Montessori Buzz – June 10, 2025
Family & Friends Celebration: join us tonight at Storybook Gardens!
Friendly reminder that our Family & Friends event is tonight! There will be no after-school extended hours at any of our locations.
Happy Father’s Day
We wish all of our Dads and father figures a very happy Father’s Day! We hope you are smothered in love this weekend!
Montessori Milestones!
- 30 years – Lindsay Hart-Harris and Kendra Costa
- 20 years – Darlene Archer
- 15 years – Meghan O’Brien
Staffing updates
Thank you, Brooke!
After dedicating 4 years to our Upper Elementary students, Brooke Goad in UE1 has chosen to move to a job closer to her hometown of Kitchener-Waterloo. Brooke will be teaching in the Lower Elementary program at the Montessori School of Cambridge, eventually helping to open an Upper Elementary program for them. We will all miss her very much!
Toddler & Casa
At our Waterloo Central location, Kristal Bonnar will continue to support the Casa 6 classroom with Lesley Prentice. With Kristal remaining in Casa, Amanda Ingrey will move to Toddler 1 and Suzie Burridge to Toddler 2. Tiffany Hannam returned to T1 in the late winter from her parental leave and will remain teaching in this room as well.
At Oxford, we are excited to have Michelle Mather join the Casa 4 team full-time in September. Michelle came to us through the All Kids Belong program, working one on one with students who have been identified through the program as needing extra support.
We welcome to MA a new Oxford Casa float teacher, Eric Jeddry, who is currently teaching Casa at a school in Niagara. Eric was looking to relocate to London, with a goal to work in an accredited Montessori school.
We recently introduced a Casa float position to support staffing at Oxford and because we are launching our Parent & Infant program next year. Tara Protopapas will be the facilitator for our Infant program on Thursday mornings and Eric will step into Casa 1 with Bethany Payne to support the classroom.
Elementary
We also welcome Yasmein Zahari who will join us as the Elementary French Teacher. Yasmein has experience teaching multiple subjects, yet exudes a passion for teaching languages (she is fluent in four!). Yasmein is a world traveller with a vast background and is excited to join our school.
Meghan O’Brien will be moving into an Elementary Resource Float Teaching position. The goal in having Meghan in this role includes supporting classrooms when a LE or UE co-teacher is off for an extended amount of time; Meghan is trained in Years 1 – 6, so she will be able to confidently step into any classroom. Meghan will also provide resource support in Elementary for those students who may need more one-on-one or small-group support with regards to social-emotional, peer or academic challenges, and would benefit from more guidance.
With Meghan shifting roles, Shawna Allum-Schmidt will move into Art, and Kim Runions will move to LE2 to co-teach with Haya Dawoud.
Sarah Magier is returning from her parental leave and will head back to LE3 with Lindsey. Savannah Ramsay is also returning from her parental leave and will rejoin Roxanne Gianelli and Kendra Costa in UE2.
Lisa Eastick, Kendra, Susan Donaghy and Kerry Anderson will all be working in different part-time capacities next year, as we continue with our ever-evolving succession planning. Becky Patti, who supported the school immensely as a supply teacher in Elementary this year, will continue to do so next year.
Our Summer Fun Raffle Draw is this Thursday at 3pm!
Don’t miss out on a chance to win 1 of 14 incredible prize packages! Top prizes include a “Family Staycation” package with over $800 in passes for exciting adventures in and around London, and the “Glow and Go” package which includes a beautiful gift basket of high end skin care products and gift certificate for a luxurious facial! Here’s a PDF of the Raffle Ticket Letter
Tickets are on sale at the front desk in the administrative office at 719 Waterloo St until the draw on June 12, 2025 at 3pm. You do not need to be present to win. For questions about the raffle, or if you would like additional tickets sent home, please contact Tonya at tdendrinos@montessori.on.ca 519-433-9121 ext. 233
Oliver’s big performance
A big congrats on Oliver Chu’s performance at Carnegie Hall on June 1. Bravo!
Year 6 helpers: Gregor’s Gift Comfort Kits
From MA Mom Tara MacIntosh: Thank you to the Grade 6 class for helping assemble 40 Gregor’s Gift Comfort Kits, which will be shared with caregivers and families at St. Joseph’s Hospice. Gregor’s Gift, a local charity named after my late husband, has a mission to support primary caregivers of terminally ill family members. We spread love and support to overwhelmed caregivers in the community when they need it most. We appreciate Montessori’s support in helping us prepare these comfort kits. With gratitude, Tara and the Gregor’s Gift team.
Photos from the week…
Teddy Bear’s Picnic
Inside or outdoors, a Teddy Bear picnic is tons of fun!
UE year-end field trip
The Upper El students enjoyed their trip to Circle R Ranch last week. What a great way to celebrate the end of an MA-zing school year!
From the Community
Thrive Psychotherapy is offering a summer workshop for children ages 7-12: “Feelings Factory – a group to build your emotion regulation tool kit.” Learn more on their website or in the flyer below.
