We enjoyed a busy second term full of discoveries! One notable highlight was our Lower Elementary students’ participation in a variety of in-class science activities as a prelude to the 2019 Science Games competition held at Telus Science World. This year, Lions Gate’s Team NAFTA built a model “green” home featuring sustainable features. They were interviewed by the Vancouver Sun  and took home the prize for Most Creative Team! Way to go, Team NAFTA – Nathaniel, Aaron, Felix, Tristan, and August. Your work was awesome!

Second Term Progress Reports for students in Kindergarten and up have been emailed out. Kindly return your signed copy either by email or in person to the school no later than Monday, April 8th. Please do not hesitate to contact us should you wish to make arrangements to speak to our teachers about your child’s report.

Montessori Model United Nations (MMUN) Conference attire pieces (shirts/blouses, trousers/skirts, jackets) were sent home with participating students this past week. Please try them on your child to ensure they fit. The items were purchased thanks to a generous donation by a past MMUN family as a gift to the school, so there is no fee charged to families for the use of these items. Students are also welcome to use their own outfits so long as they are similar to the ones sent home. If you prefer this option, kindly return the attire back to the school when school resumes.

We look forward to more enriching adventures when we return back for our last term. This year, we’ll be hosting a school-wide solstice presentation of a “Midsummer’s Night’s Dream” directed by actress Moya O’Connell (mom to 4th-year student, Ellington) at our End-of-Year picnic on June 21!

A big thank you to all families and friends who volunteered and contributed to this week’s Bake Sale, which raised over $530!

Wishing you and yours a very wonderful Spring Break!
Riza Weinstein & the Staff at Lions Gate Montessori

UPCOMING DATES AND NOTICES
March 18 to 29 I Spring Break NO SCHOOL
March 25 I Hot Lunch Order deadline
Monday, April 1 I First Day Back from Spring Break
Wednesday, April 3 I Elementary Swim Lessons Begins I Please submit your child’s permissions by Monday, April 1 See note below
Tuesday & Thursday, April 9 & 11 | UE R2R Film Festival l (bagged lunch required for UE)
Tuesday & Wednesday, April 9 & 10 | LE R2R Film Festival
Tuesday, April 16 | Upper Elementary | Maplewood Farm (bagged lunch required for UE)
Wednesday, April 17 | Lower Elementary | Science World (bagged lunch required for LE)
Friday, April 19 | Good Friday NO SCHOOL
Monday, April 22 | Easter Monday NO SCHOOL
Monday, April 29 I Professional Development – NO School for Students
Tuesday, April 30 | Upper Elementary | UBC Botanical Garden (bagged lunch required for UE)
Friday, May 10 I Mother’s Day Celebration
Monday, May 20 I  Victoria Day – NO SCHOOL
Friday, May 31 I Professional Development – NO SCHOOL for Students
Friday, June 14 I End-of-School-Year Parent/Teacher Conference NO SCHOOL for Students
Friday, June 21 I End-of-School-Year Summer Solstice Picnic
Note: All permission forms must be signed and submitted to school either by email or hard copy!

NEW ELEMENTARY PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES AFTER SPRING BREAK Elementary students will participate in Swimming Lessons on Wednesdays starting April 3rd through May 15th at the Vancouver Aquatic Centre. Tennis Lessons will follow from May 22 through June 19th. There are no extra fees for these lessons. Please submit the attached permission form to the school by April 1 if you would like your child to participate.

HOT LUNCH
We’re pleased to let you know that there will be even more items on our hot lunch selection from Choices. Sushi will be offered beginning in April!
There are no cancellations/refunds for your orders after the 25th of any month.
All payments will be online by credit card.
Pizza Wednesdays from Rocky Mountain Flatbread are a student-led fundraiser. Net proceeds are retained by the Students’ Enrichment Activities Fund and are used to supplement costs for field trips and specialist workshops.

SCHOOL COMMUNITY FUNDRAISERS
As you can see from our calendar, students are already scheduled to participate in so many events! Our Students’ Enrichment Fund has been set up and is used to help reduce fees for outings and other activities. In particular, Upper Elementary students have enrolled to attend the Montessori Model United Nations (MMUN) program in Rome in May, and would appreciate any contributions received from members of our whole school community!

