Lyonsgate Weekly Update | Friday, Oct. 4, 2019

October 4, 2019
|In Updates & Announcements
|By Jason Phillips

Hello Lyonsgate Families,

Thank you for your understanding regarding the PD days this week. We hope it didn’t cause too much disruption and that you had some valuable family time together. There is one more day next week when the synagogue building is unavailable to us (due to Yom Kippur), but that is field trip day for Primary (Toddler and Casa) students and cross-country day for Elementary students.

The Primary (Aberdeen) campus building will be inaccessible to all Lyonsgate students, families, and staff for the entire day on Wednesday, October 9. There is no Before Care, After Care, or Extended Care for Primary (Toddler and Casa) students on Wednesday

Please see the very important details below regarding field trips, cross-country, and drop-off and pick-up times and locations:

Toddler Field Trip

The Toddler field trip on Wednesday, October 9, will be at the Royal Botanical Gardens.  We will meet at the RBG Centre, 680 Plains Road West, Burlington.

*Please note that all Toddler students must be accompanied throughout the morning by a parent/guardian. 

We will be meeting at the RBG Centre front entrance at 9:00 a.m. The children will be participating in programming that is mostly outdoors.  Please ensure you dress your child appropriately for the weather.  The field trip will occur rain or shine.

The children will be participating in the following program as listed on the RBG website (click “View Program Options” under ECE and Kindergarten):

Early Years Exploration: The Great Animal Adventure

All kinds of animals call RBG home, but how do they survive in nature? Through role-playing and guided exploration, students search for animals, their homes, and the signs they leave behind to learn more about their habitats and how animals interact with each other.

The program will run between 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., after which time Toddler students will be dismissed for the day.  Please note that there is no before or after school care for primary students on this day.

We are looking forward to this fun-filled day of exploration, and hope you and your child are as well!

Pertinent Details:

  • Wednesday, October 9, 2019
  • Royal Botanical Gardens, RBG Centre, 680 Plains Rd. W., Burlington
  • 9:00 a.m. arrival, RBG Centre front entrance
  • 11:30 a.m. dismissal
  • Dress according to weather

*Please note: There is no before/after school care on this date.*

Casa Field Trip

The Casa field trip on Wednesday, October 9, will be at the Royal Botanical Gardens.  We will meet at the RBG Centre, 680 Plains Road West, Burlington.

Please drop your child off between 8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m., at the front entrance. The children will be participating in programming that is mostly outdoors.  Please ensure you dress your child appropriately for the weather.  The field trip will occur rain or shine.  Also, please note that you will need to pack a lunch for your child on this day.  The RBG requests a litterless lunch that is nut-free.  There is no refrigeration for the day, so please remember to include an ice pack.

The children will be participating in two programs as listed on the RBG website (click “View Program Options” under ECE and Kindergarten)

Early Years Exploration:

Making Sense of Nature

Come outside and learn how to use your eagle-eyes, owl-ears and fox nose! Nature is full of new sights, sounds, smells, and textures, and this program encourages young learners to take it all in. This program emphasizes sensory activities and open explorations.

The Great Animal Adventure

All kinds of animals call RBG home, but how do they survive in nature? Through role-playing and guided exploration, students search for animals, their homes, and the signs they leave behind to learn more about their habitats and how animals interact with each other.

Please plan to pick your child up between 2:15 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. at the RBG playground also located at the RBG Centre, 680 Plains Road West. Please note that there is no before or after school care for Primary students on this day.  If you are not able to pick your child up, please let us know who will be coming on your behalf and please ensure they have identification with them.

If your child naps in the afternoon, and you feel that this day will be too long, please pick up at 12:00 p.m., following lunch, as you indicated on your permission form.

We are looking forward to this fun-filled day of exploration!

Pertinent Details:

  • Wednesday, October 9, 2019
  • Royal Botanical Gardens
  • RBG Centre, 680 Plains Rd. W., Burlington
  • 8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. drop off at the front entrance
  • Dress according to weather
  • Pack a litterless lunch
  • 2:15 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. pick up at RBG playground

*Please note: There is no before/after school care on this date.*

Elementary Cross-Country

Every year, Lyonsgate Elementary students get together with students from a number of other Montessori schools for a cross-country running meet at LaSalle Park in Burlington, hosted by Fairview Glen Montessori. We have been practicing during phys. ed. since the start of the school year. This year’s cross-country meet is on Wednesday, Oct. 9.

There is a $10.00 registration fee for each student as this event supports Fairview Glen’s Uganda Centre for Early Childhood Education. Fairview has designed and implemented theoretical and practical workshops for teachers, developed a teacher mentorship program, and is building school facilities for early years programs. Please send the registration fee with your child prior to the event.

We will have a picnic lunch in the park, so please help students pack an appropriate lunch. Unfortunately, due to event permit capacity restrictions, parents are not able to attend.

We will be departing from Beulah Park by bus at 9:30 a.m. Students can be dropped off at Beulah Park after 8:30. We will leave the Elementary (Locke) campus with Before Care and other students at  9:00 a.m. sharp.

*Note:* For Elementary students registered for Before, After, and/or Extended Care, these programs will take place at the Elementary (Locke St.) campus on Wednesday, Oct. 9. Do not go to the Primary (Aberdeen) campus; the building is not available due to Yom Kippur.

Reminders:

No “Coming Up” section this week because there are lots of field trip and cross-country details to keep track of next week. Please remember to check your Lyonsgate calendar at lyonsgate.ca regularly for up to date information about what’s happening at Lyonsgate. We do have a few reminders from your children’s Montessori teachers:

  • Toddler and Casa Show and Share: Toddler and Casa parents are invited into their children’s Montessori environments next week for the first Show and Share of the year. During Show and Share, your children may present Montessori materials and activities to you or show you some of the work they have completed. It’s a chance for them to give you a glimpse into their Montessori days. Feel free to pop in for Show and Share when you arrive to pick up at the end of the day.
    • Toddler Show and Share is from 3:30-4:00 in the Toddler classroom.
    • Casa Show and Share is from 3:30-4:30 in your child’s Casa classroom.
  • Weather Appropriate Outerwear: Fall seems to have descended upon us and there can be great variations in weather conditions from day-to-day, or even in the same day. Please be sure to check the weather forecast every morning and send children to school with weather appropriate outerwear. Children need fresh air and space and exercise, and we all get outside in all but the worst of weather conditions. Outdoor time for children during the school day is a legislated requirement, as are specific staff-to-student ratios. We cannot remove a staff member from outdoor supervision to stay inside with a child who does not have appropriate clothing for the weather conditions. Thank you.
  • Mysterious Objects?: Has something new and unusual shown up in your child’s pocket or in the laundry? There’s a good chance it is a Montessori material. Montessori materials are designed to be appealing to young children, and sometimes they appeal themselves home as treasures. If you have found something new and unusual, please send it back to school; we are missing a few bits and pieces in a few classrooms. Thank you.
  • Late Arrivals at Elementary: When you are late arriving to the Elementary campus, please only ring the doorbell once. We have heard it, but are busy working with the children and cannot always get to the door system immediately. Late arrivals to the classroom are disruptive and repeated ringing of the doorbell makes them even more disruptive. Please do your best to have children arrive between 8:30-8:45 every day. Thank you.