Jason Phillips

Hello Lyonsgate Montessori Families,

Next week is the last week before the winter holiday break. See below for details of the Winter Concert on our last day — Thursday, Dec. 20 — and we are back for the winter term on Monday, January 7.

Over the break, please take a few moments to complete your registration for the 2019.2020 school year, if you have not done so already. We will be building next year’s class lists and offering spots to people on our wait lists soon.

Please click here to complete and submit your application form, one per child. [Please Note: if you’re using form autofill features, please double-check that the information is correct.]

Fee Schedules and payment information can be found here (scroll down to the 2019.2020 section), or as attachments to your Dec. 3 “2019.2020 Lyonsgate Registration” email.

Thank you for continung to choose Montessori education for your children, and for trusting Lyonsgate to provide an Montessori experience for your children.

---

In the spirit of the season, our Elementary students want to thank you for all of your generous donations to their Hamilton Out of the Cold charitable ventures. Our small community managed to compile an impressive amount toothbrushes and paste, hot drink mix, and other essential items to help make those in desperate need a little more comfortable.

You will have one more  opportunity to help on Tuesday, Dec. 18. The Elementary students will be holding a “Holiday Art and Decoration” sale at both campuses starting at 3:15. They are working hard on creating an inventory of unique decorations. They will also be accepting donations of toothbrushes, toothpaste, and  hot drink mix (as well as other essentials) that day.

This Week:

Toddler:

In four short months, the Toddlers have proven that they have a constructive power that allows them to develop their unique potential. I am continuously fascinated by their sense of wonder that fosters their engagement and interest in the classroom. They do not seem to be hindered by time, weather, or circumstances — they let their curiosity lead the way.

I have witnessed an explosion of language, and their conversations cover various topics from weekend occurrences to trips to the grocery store. The Toddler’s sense of order is evident by their ability to place materials back on the shelf and tucking chairs away following usage. The beat of a drum, the chime of a xylophone, and the staccato of maracas can often be heard by adults walking in the hall. The practical life activities reinforce that they are contributing members of their community and will rush to mop up a spill, prepare and serve themselves snack, and care for the plants in the classroom. A strong ability to care for themselves is evident through underwear transitions and the sound of “I did it!” that often follows a successful washroom trip. The majority of the Toddlers are able to get themselves ready for recess — involving difficult tasks such as snow pants, zipping up coats, and putting mittens on their hands.

With the end of the first term come changes. We have two wonderful children transitioning to Casa, and three new beautiful children joining us in the New Year. In some ways it will feel like September again, but I will revel in it because I know that their time in the Toddler room is limited.

I want to thank all of you for those memories; your children amaze me every day and they each represent an important puzzle piece to our little community. I am elated to see what the new term will bring — the rise of leaders, Casa-style presentations, challenging materials, and the bittersweet Casa visits. I will be thinking of them and I look forward to hearing highlights from their winter break.

Wishing you all a happy, healthy, and inspiring holiday season and New Year.

---

Casa:

Casa South: As usual, the first semester has gone by in a flash! It is amazing to see the growth of the children in such a short amount of time — socially, emotionally, physically and academically. Watching children develop their independence and confidence is a true pleasure, and we are so grateful to be a part of these formative years.

Making school a place the children want to be is our main objective — a foundation for enjoyable educational experiences. This semester, we were excited to see children reading books, making snacks for one another, and working with addition equations; we can’t wait to see what is in store in the new year!

We wish everyone a wonderfully relaxing holiday season. We hope you make lots of memories, snowmen, and cookies.

Lots of love from Casa South.

Casa North: I can’t believe our first term is coming to a close. The children in Casa North have been working hard to refine skills, self-regulate, cultivate bonds, and have fun! I’m so proud of their progress. As the classroom settles into its natural routine, I have found more opportunity to sit back, observe, and enjoy the process of being with your children each day. When you really take the time to watch what the children are doing and the problem solving skills that develop when they are learning in a carefully curated environment, the things you see are amazing. Our roles as adults in the classroom are to fade into the background as much as possible to allow the children to take ownership of the space that is theirs. Sometimes, the most important part of my job is to have a meaningful conversation with your child, enjoy sitting with them during their lunch, or simply sit and watch them show me what they can do.

