Good Morning Lyonsgate Families,
We have a few warm weather reminders:
- Please apply sunscreen, or have your independent Montessori child apply their own sunscreen, each morning before school. We/they will reapply before mid-day outdoor play. Please send a bottle of your preferred sunscreen (no aerosol/spray bottles please) to use at school, and make sure it is clearly and permanently labelled. Thank you.
- Please ensure students wear sturdy, closed-toe outdoor shoes to school each day. Footwear such as crocs or sandals can lead to injury, or to an inability for your child to engage in active play with their friends. Thank you.
See below for updates from your children’s Montessori levels:
Hello Toddler Families,
Happy May! Spring is a great reminder of the miracle of growth. In this season of life, we have been taking advantage of our outside time, admiring and observing all the growth in our outdoor environment.
As we move towards the end of the school year, we have started to reminisce on our year and all the growth and change the children have accomplished and overcome. We have found ourselves looking at where the children were when they first started in September and realizing how much growth they have achieved.
Constantly observing and offering a hand over the year on our many trips up and down the stairs, and suddenly it seems we have barely any hands to hold. Children came in with few words and now our ears are open to so many elaborate stories it can sometimes seem hard to keep up. We have even had some children pushing their backpacks up and hanging them outside on the higher Casa hooks and shouting “I did it”.
“Let us leave the life free to develop within the limits of the good, and let us observe this inner life developing,” Dr. Montessori’s Own Handbook.
It has been a great pleasure to watch your children grow in so many ways. We look forward to cherishing these last 7 weeks of our school year and are excited to continue to see even more growth and change!
Ms. Relic.
In a Montessori classroom, children are empowered with the responsibility of caring for their surroundings. From mopping up a spill to creating flower arrangements, every task is an opportunity for them to engage in purposeful activities that cultivate respect for their environment. The classroom itself becomes a microcosm of the wider world, where children learn firsthand the importance of consideration, patience, and care.
Through practical life activities such as watering plants, sorting recyclables, or composting organic waste, children develop a connection to nature and an understanding of their role in preserving it. These experiences not only foster a sense of responsibility but also nurture empathy and compassion towards the world around them.
By involving children in the maintenance and organization of their classroom, we promote independence and self-reliance. Children learn to take ownership of their space, making conscious decisions about how to care for it and respecting the efforts of their peers.
This week, we kept noticing our bathroom mirror was cloudy, covered in soapy streaks. Instead of cleaning it ourselves we noticed aloud that it could use some extra care. A child showed interest in cleaning the mirror and so he did, using a spray bottle and cloth. Then he went around cleaning each of the mirrors and accessible windows in the class. The benefits of this approach extend beyond the classroom walls.
In essence, Montessori education goes beyond academics to support small people who embody values of empathy, responsibility, and stewardship. By nurturing children’s innate curiosity and fostering a deep connection to their environment, Montessori classrooms lay the foundation for tomorrow’s leadership.
Ms. Dewey.
Last week, the students enjoyed going out into the community to assist with the annual Kirkendall Neighbourhood Association Food Drive in support of Mission Services. Teams of students were tasked with delivering donation bags to homes along their routes, and were very eager to contribute their time and energy to help others. This year, the children were proud to set a new class record for the number of bags delivered, handing out an astounding 549 bags to make contributing easier for our neighbours! Thank you to those families living outside the neighbourhood who brought in food to donate as well.
It was nice to have so many parents join us last week to find out more about the Montessori math curriculum and fun ways to integrate math practice into your summer plans. Thank you for joining us! We enjoyed sharing with you some of the children’s favourite materials for learning about fractions, and look forward to sharing more of our Montessori principles and practice with you next year!
Marissa and Michelle.
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. Please follow the link in the email version of this update to choose a time for your conference.
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.
Upcoming Dates to Note:
Friday, June 7 – Parent-Teacher Conferences
Monday, June 10 – Elementary Cultural Fair
Friday, June 14 – Elementary Senior Sleepover
