update
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…
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.…
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):…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Casa Update
All of our students, new and returning, are now in class after a staggered entry and settling into a nice rhythm. Our new students are beginning to receive presentations with the materials, and returning students have returned to working with materials that they have missed during the summer months. Recycling has been a topic of interest in the classroom this week, and was discussed along with a story about recycling at circle time. Mrs. Kennedy, Miss Boyle and Mme. Murati have been…
Toddler Community Update
As we wrap up our second week in the toddler community, we are already seeing our newest students settling into the classroom well, and our returning students becoming engaged in their classroom work. The beginning of the school year in our toddler community has been ushered in with many happy faces and some transitional tears that are quickly subsiding. Today we began our weekly music and movement program, which the toddlers highly enjoyed! For parents new to the toddler community (and…