Good Morning Lyonsgate Families,
We are hosting a “Montessori 101” this Thursday for our first primary (Casa and Toddler) Parent Education event of the school year, and we hope you will join us! It’s a wonderful opportunity to learn more about what your child is doing, how they are developing, and to see friendly faces and meet new families! Mrs. Lyons will be hosting the session. The presentation will introduce you to how and why Montessori is different, with a specific focus on what Montessori called the First Plane of Development (ages 0-6). Come and discover how a Montessori environment is best for your child, and how to encourage natural development at home. The session will run from 3:30 to 4:15 p.m., with time for questions at the end. Childcare will be provided for those students whose families are participating. We ask all families that are participating to please RSVP here. Please enter via the glass door foyer off the parking lot. We look forward to seeing you!
We’ll have full photo galleries for you starting next week. This week, please enjoy some images from the Elementary program taken by some student photographers. Click the links below for updates from your children’s Montessori levels.
Hello Toddler Families,
I am excited to see familiar faces and welcome new ones as we kick off another fantastic year at Lyonsgate! These first few weeks of school have seen us busy getting to know each other, exploring the classroom, and learning new routines. During our in-class work cycle, the children have been cutting fruit for snack, exploring the materials, and reveling in sinks with taps at just their height. Lunchtime sees the children setting the table with placemats, plates, and cutlery, and trying new foods. The last days of summer have brought beautiful weather and the children have enjoyed their time outside kicking balls, playing in the sandbox, and using sidewalk chalk. A friendly reminder as our clothes change to fall sweatshirts, rain coats, and boots to please label everything. If you have any questions or something you’d like to share, please don’t hesitate to reach out, we love chatting with you about your amazing children!
Vanessa Findlay,
Toddler Guide.
Greetings Casa Parents,
We’re off and running into a new school year with plenty of smiles, a few tears, and no doubt some early nights. It’s been so good to welcome returning faces, to see how much the children have grown and how happy they are to rejoin their classrooms. It’s been equally nice to welcome our newest members, to help them settle in, grow accustomed to daily routines, and get to know their unique personalities.
The returning children are really stepping up to fulfill their role as mentors and guides for their newer classmates. We have already observed connections in the making, the sharing of knowledge, and helping hands in action. Learning to lead and leading to learn are processes we witness and practise on a daily basis.
Now that all the children have joined us, our classrooms are complete and we have begun to form micro communities in both the North and South Casa classes. The outdoor space is a whirlwind of activity with all those energetic bodies interacting and making up games as they build strong bodies and friendships.
As always, we thank you for your support, especially at this time of transition, and look forward to getting to know all of you more throughout the year. Please join us this Thursday afternoon for our first Parent Education session which offers not only an opportunity to expand your Montessori knowledge but also time to get to know other parents in our Lyonsgate community.
See you at the gate,
The Casa Team.
We had a great time last week as the children continued to think about the enormity of the universe, the great expanse of time, and the emergence of humans. Younger students received classic Montessori lessons including the Black Strip and the third Great Lesson: The Story of Human Beings. Older students familiar with these lessons enjoyed exploring a material called the timeline of human beings, which introduces them to different early humans such as Homo habilis, Homo erectus, and Homo neanderthalensis from the Stone Age.
We have lots of things coming up, so please check below for important dates and reminders! Please also enjoy the pictures provided by this week’s student photographers, Colin and Rory.
Warmly,
Marissa and Michelle.
Upper Elementary Community Outing — Thursday, September 26
On Thursday, students in years 4-6 will practice travelling by public bus toward a starting point on the Bruce Trail for our first hike of the fall season. Students should be prepared with 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.
Scholastic Book Order — Friday, September 27
Your child recently brought home a Scholastic book flyer, offering discounts on books for families and encouraging a love of reading. The monthly flyers will highlight new, popular, or seasonal items, with even more choices available on the website.
When you place an order online with our class code, RC 144312 (written on the front of each flyer), your family’s order will be grouped together with others from our class into one shipment, and all the books will arrive at the school. We’ll let you know when your order has arrived, and you can send in a labelled, reusable bag for your order to be brought home. If there are any surprise or gift items in your order you would like to be kept hidden from your child, please let us know, and we’ll set it aside for you to pick up.
With every order placed using our class code, we earn “bonus bucks” for the classroom, which can be used toward new library books, art supplies, music resources, and other classroom materials.
If you would like to be included in our September shipment, please place your family’s online Scholastic order by Friday, September 27th. Orders placed from the September flyer after that date will be included in our October shipment.
Charity Fun Run — Wednesday, October 2
On Wednesday, October 2, the class will be travelling by chartered school bus to La Salle Park in Burlington to participate in an annual cross-country run with students from other Montessori schools. This event is hosted by Fairview Glen Montessori as a fundraiser for a charity of their choice, and Lyonsgate will be donating the entry fee for all our elementary participants. Students should come prepared for a big day outdoors, wearing their red Lyonsgate t-shirt, carrying a robust litterless lunch and water bottle, and a hat or sunglasses if desired. The charity run will take place in the morning, with the children enjoying lunch and playground time around mid-day, followed by a brief awards ceremony. Due to the capacity limits of the city rental agreement, this event is limited to students and staff, and parent spectators are not permitted. We kindly ask that parents wait to hear about the event after school from their child. Thank you.
