We look forward to seeing everyone back at school on Tuesday, April 3!

Reports were sent out by email to students in kindergarten and up out on the 16th. If you did not receive your child’s report, please let us know. Kindly return a signed copy to school when we return back to school next week.  Please contact us If you wish to have a meeting with your child’s directress/teachers.

The cut-off date for April Hot Lunch orders is this Thursday, the 29th at 3 PM, so if you plan to order hot lunch for your child (Extended-day and Up), please make sure you get your orders in by the deadline, if you haven’t done so already.

Enjoy the rest of the break!
The Lions Gate Montessori Staff

UPCOMING DATES AND NOTICES
March 19 – 29 | SPRING BREAK, NO SCHOOL
March 30 | GOOD FRIDAY, NO SCHOOL
April 2 | EASTER MONDAY, NO SCHOOL
Apri 3 | Back to School
April 5 | Kindergarten Hearing Screening
Tuesday, April 10 | Reel2Reel Film Festival Screening of Tesoros for Grades 4 & Up Students
Wednesday, April 11 | Reel2Reel Film Festival Screening of Earth: One Amazing Day, Grades 1 & 2 Students
Wednesday, April 11 | Reel2Reel Film Festival Screening of “Indigenous Spotlight” plus Handmade Film Workshop, Grades 3 & Up Students
Monday, April 23 | Upper Elementary Stanley Park “Survivor” Program

Hot Lunch (Elementary and Extended-day Children Only): Don’t forget to order your child’s hot lunch for the next term over the break if you haven’t done so already. Below are the cut-off dates:
Lunch Order Cut-off for April: Thursday, March 29 3 PM
Lunch Order Cut-off for May: Thursday, April 26, 3 PM
Lunch Order Cut-off for June: Thursday, May 24, 3 PM

If you have not yet tried our lunches and would like to, please follow the steps below:
1. Click here to sign up for an account. An activation code will then be sent out to you. After you activate your account, click on the “ADD CHILD” button at the top right of the screen to enter your child in the system. You must also enter your child’s school code as follows:
Extended-Day Students: 1a5.
Anchor Point Students in Grades 1 and Up: d0

2. Click on the “Order” tab on the left of the screen and select “New Order” on the drop-down button. Click on the blue “ORDER” button to reveal monthly menus.

3: Click on blue “ORDER” button on the month you wish to order to reveal lunches on a calendar screen. Note that the following lunches provide a choice for “Regular” or “Large” orders: Lasagne, Pizzas, Quesadillas, and Mac & Cheese.

4.Payment is by credit card only and is due when you complete your order.
No order is complete without payment. A convenience fee of 3.25% will be
automatically applied to your payment. Once a lunch order is submitted, it is non‐refundable.

Feel free to email us if you need help!

CASA COMMUNITY (PRE-SCHOOL & EXTENDED-DAY)

French Language Lesson for Preschool canceled on April 4th: Please note that the French lesson on Wednesday, April 4th will be canceled. A makeup lesson for it is set on Friday, April 13th, from 11:45 am to 12:45 pm. Thank you for your understanding.

Fruits and Vegetables in Lunches: We are encouraging all students to eat healthy with a balanced diet. Please include some fruits and vegetables in your child’s lunches. It’s wonderful if you are already doing so, thank you!

ANAPHYLAXIS ALERT! We have been notified that two children in our Casa community have life-threatening allergy (anaphylaxis) reactions. The triggers are dairy, eggs, tree nuts, kiwis, and hummus. 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. Starting in September 2017, 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 bringing these foods and see it as an opportunity to introduce other foods for snacks and lunches to the school environment as you introduce your child to anaphylaxis awareness. If dairy, eggs, and hummus 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 www.foodallergycanada.ca. Thank you very much for your attention and assistance.

ANCHOR POINT COMMUNITY (GRADE 1 & UP)

Ms. Ashley informed us that she expects to be back from her leave on Monday, April 30th!

Reel2Reel Film Festival – Tuesday, April 10: Upper Elementary Students will attend the screening of “Tesoros“, 10 AM at the VIFF followed by a picnic lunch at Emery Barnes Park, so please ensure you send your child to school with a bagged lunch. Upper  Els will also participate in a Cut-Out Animation workshop at school as part of this program scheduled for April 16th.

Reel2Reel Film Festival – Wednesday, April 11: Grades 1 & 2 students will attend the screening of “Earth: One Amazing Day“, 10 AM at the VIFF and will return to school for lunch.

Grades 3 & up will attend the screening of “Indigenous Spotlight” at the Roundhouse Community Centre followed by a workshop on Handmade Films and will have a picnic lunch at David Lam Park, so please ensure you send your child to school with a bagged lunch.

