Toddler Community Update
Check your inbox for upcoming events and details on your child's new learning journal.
Elementary Update
What a busy week we have had in Elementary!
The elementary class was triumphant at the Cross Country Run in Burlington this week, with all of our students successfully completing the course in LaSalle Park. They showed great sportsmanship as they put forth their best effort and cheered on their classmates. Congratulations go to Estella Hauser and Martha Lyons, who came in 1st and 2nd place overall for girls ages 6 - 9; they will follow up their success by running in the Lee Academy Cross-Country Invitational later this month. We would also like to recognize Claire Sinnott and Ieva Velaniskis for placing 2nd and 3rd in the Grade 1 girls sub-group. Thank you Coach Drew Hauser for guiding us in our training and supporting us on the race day!
The class was busy this week creating plaster replicas of fossilized trilobites, developing map and compass skills as they went in search of geocaches on the Bruce Trail, and sewing bookmarks to use at school. After a great community day at Puddicombe Estate Farms, the class is ready to head to the RBG next week for lessons in Botany and History in the Hendrie Gardens.
Be sure to open the October Newsletter in your inbox to see upcoming events and set up your See Saw account to see your child's photos and updates.
We wish you all a wonderful long weekend!
Ms. Achong & Mme. Prat-Kalonji
Toddler Community Update
Mmmm, fresh bread! The toddler community was smelling wonderful on Thursday, when the toddlers made bread with Miss. Hinzmann.
The children took turns scooping and pouring ingredients, practicing their hand-eye coordination, focus, and concentration.
As we move into colder weather, just a reminder to ensure that your child comes to school prepared for the weather. Rainy days are great for puddle jumping exploration, as long as our little ones are prepared with splash pants and rain boots.
We also request that your toddler comes to school dressed for success in independence. Try to limit dressing your child in onesies and overalls, as this makes it challenging for your child to independently toilet. Your best bet is separate tops, layered, and pants with an elasticized waist. The easier it is for your child to undress and dress themselves, the more successful they will be in achieving independence.
Next Week:
Monday: P.D. Day - No School for Students
Tuesday: Half Day Field Trip to Puddicombe Estate Farms
Reminders:
Permission slips for our RBG field trip went home last night (and some will come home tonight). Please return by Thursday, October 6th. Parents or approved caregivers are once again required to provide transportation and join their toddlers on this trip.
Casa Update
Casa students have continued to show great interest in the puzzle maps this week, as well as the flags.
A favourite activity has been matching the flags. This activity has led to spontaneous conversations among the children, discussing countries they have lived in or visited, and countries in which they have family. A conversation was overheard between two younger Casa students as they matched the Canadian flag.
Student 1: "This is Canada's flag. I live in Canada."
Student 2 (with excitement): "Really? I live in Canada too!!"
In phys. ed. students were introduced to the basics of floor hockey with stick handling and manoeuvring with a stick. The students particularly enjoyed manoeuvring around the pylons in our obstacle course. Next week we will progress to using small pucks.
Next Week:
Monday: P.D. Day - No School for Students
Tuesday: Field Trip to Puddicombe Estate Farms
Reminders:
Permission slips for our RBG field trip went home last night (and some will come home tonight). Please return by Thursday, October 6th. Parents are welcome to join us on the RBG trip, with payment of $17/adult.
Elementary Update
Elementary students began work in Botany this week with an experiment studying the basic needs of plant life.
Students teamed up to make daily observations of plants under different conditions, working together to write descriptions and illustrate how their plant had changed. Our study of the history of life on Earth continues with an exploration of fossils, and the Paleozoic Era.
In Language, the children have been enthusiastically singing songs learned during their A.I.M. French lessons, as well as studying different types of nouns and adjectives. They have also been exploring the French readers and using more conversational French during the work cycle. Work in Math continues to be focused on the four operations using the stamp game and bead frames.
During our Community Outing this week, the class was thrilled to begin cooking in partnership with The Casual Gourmet in Westdale Village, exploring new tastes and learning to cut a variety of vegetables as they assembled their personal pizzas. It was also our first opportunity to wear our new Lyonsgate t-shirts, which should be washed and returned to school at the beginning of each week in preparation for the next Community Outing. Students are welcome to keep their clean t-shirts at school so they are always available when needed.
Next Week:
Monday: P.D. Day - No School for Students
Tuesday: Field Trip to Puddicombe Estate Farms
Wednesday: Cross-Country Run at LaSalle Park **Lyonsgate Shirt, Water Bottle, & Outdoor Running Clothes Needed
Have a wonderful weekend!
