning their studies of human history all the way back to the Paleozoic era, and the first year students started learning about place value with some new Montessori materials they would not have seen during their Casa days. A few elementary notes:

• The Donkey Sanctuary trip helped set off the Elementary students’ year-long study of equines.
• We are suddenly very short of forks at the Elementary campus. Sometimes, forks borrowed at lunch end up in lunch bags and make their way home. If you have some strange new forks in the drawer, please help them find their way back to school. Thank you.

We also had a surprise visitor knock on the door this week — Mr. Haas and his wife. Mr. Haas’s grandfather trained with Maria Montessori in Amsterdam in 1924. Mr. Haas was a Montessori student himself, in the same classroom that Anne Frank went to Montesori in, and teared up a little looking at our Montessori materials.

Next Week:

• For families of students who require Epi-Pens for anaphylactic allergies, you can register for email notification of your child’s upcoming Epi-Pen expiry using the Anaphylaxis Policy EpiPen® Expiration Reminder Service.
• For our whole school community, please be aware of our current anaphylactic allergy items; we have children with anaphylactic allergies to:
  • Nuts and tree nuts
  • Fish
• It’s a quiet week next week — no field trips or PD Days. Please save the date for your first Parent Education event of the school year coming up on Wednesday, Oct. 3.

Hello Lyonsgate Montessori Families,

Some of your children have just completed their first week of school (ever! for some), and others have two weeks under their belts. It’s been a smooth and comfortable start to the school year. Thank you for helping to make the return to school a great experience for your children.

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The Past Week:

Hello Lyonsgate Montessori Families,

Some of your children have just completed their first week of school (ever! for some), and others have two weeks under their belts. It’s been a smooth and comfortable start to the school year. Thank you for helping to make the return to school a great experience for your children.

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The Past Week:

Toddler:

Your child’s Toddler Montessori guides report a great start to the school year. Starting or returning to school can be tough for toddler children, but they are adjusting to their new routines, in their own unique ways, very well. The Toddler environment also has a new fish named “Iris.”

A few reminders from the Toddler guides:

• Please remember that drop-off in the morning starts at 8:25, unless you registered your child for before school care, which begins at 8:00.
• Also, please remember to label all of your children’s clothing (and shoes, and hats, and bags, and …).
• Finally, we know that starting or returning to school is difficult for toddler parents too; we do ask that, in order to adhere to Lyonsgate’s high standards in Montessori education, parents say goodbye to children outside the Toddler environment. This helps to establish the Montessori environment as the children’s space and place, and also helps the children learn and get used to a consistent parting routine. Thank you.

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Casa:

Casa South found that children entered the first week(s) of school with a good amount of focus and an eagerness  to return to work. A few start-of-the-year reminders from the Casa South guides:

• Please avoid sending children to school in garishly branded clothing or items that have representations of movie or cartoon characters. These items are a significant source of distraction in the Montessori environments. Thank you.
• Also, please remember to check the weather forecast each morning (a great routine children can be included in) and make sure they have weather appropriate clothing for the day, especailly as we move into the autumn months.

Casa North’s first-year children, both new to Lyonsgate and those who are transitioning to Casa from the Toddler enviroment, are doing very well. The older children are also realizing and are excited about their new roles and positions as elder peers, and are helping the new students learn how Casa works. The Casa North Montessori guides have a couple of requests:

• The Flower Arranging job sign up sheet is posted in the hallway outside of Casa North. Please select a date when your child can bring fresh flowers for the class to use.
• Casa North is also putting together a wall of family portrait photographs. Please send along a 4X6 family portrait. Thank you.

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Elementary:

The elementary students have been very happy to return to their familiar Locke St. home, and to see their friends again. The new, first-year elementary students have also found comfort with some familiar friends from their Casa days, and are well on their way to learning how the next stage of their Montessori education works, with even more emphasis on independence and personal responsibility to the community. They’ve had some great community outings already: a neighbourhood scavenger hunt, a bus trip to the library, and an adventure to an organic farm. A few elementary notes:

• The lovely ferns on the Elementary front porch are going to need a home for the winter (and the fall). They are looking for good, green-thumbed homes for a few months. Please let us know if your family would like to care for one or more of the ferns. Thank you.
• Curriculum-wise, elementary students are jumping right into geography, the creation of the universe, and volcanos!

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Next Week:

Remember, Wednesday, Sept. 19, is field trip day:

• Toddler and Casa children will be heading to Brantwood Farm in Brantford (click for map). Their day will begin and end at Dundas Driving Park.
• Please drop Casa children off at Driving Park no later than 8:50. The school bus is scheduled for 9:00.
  • Toddler children, unfortunately, cannot ride the bus and must be accompanied by a parent throughout the field trip.
  • All children (Casa and Toddler) will require a packed, litterless, nut-free lunch to eat at the farm.
  • The Casa bus will return to Driving Park for an afternoon of fun.
  • We should be back at Driving Park about 1:00 (half day pick up will also be at Driving Park, at 1:00).
  • Pick up will be at 3:30. If you would like to pick your child up from Driving Park earlier, please do not leave without checking out with your child’s Montessori guide.
  • There is no before, after, or extended care available on Wed., Sept. 19.

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• Elementary students will be visiting The Donkey Sanctuary. Please drop Elementary students off at Beulah Park no later than 8:50. The school bus is scheduled for 9:00.
  • Elementary children will require a packed, litterless, nut-free lunch to eat on the outing.
  • Students will be returning to the Elementary campus for the afternoon.
  • Pick up will be at the regular time.
  • There is no before, after, or extended care available on Wed., Sept. 19.