Toddler
I can hardly believe that the year is almost over. It seems like only yesterday that we were meeting some of the children for the first time. How strange it must have been to be away from home and greeted by strangers wearing masks and shields. It is inspiring how they have been able to grow and thrive during such unusual times.
The leaps made by the toddlers never fail to amaze me. The friendships, vocabulary, coordination, and personalities that develop between the beginning and end of the year is astonishing. I am so excited for the future ahead for the Toddler Community. I will miss those that are moving on, but I am confident that they will find joy and success on the next stop of their adventure. It has been an honour getting to know them.
Mr. Davis.
Casa North
Early this week a child asked me “What does cycle mean?” and it sparked such a wonderful conversation about the patterns we see in life. We talked about the tides, day and night, the life cycles of plants and animals, and the routines of our own days and years. We’ve all been acutely aware that the school year is coming to an end. It’s an exciting time but always feels somewhat melancholy for me. We’ve spent ten months working so closely with your children, caring for them, watching them grow, and June feels like “Goodbye.” I’m immensely proud of how hard each of the students has worked and how much they’ve grown since September. I look forward to next year with our returning students, and wish the best to our friends who are moving on to a new cycle in their lives.
Thank you so much for a beautiful year,
Ms. Dewey.
Casa South
Dear Casa South Families,
It has been a pleasure getting to know and to work with your children. I have seen them grow in many ways from forming friendships to learning new practical skills. As a new assistant coming in early in January, I learnt they had been through a few changes already, so I am very thankful for them welcoming me and that we developed trusting relationships since then, especially during a constantly changing pandemic. There have been many sweet moments, moments of working through emotions, and moments that made me laugh. There have been exciting breakthrough moments, many moments of listening and learning, and moments filled with hugs. I have to once again thank Ms. Robinson and Mme Perazzo for guiding me and being natural leaders. I’ve learned so much from them. I also want to thank Mrs. Kennedy & Mrs. Lyons for bringing me into the Lyonsgate family, as it has been a wonderful experience.
I hope everyone has a safe and lovely summer, and ones full of adventure!
Best Wishes,
Ms. Jefferies.
Elementary
It has been an exciting week at Elementary! The students were thrilled to share some of their recent work with you at the Cultural Fair. Thank you for joining us to explore the terrain, weapons, homes, clothing, toys, and foods of ancient Rome. Through the past few weeks, students learned about the political evolution of ancient Rome from kingdom to republic to empire. This set the foundation for the class to learn more about Canadian democracy, political parties, and current issues in Ontario. Older students were asked to work in small groups to complete the challenge of building the tallest marshmallow and toothpick tower possible — with one important twist: they had to operate under the political structure assigned to the group: a dictatorship, an oligarchy, a democracy, or an anarchy. All of our students discussed the concept of political parties and identified issues that are important right now to people living in Ontario. On June 2, the students eagerly lined up at the Lyonsgate polling station with their voter id cards, ready to cast their ballots in the Student Vote. They loved checking in with the poll clerks, receiving instructions from the deputy returning officers, and going behind the voting screen to make their mark under the watchful eye of our scrutineers. Andrea Horvath, representing the NDP in Hamilton Centre, received 45% of our students’ votes, followed by the Green Party with 31%, and the Liberal Party and PC Party tied at 10% each. We look forward to examining our Student Vote election results, as well as those from other schools in our neighbourhood and province, and comparing them to the official results of the provincial election.
Next Thursday, June 9, all Elementary students will be heading outdoors for the morning work cycle! Students in first and second year will be exploring plants in our neighbourhood and the Hill Street Community Garden, while students in years 3-6 will be learning about the Niagara Escarpment while hiking a section of the Bruce Trail. Students should come prepared with a small water bottle they can carry, a hat, closed toe shoes, and comfortable clothing for active learning. They may also wish to apply sunscreen before coming to school.
With so many interesting things still to learn, it’s hard to believe that summer break is only a few weeks away! We are looking forward to hosting two weeks of camp for elementary students this summer, with lots of science, art, outdoor games, and water play. If your child would like to join us for some fun and adventure, please register for camp by Monday, June 20. Camp fees are due upon registration and can be paid via e-transfer to accounts@lyonsgate.ca or by cheque made out to “Lyonsgate Montessori School Inc.” and dropped off at the Primary campus.
We wish you a happy weekend ahead!
Warmly,
Marissa and Michelle.
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