Lyonsgate Weekly Update | March 22, 2019
Hello Lyonsgate Montessori Families,
It was very nice to welcome everyone back from March Break this past week, especially under some warmer, snow-free, skies. We are now into the spring term — the final term of the 2018-2019 school year.
This is the term when Montessori students work to master the new skills and knowkedge they have been developing, and when they start looking ahead to next year; that can mean anticipation of a move into a leadership and mentorship role in their Montessori environment, or it can mean preparing oneself to progress to the next level of Montessori education as a first-year student in Casa or Elementary. It is a time of both conclusion and of progress, nerves and excitement.
Your children’s Montessori guides will be working to make sure everyone is preparing themselves for their next step — academically, emotionally, physically, and socially.
Be sure to read the updates from your children’s Montessori guides.
(We’ll be back to photos next week).
This Week:
Toddler:
Welcome back! We hope that you all had a wonderful March Break! The children have expressed how much they enjoyed the extra time spent at home with you, and they shared details about visits to the grocery store, trips to the park, and surprises from extended family members.
It is wonderful to witness that an explosion of language has occurred among the younger children; they are now forming five word sentences and are able to actively participate in conversations with their older peers. — Ms. Dee
Casa:
Parents: we are looking for donations of plastic bags you may have at home for our Casa classrooms. Our supply is running low. Thank you!
Casa South: A Montessori work cycle is an uninterrupted period of time, in most cases (including at our school) 3 hours in length. During this time, children are able to explore the prepared environment and engage with materials of their own choosing. The classroom environment focuses on concentration, coordination, order, and independence. Children must be given time to fully submerge themselves in their work in order for these traits to manifest. A work cycle would be incomplete without the “Prepared Environment,” a space with materials that spark the child’s interest.
Montessori says that, “…the child can only develop fully by means of experience within their environment …in order for the child to develop, he or she needs to have the chance to focus solely on the materials in the environment …the essential thing is for the task to arouse such an interest that it engages the child’s whole personality.” (The Absorbent Mind)
What we get to see everyday is the child get so engrossed in their work that all other chaos is ignored. If interrupted, they will not truly be able to develop the concentration that allows them to repeat, explore, and discover. When we think of traditional school systems, classrooms are full of interruptions: art time, circle time, dance time, reading time, etc.
You can see the breath of fresh air the child breathes in as they enter their classroom everyday; it’s magical and full of opportunity. It’s their time to develop themselves, at their pace, naturally. — Ms. Moffatt
Casa North: Welcome back, Casa North Families! We hope you had a restful, relaxing, and, most importantly, fun March Break. I’m thrilled to be back in the classroom welcoming your children back to their final term of the year.
This week, I’ve noticed a lot of exploration and imagination in the classroom. Imagination is one of the purest, most beautiful expressions of childhood. We see it all the time in the classroom: the Practical Life materials comprise an entire area of the curriculum that allows the children to explore, create, and nurture themselves and their environment. Imagination in the Montessori environment is always rooted in reality — rather than playing “monsters” or “princesses and superheroes” (which are characters created by adults for children to consume), children are encouraged to explore within their reality. We show them how to build the Pink Tower, but if they choose to build it differently than they are shown and are still learning something, we leave it! So long as they are respecting the materials they are free to take things apart, put materials together, make inferences and connections, and satiate their inner need to be imaginative.
If you’re looking for ways to encourage imaginative work and/or play at home, we encourage you to allow children to get outside and interact with their environment! Boredom is wonderful — it allows children to find creativity and imagination all around them. Make sure they have appropriate clothes on (that are fine to get a little messy!) and have a safe and secure environment, but also allow them to play independently or with other children exclusively. As an adult, one of the best parts of my job is watching what they can really do when it’s as though I’m not there.
As always, we thank you for your dedication to the Montessori philosophy and for sharing your beautiful children with us. We look forward to a great final term! — Ms. Boyle
Elementary:
Salut tout le monde! On vient de passer une bonne semaine ensemble en Français. On travaillait beaucoup, on chantait et on a essayé de parler plus en Français aussi. On a écouté de la musique classique tous les jours, composée par les différents compositeurs Français. Jeudi on a examiné l’art de Matisse et vendredi on a appris un peu sur La Journée Internationale de l’eau. Aussi, on a regardé un film en Français! C’était un grand plaisir de passer une semaine pleine de la culture Française avec vos enfants. Merci à tous et bonne fin de semaine. — Madame Egan
Reminder: On Monday morning, don’t forget to help Elementary children remember to bring a Show-N-Tell item they can present and discuss at Aberdeen Gardens on Wednesday.
Coming Up:
We are free of PD Days, statutory holidays, special events, and snow days (I’m confident I’m not cursing it by saying that!) for the next few weeks. The next dates to keep in mind are the Easter long weekend April 19-22 (no school on Good Friday or Easter Monday), and the next in the series of Parent Education events on April 25.
It’s so nice to have everyone back and to have three solid months, with nice weather, of the school year to go.