UPCOMING DATES AND NOTICES
Tuesday, January 23 | Skating at Robson Square for Students Grade 1 & Up
Friday, February 2 │ PD DAY NO SCHOOL for students *This date was originally on January 29 and changed to allow our teachers to attend their annual Montessori Professional Development Workshops.
Monday, February 12 | BC FAMILY DAY – Province-wide holiday
Friday, March 2 | PD DAY, No School for Students
Friday, March 2 | SILENT JOURNEY, Parent Workshop (1 pm to 4 pm)
Wednesday, March 7 | Grouse Mountain Field Trip for Students in Extended-Day/Kindergarten & Up
March 19 – 29 | SPRING BREAK, NO SCHOOL
March 30 | GOOD FRIDAY, NO SCHOOL
April 2 | EASTER MONDAY, NO SCHOOL

Sharing Your Expertise: We’ve already had a few parents visit our classes to share experiences and expertise with our students the last term and would love to have more! We’d love to learn about different cultural traditions, professional skills, and even your travel adventures. Telling stories, showing photographs, or demonstrating a skill are just some of the simple ways you can share your wisdom with our students. Please email North Creek or Anchor Point staff or speak with your child’s teachers to arrange a visit!

Hot Lunch (Elementary and Extended-day Children Only):
February Cut-Off – Thursday, January 25, 3:00 PM
March Cut-Off – Thursday, February 22, 3:00 PM

CASA COMMUNITY (PRE-SCHOOL & EXTENDED-DAY)
Extended-Day/Kindergarten Grouse Mountain Outing | March 7th: Students will be spending the day at Grouse Mountain. The first part of the program includes wildlife curriculum lessons, followed by a First Nations experience led by an elder of the Squamish Nation in an authentic Pacific Northwest Coastal longhouse. After lunch, the students will have their afternoon activities in the snow. Students will be taking a school bus for this field trip. There is NO FEE for this outing. We gratefully acknowledge the financial assistance of the Student Enrichment Funds for covering all venue and transportation fees. Please complete and submit the attached permission form by Monday, February 5th.Preparation of snack: This is a friendly reminder about personal food brought from home. Please cut all grapes or grape tomatoes in halves. Hard-boiled eggs must be cut into small pieces. Also, we have a nut-free environment. Thank you for your understanding.

Flower Arranging: This is one of the Practical Life activities that the children enjoy at school. You are invited to sign-up and bring flowers (without thorns or prickly parts) with your child to school on the day you have chosen. If you have placed your name on the sign-up sheet, the children look forward to your flowers very much. If you have decided to change your mind, please take your name off the schedule, so another family may have the opportunity to bring flowers on the available dates. Thank you for your cooperation!

Labeling: Please make the extra effort to label your child’s clothing, shoes, food containers, water bottles, and bags. Many children have identical items. It is very helpful for the children for the staff to be able to identify the objects quickly. This is especially the case when the children identify the objects themselves. Thank you!

Preparation for an Emergency: North Creek asks each family to prepare a personal letter for your child to be kept in our emergency kit (if you have not done one already). In case of an earthquake or other disasters, a letter from home along with a family picture would no doubt be a very special item to have on hand for comfort.

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)
Skating at Robson Square for Students Grade 1 & Up | Tuesday, January 23: Students grades 1 and up have a great opportunity to spend an afternoon at Vancouver’s only outdoor ice rink located at the Robson Square Ice Rink. Instructors will be teaching our students basic skating skills and safety tips. Free rental skates are available but students are welcome to bring their own if they have any. Please check the weather on the day of the field trip and send your child to school with the appropriate clothing and footwear. There is no cost to this field trip. (Apologies for the short notice!)

Upper and Lower Elementary Grouse Mountain Outing | March 7th: Students will be spending the day at Grouse Mountain. The first part of the program includes wildlife curriculum lessons followed by a First Nations experience led by an elder of the Squamish Nation in an authentic Pacific Northwest Coastal longhouse. After lunch, students will have their afternoon activities in the snow. Students will be taking a school bus for this field trip. There is NO FEE for this outing. We gratefully acknowledge the financial assistance of the Student Enrichment Funds for covering all venue and transportation fees. Please complete and submit the attached permission form by Monday, February 5th.

UBC Math CirCle Workshops: Students of grades 4 to 7 are invited to challenge and develop their thinking and Creativity skills at these workshops. This is an enrichment program for students organized by the faculty members of the Department of Mathematics at the University of British Columbia and the Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences. The goal of these workshops is to convey to students the importance of mathematics in the real world as well as how much fun mathematics can be. To book any of the following days or for more information send an email to melania@math.ubc.ca
Sessions: Monday evenings (January 22; February 5 & 25; March 5 & 19;April 9 & 23), 4:30 to 6:00 pm, at the Earth Science Building (Main Mall 2207), room 1012
* There is a $5 fee per child (parents are free)
* Parents are welcomed and encouraged to stay.
* Drop-Ins are welcome if seating is available

Happy New Year!