I’m grateful to spend my days with your children, and we thank you so much for your kindness and support. Enjoy the break and have a safe and happy holiday. We can’t wait to greet your children with a handshake and a smile come 2019!

---

Elementary:

‘Tis the season to be merry! The Elementary class has been joyfully immersed in their outreach activities this week in support of the Hamilton Out of the Cold project! From writing publicity emails requesting donations to a handwritten letter inviting the charity’s founder to visit, creating posters and strategically posting them on Locke Street, as well as crafting goods for the sale next week, all of our students have given generously from their hearts. It has been an empowering process for our young students as they find meaningful ways they can help those who are less fortunate.

An essential part of the Montessori Elementary program is the recognition of each individual having an important role within a community, and the ability of even our youngest students to take positive action. We thank everyone who has supported their endeavour by donating dental hygiene items, food, or drinks to the project.

The classroom has also been bursting with music this week, from carols being picked out on the piano by keen musical ears, to creating notation systems and experimenting with minimalist music with our extraordinary neighbourhood musician, Mr. Ben.

We’ve had a wonderful first term together, and wish you and your families the happiest of holidays together. Best wishes for the new year!

---

Next Week:

We’ll see you all for the Winter Concert on Thursday, Dec. 20. Please arrive between 2:00-2:25 to chat with fellow parents and find seating. The concert will start at 2:30.

When arriving at the school, please come to the regular school entrance, where children are dropped off each morning, and we will greet you and escort you to the auditorium. Please do not use the main synagogue entrance.

A few families have asked and yes, we do have room for grandparents and other family members.

We are expecting the concert to last approximately one hour — until about 3:30 — after which the winter break begins.

Please remember that there is no after school or extended care after the concert.

We return to school for the winter term on Monday, January 7.

Have a wonderful time with family and friends Lyonsgate community.

Hello Lyonsgate Montessori Families,

Thank you all for making the time come in and meet with your children’s Montessori guides last week, and for taking the time to observe in the Montessori environments throughout the month.

We are back to regular updates from your children’s guides this week with notes about what’s new and exciting in the classrooms, reminders and requests, and what Montessori materials and activities are in heavy rotation.

This Week:

Toddler:

The toddlers have been learning their last names — they’ve even started introducing themselves by their first and last name! The children have also begun to recognize their written names — in the shoe compartments, extra clothing bins, and their name tags (used for setting up for lunch).

With the winter concert approaching, we have been hearing a lot of humming and buzzing. The children have been practicing every day and are excited to perform!

---

Casa:

Casa South: Casa South has some new food prep materials — slicing an egg and juicing an orange. In the new year, we will be seeking donations of eggs and oranges every two weeks for these new classroom activities. Food preparation, either these specific activities or other Montessori jobs, such as helping to prepare snack or lunch, is a key to unlocking independence for children. They are also a way for children to develop positive relationships with food by preparing it for themselves, helping themselves at lunch, and enjoying the (sometimes literal) fruits of their labour. We are also starting to make cinnamon raisin bread to make the classroom smell more festive.

Helping with food preparation and serving, and cleaning up, are also great activities to include children in at home.

Casa North: Firstly, I want to thank everyone for taking the time to connect with me to discuss your children and their accomplishments. Parent teacher conferences are always so nice because they allow me to reflect on each child’s progress as an individual as well as the community as a whole. I’m grateful to spend my days with your children, and I thank you for your continued support of the Montessori program.

