Welcome back to school! It’s wonderful seeing our students ready and eager to get back to work. Please join us in welcoming new students Bishop G., Anna B., Eli W., Indiana E, Joe K., Fredric L. and their families to our afternoon class community at North Creek. We look forward to another term filled with joyful work and discovery!
Our general notices and back to school reminders are listed below.
Warm regards,
The Staff at Lions Gate Montessori
GENERAL NOTICES
Important Dates to Remember in January:
Friday, January 15th: Grouse Mountain Field Trip for Elementary children
Friday, January 15th: Re-registration Deadline
Wednesday, January 27th: Casa Community Parent Workshop & Family Literacy Day
Wednesday, January 27th: February Hot Lunch Orders Deadline
Thursday, January 28th: Elementary Community Parent Workshop
Friday, January 29th: PD Day (NO SCHOOL for Students)
Friday, February 26th: PD Day (NO SCHOOL for Students) *Please note, this date was not reflected in our original school calendar and has been added with permission from the Ministry of Education for teachers to learn more about the implementation of this province’s new curriculum, assessment, reporting and resources. For more information about the new curriculum standards, please visit: https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/.
RE-REGISTRATIONS SEPTEMBER 2016 are due on Friday, January 15th. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.
AFTER SCHOOL CLUB REGISTRATION: After School Club registration for this term is due. Please let us know if you want your child to attend our upcoming term sessions.
LATE ARRIVALS AND DISMISSALS REMINDER: Classes begin promptly at 8:45 am for morning preschool, 12:45 pm for afternoon preschool, and 9:00 am for elementary. Students who do not arrive promptly often miss important lessons and begin their days harried. Late arrivals and repeated tardiness are recorded for all kindergarten and elementary children. Please call or email us to let us know if you are going to be late for arrival. It is essential to let us know that you are going to be late for pick-up. This greatly relieves your child’s anxiety while waiting and prevents your emergency contact person being contacted unnecessarily.
HOT LUNCH JANUARY, FEBRUARY & MARCH: Hot lunch orders are now open for our
upcoming term. Kindly note the month(s) for which you are paying for on the memo line of your cheque(s). Please also note the following deadlines dates for ordering with Choices:
Orders for January - CLOSED
Orders for February – Deadline: Wednesday, January 27th 4pm
Order for March – Deadline: Wednesday, February 24th 4pm
These deadlines must be followed without exception in order for Choices to organize themselves and deliver the correct number of lunches. There is, however, flexibility when ordering pizza. Please let us know by Thursday of any week for an upcoming Pizza Mondays and we’ll be happy to add/modify your child’s/children’s orders. Kindly let us know if you are ordering for your child a small (single slice) or a large (2 slices) as well as the type he/she would like (pepperoni or mozzarella).
ELEMENTARY COMMUNITY
Kind thanks to parent volunteers who have offered to share their expertise with our students this coming term! We very much enjoy and look forward to learning from our parent community!
Attention! Anchor Point Montessori is now a NUT FREE facility. Please refrain from packing any nut containing products. Thank you for your understanding!
Parent Workshop, Montessori Silent Journey of Discovery: Join us for our Montessori Silent Journey of Discovery! This is a special opportunity to interact in our classrooms as your children do – using the materials and practicing the lessons Parents are welcome and encouraged to attend both workshops:
Casa Community: Wednesday, January 27th, 4:30pm to 6:00 pm
Elementary Community: Thursday, January 28th, 4:30pm to 6:30pm.
Kindly RSVP by Friday, January 15th specifying which Workshop(s) you would like to attend. Please refrain from bringing your child to these events. We will be offering childcare options combined with our After School Club Program. Details on this will be sent out to registered families. Please let us know if you are interested in having your child/ren join with Casa and/or Elementary Workshop on the subject line.
Foundation Skills Assessment (FSA): s Our grade 4 and 7 students have begun practicing
the Foundation Skills Assessment (FSA), a province-wide test assessing students on reading, writing and numeracy and will begin testing at the end of the month. A separate email has been sent home to grade 4 and 7 parents about this. Please do not hesitate to contact Ms. Michelle should you have any further questions.
Physical Education Update: Please see below the new schedule. Kindly drop off your child as follows:
Lower Elementary Group A: Directly at the Scotiabank Dance Centre (677 Davie Street). If this is inconvenient for your family, please drop off your child no later than 8:45am at Anchor Point and a teacher will walk with them to the Dance Centre. ** An email was sent to the parents of children who make up this group.
Lower Elementary Group B: Regular drop off at Anchor Point (9:00am).
Upper Elementary: We still start having our Karate lessons on Tuesdays (4 weeks) from 2:30pm to 3:30pm. Please send your child with appropriate clothes. We will also be taking the bus to Denman Fitness, so if your child has a bus pass, please send it along as well.
