Montessori Academy of London | London, Ontario

Dear MA Families & Friends,

We are thankful

The school is closed on Thanksgiving Monday. Our gatherings may be smaller than usual this year, but our reasons to be grateful are plentiful. 

Reminder: Our Board seeks parent members

We have several board members who are completing their terms, leaving opportunities for up to two MA parents to join our board. Deadline to apply is Thanksgiving Monday, Oct. 12.

Please see the full posting on Pillar Nonprofit’s website: https://pillarnonprofit.ca/volunteer/governors-board-governors/montessori-academy-london 

Reminder: Photo orders due Friday

Elementary and Junior High photo orders are due on Friday. 

Reminder: Elementary lunch 

Growing Chefs lunches will not be starting until October 20. Lunch will still be provided on Wednesdays, October 7 and October 14.

Dressing for the weather

Now that the weather is cooling off – especially in the mornings – please ensure you send your children to school in warm clothes (or with extra layers) for the fall weather. 

Elementary phys ed. and music are going to take place outside as much as possible right now, and we’ve noticed that some students are not wearing warm enough clothing for the cooler autumn weather.

LAST CHANCE: What’s for Dinner?

We are almost sold out of some of the entrees, get your order in today so you don’t miss out on delicious, family friendly, healthy freezer meals! 

The deadline to order is this Friday, October 9! https://montessori.on.ca/whats-for-dinner/

Each $35 entrée is enough servings for a family of 4 to 5 people. 

• Chicken Parmesan (Approximately 6 pieces of chicken) $35
• Chicken Pot Pie Casserole $35
• Beef Meatballs in Tomato Sauce $35
• Vegetable Lasagna $35

Soups/Stew

• Butternut Squash Soup $15 (Only 5 left!)
• Tomato Sauce $15
• Pulled Pork $20

‘Inside Montessori’ movie night cancelled

We had planned to have a movie night in the courtyard for new families, which we have cancelled in response to the tightening of restrictions on social gatherings from the province.

If you are a new family or haven’t already seen this film, and are interested in borrowing the DVD, sign up through this Google Form noting which night you would like to take the DVD home.

We can’t tell you how much we miss sharing in community events like this one, and will continue to try to find ways for meaningful interactions, following the guidelines that are put into place. 

Photos from the week

Casa Grace & Courtesy lesson

Casa 3 focused on Grace and Courtesy this week. Together we made a friendship flower for our classroom. 

Junior High visits Longwoods

Have you been wondering what the Junior High students have been doing? 

On September 18, the Montessori Junior High students went to Longwoods Conservation Area to have a fun start in the science and humanities classes while learning in an outdoor classroom with experts in their fields.

For the start of science we were able to learn with Jerry, a nature specialist, about soil and the microorganisms that live in it. For the start of humanities we were able to explore the longhouses and villages of the haudenosaunee people with Karen, a local indigenous story- teller. We were able to walk through an indigenous village and we were able to learn about the different types of trees around the area. 

We also studied the history of the land in the Caradoc sands region which was created by glaciers and allowed for layers of soil and sand to work together in a natural environment. We discovered that the land is filled with micro-organisms due to the history of it and this makes it ideal for growing plants and crops. Jerry discussed the importance of respecting the soil and Mother Earth as well as the ability of the microorganisms to cleanse the water as we strolled down to the marsh to observe. Jerry showed us a piece of land that was formerly known as a campground and how they had decided to rebuild it as an ecosystem of grasslands; bringing it back to its natural state. This was surprising to many and quite beautiful. 

During the day, both groups were able to go onto a large bridge with a beautiful lookout and a marsh land where we learned about the soils and plants that are native to the area. We also were able to walk through some of their various hiking trails. Overall it was a beautiful and fun day out in nature while learning. We have a longstanding relationship with Longsoods and have spent many years starting our lessons out there in the fall. We are grateful for Jerry, Karen and the staff at Longwoods conservation area for welcoming us, teaching us and sharing their land and wisdom.

Video: Casa Bank Game

Emily has been working diligently with the bank game material over the last few weeks. Learning to identify a unit, a ten, a hundred and a thousand, and completing several exercises along the way. Today she is collecting four digit numbers from the “bank” and adding them together. 

Watch her work on our IGTV feed: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CFuXIo_nO-m/

Video: Toddler practical life

Follow this link to see a lovely video of one of our Toddlers practising practical life skills using tongs. Notice his concentration and dexterity…. and how he completes the process of his work by returning the activity to the shelf when he’s done: https://montessori.myschoolapp.com/app/detail/album/video/1219646