One of the things that I love about the Casa environment is the children’s eagerness to practice grace and courtesy. This week, on one particular day, I invited three children to do some “grace and courtesy skits.” We acted out Greeting and Introducing, Picking Up What Someone Dropped, and Inviting Someone In. In each instance, I would demonstrate how to move, what to say, and how to say it. As this presentation progressed, other children gradually joined and were included seamlessly. In the Montessori Casa environment, we want respect, kindness, and courtesy to be imbued in everything we do, but we also set time aside to practice these things as their own focused presentations. The children absolutely love getting to act out these skits, and I love watching them carry these values forward in the classroom all the time.

---

Elementary:

This week, our focus in Elementary has shifted to community outreach. This year, we are working to help Hamilton Out Of The Cold . Please read the following message from our Elementary students:

Dear Parents,

Lyonsgate Montessori Elementary is having a fundraiser for Hamilton Out of the Cold. Out of the Cold helps homeless and nearly homeless. We are making decorations and art to sell. You can buy decorations and art or donate hot drink mix (preferably tea), toothbrushes, and toothpaste. There will be donation boxes on the front porch of the Elementary building and in the entrance to the Primary campus each day from Tuesday, Dec. 11, until Friday, Dec. 14. Our sale will be at both Lyonsgate campuses on Tuesday, Dec. 18, at the end of the school day.

---

Next Week:

Next week is the second-last week of the first term, and the last full week of school.

The Winter Concert will take place on Thursday, Dec. 20. Parents are welcome to arrive starting at 2:00 p.m. in order to chat and be seated for the concert to start at 2:30. We anticipate the concert running until approximately 3:30, after which we will depart for the winter break.

Please Note: there is no after or extended care on Thursday, Dec. 20, after the concert.

We return to school on Monday, January 7, 2019.

Hello Lyonsgate Montessori Families,

It’s been a busy month, and a busy week this past week with observations and parent-teacher conferences taking place. That said, we’re giving your children’s Montessori guides a break from the updates this week as they have been putting in a lot of extra time preparing to meet with you.

We do have photos of your little Montessorians engaged in their Montessori work this week, including an adorable treat for you in the Toddler section.

This Week:

Toddler:

Each day, Ms. Covic, our food and kitchen coordinator, creates a beautiful animal sculpture as part of the snack food that is delivered to the Toddler environment:

---

Casa:

---

Elementary:

---

Next Week:

Looking ahead now that we are entering December, we are only two-and-a-bit weeks away from the winter break. The last day of school is Thursday, December 20. The Winter Concert will take place at 2:30 that day and then we are off until Monday, January 7. (Please note: there is no after or extended care on Thursday, Dec. 20.)

Hello Lyonsgate Montessori Families,

Parent observations are continuing for one more week, and parent-teacher conferences take place on Friday, Nov. 30. Remember, both Lyonsgate campuses will be closed on Friday for the conferences. There is no school that day, but childcare will be available during your conference timeslot. If you still need to sign up for an observation or a conference time, it’s not too late.

• Click here to sign up for a parent observation in your child’s Montessori environment.

Please do your best to be on time for your conference, and do not stay longer than your selected timeslot. In order to keep everyone on schedule, we have to be strict with the 20-minute allocations. Thank you.

• Click here to sign up for a parent-teacher conference.

---

The December Scholastic catalogues are coming home today, Friday, Nov. 23. These are the Christmas ones. To ensure arrival of any gift items in time for the holidays, the due date for orders is Wednesday, Nov. 28 (both online orders and returned paper forms, with cheques; please do not send cash with paper orders). If you would like to keep any  Scholastic gift orders secret, please let us know; we’ll let you know when they arrive so that you can sneak them home.

This Week:

Toddler:

This week, our little Toddler community would like to thank all of our families for their great protein contributions to our daily snack menu. It is quite the topic of conversation amongst the children, which gives us opportunities for language instruction around topics such as colour, texture, flavour, and taste. Continuing these types of discussions at home during meal times is a great way to support your children’s learning.

We’d also like to stress the importance of movement for young children. For example, let children walk independently in and out of school rather than being carried. This is a great start to their Montessori school days where independence and doing things for ourselves is the goal. Space and time to perform tasks independently has positive impacts on children’s senses of self-awareness and self-confidence. When movement is involved the brain is stimulated differently than when one is passive, and is very important for intellectual development.