Band Update: Please note that our band lessons with Ms. Karla have been changed this semester from Wednesdays to Tuesdays. Therefore, please make sure your child is bringing his/her instrument on Tuesdays instead.
Reading Buddies: Our Reading Buddies Program will begin this coming Thursday and will continue through the end of the year. Elementary students will read aloud books that they have mastered to the younger students in Extended-day. It is a wonderful way for older students to mentor the younger ones as well as to foster a greater sense of community!
Attention! Anchor Point Montessori is now a nut free facility. Please refrain from packing any nut containing products. Thank you for your understanding!
Friday, January 15th, 8:15am- Grouse Mountain Field Trip: The permission slip for the field trip is now overdue. If you haven’t had the chance to hand it in, please let us know and we will add your child to the final list. Just a couple of reminders:
- We will be taking the a school bus for this field trip, departing from school promptly at 8:45am (students must be dropped off at 8:15am that day).
- We will be leaving the mountain at 2:30pm.
- Please check the weather on the day of the field trip and send your child/children to school with appropriate clothing and footwear such as waterproof apparel that is also removable for the indoor curriculum portion of the day.
- Please pack your child a bagged lunch and a light snack.
CASA COMMUNITY (PRE-SCHOOL & EXTENDED-DAY)
Parent Workshop, Montessori Silent Journey of Discovery: Join us for our Montessori Silent Journey of Discovery! This is a special opportunity to interact in our classrooms as your children do – using the materials and practicing the lessons Parents are welcome and encouraged to attend both workshops:
Casa Community: Wednesday, January 27th, 4:30pm to 6:00 pm
Elementary Community: Thursday, January 28th, 4:30pm to 6:30pm.
Kindly RSVP by Friday, January 15th specifying which Workshop(s) you would like to attend. Please refrain from bringing your child to these events. We will be offering childcare options combined with our After School Club Program. Details on this will be sent out to registered families. Please let us know if you are interested in having your child/ren join with Casa and/or Elementary Workshop on the subject line.
Reading Buddies: Our Reading Buddies Program will begin this coming Thursday and will continue through the end of the year. Elementary students will read aloud books that they have mastered to the younger students in Extended-day. It is a wonderful way for older students to mentor the younger ones as well as to foster a greater sense of community!
Friday, January 22nd – Make-up Mandarin Lesson for Preschool and Ex-day Students: Ms. Lili, our Mandarin specialist teacher, was sick before winter break. This is a make up class scheduled for students who missed the lesson with her.
Winter Apparel: This is a gentle reminder to label your child’s mittens, scarves, hats, coats, and boots/shoes so that there is no mix up of clothing with other children, and items will be less likely to go missing. Thank you for your cooperation!
COMMUNITY NOTICES Wondering what to do with your family over the weekend? Check these out!
Robson Square Ice Rink and Plaza, Tuesday, December 1, 2015 – Sunday, February 28, 2016: The Government of British Columbia’s Robson Square Ice Rink, located in downtown Vancouver, is opening on the afternoon of December 1, 2015 and will be open all through the Christmas Holidays, including Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Skating is free with your own skates, otherwise rentals are available. The rink also features a concession stand with snacks and warm drinks.
BodyWorlds – Animal Inside Out! @ Science World, Tuesday, November 3, 2015 to Monday, March 28, 2016: Body Worlds creator and anatomist, Dr Gunther von Hagens takes you on an anatomical safari with Animal Inside Out! As you explore this captivating exhibition, you will experience the intricate biology, zoology and physiology of a variety of the world’s most spectacular creatures. Animal Inside Out contains more than 100 specimens that have been painstakingly preserved by the remarkable process of Plastination, invented by Dr von Hagens. Students will be able to examine the anatomical intricacies of familiar and exotic animals like giraffes, camels and octopuses. This exhibition is an unforgettable way for students to learn about animal science.
CommonGround: An Exhibition of Young People’s Art Saturday, October 17, 2015 to Sunday, March 27, 2016: Common Ground is an exhibition featuring a variety of projects that present how students in schools across British Columbia explored their local landscape and its relationship with the people, animals and plants who live there. Dynamic environments and ecosystems became hubs for artistic investigations. Experiential learning provided opportunities for students to engage in diverse art forms such as drawing, weaving, felting, printmaking and embroidery. Students gained an enhanced understanding of native and invasive plant species and the animals that depend on them. They cultivated an appreciation of the relationships between natural resources and the traditions of local Aboriginal cultures that have maintained a strong connection to the land from ancestral times. ArtStarts Gallery is located at 808 Richards Street (at Robson) in downtown Vancouver. The ArtStarts Gallery is open Wednesday to Sunday from 10am to 4:30pm. Admission is free and all ages are welcome.