Welcome back to school! It’s so wonderful seeing everyone back at school refreshed and eager to work!

We’ve already had a few parents visit our classes to share experiences and expertise with our students the last term and would love to have more! We’d love to learn about different cultural traditions, professional skills, and even your travel adventures. Telling stories, showing photographs, or demonstrating a skill are just some of the simple ways you can share your wisdom with our students. Please email North Creek or Anchor Point staff or speak with your child’s teachers to arrange a visit!

Wishing you a joyful weekend,
The Staff at Lions Gate Montessori

UPCOMING DATES AND NOTICES
Monday, January 15, 9:15 AM │Upper Elementary Visit to Library Square, UBC Beaty Biodiversity Museum Permission Due
Wednesday, January 17, 9 AM │Upper Elementary Visit to UBC Beaty Biodiversity Museum
Friday, February 2 │ PD DAY NO SCHOOL for students *This date was originally on January 29 and changed to allow our teachers to attend their annual Montessori Professional Development Workshops. SEE ATTACHED UPDATED CALENDAR.
Monday, February 12 | BC FAMILY DAY – Province-wide holiday
Friday, March 2 | PD DAY, No School for Students
Friday, March 2 | SILENT JOURNEY, Parent Workshop
Wednesday, March 7 | Grouse Mountain Field Trip for Students Kindergarten & Up
March 19 – 29 | SPRING BREAK, NO SCHOOL
March 30 | GOOD FRIDAY, NO SCHOOL
April 2 | EASTER MONDAY, NO SCHOOL

Hot Lunch (Elementary and Extended-day Children Only): Hot Lunch Menus for February and March are open. 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: Lasagna, 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!

Cut-off dates and times for upcoming months are as follows:
February Cut-Off:Thursday, January 25, 3:00 PM
March Cut-Off: Thursday, February 22, 3:00 PM

CASA COMMUNITY (PRE-SCHOOL & EXTENDED-DAY)
Labeling: Please make the extra effort to label your child’s clothing, shoes, food containers, water bottles, and bags. Many children have identical items. It is very helpful for the children for the staff to be able to identify the objects quickly. This is especially the case when the children identify the objects themselves. Thank you!

Preparation for Emergencies: North Creek asks each family to prepare a personal letter for your child to be kept in our emergency kit (if you have not done one already). In case of an earthquake or other disasters, a letter from home along with a family picture would no doubt be a very special item to have on hand for comfort.

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. Than k you very much for your attention and assistance.

ANCHOR POINT COMMUNITY (GRADE 1 & UP)
Monday, January 15, 9:15 AM  | Upper Elementary Visit to Library Square: Students should bring their library cards to school if they plan to take out books. Kindly ensure they come to school dressed in appropriate outdoor clothing for the walk to Library Square. Please also send a snack with your child for this outing if he/she requires mid-morning nourishment as we will be at the library for the first half of the school day.

Wednesday, January 17, 9 AM | Upper Elementary Visit to Beaty Biodiversity Museum: Students look forward to participating in the “Tales of Treasure” program at UBC’s Beaty Biodiversity Museum on Wednesday, January 17th. In 2015, UBC celebrated their first 100 years as a campus. As a part of this, the Beaty began showcasing 100 of their curators’ favourite treasures including extensive collections of over two million specimens encompassing the familiar to secretive. Students are attending this outing as an extension to their studies on the diversity of life on earth with a focus on extinct species. We will be taking public transportation to UBC, departing at 9:00 AM sharp and students will be required to pack a bagged lunch. Kindly review and return the attached permission form to the school on Monday if you would like your child to attend this outing.

COMMUNITY NOTICES Wondering what to do with your family on the weekend? Check these out!

KidPreneur Market Day | January 14: This creative bunch of hard-working kids will have a wide varety of handcrafted products for sale and are ready to demonstrate their new sales and customer service skills!

Robson Square Ice Rink | Open to End of February: This winter, renew a classic Vancouver tradition and enjoy some old-fashioned fun. Robson Square’s outdoor skating rink has opened to the public. Come and celebrate winter in style with free skating in the heart of downtown Vancouver. It’s a magical place to enjoy an activity with your friends, family and loved ones.

Chinese Lantern Festival | December 15 to January 21: Experience Vancouver in a whole new light in this 5-week celebration of Chinese culture featuring massive lanterns, amazing performances, storytelling, food trucks, and a marketplace at the PNE.

Canyon Lights through January 28, 4PM-9PM: Re-capture the feeling of wonder and excitement of the holiday season and be amazed by the hundreds of thousands of lights throughout the park. The suspension bridge, Treetops Adventure, Cliffwalk, the rainforest and canyon are transformed into a world of festive lights and visual enchantment.