Finally, another reminder to please check the weather forecst every day and to make sure toddlers have appropriate outdoor clothing to keep them warm. And don’t forget to label everything.

---

Casa:

Casa South: Parents aren’t the only ones observing in Casa South these days. Montessori students are welcome to observe other students working with materials. Just like when parents observe, they watch quietly without interrupting the children working. Often, observations in the classroom involve younger students watching older children work with Montessori materials the younger child may not be presented and invited to work with for quite some time. However, the observation is still a valuable practice. Many materials are sequential and something an older child is working with may be a more sophisticated version of a material the younger child knows, so the observation allows the child to see what’s to come, and often provides incentive to master initial materials in order to be presented with the later material.

Peer learning and modeling is a key aspect of Montessori education.

If you’ve noticed  that Casa South children have been singing to themselves at home lately, we’re hearing it here too. Our Holiday Concert practise has led to random acts of song as children sing while they work. It’s absolutely lovely!

Casa North: This week in Casa North has really shown the children’s ability to re-center in moments of high energy. We have been working on deep breathing and meditation this week! The children love to sit with me, close their eyes, and focus on their breath. When guided through these exercises, it never ceases to amaze me that children between the ages of 2-6 are able to reflect so articulately and beautifully how they feel.

“I feel like a fluffy marshmallow,” or “I feel like a cozy fireplace,” are some of my favourites!

Movement, and control of movement, is a central focus in the Montessori environment and I love spending time with the children to really focus on it.

---

Elementary: 

Busy days as always at the Elementary campus this week, and off campus. We have been learning about how to frame investigations about other cultures (see below re. our trip to McMaster) with the Montessori History Question Charts, as well as letter writing in English and in heiroglyphs (keep an eye on your mailbox), and lots of math work, progressing to new levels of abstraction by working with new materials, or, for our older students, moving away from the materials to working abstractly with paper and our brains.

We also made our way to the McMaster Museum of Art to experience Ursula Johnson’s Mi’kwite’tmn (Do You Remember) exhibit of Mi’kmaw basketry and art. This was an especially enjoyable artistic experience for the students as they had the opportunity to handle and touch some of the pieces and learn a little bit about the archive and information process behind the exhibit as well. The McMaster Museum of Art is a bit of a hidden treasure and is a great addition to your list of warm, indoor things to do during the winter months, plus it’s free!

Next week, we are back at Aberdeen Gardens for our Wednesday community outing. Please help your children remember to choose and bring a show and tell item on Monday. We like to take a couple of days to practice what we are going to present to the seniors about our items.

---

Next Week:

One more reminder just to make sure nobody misses it: both Lyonsgate Montessori campuses (Primary on Aberdeen and Elementary on Locke) will be closed on Friday, Nov. 30, for parent-teacher conferences. Childcare will be available during your conference timeslot.

Please do your best to be on time for your conference, and do not stay longer than your selected timeslot. In order to keep everyone on schedule, we have to be strict with the 20-minute allocations. Thank you.

Click here to sign up for a conference with your child’s Montessori guide.

Hello Lyonsgate Montessori Families,

School Photos

Today — Friday, Nov. 16 — is the deadline to submit Casa and Toddler school photo orders if you want to order them through the school. If you miss this deadline, school photos can still be ordered online.

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Remember that parent-teacher conferences are coming up at the end of the month and they may require some schedule juggling. Conferences with your child’s Montessori guide will take place on Friday, Nov. 30. There is no school that day. Both Lyonsgate campuses will be closed for the conferences. There are a few after school timeslots available earlier in the week, but the majority will take place on the Friday, starting at 8:00 a.m. Childcare will be available during your conference timeslot.

