- When: October 9, 2019 – in the AM; buses will leave at 9:10 a.m. SHARP!
- Where: Springbank Park (North Street Entrance and then by the pavilion near the “stone cottage”)
Format of Meet:
- 8, 9, 10 and 11-year-old students will run a 1.8 km course
- 12 and 13-year-old students will run a 2 km course
- a “participation walk” is also offered (the walk will take place after the 9-year-old boys race and before the 13-year-old girls’ race)
- Order of races: 11, 10, 9, 13 and 12 years old (girls’ races, in each age group, will be run first)
- approximately 15 minutes between races
- the course will consist of trails, grass areas, and some paved areas
- the meet will begin after playing our National Anthem
Good luck to all the runners!
Parent Information Sessions: Learn Your Level
Watch blue bags for a flyer about our upcoming Learn Your Level sessions. Learn more about each session and RSVP online through the following links.
- Tuesday, Nov. 5 – Casa Learn Your Level – bit.ly/CasaLYL2019
- The Casa sessions is designed for Toddler and Casa parents.
- Tuesday, Nov. 12 – Elementary & Junior High Learn Your Level bit.ly/ElementaryLYL2019
- All families are welcomed to attend the Elementary & Junior High session to see where the Montessori curriculum leads.
A note from Tina: Gratitude for the grace and courtesy displayed by our students
Last week on two different occasions, I was approached by members of the greater London community regarding their experiences they had with our older students in Upper Elementary and Junior High. They were two very different scenarios, but the theme was the same: they had a wonderful time and had never interacted with a group of students who were as polite as ours. I am so grateful for the way our students represent themselves, and our school, both in and beyond the walls of MA. Thank you!
Monday is the Thanksgiving holiday
The school is closed on Monday for the Thanksgiving holiday. We hope you enjoy quality time with family and loved ones over the long weekend. See you on Tuesday!
1000 Acts of Kindness – Lower Elementary
This year, the Lower Elementary classrooms have chosen to support Merrymount Family Support and Crisis Centre during 1000 Acts of Kindness month. There are children staying in Merrymount’s Crisis Residential/Respite Program up to 13 years of age. Lower Elementary families are invited to donate any of the following items. Items will be collected in the classrooms.
- New children’s clothing, all sizes
- Pyjamas
- Socks & Underwear, all sizes
- Shoes
- Pants, shirts and sweatshirts
- New books
- Gift cards
- Movie passes
- New toys for birthdays, holidays
- Gently used toys
- Non perishable food items
- Art and craft supplies
- Children’s toothbrushes and toothpaste
Letters went home in blue bags a few weeks ago for students in all levels. If you’re not sure what your class/location is collecting this year, please ask your child’s teacher for details.
Phys. Ed Updates
Elementary cross-country
The year has been off to an amazing start. The weather has cooperated and the students have been working very hard on improving their cross-country endurance. Recently the entire elementary school took part in an in-school cross country meet at Gibbons Park. The Year 1 and 2 students ran 1km, and the Year 3-8 ran 1.8km. The runners did an amazing job, and many put up some personal bests. Thank you to all of the parents, staff and students for making this a great day!
As noted above, the next meet is for students in Years 3- 8 tomorrow at Springbank Park. See above for the details, and notes have been posted on the Junior High website and Upper Elementary website.
Remember: the buses are leaving at 9:10 SHARP to get to the park. Please have your child to school by 9 a.m. to board the buses. Thanks!
Senior Volleyball
Volleyball is underway for both senior teams. The girls play at St. Marguerite on Tuesday and at St. Kateri on Thursday. The boys only play at St. Patrick Lucan on Wednesday. Practices and schedules are posted on the Junior High website.
Swim to Survive program
The Year 3 students are taking part in the Swim to Survive program offered at the YMCA – Centre Branch. The program runs over three consecutive Thursdays from 1-2pm. Students learn to feel comfortable in the water, tread water, swim a distance and how to get out of the water safely.
Casa 3: Completed work & a sense of accomplishment!
These faces show it all — that sense of achievement after concentrating on a long piece of work. In one case, the Casa colour wheel is completed; in the other, cylinders stacked high (which is easier said than done!). One of the many beauties of Montessori material is that it is designed for student success!
Westmount Casa’s visit to Kustermans
Westmount Casa spent an amazing day at Kustermans last week! We couldn’t have asked for warmer weather! The children enjoyed exploring the grounds and taking part in a number of fun activities that were available to us. Roaming the pumpkin patch and choosing a pumpkin to bring home is always a highlight! Thank you to our parent volunteers that were able to join us on that day!
UE Greenhouse project
What do practical life skills look like in Upper Elementary Montessori? A little like this…
Year 6 students, Evie and Ethan, have been organizing the care of our greenhouse tomatoes, ensuring that they are watered and attended to daily. They have overseen the weekly scheduling of their Upper Elementary classmates in the process. Hopefully we’ll have some red tomatoes to harvest soon; otherwise we’ll be making green tomato chutney!
Several of their peers helped move the tomato plants into the greenhouse at the very beginning of the school year. These plants were grown from seed last spring, started in the greenhouse, then potted outside for the summer. All of them 100% grown by the Elementary Montessori students.
Junior High: Every child matters
Junior High supports Orange Shirt Day because we believe it is an important part of Canadian history that we must recognize. The Residential school system consisted of government-sponsored religious schools that started in the 1870s and were not completely shut down until the mid-1990s. Over that time, it is estimated that over 150,000 indigenous children were taken from their homes by the government and stripped of their culture and their way of life to try to force them into a more Euro-Canadian upbringing. We believe this was a massive mistake and injustice towards indigenous people. We wear our orange shirts for the indigenous children that were taken from their homes and stripped of their beliefs. Some of them never returned to their families. It has to be our hope and life-long mission to ensure that nothing like this will ever happen again. Our Junior High community chose to participate in this event on October 4, to still help remember the lives that were lost.
~ The Students of Junior High
Montessori in the Community: Hope Letter Campaign winner!
Last week, Evelyn M. won the Hope Letter Campaign contest. Evelyn (left), her sister Rowena (right), and her dad went to Innovation Works to pick up her prizes on Friday after school (which included $250 for a charity of her choice – The London Food Bank), and she happened to be wearing her Montessori gym uniform.
From the organization: “The Hope Letter is a Good Neighbors’ campaign to stimulate global citizenship and promote education. Each year, kids write letters of support to a child in another country.
This year, the campaign was launched at the London Children’s Museum in June, marking the first time kids can participate in Canada by writing or drawing messages to Mina.”
Congrats, Evelyn!
From the Community
Friendly reminder from the Fire Department
Did you know? In case of fire, a closed door can isolate the fire’s flow, reduce room temperature and keep carbon monoxide levels down. “Close Before You Doze” aims to make closing doors at night part of people’s bedtime routine.
Upcoming Growing Chefs events
Here’s a list of upcoming events from our good friends at Growing Chefs! Ontario.
