Montessori Buzz – Sept. 29, 2020
Dear MA Families & Friends,
Reminder: Safety at the Waterloo/Piccadilly crossing
Now that we’re a few weeks into the school year, we’ve receive some friendly reminders from our crossing guards at Piccadilly and Oxford:
When arriving for drop off/pick up, while driving south on Waterloo, please do not turn left onto Piccadilly while the guard is still in the road. This is illegal and a charge-able offense. There is a “no left turn (between 7am and 6pm)” sign posted on the south east arm of lights. Parents dropping children on the east side of Piccadilly are encouraged to go another block east down Oxford to Colborne and approach Piccadilly from that direction.
They’ve also noted that some of the children (ours and St. George’s public school) are riding their scooters across the street and crossing against the lights. Please be sure to encourage your children to safely cross the street and mind the lights. St. George’s has also been alerted to this concern.
Thank you in advance for helping us keep everyone safe, especially during our busiest times of the day.
What’s For Dinner?
Back by popular demand, MA and Growing Chefs! Ontario have partnered to bring your child’s favourite hot lunch meals home for dinner!
We have selected 4 popular dishes from our Lunch program with Growing Chefs! Ontario, and their Executive Chef, Katherine, has been busy making and freezing your child’s favourite meals!
Pick up your order on October 16 at Growing Chefs! Ontario’s HQ on King Street (link to map) then keep it in your freezer until you need a break from making dinner. A wholesome, nutritious and delicious dinner your whole family will enjoy! Orders are due Friday October 9 before 4pm. This exciting initiative is a limited time fundraiser for the school with a limited number of frozen entrees available.
Entrées $35 Each
- Chicken Parmesan
- Chicken Pot Pie Casserole
- Beef Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
- Vegetable Lasagna
Sauces/Stew – By the Litre $15 to $20
- Tomato Sauce ($15)
- Butternut Squash Soup ($15)
- Pulled Pork ($20)
Orders will be available for pick up at Growing Chefs on Friday October 16th between 3pm and 6pm during your selected half hour pick up window.
- Pick Up Date: October 16
- Time: Select a half hour window between 3pm and 6pm
- Order Deadline: October 9 by 4pm
- Location: Growing Chefs Headquarters – 460 King St. London, ON
Support the school’s COVID Fund through this unique fundraiser!
Find all the details, including an online order form, on the school’s website: https://montessori.on.ca/whats-for-dinner/
October attestation must be completed by tomorrow
We are requiring parents to complete our COVID attestation form monthly to affirm that you have read and understood our COVID-19 policies and procedures. This attestation needs to be completed before the first of every month.
The ‘Toddler & Casa’ and ‘Elementary & Junior High’ Parent Guides can be found under the Downloads section of your child(ren)’s Classroom Bulletin Board on the MA Parent Portal.
- Login to the portal: https://montessori.myschoolapp.com/
- Select your child’s name at the top left
- Scroll down to Courses
- Click on your child’s classroom – link will take you to the Classroom Bulletin Board
- Link is available under Downloads
Please remember you must complete one attestation per level (Toddler/Casa, Elementary/Junior High), as applicable to your family.
Only one parent per family is required to complete the form(s) for your child(ren).
FYI: The Guides can also be found on the portal under Resources / September Return to School Information and on the school’s website under September Return to School Information page: https://montessori.on.ca/september-2020-return-to-school-information/
New Merch Alert: MA Belt Bags for masks
We now have MA Belt Bags for sale in the Office for Upper Elementary and Junior High students. These bags were ordered so the students can have a safe place to store their masks when going between specialty classes. There’s a white printed patch under the logo for a name or label to distinguish your child’s bag.
If you’re interested in purchasing one, the cost for each Belt Bag is $7.00. Please come to the Main Office to purchase them from the Front Desk. Payment can be made by cash, cheque, debit, Visa, MasterCard, Amex or Apple Pay.
International Dot Day collaborative artwork
“Just make a mark and see where it takes you” is the message given to children around the world when celebrating International Dot Day every year on September 17. This day, based on the book, ‘The Dot’ by Peter Reynolds, tells the story of young Vashti, a girl who felt she just couldn’t draw anything. With the encouragement and wit of her teacher, she becomes a young artist with the confidence to encourage other children to draw as well.
All elementary children who have visited the Art room, have contributed their own personal “dot” to this wonderful collaborative project. Well done young artists!
Math in Lower Elementary
In Lower El 3, our Year threes are well on their way to long division by using the Racks and Tubes. This is yet another great example of Montessori material making math concepts concrete.
Upper El Gratitude pumpkins
Our Upper Elementary students are expressing their gratitude upon these adorable little pumpkins. Check out this pumpkin patch growing in our classroom!
Terry Fox Day in Junior High
By Esa Islam
Terry Fox was a Canadian hero who was recently celebrated by the Jr. High students at Montessori Academy. On Tuesday, Sept. 15, we declared it to be Terry Fox Day in Jr. High. We participated in a multitude of Terry Fox themed activities for an entire week. The biggest highlight of Terry Fox Day was speaking with the head of the organizing committee for the Terry Fox run, Paul Cox. He talked about how Terry Fox was an inspiration to people all over the world, as well as, how he spent his personal time participating in the Terry Fox run ever since 1982. After this, we all sent words of motivation inspired by Terry Fox to the children in the Children’s Health Foundation. Overall, last week, the Junior High students commemorated Terry Fox and ensured that his memory lives on and inspires people around the world.
Navigating our way in Junior High
We are so grateful for our long-standing relationship with ALIVE Outdoors. During the past couple of weeks in junior high, the students have been navigating through their return and connecting back together as best as we can. ALIVE has served as the inspiration for the workshops that the students participated in to help them learn skills to thrive in this ever-changing world.
Walk to School Day is next week!
Next Wednesday, Oct. 7, is International Walk or Bike to School Day! The students have been talking about it in Phys Ed class and we encourage our families who live near the school to take part.
From the Community
Child & Youth Development Clinic, Western University presents:
Virtual Parent-Led Strategies for Child Anxiety (Anxiety Education/ Training 101) – join us Wednesday September 30 from 7-9 p.m. for this free virtual workshop. Registration is through Eventbrite. Registration opens Tuesday September 15 and is limited to 60 families.
Adolescent study at the Developing Brain Lab
The Developing Brain Lab at Western is recruiting healthy English speaking adolescents (11-18 years old) for an online study involving images! They will view various images, rate how much they like them, and identify if they recognize the images being presented to them.
Participants will have the opportunity to receive up to $5 in compensation in the form of an Amazon eGift card if all levels of the study are completed ($0.50 CAN for every level) Use the link below to participate! https://www.memoirstudy.com