Please click the relevant link to select a conference time in your children’s Montessori environments:

• Toddler with Ms. Dee, click here

• Casa North with Ms. Boyle, click here

• Casa South with Ms. Moffatt, click here

• Elementary with Marissa, click here

Lost Sweater

Has anyone found a sweater that looks just like this, but grey. It is Cat & Jack (Target) brand and is size S (6/6x). It was brand new, being worn for the first time, and the child thinks it went home in someone else’s bag. It’s safe and happy return would be very much appreciated.

Clothing Store Extension

There have been a few updates to the Lyonsgate clothing online store, so the deadline has been extended until Sunday, November 18, at 10:00 p.m.

Click here to access the Lyonsgate clothing store

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.

It’s sweater weather!

This Week:

Toddler:

The Toddler children have had a busy week (so busy we didn’t get a chance to take any photos)! They are focused and are eager for new presentations of Montessori activities.

A few tasks have been introduced: setting up tables for lunch, snack preparation, and bringing compost and recycling to the kitchen area.

The older Toddler children are also functioning as great leaders in the environment. They play a very important role in our little community by helping the younger children learn and adapt to our routines.

We’d like to add a reminder this week to make sure children are coming to school each day with outdoor clothing appropriate for active outdoor play, especially now that winter is here. Outdoor activity is essential for chidlren’s health, development, and learning, so we are outside everyday in all but the most inclement of weather. Boots, warm coats, snow pants, and warm hats and mittens that fit properly are essential items (please try to avoid fabric, woven, or knit gloves and mittens; they get soggy wet almost right away and little hands end up freezing cold). Please remember to label everything.

Note: please remember that Lyonsgate has a number of nut allergies and to make sure children do not have peanut butter debris on hands and clothing when they arrive to school. Thank you.

---

Casa: 

The new-school-year jitters have passed (for the most part) and your children are more comfortable each day in their new environments and with new classmates. This comfort level is reflected in both Casa guide’s updates this week as they reflect on how socialization is a developing and essential part of the children’s days.

Just in case you skipped ahead and missed it in the Toddler section, we’d like to add a reminder this week to make sure children are coming to school each day with outdoor clothing appropriate for active outdoor play, especially now that winter is here. Outdoor activity is essential for chidlren’s health, development, and learning, so we are outside everyday in all but the most inclement of weather. Boots, warm coats, snow pants, and warm hats and mittens that fit properly are essential items (please try to avoid fabric, woven, or knit gloves and mittens; they get soggy wet almost right away and little hands end up freezing cold). Please remember to label everything.

Casa South: Casa South is seeing a wonderful increase the children’s socialization recently. Working together is a very important part of children’s Montessori education. Social work helps us to learn to take turns (and to be patient), to discuss and resolve conflicts and disagreements, to help each other learn by sharing knowledge and skills, and to allow grace and courtesy to flourish. In the photo of the children mixing, they naturally passed the mixer along to each other without having to be asked to do so.

There has also been a lot of early math work in Casa South this week.  You will see in the photos a number of children working with Montessori materials that help them to make the association between quantity and numeracy. Learning numbers is one thing, but making the connection between the numeric symbols and the quantities they represent is a key ground upon which to build math skills.

The photo of Ms. Moffatt with a book is because we just chose our winter concert song so we got a book from the library about the Beatles…

Casa North: This week in Casa North, Mr. Davis, Mademoiselle Peat, and I have been noticing the importance and value of socialization as an integral part of the environment.

Often, when we as adults take the time to really step back and observe the children, what might appear to be disruptive is in fact beautiful and purposeful socialization. The children have been craving group work and have found ways to integrate the materials into their social time in the classroom. They love to have conversations about any and everything — from their extra curricular activities, to facts about insects, to volcanic eruptions, and more — and their perspective on life is refreshing and inspiring. I’m proud to work in an environment that supports them in their need for this development.

---

Elementary:

In Elementary this past week, children at different levels have been exploring demonstrations of basic physics and the compostion of the Earth.

