Hello Lyonsgate Montessori Families,
We want to thank everyone for accommodating to the alternative pick-up and drop-off schedules we needed this week for the field trips. We know it can be difficult to change daily routines and we very much appreciate everyone’s efforts. Thank you.
The children all had fun and valuable experiences on their trips. Field trips are not just a fun day out, they also become touchstones for future presentations and learning. Montessori guides will ask questions such as, “Do you remember when we went to the farm and learned about/saw/smelled/watched/felt/tasted…” when presenting material that can be related to the various field trip experiences.
This Week:
Toddler:
Your wonderful toddlers are starting to adjust to their new school routine. To help make the transition to school happen more smoothly, please know that a quick drop-off, between 8:25-8:45, is the best thing you can do for your child. Consistency is key; a pre-arranged “one-hug, one-kiss, one ‘I love you,'” or similar routine, that your toddler is a part of developing with you (giving them some freedom, within set limits), is best. Then stick to it consistently, every day. Before you know it, the tears and calls for “one more hug” will dissipate and your toddler will begin to enter the classroom willfully.
A few notes and reminders from the Toddler guides:
- If you are latedropping off your toddler — after 8:45 — please remember to help your toddler change their shoes and then guide them to the classroom door to be greeted by one of the Toddler guides.
- The “Flower Arranging” sign-up sheet is posted. Flower arranging is a Montessori job for the children and each child is invited to bring in fresh-cut flowers each Monday (carnations, daisies, tulips, mixed bouquets). Please sign up for your family’s flower Monday.
- We have also posted a “Protein Provision” sign-up sheet posted. Like the flowers, each child is invited to provide a protein element for the children’s snack each week — cheese, hummus, yoghurt, etc.
- Toddler students also require two pairs of shoes that they can put on independently. Thank you.
Casa:
Casa South celebrated Ms. Moffat’s birthday this past week. Birthdays in the Montessori environment are celebrated in a very specific way. Children (and their guides) are invited to “walk around the sun” to represent the number of years they have been alive. Besides being a fun way to celebrate, this activity also complements their understanding of number sense, the passage of time, and annual and seasonal cycles — relevant this past week as we move into fall.
Casa South would also like to remind families to please do your best to avoid sending children to school with pop culture branded items of clothing or accessories (such as backpacks and lunch bags). These items can be a distraction in the classroom, and we also want their time in Montessori to be a breath of fresh air from commercial media. There is a noticeably different calmness in the classroom without branded items present, and more organic, individual imaginative play. Thank you.
Casa North would also like to thank all their moms and dads for helping to make this past week’s early-year field trip a success. In talking with the children afterwards, many different “favourite parts” of the trip were revealed, showing us that the children were engaged throughout the whole trip, and that a variety of interests were touched on, and some new interests sparked.
- Casa North would like to remind everyone to check the Lost and Found regularly, especially as we enter the fall months and the weather becomes more variable throughout the day — sweaters, coats, and hats are sometimes abandoned.
Elementary:
This week in Elementary, students began work with the Montessori Timeline of Life, beginning their studies of human history all the way back to the Paleozoic era, and the first year students started learning about place value with some new Montessori materials they would not have seen during their Casa days. A few elementary notes:
- The Donkey Sanctuary trip helped set off the Elementary students’ year-long study of equines.
- We are suddenly very short of forks at the Elementary campus. Sometimes, forks borrowed at lunch end up in lunch bags and make their way home. If you have some strange new forks in the drawer, please help them find their way back to school. Thank you.
We also had a surprise visitor knock on the door this week — Mr. Haas and his wife. Mr. Haas’s grandfather trained with Maria Montessori in Amsterdam in 1924. Mr. Haas was a Montessori student himself, in the same classroom that Anne Frank went to Montesori in, and teared up a little looking at our Montessori materials.
Next Week:
- For families of students who require Epi-Pens for anaphylactic allergies, you can register for email notification of your child’s upcoming Epi-Pen expiry using the Anaphylaxis Policy EpiPen® Expiration Reminder Service.
- For our whole school community, please be aware of our current anaphylactic allergy items; we have children with anaphylactic allergies to:
- Nuts and tree nuts
- Fish
- It’s a quiet week next week — no field trips or PD Days. Please save the date for your first Parent Education event of the school year coming up on Wednesday, Oct. 3.
