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Dear MA Families & Friends,
Elementary photo orders due this week
Some really awesome photos taken of Lower and Upper Elementary and Junior High students were sent home this week! Our spectacular bird, bee & butterfly garden made for a great backdrop! Please make note that the date to return orders is on or before Thursday, September 26.
NEW: Junior High babysitters for PD Days
We’ve gathered a list of Junior High students who are interested in babysitting our students on PD Days. Please contact the Front Desk to inquire about student availability.
Reminder: Pick-up and Drop-off at downtown locations
Junior High/Specialties building: If you are dropping your child(ren) off at Junior High for choir, MMUN or school, please do not park in the staff spots in the Junior High lot. If you have a child in MMUN and another waiting for choir to start, please park and wait on Piccadilly St. with them. Also, please do not park in the veterinarian clinic’s lot; that is private property.
We cannot stress enough how dangerous it is for our children when cars pull into and back out of driveways and parking spots during busy times. When dropping your child(ren) off at the Junior High building, please drive through and continue on. The parking spots at Junior High are reserved for MA staff, many of whom work our Early Hours program.
Elementary/Main Office/WaterlooToddler & Casa: We have also noticed many cars pulling into driveways (including the school’s) on Piccadilly to turn around during pick-up and drop-off; this is also very dangerous for our families and children walking near the school, and an inconvenience for our neighbours.
This PDF – ‘Elementary & Junior High Parking and Drop-Off/Pick-Up’ – details the parking procedures; this document was provided to Elementary and Junior High families in your August mailing.
Oxford Casa: Families received a printed copy of pick-up/drop-off protocols at their location in blue bags last week as a reminder.
Thank you for your courtesy and making this daily process safe for our children. Please share this information with extended family members and anyone in your household who may help with pick-up and drop-off throughout the year.
FYI: Choirs – all are welcome
From Miss Marty: Junior Choir begins on Thursday! Students in Years 2 & 3 who would like to join choir on Thursday morning at 8:00 am in the Junior High building, do not need to register. Just show up! I look forward to having you!
Westmount Toddler and Casa’s Harvest Social
Thank you to all those who took the time to attend our Westmount Toddler and Casa Harvest Social! Although it didn’t feel like a crisp Fall day outside with all of that sunshine and heat, it sure looked like one. Thank you to all the families who helped decorate with pumpkins and gourds. The children had a ‘hay-day’ playing games and spending time with their families. We appreciate all of the snacks and goodies that were brought in to share with everyone! It’s hard to believe that we have already kicked off the Fall season. We are off to a wonderful start to this new school year. We are thankful to have such a kind and fun-loving group of children and their families!
International Peace Day 2019!
Our Casa students celebrated The International Day of Peace at their locations
- Video – Oxford and Waterloo St. locations:
- Video – Westmount location:
Peer peacekeeper training
The Year 6 students participated in the annual Peer Peacekeeping event last Thursday and Friday. Students get to sleepover at Junior High and take part in various activities that develop conflict negotiation and mediation skills. The Elementary teachers were impressed with the cohesiveness of this year’s group. Way to go, Year 6 students!!
Lower El trip to Kustermans Berry Farm
On Friday, our Lower Elementary students ventured to Kustermans Berry Farm for a day of learning and outdoor activity. The weather was perfect and the students had a blast!
See our Facebook page for a couple of fun Boomerang videos of the children having a great time:
Year 6 Zentangle art & concentration – video
In the Art Room, the Year 6 students had a (surprisingly) quiet moment while working on their aptly named Zentangle artwork. You could hear a pin drop!
https://www.facebook.com/MontessoriAcademyofLondon/videos/524971714979643/
Junior High’s Alive Outdoors Odyssey trip
Our Junior High students took part in their annual Odyssey trip last week. The trip facilitators, Alive Outdoors, deal with many schools throughout the year, and are continually impressed by the openness, compassion and maturity of our students – including our newly minted-Year 7’s: “Working with the staff and students from the Montessori Academy of London always feels like a gift. Thank you to all of you for such a magical week together. Thank you also to all the ALIVE instructors who made it so special.”
Good read: Mixed-age classrooms
A unique element of the Montessori classroom is the mixed-age groupings. Here’s an interesting article on the benefits of keeping your child in a Montessori program through all three years of each level or cycle: https://guidepostmontessori.com/blog/staying-cycle-importance-mixed-age-classroom
FYI: Cardus research findings on independent schools in Ontario
Last February we shared a link in the Buzz to a survey seeking input from families who have chosen to send their children to independent schools. The results have been released from Cardus.
Here is a link to the summary of the research findings and report: https://www.cardus.ca/research/education/reports/who-chooses-ontario-independent-schools-and-why-summary/
From the community
Child & Youth Development Clinic Workshops
Wise Words (Grades 4 and up) is an 8-week program being held Thursday evenings from either 5-6 or 6-7, from October 10 to December 5 (no class on October 31). This program is for struggling spellers and is aimed at understanding why words are spelled the way they are. If you have already taken Wise Words or More Wise Words, please register for Level 2. If you have taken both, register for Level 3. This program is led by Speech & Language Pathology Graduate Student Clinicians who work under the supervision of Lisa Archibald, Associate Professor, School of Communication Sciences & Disorders, and the Department of Psychology. The cost for this 8-week program is $120.00 per child. To register or get more information please contact Leesa at lmcouper@uwo.ca or by calling 519-661-4257.
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