Hello Lyonsgate Families,

Thank you for another wonderful week with your children. There is much Halloween excitement in the air. We always ask that Halloween remains a fun family event and that candy and treats stay at home and don’t sneak their way into pockets, backpacks, or lunches (for our Elementary students). Have spooky time this weekend and we’ll hear all about it on Monday.

Reminder: next Friday, Nov. 5, is a PD Day. Lyonsgate staff will be attending a virtual Montessori conference or working in the classroom environments.

This week we have news about a new community fridge in the neighbourhood, introductory words from the Casa and Toddler English assistants, and from Elementary some seasonal culture work, a required activity release, and a reminder about school photo ordering. There is also a photo gallery of the week at Lyonsgate.

Community Fridge

From one your fellow Montessori parents:

We are pleased to share that the neighbours of Locke Street and Blessings Church have opened up a community fridge to help address food insecurity to folks in need in the community. If you are unfamiliar with them, community fridges are a volunteer run, publicly accessible, low barrier resource, from which community members can get free food.

The fridge is located outdoors and is accessible 24/7 on the side of the Blessings Church at 115 Stanley Avenue. Signage will be up by October 28 to clearly indicate its location. Any member of the community is welcome to come take whatever they need, at any time, no questions asked.

If anyone wishes to donate, there is a pantry, fridge and freezer on site where you can come as little or as often as you like to drop off donations – every bit helps! Examples of much-needed items include fresh or frozen fruit & vegetables, bread, eggs, dairy & alternatives, commercially produced frozen meals, canned goods, grab-and-go snacks, cereal, baby formula, menstrual products, and hygiene items. Donation guidelines are available online.

If you’d like to learn more, or you are interested in volunteering, please contact the volunteer team by email at lockest.fridge@gmail.com or on Instagram @Locke.Street.Fridge, or reach out to one of your fellow Lyongate parents that is volunteering: rachael.collier@gmail.com

Toddler

 

My name is Brad but the children call me Mr. Davis. I am pleased to say that this is my fifth year as an assistant at Lyonsgate. This is my third year in the Toddler community and there is never a dull moment. There are so many firsts and new experiences that I am often in awe at the resilience and determination of the children. Some of my lifelong passions are baking and music, two things that I am happy to bring into the classroom and share with the children any chance that I get. We definitely have some musical talent in our classroom that I have seen firsthand during our jam sessions and post-nap dance parties. The Toddler banana bread makes the entire school smell wonderful. I am looking forward to seeing them grow increasingly more independent and watching their already big personalities grow!

Casa North

 

My name is Jessica Dewey and I am the English assistant for Casa North. I spend my day observing and working alongside your children, attending to their physical needs, and maintaining the classroom environment. I also have the privilege of spending each recess outside with the children, which allows me some extra opportunities to connect with the children and gain insight into their characters and interests. I have previous experience as an educator in play-based learning environments, which are quite different from the Montessori philosophy, and one of the most beautiful and important distinctions between the two is the three year age group. In the last seven weeks we have observed so much mentorship between our students, and some lovely (sometimes unexpected) friendships forming. This naturally fosters independence, cooperation, leadership, and communication, and greatly reduces the need for adult intervention or redirection. It’s wonderful to see such young children building a community amongst themselves.

I hope you all have a safe and happy weekend.

Casa South

 

Happy Friday Casa South families! My name is Ms.Sullivan and I am the English Assistant in Casa South. This is my third year at Lyonsgate, and my second as a part of Casa South’s classroom community. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing some of your children for the past year, and have been enjoying getting to know all the new faces this year.

As an English Assistant my role is to support the classroom, the children, and the lead teacher in a variety of ways. Whether it is preparing materials or reading a story with a small group, the assistant’s role is to help keep the classroom running smoothly. My most favourite part of my job is working one on one with your children or holding small groups. I love getting to see their personalities shine through in these settings. I also get to be outside during all recesses and watch all the social interaction, joy, and fun that recess brings.

This week has been a busy one, with lots of new presentations and fulfilling work with the children. I’ve spent a lot of time working on blank chalkboards practicing writing letters, numbers, and playing sound games with the children. As any week before Halloween, we’ve got to hear about some of the costumes coming up this weekend and the excitement is palpable. I love hearing the unique costume ideas the children come up with (my favourites this year are a taco, a sock in a shoe, and a shovel!).

I am grateful to have a space in your child’s life here at Lyonsgate and look forward to what the year brings for all of us. Have a safe and fun weekend!

Elementary

 

Elementary children love to explore cultural activities and traditions, discovering the history behind their own celebrations as well as investigating cultures different from their own.  This week, the students prepared to celebrate Hallowe’en by learning about its origin in the festival of Samhain, studying the parts and life cycle of a pumpkin, researching bats, painting ghosts, and of course, carving pumpkins!  We wish you all a wonderfully spooky weekend.  Stay safe and have fun! — Marissa and Michelle.

  • Elementary Photo Ordering: Earlier this week, Elementary families received notification of a folder share containing the photo proofs of school photos and an email containing package and a la carte ordering instructions. Elementary families can place orders for packages or a la carte items using this order form. You can also access the form via the photographer’s website: https://www.tarasmithphoto.com/

Please note:

    • If you are ordering for more than one child, please complete a separate form for each child.
    • The deadline to order photos is November 1, 2021.
    • If you would like to order more than 1 copy of an a la carte item, please make a note in the comments section.

For any questions, please email Tara at: info@tarasmithphoto.com

Students will not be permitted to climb if a release form is not on file at the gym. Thank you.

Students will bring their clean, dry indoor shoes (must be running shoes) with them and should wear clothing they can comfortably move, climb, and wear a harness in.

  • Karate: First and second year Elementary students will be participating in an introductory martial arts program at United Family Martial Arts, just down the street from us, during the afternoons of November 12 and 19. Students will need to wear clothing they can be comfortably active in.
  • Reminder: Phys. Ed. on Thursday, Nov. 4. When there is a PD Day on a Friday, phys. ed. will take place on the Thursday of that week (there will also be phys. ed. on Thursday, Nov. 25, to accommodate Parent-Teacher conferences on the Friday).

Photo Gallery