Montessori Buzz – Dec. 1, 2020
Dear MA Families & Friends,
Applications for Financial Support
Applications for Financial Support open this Friday, December 4, through Apple Financial Services, and are due by Monday, January 4, 2021. The Ann Marie Harding Financial Support Program provides tuition support for families enrolled from second-year Casa through Junior High and who have been enrolled at the school for at least two consecutive years.
Full details on how to apply, along with a Financial Support FAQ can be found through the MA Parent Portal under the Resources section. Or, through our school website: https://montessori.on.ca/admissions/financial-support/
Admissions Update: Sibling Applications
Applications to MA for siblings of current students are due by Friday, January 15, to reserve a spot in our programs for the 2021-2022 School Year. We would like to provide priority to our current MA families before new admissions are offered in March.
If you would like to submit an application for a child in your family, please login to the MA Parent Portal. The online application can be found in the Resources section. Offers of Admission for siblings of current students will be provided shortly after re-enrolment closes in February. Please feel free to contact Victoria with any questions: vlittle@montessori.on.ca or 519-433-9121 ext. 211.
Extended Hours starting in January
If you wish to register your child for our Extended Hours program starting in January, please complete and submit a form along with payment to the Main Office before school closes on Friday, Dec. 18. The forms can be found under the Forms and Policies tab on the MA school website or through this link to the Extended Hours Form on the MA Parent Portal.
ACTION REQUIRED: Monthly Attestation due today
Attestation forms submissions are due today. Find the links on the COVID-19 Information Resource Board on the MA Parent Portal or under LINKS on your child(ren)’s classroom Bulletin Board on the Parent Portal.
Reminder: Inclement weather school closure announcements
As noted in the Nov. 3 Buzz, your printed Year at a Glance Calendar, and the Parent Handbook, in the event of severe weather, MA will make a decision about closing the school by 7:15 am, if possible. If we decide to close the school, we will send a text message/SMS and an email to all families – through the same distribution list as our Buzz newsletter. If you have not received a text message or email by 7:25 am, it is safe to assume the school is open. And as always, it is your choice whether you bring your child(ren) to school.
Also, we follow the Thames Valley District School Board – if the public school board closes its administrative offices and all city schools, the Academy will close, too. We will follow up any school-closure email with posts via social media and update our website’s homepage.
Reminder: Reporting absences to the school
Please call the school and leave a voice message if your child(ren) will be absent. Do not email Reception with these requests and messages. Thank you.
Monthly letters and calendars are ready on the Portal
Your classroom letters are now available on the MA Parent Portal.
1. Select Your Child’s name in the top left of your screen.
2. Select Your Child’s classroom. (The blue text is a hyperlink.) This will bring you to the class Bulletin Board page.
3. Scroll down to DOWNLOADS; the blue Calendar hyperlink opens up a printable PDF.
4. If on a mobile device, scroll further down to view the newsletter. Desktop users should see the letter on the Bulletin Board page.
PJ Day donation tally
By the CHF Communications committee
Pajama day went amazingly well this year!! The students, of course, enjoy being able to work hard at school in their comfortable — and sometimes stylish — pajamas; this is made even better when the loose change brought in goes to the Children’s Health Foundation. The Accounting Committee of Junior High’s CHF are extremely happy to announce that the money donated by students, teachers and families in this Montessori family is $1,979 in total! We could not be more grateful to all these generous donors. Thank you for participating in this annual event of significant proportions. This generous donation will go towards the two chosen programs we wanted to sponsor this year, Ollie the Therapeutic Clown and the Child Life Program. We are so pleased that this opportunity of giving will occur again next year. Thank you for your donations to this worthy cause.
Photos from the week
Asia study in Waterloo Casa
Did you know the Taj Mahal took 22 years to build?? Did you know 20,000 people moved building materials from all around the world?? Did you know 1000 elephants were used in the construction of the Taj Mahal? Waterloo Casa does!!!
When we were learning from home in the spring, we enjoyed weekly “learn to draw” art lessons. This week we completed a step-by-step Taj Mahal with watercolour sunsets to go along with our study of Asia.
Hanukkah in Lower El 3
Thank you, Juliet, for teaching Lower El 3 about Hanukkah. We loved your cupcake menorah!
Junior High art and history
Junior High students have been discussing the Canadian Fisheries Act in Art, and its impact on our Aboriginal communities. They then created beautiful prints reflecting a variety of fish native to our area.
Mouse in the house
Lower El 2’s pet mouse, Bella, enjoyed some quality time learning about the Timeline of Life last week.
