Montessori Buzz – Nov. 9, 2021
Dear MA Families & Friends,
COVID information update
The University of Waterloo has recently released an FAQ about COVID vaccines for children ages 5-11. Please see this PDF handout for more information: https://uwaterloo.ca/pharmacy/sites/ca.pharmacy/files/uploads/files/faq_covid-19_vaccines_for_children.pdf
Friday is a PD Day
There is no school for the children on Friday for our November PD Day. The staff will be at school and working in their classrooms and the office. The office will close at 2 p.m. for a staff event.
Parking protocols
We’ve received some concerns recently on the parking situation during pick-up and drop-off each day. Please be mindful of our Parking Protocols; information for each location is available on the MA Parent Portal – under Resources / Parking, Drop-off and Pick-up Procedures. An updated map of the Oxford parking lot is now available for those families to review.
For parents and guardians dropping off at all of our downtown locations: Please adhere to all “No Parking” signs; these spots are close to corners and make maneuvering even more difficult if used. It is unsafe for pedestrians and cars. City Parking Enforcement will patrol this, and we’ve heard concerns from parents and neighbours recently.
We also remind families to avoid parking or turning around in our neighbours’ or school driveways along Piccadilly. This is unsafe for the children and an inconvenience for our neighbours.
Please make sure any family members and friends picking up or dropping off your child(ren) are aware of these rules. Thank you very much for your cooperation on these concerns.
Oxford Casa: Occasional use of Extended Hours
With the school year underway, we would like to remind parents of the Occasional Use Policy for our Extended Hours program. We are unable to provide care on a drop-in basis. Staffing needs to be arranged to ensure we meet our licensed location ratios.
It is our policy that you contact the school with 24 hours notice if you require an early-morning or after-school space. You can reach our location in one of two ways: call 519-433-9121 to leave a message for the teachers on their voicemail or the Oxford Site Supervisor, or email the Oxford Site Supervisor Mary-Ann at mfougere@montessori.on.ca.
Thank you for your cooperation.
FYI: A few school year event date changes
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UE Winter Trip is moving – February 14 to 17 at Camp Wanakita. The UE trip parent meeting will be moved to December per Tina’s message to UE families last week.
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Snow Much Fun is moving to Sunday, February 27, 2022.
Please consider updating your printed Year At A Glance calendars with this information. We will share reminders of these date changes as they draw closer. We apologize for any confusion.
Snow Much Fun flyer & Save the date sticker
Watch for a flyer and sticker to place on your printed Year at a Glance calendars with the new event date: February 27, 2022!
Snow Much Fun: Call for sponsors
We are currently seeking sponsors for this exciting event! Sponsorship levels range from $250 up to $1,000. For a copy of the sponsorship guide and more information on how you can support Snow Much Fun – Factory Edition contact Tonya Dendrinos at tdendrinos@montessori.on.ca or 519-433-9121 ext. 233.
Save the date: PJ Day
Start saving your loose change. Your generous donations of change help support our friends at Children’s Health Foundation. More on both PJ Day and our CHF area of focus coming soon!
Photos from the past week
Elementary Library book donation
A BIG THANK YOU to Jackson, Evie and the Sprengler Family for their wonderful Indigenous book donation to the Library. This contribution will help make a difference in raising awareness about the Indigenous culture and history. And will help provide up to date resources and stories that coincide with lessons in the classroom! So be on the lookout in the library for these new arrivals!
Thanks from Salthaven Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre
ICYMI on our Instagram account, Salthaven extended their thanks to our Lower Elementary families and teachers for collecting the much-needed supplies during 1000 Acts of Kindness.
Casa 1 maps
Puzzle maps are wooden puzzles divided up by continents, countries, or states. They are not traditional jigsaws that fit into one another, but rather each piece is a geographical mass. The pieces are knobbed so that little fingers can arrange them easily. The pieces are colour-coded to define the continents. Our cultural studies cover each continent, introducing the people, plants, and animals that inhabit our world.
Westmount Diwali
Let the Diwali festivities begin! Westmount Casa has been hard at work preparing our Diya’s with rangoli design. We even got to try a yummy traditional Diwali treat, Jalebi! Happy Diwali to all who are celebrating over the next week!
Casa 2 planting poppy seeds
In honour of Remembrance Days on Thursday, our Casa 2 students are painting little pots red, and will plant poppy seeds in them for next year.
A Peek inside Casa 4
Montessori material and math examples: Rods, stamp game (pictured), wood cards and counters, and of course, BEADS! So beautiful. Find more photos of the children using math material in this week’s Photo Album: https://montessori.myschoolapp.com/app/detail/album/photo/1511228
Diwali presentation in LE3
Vyas and Asha did a presentation on Diwali in Lower El 3 on Friday! They did such an amazing job! The first day of Diwali was Thursday.
Lower El gymnastics!
Another field trip! Thank you Forest City Gymnastics for hosting our Lower Elementary students last week!
Poppy paper making with Fanshawe
As we noted in the Buzz and on social media last week, we were asked by Fanshawe College’s School of Design to help with the pilot project of making sustainable poppies for Remembrance Day, in an innovative project from Fanshawe College’s School of Design. Last week, the teachers and students made the paper with scraps of red construction paper, and then added poppy seeds before drying the newly made poppy paper. They then crafted paper poppies for Remembrance Day. You could see the tiny black seeds in the red pulp and poppy paper after it was dried! After they are worn on Thursday, the poppies will be planted, and we’re all hopeful that next year the seeds will grow into poppies!
From here the teachers will provide some feedback on how this pilot project went with the hopes that this very cool activity will grow next year — just like the poppies!
Check out this short video from our Instagram page of Sarah and Lindsey in Lower El 3 flipping the VERY FIRST piece of poppy paper early last week. Bravo, everyone! https://www.instagram.com/p/CV0FeoEDWYW/
The London Free Press popped by yesterday to take photos of the children working on their poppies. The article was released yesterday: https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/sustainable-poppies-symbols-of-remembrance-hope