Stanley Part “Survivor” Program I Monday, April 23: Upper Elementary students will be visiting Stanley Park to participate in the “Survivor” forest program led by the Stanley Park Ecology Society. The students will receive an introduction to nature in Stanley Park’s forested trails, where they will learn about how to survive in the woods and also how to prevent getting lost in the woods. They will try their hand at knot tying and practice new skills while building their own wilderness survival shelter. This full-day program will be held outside, rain or shine. Please submit the attached permission and payment by Wednesday, April 4.

COMMUNITY NOTICES   Wondering what to do with your family this weekend and Spring Break? Check these out!

Vancouver Aquarium Easter Scavenger Hunt, Friday, March 31 to Sunday, April 2, 9:30 AM to 6 PM: Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Or in the case of the Vancouver Aquarium, the fish or the egg? Many creatures at Vancouver Aquarium hatch their young in fascinating ways from sitting on eggs to scattering them about to laying them in ‘purses’. Through this self-guided hunt, visitors will journey through the Aquarium to learn eggs-traordinary animal stories then use this knowledge to solve clues and uncover a secret word on the scavenger hunt form. Visitors return their completed form to receive a chocolate treat and enter to win prizes.

Annual Great A-Maze-ing Egg Hunt at VanDusen Botanical Gardens, Friday, March 31 to Sunday, April 2: Kids 0 to 8 years are invited to experience this annual egg hunt. Choose from 4 sessions daily. Kids can enjoy an outdoor egg hunt in 6 different areas of the garden including the maze and participate in fun themed activities.

Easter Train at Stanley Park, March 29 to April 2, 10 AM to 5 PM: Hop on the Stanley Park Train for an egg-citing Easter ride through Stanley Park through the forest and look for cotton-tailed inhabitants! After the train ride, kids can enjoy fun activities including: Bunny Burrow maze, face painting by the Doodle Girls, Egg hunt in the farmyard Indoor egg hunt for toddlers in the small Barn, Meeting the Easter Bunny, Easter crafts, Bouncers and carnival games

The Velveteen Rabbit at WaterfrontTheatre, 1412 Cartwright Street I March 3 to 25: Recommended for ages 3-8 and their grown-up companions, this story explores the transformative magic of love, even at life’s most difficult moments. When Boy becomes gravely ill, the doctor orders that all his toys being thrown out. Abandoned, the Rabbit is very sad but never stops believing he and Boy will find each other again.

Kids Ski for FREE at WhistlerBlackcomb: Epic SchoolKids Whistler Blackcomb Pack offers Canadian and Washington State kindergartners to grade five students five free days of skiing or snowboarding at Whistler Blackcomb, along with one free lesson and equipment rental for first-time skiers and snowboarders!

Build a Band Vancouver’s March BreakCamp I March 19-23, 9 AM – 12 PM: Enjoy music, games, crafts and snack! Contact Amanda or Shera by email to buildabandschool@gmail.com or telephone at 604-440-4801

Kids are FREE at VanDusen BotanicalGarden & the Bloedel Conservatory | Month of March: The two venues are open every day in March from 10am to 5pm. Bring your children 12 years and under to explore the 55 acres at VanDusen Botanical Garden. Afterwards, you can head over to the Bloedel Conservatory where you will find exotic birds and a lush tropical world all under the dome at Queen Elizabeth Park.

STEM2Space Spring Camps features, constructing cool robot models and then learn to program them. We provide world-class instruction with fun camp activities that will build skills that last long after Spring camp

Burnaby Village Spring Break HeritageAdventure Camp: In a 1920s setting, children play heritage games, try out toys from the past, decorate spring-themed cookies, listen to stories and make arts and crafts. Children must be currently attending or have completed Kindergarten to participate in this program.

Spring Break at the Cannery: The Cannery offers programs from how First Nations communities have and continue to fish on the west coast to learn about the different types of fish and marine life that have been fished commercially in the waters of the BC coast.

Spring Break at UBC: Camps themes include Adventure, Enrichment, Arts & Music as well as Sports and Recreation can be found at UBC!

YMCA Vancouver: Spring into action with the Y for Spring Day Camp! These camps feature exciting activities to all break long. Campers ages 5‐12 participate in out‐trips, outdoor activities, sports, games, arts & crafts and get the recommended 90 minutes of daily physical activity. Extended before and after camp care is also available.

Sea to Sky Gondola – The Secret Spring Break Deal | March 17 to 29: In addition to snowshoeing, tubing, the playgrounds and exploring, there will be daily children’s activities at the summit. Mention the Secret Spring Break Deal at the ticket window to receive up to 3 children’s day tickets (ages 12 and under) for FREE with the purchase of an adult or senior day ticket at the ticket window.