Montessori Buzz – Sept. 10, 2019
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Dear MA Families & Friends,
FYI: Overview of Academic and Social Dates
The school’s Leadership Advisory Committee (LAC) is made up of faculty members from across all levels of the school and has created an Overview of Academic and Social Events (PDF), which features two charts that highlight the opportunities for families to connect with faculty and staff throughout the school year.
These opportunities are broken out by Academic-based touchpoints and Social events, but do not include our school-wide Fundraising and Development events. We hope these two charts provide you greater insight on the many opportunities to connect with our faculty and staff as they support your family on their Montessori journey.
Download or view a PDF copy of the document here: https://montessori.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Overview-of-Academic-and-Social-Events-2019-2020.pdf
Reminder: Pick-Up/Drop-Off Times & Extended Hours
As the new school year begins, we would like to remind parents of the pick-up and drop-off times for each location as well as the hours of use for the Early/Extended Hours program.
Arrivals and Departures
The arrival and departure of your child should be punctual. Late arrivals disturb the continuity of the class already in progress and can make your child’s transition difficult. Please use the Extended Hours program for arrival and pick-up outside of the times listed.
Toddler & Casa
Full-day students Part-day students
• Arrival 8:45–9:00 a.m. • Arrival 8:45–9:00 a.m.
• Pick-Up 3:45–4:00 p.m. • Pick-Up 12:45–1 p.m.
Elementary Junior High
• Arrival 8:45–9:00 a.m. • Arrival 8:40–8:50 a.m.*
• Pick-Up 3:45–4:00 p.m • Dismissal 3:45 p.m.
*Junior High’s Morning Meeting begins at 8:50 a.m.
Extended Hours
Montessori Academy offers an Extended Hours program to families who require supervision for their children before or after school hours. You can register your child for Extended Hours through the Reception at the Main Office. Supervision is available at a daily, monthly, or annual rate.
• Early hours: 7:30 a.m. – 8:45 a.m. or any part thereof
• After hours: 4:10 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. or any part thereof
All of these details are listed in your printed Year at a Glance calendar that you received last week, and the online Parent Handbook (PDF) found under Forms & Policies on our website: https://montessori.on.ca/our-families/forms-policies/
MA has an AED!
Thanks to a generous grant from Lutheran Social Services London, we are proud to announce that Montessori Academy of London purchased an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) over the summer!
In the case of a life-threatening cardiac-related emergency, an AED is a safe, portable device that anyone can use – all you have to do is press the *on* button and the AED will tell you what to do. When combined with CPR, the AED improves survival rates from cardiac episodes by up to 50%.
Thank you Lutheran Social Services London for your incredible gift!
Oxford Casa 4’s first week
The first week of school was an exciting time of establishing relationships and creating a positive and trusting atmosphere. It is during this time that we look for opportunities for all the students to build and strengthen their friendships. We encourage these connections by pairing returning students with new students either with work, at circle or during lunch.
From the very first day of school we begin talking about the classroom routines and expectations and build on these discussions throughout the week. During circle time, the children participate in conversations surrounding the expectations of courtesy, respect and order. Establishing these expectations helps the students understand what is required of them in the classroom. The first few weeks of school set the foundation for the remainder of the year where our goal is to empower the students, help them develop relationships and present inspiring work. Here is a small glimpse into their first week!
Westmount Casa’s first week
It’s hard to believe we already have completed the first week of school. We are fortunate to have an amazing group of both new and returning students who are eager to learn new skills and refine others. Here is a peek into our first week!
Video: One of our Westmount Casa pre-kindergarten students has started to develop perseverance. He is working through this task at his own pace. He is continuing on his path towards the joy of learning. This child said it best, “I just keep on going”. We could all take some advice from him; if we could all just push through things we might find difficult, we will find success within ourselves!! https://www.facebook.com/MontessoriAcademyofLondon/videos/2147839108842619/
Waterloo Casa activities
The Waterloo Casa students prepared a bird feeder this week for our feathered friends. It wasn’t long before it had a visitor… that wasn’t very feathery… Huh.
UE Lunch program: YUM
The students in Upper Elementary are becoming more independent every day! We’ve made some changes to the Elementary lunch program that will inspire more independence and responsibility. Hudson is helping himself to a healthy serving of Caesar salad during hot lunch this first week of school.
Bird, Bee & Butterfly Garden Update
Oh how they grow! Did you happen to walk by the Bird, Bee & Butterfly Garden behind 719 Waterloo St.? Big changes since last spring when we took the cover photo of your Year at a Glance calendar!
Lisa has written a great write-up about this project and its progress! Take a read through her writeup on our website: https://montessori.on.ca/bird-bee-butterfly-garden-update/
Junior High lip dub!
Our Junior High students were blown away by the incredible renovations of their building. So on Wednesday, they put together this awesome video because they wanted to create something that would make people feel instantly happy, as well as show off our new environments, and most of all, say a HUGE thank you to anyone who helped to make the transformation happen. And they made it on only the second day of school! MA-zing!
Enjoy! https://vimeo.com/358092988/e0be471d81
End of Summer Social
What a great day for a social! Thank you to all the families who stuck around after school for this fun event. The Junior High students were so excited to show off their newly renovated learning environment. Take a look through the gallery on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MontessoriAcademyofLondon/posts/2329200957127114
Need labels?
Our Mabel’s Labels campaign is ongoing; each purchase supports the school’s fundraising efforts. Purchase your labels online: https://mabelslabels.ca/en_CA/
From the community
Child & Youth Development Clinic Workshops at Western
Boss Back Worry (Ages 8 to 10) is an 8-week cognitive-behavioural therapy program for children and their parents/caregivers being held Wednesday evenings from September 25 to November 13 from 6:00 – 7:30. Participants will come away with new skills to better manage their child’s anxiety. This program is designed for children experiencing high levels of anxiety that is impacting their well-being and success. Registration is limited to 8 families and is led by Dr. Colin King and Psychology Graduate Student Clinicians with parent and child specific groups. The cost for this 8-week program is $250.00. To register or get more information please contact Leesa at lmcouper@uwo.ca or by calling 519-661-4257.
Leap to Literacy (Grades 4 to 8) is being offered through the Learning Disabilities Association of London Region but being held at CYDC. This 10 week program runs every Monday evening (5:30 – 7:00 p.m.) from September 23 to December 2. (No class on Monday October 14.) Leap to Literacy is an individualized literacy program for children struggling with literacy skills. This program is a combination of 80% one-on-one tutoring and 20% large group instruction on new literacy skills. Included with your registration is the at-home use of the online literacy program, either Lexia (Core 5 or Power-Up), depending on the student’s current reading level. This program will focus on school related assignments/homework, fluency, word study, comprehension and writing responses to reading. Technology will be integrated using graphic organizers, reading and writing software with the use of Chromebooks. This program is run in partnership with the Child and Youth Development Clinic at Western University. The cost for the 10-week program is $240.00. Registration and further details may be found on the LDA website:
http://www.ldalondon.ca/programs-for-children-youth