Montessori Buzz – Dec. 9, 2025
Dear Families and Friends,
Casa & Elementary Progress Reports
On Friday afternoon, progress reports will be available in the Parent Portal for students in Casa and Elementary. These reports are one of many ways our students are assessed throughout the year, so as you are taking a read through, please keep in mind:
- Your child’s report is a snapshot of their progress on a continuum that is dynamic every day.
- Ask your child how they are feeling with their progress to date and ask about their experiences in learning so far. What has been their favourite lesson? What sparked their interest during the lesson?
- For those in a new level, have patience in understanding where your child is currently. Moving up a level can be overwhelming for some students, while others jump right in.
- The Montessori curriculum is broad in its depth and scope, and for this reason many concepts are in progress or still to come in the school year or the three-year cycle.
A Push notification will be shared via the MA Parent App when the reports are ready on Friday afternoon.
Save the Date: Family Skating on January 29
Mark your calendars for our annual Family Skating Night at Storybook Skate Trail on Thursday, Jan. 29 from 7:30 pm to 9 pm. A Google registration form will be shared after the Winter Break. This is a free family social hosted by the school. Plan to join us for a fun night skating under the stars!
Blaze the Trail Update
Blaze the Trail: We’ve Hit $12,572 — Let’s Keep Climbing!
A huge THANK YOU to the Gerry & Joanne Hines and Family Fund – held at the Waterloo Region Community Foundation! Your MA-Zing $5,500 donation has given us a tremendous head start on our Blaze the Trail campaign. We’re one giant step closer to making our vision a reality — a brand-new gym floor is on the horizon!
Thanks to this incredible gift and the influx of donations and pledges from all of you, our campaign has reached $12,572 toward our $60,000 goal!
But the trail ahead is still long. Can we reach $20,000 by next week? With your help, we know it’s possible! Every donation, big or small, brings us closer to creating an inspiring gym space for our students and community.
Here’s how you can help us hit the next milestone:
- Donate now and help us blaze past $20,000!
- Spread the word! Share the campaign with friends and family.
- Celebrate with us as we hit each milestone along the way.
For questions about the campaign, please contact Tonya Dendrinos, Fundraising Director: tdendrinos@montessori.on.ca.
What We Learned in Babysitting
By Avery Gribble and Evelina Dillon
In the babysitting program, Kristen taught the Year 6 students how to properly care for children ages 3 months to six years in age. We learned about how to take care of children properly and how to change a diaper. One interesting thing that we learned in this program was the term “making strange” which happens to babies and young children when they meet unfamiliar people, or when they are feeling shy. We also learned about what to do in emergency situations, how to take care of a sick or injured child, basic first aid, and understanding the behaviour and misbehaviour of children. A very helpful thing that Kristen taught us was that when you are caring for a toddler or older child, they might not want to clean up after themselves, so instead of telling them to do it, you can make it into a game!
At the end of the babysitting course we had a test which most of us were nervous about, but in the end we were all very proud of our results. Before the big test we had a pretest to get us more comfortable with tests. Kristen encouraged us to study so we would be more prepared and that really helped. On the test we had lots of different types of questions like multiple choice, short sentences and true or false. We all appreciate Kristen for being able to take the time and help us learn how to become a more experienced babysitter. It was very fun.
Please note: Missing from the babysitting group photo are Marcus and Thomas.
A good read…
Article: “Montessori – Healthy Minds, Better Outcomes, Lower Costs”
Montessori education provides students a wealth of benefits that will carry them throughout every stage of their lives. This recent article shared by the Maria Montessori Institute discusses how publicly funded Montessori education in the U.S. outperforms traditional schooling by boosting academic, social, and emotional outcomes, reducing achievement gaps, and improving lifelong wellbeing — while actually costing less. Research shows it benefits children by fostering autonomy, resilience, and intrinsic motivation during critical developmental periods.
https://www.mariamontessori.org/news/montessori-healthy-minds-better-outcomes-lower-costs/
Photos from the Week
Toddler feelin’ festive!
One way to cure the Monday blahs – dress for the season!
Hanukkah celebration in LE2
The LE2 students learned all about Hanukkah this week. Eli brought in homemade latkes to share with his classmates (and they were VERY excited to help heat them up).
ChildCan donation dropoff
Our Junior High students stopped by ChildCan’s office to drop a bagful of donations. Thank you to all of the MA families who gave loose change on PJ Day to support our friends and neighbours battling childhood cancer.