First year students had the opportunity to re-visit an experiment on states of matter, but this time were responsible for gathering the materials and using the hot plate safely on their own to transform an ice cube from solid, to liquid, to gas. Older students explored the composition of the lithosphere, with continental plates made of basalt forming our ocean floors, and continents of granite that continue to move across the Earth.

All of our students enjoyed a community outing to the Central Library this week, working in the S.T.R.E.A.M. (science, technology, reading, engineering, art, math) activity room to explore basic coding with Ozobots.

The first snowfall also meant it was time to apply our knowledge of fractions in the kitchen to prepare a batch of hot chocolate to share on a chilly Friday!

---

Next Week:

Toddler-to-Casa Orientation

A reminder from Mrs. Lyons to parents that have a child in their second year of the Toddler environment whom is eligible for our Casa programme next September: we are offering an introduction to the Casa programme on Thursday, November 22, from 4:00-5:00 p.m. Although it seems far off, we do start registration in December.

Come with your questions about the Casa programme and your child’s transition, and I will hopefully have the answers. You will learn the key differences between the Toddler programme and the Casa programme, and find out more about your child’s next stage of development. Child care will be provided.

Please RSVP to rachel@lyonsgate.ca and let me know who will be attending from your family and if your child will need childcare.

Re-Enrolment for the 2019.2020 School Year

In case everyone else read that and is wondering, re-enrolment for the 2019.2020 school year will commence in early December. We are moving to online registration forms this year and have updated them to meet some new legislative requirements and to clarify and improve the information we gather. More details and information about registration at Lyonsgate will accompany the new forms.

Adorable Montessori Story Time

This fine young Casa man is engaged with the Montessori Flower Arranging activity. He has a younger brother in the Toddler program who also completed a Flower Arranging activity and brought his finished product to his brother’s class as a present. While trying to place it on a high-for-a-toddler shelf, it was spilled. Without being asked, the child above went over, cleaned up his brother’s spilled flower arrangement, took out the same materials, completed his own flower arrangement, and then delivered it to the Toddler room. Have a kind, thoughtful, considerate weekend everyone.

Hello Lyonsgate Montessori Families,

This week, we want to give you a perspective on your children’s Montessori environments from their classroom assistants. Montessori assistants have a vital role in the environment — they help children work to master materials they have been presented, help to manage the room when the guide is engaged in giving presentations, perform a plethora of daily housekeeping duties, help your children learn French, and form part of the team of Montessori educators that are constantly guiding your children’s development through observation, engagement, and collaboration.

Toddler parents, Mlle. Noordham has your update for you this week. Casa North parents will find an update from Mr. Davis, and Casa South’s comes to you from Mlle. Paul. Elementary families have an update from Jason.

Observations Continuing

If you haven’t signed up for an observation time in your child’s Montessori environment, you can still do so. Click here to read the Lyonsgate “Observation Guidelines” and to select a timeslot.

One Way Parking Lot Reminder

We had another close call this past week. Please remember that the synagogue parking lot is one way. Please enter the parking lot off Cottage Ave. and exit through the laneway to Mountain Ave. Thank you.

This Week:

Toddler:

C’est incroyable comment les enfants conprennent et repondent en français! Quand les enfants ont commencé en Septembre il etait difficile pour eux de me comprendre. Maintainent, les enfants parlent avec moi et utilisent les mots en français comme, “Bonjour,” “Si vous plait,” “Ça va?”  “Non merci,” “Au revoir,” et “D’accord”. C’est fantastique!

It is very helpful when you, as the parent, speak to me in French even if it is a simple “Bonjour.” It encourages the children to try to speak in French as well.

The children have been enjoying group activities this week, in both French and English. We have also started brushing teeth after lunch, a wonderful care-of-self activity.

A reminder if your child is toilet training to check their backpacks or daily log sheet to see if your child requires more clothing items.

---

Casa: 

Some of you received this as an email earlier this week, but just as a reminder to everyone:

Lately there have been a lot of contraband items in students’ backpacks and pockets — toys and snacks.
Unfortunately, we have to ask that all toys stay at home (excluding stuffed animals for nap time). They have become very distracting, even if they are promised to stay in backpacks and bins. Thank you for your understanding.

