Good Morning Lyonsgate Families,
A few items to note over the next few weeks:
- Elementary Parent Education: Thursday, May 2, 3:30-4:15 p.m. (see below or the school calendar for details).
- Kirkendall Food Drive: Elementary students will be distributing donation bags throughout the neighbourhood. If your family lives outside the neighbourhood but would also like to donate, you are welcome to send in nut-free food and/or hygiene product donations with your child by Friday, May 3, to both Lyonsgate campuses.
- PD Day & Victoria Day: Friday, May 17, and Monday, May 20. Both Lyonsgate campuses will be closed.
- The Neuroscience of Learning in Montessori: Wednesday, May 22. Click here for info and registration [Note: fee-based webinar not affiliated with Lyonsgate, but may be of interest; if registering, enter “Lyonsgate Montessori” as the “Participant School” and “Parent” in the “Position in School” field].
Please see below for updates from your children’s Montessori levels.
Hello Toddler Families,
Can you believe it’s almost May? It seems like such a short time since we were putting on snowsuits and taking off icey, wet mittens. Suddenly there are rain boots, sandals, and the children are taking off their own coats outside as they run and yell “I’m hot!”
It is a joy to experience spring through the eyes of a child. Their rainboots have been put to good use as they splash in puddles on the playground, and hooray, the sandbox is out of winter hibernation! The children have been noticing the new buds on the trees, the climbing squirrels, and the active ants. They hear leaf blowers and the roar of motorcycles. Our snack outside a few weeks ago has been asked about often and we look forward to doing it again …as soon as we don’t need those rain boots quite so much!
Vanessa Findlay RECE.
Its hard to believe that summer is approaching and we only have 8 weeks left of the school year. With the changing weather, please make sure you child is dressing accordingly. As the days get sunnier, feel free to send in a bottle of sunscreen in its original container with your child’s name on it for application before recess (please apply at home before school too).
It has been great to watch your children grow and change both physically and emotionally throughout this year. As the end of the year approaches, we look back on all that the children have accomplished: some starting at a new school, a new classroom, and some taking on the role of being a “third year” and all that it entails. It’s been wonderful seeing the communities that both Casa classrooms have become and all the relationships and bonds that have been made.
“There is a great sense of community within the Montessori classroom, where children of differing ages work together in an atmosphere of cooperation rather than competitiveness. There is respect for the environment and for the individuals within it, which comes through experience of freedom within the community.” — Maria Montessori.
Casa Team.
Today! Monday, April 29 — Community Service for the Kirkendall Food Drive
Hello Elementary Parents,
The Elementary students will be performing some community service today, in support of our neighbourhood food drive. Working in small teams, the students will deliver food drive collection bags to the front doors of nearby streets. Residents simply put food and hygiene donations in the bag provided and place it on their doorstep on Saturday, May 4, for collection.
Please remind your child to come prepared with their red Lyonsgate t-shirt to wear during this community outing.
If your family lives outside the neighbourhood but would also like to donate to the food drive, you are welcome to send in nut-free donations with your child by Friday, May 3. We will be putting together a collection bag at school as well! Donations can be droppoed off at both the Elementary and Primary campuses.
Thursday, May 2 — Parent Education Event
Our next Parent Education event will be taking place after school on Thursday, May 2, from 3:30-4:15. Parents are invited to join Marissa and Michelle to learn more about our math curriculum through a series of lessons with the Montessori materials, as well as activities to help your child maintain their math skills over the summer break.
Please note, all Elementary students will be traveling to the HAAA at 3:20 that day ahead of the parent presentation.
Students whose families are attending the parent education event will be included in the aftercare program (with no charge). These students will return to the Elementary campus by 4:30. All other students will be dismissed from the HAAA park between 3:30-3:45 p.m.
Please email elementary@lyonsgate.ca with how many adults are planning to attend, and whether you require Elementary or Casa child care that day, by Tuesday, April 30.
Friday, May 17 — P.D. Day/Elementary Learning Resource Conferences
While the campus will be closed to students, staff will be on-site refreshing the classroom and preparing lessons for the rest of the term. Parents of students who routinely work with our learning resource specialist, Kim, are invited to schedule a parent-teacher conference with her that day. Check next week’s update for the link to sign-up for a conference time.
Thursday, May 30 — 6th Year Graduation Trip
Our classroom elders will be celebrating their graduation from Lyonsgate this year with a day trip to Toronto to visit the Royal Ontario Museum. Students attending the trip should arrive at the West Harbor GO Station between 8:45-9:00 a.m. to meet up with the group and be ready to board the Lakeshore West train to Toronto. Students will require their red Lyonsgate t-shirt, a Presto card to travel the GO and TTC transit systems, a small water bottle, as well as a packed lunch and snacks. We anticipate returning home on a mid-afternoon train, with student pick-up at the West Harbor GO Station at 4:15 p.m.
from the Classroom Historians
Colin and Beck.
