Good Morning Lyonsgate Parents,
There are two Parent Education events taking place this week on Thursday, Nov. 28, both from 3:30-4:15:
- Primary Campus for Casa and Toddler Parents: At the Primary (Aberdeen) campus, Lyonsgate principal, Rachel Lyons, will be presenting “The Beauty of the Three Year Casa Cycle”:
- We invite all Toddler and Casa families to attend a Parent Education event on Thursday, November 28, from 3:30-4:15 p.m. hosted by Lyonsgate principal, Rachel Lyons. We will dive into the importance of a full three (or four, depending on your child’s date of birth)-year term in the Casa classroom, and the advantage of it for your child’s physical, emotional, social, and intellectual growth. Learn how we progress from pouring rice to reading and writing, and from washing a table to multiplication. Learn how the activities are interconnected, and how the child’s process of observation and practice leads to strong self-esteem. The full Casa cycle sets your child up for success in their future learning adventures, and we would love to share how. Please plan to join us! Click to RSVP to The Beauty of the Three Year Casa Cycle
- Elementary Campus for Third-Year Casa Parents: At the Elementary (Locke St.) campus, Montessori guides Marissa and Michelle will present “A Typical Day in Elementary”:
- Parents of graduating third-year Casa students are invited to the Elementary campus after-school for a practical overview of what a typical day looks like for first year students in Elementary, and to answer any questions you may have about our curriculum and Montessori principles in action. Parents of emerging elementary children may wish to attend this event in place of the Casa parent education topic The Three Years of Casa. The Elementary discussion will take place from 3:30-4:15 p.m., with child care available for attending families. Please use the link below to let us know you’re coming! Click to R.S.V.P. to A Typical Day in Elementary
Elementary Open House: On Monday, Dec. 2, the Elementary campus will be hosting an Open House for student family members. See the Elementary section for details, and please also note that families of students in their third year of the Casa program are welcome and encouraged to visit during this Elementary Open House event.
Casa Observations: The Casa classrooms will be open for parent observations on select days throughout the rest of the school year. Observations are for 20 minutes and take place during the morning work cycle. Please do not book more than one observation per term (ie. the current fall term, the winter term starting in January, and the spring term after March Break), and please note that available spots for the current term are limited. Prior to your observation, please read the “Observation Guidelines.”
Click here to book an observation.
Carrot Recall: You may have seen a recall of carrots on the news. Our caterer, Wholesome Kids, sent the following regarding the recall: “Wholesome Kids Catering does not use these brands, and our suppliers have informed us that this recall does not impact Wholesome Kids Catering. Currently, there are no safety concerns or recalls on our carrot brands.”
Please click the links below for updates from your children’s levels and for recent photos at Lyonsgate:
Good Morning Toddler Families,
We would like to thank everyone who came for Parent-Teacher conferences! It’s always a pleasure to have you come in.
How is it already our last week of November? The colder days are here and the snow will come soon. Please practise with your children putting snow suits/boots on and off themselves. As well as making sure everything is labeled!
Lately, inside the classroom children have enjoyed the gluing activity — crumpling and stretching tissue paper and then using a glue stick to stick it to paper, as well as preparing our face cloths for after lunch where the children fill a pitcher with water and soak the face cloths then, using their hands, ringing them out and laying them flat on a plate. This job in particular allows the children to be involved and be active participants in their classroom community.
Outside the children have really enjoyed using shovels to push leaves around which, will soon be snow!
As always we enjoy watching your children continue to grow and master their skills.
Ms. Relic.
Click to view and/or sign up for Toddler flower contributions
Bonjour Chers Parents,
During Parent-Teacher conferences , I’ve heard some parents say, “My child refuses to speak in French to me,” or “When I ask my child how do we say this in French, he/she says, ‘I don’t know’.” No panic, this is very normal. At this age, children do associate the language to a person, or to an environment (the classroom) or activity.
The French assistant’s role is to speak only in French. It is important to be consistent, lots of repetitions for vocabulary building, and most of my words are accompanied by gestures so they can pick up the language faster. At first, my words are “blablabla” — they don’t mean anything to their brain — but my gestures do have a meaning. If every day they hear, “Lavez les mains s’il vous plaît,” + gestures of handwashing, this repetition is key to learning a new language. Then one day, those words start making sense for them; they have a meaning!
So, my students associate French to me because madame always speaks French to them. In lots of families, when there is another language spoken at home, children speak English at school and the other language at home (they associate the language to their parents/home). In Casa North, I have a few students that speak another language at home. If I ask them, “How do you say that in Spanish/or in German,” most of the time they will say, “I don’t know!” If I say things in Spanish, for example, they act confused because they are not used to hearing me speak that language.
Some of the French songs we’ve been singing recently include:
- Tête, épaules, genoux, les pieds (head, shoulders, knees, and toes)
- Abracadabra (a Halloween song)
- Oh! Que j’ai faim.Oh! Que j’ai soif (learning hungry.thirsty words in French)
We have been enjoying these French books:
- Il n’a pas de dragon dans cette histoire, by Lou Carter
- Tellement sauvage, by Mireille Messier
- Le Koala qui ne voulait pas, by Rachel Bright
We have also been practicing introducing ourselves in French (name, age, where they live), and asking others questions:
- Je m’appelle __________, j’ai cinq ans, j’habite à Hamilton.
- Quel est ton animal préféré? (What’s your favourite animal?)
Mme Murati.
Click to view and/or sign up for flower contributions in: Casa North | Casa South
Monday, November 25-Wednesday, December 11: Toy Drive for CityKidz
Pippa, one of our senior students, is hosting a holiday toy drive for children in our community! Families are invited to donate new, unwrapped toys for elementary-age children for distribution through CityKidz. Pippa would like to encourages donations of toys for older children ages 10-12, as there are often fewer donations for this age group. Pippa recommends sports balls, bedroom decor, Squishmallows, or Lego, and you can also download the top toy list from CityKidz. Pippa will be accepting donations at morning arrival from Monday, November 25, through Wednesday, December 11. Thank you!
Thursday, November 28: Upper Elementary Outing
Students in years 4-6 will practice traveling by public bus into Westdale Village during the afternoon work cycle for a late fall hike at Princess Point. Students should bring their red Lyongate t-shirt, their Presto card or bus fare, a water bottle, and are welcome to bring an additional nut-free snack to enjoy along the way. Students should be prepared to hike in any weather!
Monday, December 2: Elementary Open House
Please join us in the classroom on Monday, December 2, for our first open house of the year! Family members are welcome to arrive at the Elementary campus anytime between 3:15-4:15 to see displays of the children’s work from the first term. When arriving, please come to the lower cloakroom door, where you can stow your coats and bags before coming up into the classroom. You are also invited to visit the bake sale on the front porch hosted by Josephine and Hannah, who are fundraising for Plan International.
Thursday, December 5: Rock-Climbing for Years 3-6
We are fortunate to be surrounded by many opportunities for physical education, both outdoors and through other organizations in our community. Students in years 3-6 will have two sessions of rock-climbing experience at Gravity Climbing Gym, beginning on Thursday, December 5. Participating students must have an online waiver completed to boulder or climb in harness. Students should arrive prepared at school wearing their red Lyonsgate shirt and comfortable pants for climbing. The group will be departing campus at 8:50 a.m. and walking to the gym on Frid St. Presto cards or bus fare are not needed for this outing.