1) Tea Towels! These custom printed “Vancouver BC” towels (100% cotton) are available for purchase at Anchor Point and North Creek. Cost: $10. Funds raised will go towards supporting our MMUN Conference Trip!

2) Bottle Return Fundraiser! It’s very simple to contribute to this fundraising project. First, use the transparent recycling bags that are available at almost any grocery, drug store or hardware outlet. Then, go to any Return-It Express location. Print one sticker per bag by entering the registered phone number on the screen (our team’s number is 604-790-9320). Place the bag with the sticker attached in the drop-off area and you’re done. Please check out the attached information.

3) Check out https://roamtorome.wixsite.com/mysite-1! We love these avenues for support as this allows families to donate while shopping for their usual needs – clothing, restaurants, give gift cards, equipment and even travel! You can even invite friends and family to join our team. With thanks to Mina (5th-year student) and her mom, Katie, you can now learn how to support us by going to just one site!

ANAPHYLAXIS ALERT! Two students in our community have life-threatening allergy (anaphylaxis) reactions. The triggers are tree nuts and all types of glue. The school is following the VCH guidelines, the families are working with the school, and all AM and PM Preschool and Extended Day are learning about it. North Creek is a nut free environment. Teachers and students will be asked to wash their hands vigilantly and regularly, both at North Creek and in the Extended Day classroom at Anchor Point. Please refrain from sending these foods to school. We encourage parents to use this as an opportunity to introduce other foods to their children for snacks and lunches to the school environment as part of you introducing your child to anaphylaxis awareness. If this is not avoidable, please inform the teachers of the items at the door. It will help us coordinate the classroom to protect all the children. For more information, please visit Food Allergy Canada. Thank you very much for your attention and assistance.

COMMUNITY NOTICES   Wondering what to do on upcoming weekends? Check these out!

Free Compost Week | Mar 9 to 17 | Each spring, Delta residents are invited to pick up one cubic metre (pickup truck-sized load) of compost for FREE from the Vancouver Landfill.

Nowruz – Fire Festival | Mar 19 | The 29th annual Persian New Year celebration includes live music, fire jumping, amazing food and dance performances. This event is based on traditions regarding the last Wednesday of the Persian Calendar known as Charashanbe Suri. Everyone is invited to come to the celebration!

Spring Break 2019 @ Beaty Biodiversity Museum | Mar 16-31 | Join the Beaty Biodiversity Museum every day at 12:00 pm for a different hands-on activity, brought to you by volunteers, staff, curators, and special guests!

The Polygon | Mar 20-24 | The gallery will be offering hands-on workshops and activities designed to stimulate imagination.

Spring Break Family Fuse Week | Vancouver Art Gallery | Mar 25–29 | How does art transform our understanding of everyday life? This Spring Break, families will have the opportunity to connect with interdisciplinary artistic practices through a variety of art-making activities, inspired by the materials, processes and ideas at work in the Gallery’s current exhibitions.

Live Flamenco @ The Improv Centre | Mar 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 | Come and experience live flamenco by the Karen Flamenco Dance Company at the Improv Centre on Granville Island every Saturday at 3pm and 5pm. The one-hour production welcomes audiences of all ages with live traditional flamenco music, dance, storylines, puppetry and magic. With theatre style seating and bistro-style table seats, every audience member will get a close-up and personal experience that is very typical of a traditional Spanish Tablao. Tickets required.

Kevin Mooney Fire Hall Concert Series | Grab your helmet and slide on down to your local Vancouver Fire Hall and see Will’s Jams, Bobs & Lolo and Jim Byrnes live in concert! Please bring donations for the BC Professional Fire Fighters’ Burn Fund.

Royal Canadian Family Circus | May to June 2019 | An all-new show, jam-packed with explosive live entertainment, featuring high-flying acrobatics, death-defying tricks, clowning and towering feats of strength, teetering towers of balanced bodies, extreme bending and devilishly precarious aerials. Family Fun Vancouver readers can get TWO tickets for the price of ONE by using the discount code “familyfunvancouver”.

Raising Digitally Responsible Youth | May 2, 7:00-8:30 PM | With society heading in a direction of being constantly connected to technology, what do we need to know as parents to protect our kids and teach them responsible and appropriate use of technology? Event Free. Please register.