Casa South: The role of the French assistant in Casa South involves more than speaking French to the children. It is important to redirect children who may be interrupting another child’s presentation with Ms. Moffatt, or who are disrupting other children trying to work or being unsafe in the classroom.

When redirecting children, they are not getting in trouble. I will walk over to the child, get down to their level and speak softly but firmly, giving an option of work they’ve been shown (and like to work on) and that they can choose from — Montessori freedom within limits. It can be too confusing if you give children too many options, but selection from limited set of options allows them to make their own choices.

Other responsibilities of the Casa South French assistant include measuring children’s height each month, preparing snack in the afternoon (lots of French vocabulary there!), working with classified card groups with the children, and one-on-one work.

With French specifically, I use lots of gestures, repetition, and never dumb anything down, even if they don’t understand a French word yet. I also add French to work they’ve been shown in English (ex.: rough and smooth = rugueux et lisse).

Casa North: Casa North has been a flurry of activity and discovery over the past couple of weeks; the smell of freshly baked bread seems to always be in the air, towers are being built, buttons are being sewn, spills are being made and they are also diligently tidied up!

As an assistant, I continually marvel at the growth of our returning students and the resilience of our first year children, who are becoming ever more self-sufficient in both the cloakroom, classroom, and playground.

Mademoiselle Peat has been a great addition to the Casa North team and the enthusiastic sing-a-longs during French Gathering are a welcome end to our day in the classroom.

---

Elementary:

It has been a busy couple of months for me, as well as your kids, as I have learned to find my way at a new school. I can relate to many of the Elementary students who have started at Lyonsgate this year, or who have moved over to the Locke St. Elementary campus after years of Toddler and Casa at the Primary campus. Together, we are discovering our roles and building relationships, not always an easy, smooth, trouble-free task for any of us.

The elementary years are all about working on things, and working things out, together. Children at this stage of development are continuing to progress academically, but are doing so within an increasingly important social context. Elementary children are taking the knowledge they are acquiring and figuring out how to express it to the world (and, just as importantly but not so obviously, how to express it to themselves). Work is mostly done with partners or in groups, and our regular outings into the broader community are essential for students to experience the influence, significance, and consequences of social relationships.

In Montessori parlance and in some approaches to holistic education, the expression of children’s relationships to the world around them is called “spirit.” Another term that represents this notion is “social”  (the physical, mental, emotional, and social are the four aspects of holistic education and learning). The spirit of the children in the Lyonsgate Elementary program is vibrant, noisy, passionate, caring, at some times tense and at other times joyful, full of fears and apprehensions, and of determination and pride, and is expressed with laughter and tears and smiles and pouting and hugs and selfishness and grace and courtesy, and I wouldn’t want to see it any other way.

A Request Please: If there are changes to your child’s regular dismissal routine, please email jason@lyonsgate.ca to  let us know. Sometimes the kids tell us something different is happening, only to be mistaken. The earlier in the day you can let us know the better. Also, if you are picking up from the Elementary campus please do not come to the gate before 3:30. Thank you.

This week, two of our Elementary students created their own song to help them learn the six-times multiplication table:

{youtube}B1wYB7X4V1M{/youtube}

Next Week:

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Not next week, but coming up and may require some schedule juggling. Conferences with your child’s Montessori guide will take place on Friday, Nov. 30. There is no school that day. Both Lyonsgate campuses will be closed for the conferences. There are a few after school timeslots available earlier in the week, but the majority will take place on Friday, starting at 8:00 a.m. Childcare will be available during your conference timeslot.

Please click the relevant link to select a conference time in your children’s Montessori environments:

• Toddler with Ms. Dee, click here

• Casa North with Ms. Boyle, click here

• Casa South with Ms. Moffatt, click here

• Elementary with Marissa, click here

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.

---

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.

---

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.

---

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.”

---

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.

---

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.