Montessori Buzz – March 3, 2020
Camp Discovery registration is open!
Online registration is open through our school website: https://montessori.on.ca/programs/camp-discovery
New this year: Payment for camp sessions may be made by cash, cheque, MasterCard, Visa, Amex or Apple Pay.
Thank you to the Toddler and Casa parents for your patience as we dealt with technical issues that affected the registration page on Monday. Please continue to be patient if it loads slowly.
Upper El sports camp: Online registration is open!
MA’s MA-zing gym teacher Janet will host a Summer Sports Camp for Upper Elementary students currently in Years 4-6. The camp will run during the weeks of July 13 and July 20 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. There are no Extended Hours for this program.
Sports and activities will include basketball, volleyball, soccer, dodgeball and floor hockey. This camp is open to the public, so students can bring their friends! Cost is $215 per one-week session. Payment may be made by cash, cheque, MasterCard, Visa, Amex or Apple Pay.
Find more details and register through these links:
- Registration form for MA Sports Camp 2020: Week of July 13-17.
- Registration form for MA Sports Camp 2020: Week of July 20-24.
Please clean out cubbies by Friday
We ask parents at all locations to stop by their child(ren)’s cubbies and take home all clothing and other belongings. During March Break the cubby areas and classrooms are thoroughly cleaned.
Great news: New ways to pay!
That’s right, per our notes above, we now take Visa, MasterCard, Amex and Apple Pay.
March Break Office Hours
Happy March Break! The Main Office will be open the week of March 9 – from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Office will be closed during the week of March 16. School resumes on Monday, March 23.
Reminder: CHF event on Friday
Something a little different is going on with our CHF Event next Friday, March 6. At our Junior High and Elementary locations, we’ll host our first Jersey Day — wear your favourite team’s colours.
At our Toddler and Casa locations, our younger students are invited to dress for warmer climates as they celebrate Beach Day!
Students are asked to bring in spare changes (loonies and toonies) to donate in support of the Children’s Health Foundation. As always, we are truly grateful for our families’ support of these Charitable Giving events.
Upcoming Events:
Guest speaker in April
“Hands-on Learning in a Digital Age” with Danielle Hourigan
Discover how concrete Montessori materials help prepare your child for our high tech world as a 21st century learner. Danielle Hourigan joins our parent community to discuss when to integrate technology into their world and how to make the experience meaningful.
Danielle has been a Montessori educator for over 30 years and is currently the Principal of the Montessori School at Hillfield Strathallan College, an independent day school in Hamilton. She is a member of the CCMA Board of Directors and serves as the national organization’s Director of Accreditation.
Register for this enlightening and informative parent information night through this online form: http://bit.ly/MAWorkshopApril2020
Save the date: Grandparents’ & Special Friends’ Day is May 14
A favourite among our families, Grandparents’ & Special Friends’ Day offers family members a peek inside the Montessori classroom environment. It’s such a special day for the students as they share their work with their loved ones.
Watch for a postcard in late March, and letter in April with details about the Grandparents’ & Special Friends’ Day activities in your child’s classroom.
Some highlights from Montessori Week
We had an action packed Montessori Week. You can view many of our updates through our Instagram page:
- Toddler – At Waterloo Toddler, the students learned about emotions and practised in the mirror! https://www.instagram.com/p/B89hOXgntRa/
- Casa – The Casa students home-made sandpaper numbers: https://www.instagram.com/p/B9CuTx7HGUv/
- Lower El – Brynne read to her Lower El 3 classmates from “Little People, Big Dreams: Maria Montessori”: https://www.instagram.com/p/B9FWYdnnYnx/
- Upper El – Reid presented his project on the Titanic, which was part of the UE Literature Study: https://www.instagram.com/p/B9FLKUwHENb/
- Junior High – Grocery shopping volunteers helped prepare for the Junior High food program: https://www.instagram.com/p/B9HMRMunNPh/
Casa 3 Marsupials
Last week, Casa 3’s students learned all about some Australian animals…and this afternoon our classroom was full of female kangaroos (flyers) and their joeys!
‘Going Out’ experience to learn about Fair Trade
By: Tessa, Kayan, Layan, Jasmine
While we Grade 6s were researching Economic Geography during Culture, we decided to call to schedule interviews with some cafes to learn about their fair trade coffee beans. Fair Trade means that the farmers that are picking the coffee beans get a fair wage. We are all very grateful for this experience.
Tessa and Kayan: Meghan chaperoned us as we walked to Black Walnut, 724 Richmond Street, to talk to the manager, Crystal, about where their fair trade coffee beans are imported from. We also wanted to know where they are roasted, and their history with fair trade. Black Walnut has been in business for nine years, and they used to roast their coffee beans right in the room that we were sitting in. Now, they roast their coffee beans in a warehouse. The Black Walnut’s coffee beans come from Nicaragua, Brazil, Columbia, Zambia, Peru, and Ethiopia. The Black Walnut knows most of the names of families that harvest the coffee beans.
We are very grateful for the experience to learn more about this fair trade process.
Layan and Jasmine: We walked with Meghan to Starbucks, 601 Richmond Street, to interview the Starbucks manager about how they import their coffee beans. Their manager, Chris, sat with us for a couple of minutes to talk about importing their coffee beans, where they get their beans and a list of questions we prepared. They roast their coffee beans in York, Pennsylvania. The Starbucks coffee beans come from Latin America, Africa and Asia/Pacific. Our interview was a success and while we were learning about their fair trade, they offered us free drinks!
From the community
LPL March Break day camp programming: March 14-21
Central Library – Spriet Family Children’s Library & Teen Annex: Starting March 3, register for programs online, in person or by phone at (519) 661-4600. Many programs do not require registration. See program listings for details. Find details online: www.lpl.ca/marchbreak2020
Children’s Museum March Break Camp: Spaces week of March 9 still open
Children’s Museum has some availability in our March Break Day Camps, for the week of March 9-13 (March 16-20 is sold out). More information can be found at londonchildrensmuseum.ca/daycamp.
Save the date: Kids’ Triathlon on June 14
Registration is now open for the 2020 London Kids’ Triathlon. This fantastic event has something for children of all ages. Find more details on the site: https://londonkidstriathlon.com/
The event supports YOU – Youth Opportunities Unlimited and Joan’s Place.
… Also, we’re a sponsor!!
Summer camp option: Pedalheads London
Learn more on their website: https://pedalheads.com/camp