Ms. Achong & Mme. Prat-Kalonji
Elementary Update
Students proudly tried on their new Lyonsgate t-shirts on Friday afternoon, following an interesting trip to Next Day T-shirts to learn how computers are used to create decals for shirts, and getting to try out the equipment.
It has been an exciting week in Elementary with the second Great Lesson: The Coming of Life and an exploration of the different eras in Earth's history.
The children were thrilled to begin sewing in the classroom, and to receive an invitation from the Locke Street Library to attend a science workshop about weather where they learned about rainbows.
We would like to extend a big thank you to Estella's dad, Drew Hauser, for volunteering his time and skills to help our students practice for their upcoming cross-country running event. The students enjoyed running the streets and trails around the school, and made it all the way up the Dundurn stairs as a team. Do you have a special skill or talent that you would like to share with our elementary students (basketball, volleyball, stilt-walking)? We'd love to hear from you!
We're looking forward to a trip into Westdale next week!
Casa Update
Puzzle maps and flags have been popular activities in our Casa classroom this week.
Spontaneous presentations on cleaning have been popular, as some of our older students have been showing an interest in caring for their environment.
French songs have been popular in class, and you may hear your children singing 'Pomme de Reneitte, pomme d'Api" at home this weekend. They have also been enjoying reading a french story about apples with Mme. Murati.
At circle time, the children have enjoyed sharing a greeting song that reviews all of their friend's names, as well as their teachers.
Notes for next week:
- Please supply a labeled water bottle for your child to keep at school
- Field trip forms went home today. Please review and return with payment next week.
- If you have received an immunization form, please fill out and return by the end of next week.
Toddler Community Update
Meal times in the toddler community are a time of socialization and learning. Grace and courtesy are integral to our meal time routines.
All toddlers in our community sit at a child-sized table and practice feeding themselves from the first day of school. As they get used to the routines of the classroom, even our newest classmates are now learning grace of movement by setting the table with child-sized dishes and glasses.
This week the dressing frames have been a popular activity in the classroom. Many of our toddlers have been given presentations with the velcro and snap frames, and are now practicing these new skills.
Our days in the toddler community are peppered with song and dance. The current favourite (and most requested) song is 'The Wheels on the Bus'.
Next week we are looking forward to baking bread together.
A special thank you to Bennett's family for providing flowers this week.
Notes to Parents for next week:
- please send your toddlers with labeled, reusable water bottles for the classroom.
- If you have received a vaccination form, please complete and return it by the end of next week.
- Field trip forms were sent home today. Please review, sign and return with your payment next week.
Elementary Update
Our first year of elementary began in a pretty epic way with a hands-on creation of the universe presentation. This is a memorable lesson to begin our school year and includes demonstrations using solids and liquids to show how the continents and oceans first came together.
Lessons like these are an important and unique part of the Montessori curriculum. These lessons are bold, exciting, and are designed to awaken a child's imagination and curiosity. The child should be struck with the wonder of creation, thrilled with new ideas, and awed by the inventiveness and innovation that is part of the human spirit.
In the classroom, children have got right to work with the materials. A favourite activity at the moment is geometry: looking at similar, congruent and equivalent figures. For any classroom questions, please contact marissa@lyonsgate.ca.
The french program is going well. Children are hearing french all day, receiving individual or small group presentations depending on their levels, during the day. They also have a french class three times a week in which they learn, through a french only environment and repetitions, to confidently speak in french. There is no evaluations or individual questioning that could make them uncomfortable. We use the AIM method that combines gestures and oral expressions as a group. The goal is to put together two plays throughout the year. We'll keep in touch and give you more details as rehearsals will start. You received a newsletter that presented the AIM program. If you have any questions about it, feel free to contact Mme. Prat-Kolanji at anne@lyonsgate.ca.
Our first two community outings took us on explorations of our surrounding neighbourhood. The children enjoyed a scavenger hunt on Dundurn and Locke Streets last week, followed by exploration and historical discovery along the Chedoke Rail Trail this week.
In physical education, we are making the most of this beautiful weather by getting outdoors. This month we are running throughout the neighbourhood, working up to a friendly cross-country running event with two other schools in October. Please ensure that your child has running shoes on Thursdays. For any phys. ed. related questions, please contact admin@lyonsgate.ca.