Toddler Community Update
Happy Thanksgiving, families! We had a short and busy week including a trip to the Royal Botanical Gardens.
Toddlers enjoyed walking through the gardens, and especially liked seeing animals in nature. We spotted a raccoon and many birds along our nature walk, and even had the opportunity to feed chickadees from our hands! Overall the outing was interactive and the weather couldn't have been better.
We don't have very many updates this week as you will have received an email with some notes earlier today.
Upcoming Dates:
- Wednesday, October 19th - Toddler Social and Parent Education
- Friday, October 28th - Picture Day
- Thursday, November 3rd - Toddler Sing Along
- Friday, November 4th - PD Day
Casa Update
What a full week we had in Casa North! On Wednesday we had a wonderful day out at the RBG.
The children loved going on a nature walk, seeing wildlife, and especially feeding the chickadees! We finished our day on the beautiful natural playground.
Despite having a holidcy and a field trip, the children still experienced beautiful work in the classroom. The older children have enjoyed practicing their cursive writing which is a wonderful example for the younger children of what is to come. Thank you to Coooper G for bringing a snake skin that he found on a family hike - the children loved taking a close look!
We have observed new friendships forming and some wonderful assistance coming from older friends helping with coat zippers and tying shoes in the cloakroom.
Next week:
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Piano lessons/small group lessons will continue for their second week of sessions. Unless parents are otherwise notified, lessons are taking place during school hours.
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We are back to our regular schedule and looking forward to a full week of learning
Upcoming dates to note:
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Thursday, October 27th - Casa Social and Parent Education
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Friday, October 28th - Picture Day
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Thursday, November 3rd - Casa Show and Share
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Friday, November 4th - PD Day
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.