Community

Friday, December 4th, 2015

Warm thanks to all families who attended Parent Conferences today. We hope you gained an insight of how your child/children is/are progressing and developing in our classroom(s).

Thanks as well to all families for sending your child/children to school in appropriate clothing for the wet weather! All students in kindergarten and up are required to participate in 30 minutes of daily physical activity, and many choose to out rain or shine. However, students also have the option of participating in activities indoors, if they wish. If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact our teachers at their respective emails:

Elementary Teachers: teachers@lionsgatemontessori.org
Kindergarten & Extended-Day Teachers: northcreek@lionsgatemontessori.org

Please find below, our general notices including Important Dates to Remember for the rest of this first term!

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

GENERAL NOTICES

Winter Bake Sale, December 17th at Anchor Point: All families are invited to contribute baked goods! If you are interested in contributing or volunteering, please let us know by email with Bake Sale on the subject line. Kindly note that we respectfully request for you to drop off your contributions by 8:30am on the day of the Bake Sale. Please note that we will also have our left over inventory of Dried Fruits and Nuts for sale at that time!

End of the Year Piñata Celebration – A Message from Ms. Lula: Dear Families, as part of the holiday celebrations, the After School Art and Spanish Clubs have been working on an enormous and colorful piñata and other surprises. The “fiesta” will be shared with the Extended-day and Elementary students soon!

Important Dates to Remember:
Thursday, December 10th – Winter Performance and Craft Fair (no school for students).
Thursday, December 17th – Anchor Point Bake Sale
Friday, December 18th – Last day of school.
Monday, December 21st to Friday, January 1st – Winter Holidays.
Monday, January 4th – First day back at school.

More important dates to remember can be found on our private calendar (log in required).

Holiday Market and Performance, Thursday, December 17: Our festive holiday market will be open before and after the Winter Performance. The hours of operations will be as following: 1pm to 2:30pm and 4:15pm to 5pm. We will accept cash and credit cards. Grinch Trees will be available for pick up at the market!

Local Outreach Winter Food Drive: Many thanks for your support for such a worthwhile cause! We have collected many food items and will deliver them to the Food Bank of Greater Vancouver next week!

HOT LUNCH PROGRAM: Our Hot Lunch Program is now closed for orders. We will be back in January! Please note, due to our Winter Performance on Thursday, December 10th, hot lunch will be delivered on Wednesday, December 9th instead.

ELEMENTARY COMMUNITY

There will be NO classes on Thursday, December 10th: Regular classes will be preempted for the Winter Performance and Holiday Fair. Please drop off your child at the Roundhouse as follows:

Elementary Cast and Crew (Stage & Make-Up Departments): DROP OFF at 9am.

Remaining Elementary Students: 12pm (an email was sent to these families. Please contact us if you have any questions).

*** All elementary students will be treated to a pizza lunch (choice of pepperoni or cheese) from Rocky Mountain Flatbread courtesy the Students’ Enrichment Fund, so there is no need to pack a lunch.***

Heritage Christmas Celebration, Burnaby Village Museum, 6501 Deer Lake Ave., Friday, December 11th: Kindly drop off your child on time at Anchor Point. If you are late, please drop your child off at the North Creek location (1500 Howe St.). All students are required to bring a bagged lunch and a light snack for this outing. Don’t forget to check the weather on the day of the field trip and send your child to school with the appropriate clothing and footwear.

CASA COMMUNITY (PRE-SCHOOL & EXTENDED-DAY)

There will be NO regular classes on Thursday, December 10th, please drop off your child at the Roundhouse at 2:15pm – Children will be dismissed right after the performance to their parents. If your child wishes to sit with you after dismissal, please keep your child on your lap.

Heritage Christmas Celebration, Burnaby Village Museum, 6501 Deer Lake Ave., Friday, December 11th: Please prepare a bagged lunch and a light snack for this outing. Check the weather on the day of the field trip and send your child to school with the appropriate clothing and footwear.

Friday, December 18th – Make up Mandarin Lesson for Preschool and Ex-day Students: Ms. Lili, our Mandarin specialist teacher, was sick on Thursday, November 26th. This is a make up class scheduled for students who missed a lesson with her.

Return the pockets/folder: Please return the pockets/folder
that your child is using to bring home his/her work from school. They are personalize pockets that your child made for this school year to keep their work dry and protected. Thank you!

Montessori Practicum Students: Ms. Vicky Liu and Ms. Soma Keo from the Montessori Training Centre of BC will be returning to their respective classrooms to begin their first assigned practicum session. Ms. Vicky will be practicing with the AM Preschool and Ex-day students supervised by Ms. Julia from November 30th to December 3rd. Ms. Soma will be practicing with the PM Preschool and Ex-day students supervised by Ms. Kelly from December 7th to December 11th.

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

Christmas Bird Counting, Saturday, December 12, 9:30am – 1:30pm: Calling all young birders! Join other youth and experts for this annual bird survey. After a quick introduction to bird identification, we split into groups and head into the forest for a 1.5 hour bird counting adventure and regroup to share our findings. Remember to pack a lunch. Participation for Free. For more information or to register, phone 604-718-6522 or email education@stanleyparkecology. ca .

Holiday Market, Saturday, December 12, 2015, 10am – 4pm, 3250 Commercial Drive: An annual showcase of seasonal food and fine craft takes place once a year in December at the Croatian Cultural Centre. Over 60 vendors who regularly sell at our summer markets bring out their holiday best at our only indoor venue.

BodyWorlds – Animal Inside Out! @ Science World, Tuesday, November 3, 2015 – 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.

KOOZA Cirque du Soleil – Sunday, November 1, 2015 – Sunday, December 27, 2015: KOOZA tells the story of The Innocent, a melancholy loner in search of his place in the world. KOOZA is a return to the origins of Cirque du Soleil: It combines two circus traditions – acrobatic performance and the art of clowning. The show highlights the physical demands of human performance in all its splendor and fragility, presented in a colorful mélange that emphasizes bold slapstick humor.

CommonGround: An Exhibition of Young People’s Art – Saturday, October 17, 2015 – 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 stude

Friday, November 27, 2015

Important Dates to Remember:
Friday, November 27th – PD Day (no school for students).
Friday, December 4th – Parent/Teacher Conferences (Progress Reports will be handed out for students in Kindergarten and up.) There is NO SCHOOL for students.
Thursday, December 10th – Winter Performance and Craft Fair (no school for students).
Friday, December 18th – Last day of school.
Monday, December 21st to Friday, January 1st – Winter Holidays.
Monday, January 4th – First day back at school.

More important dates to remember can be found on our private calendar (log in required).

Winter Performance and Fair 2015 – Thursday, December 10th, 1:00pm – 4:30pm, Roundhouse Community Centre: There will not be any regular classes for students that day. Please find more information and the seat reservation form (log in to website required). We have received an overwhelming amount of request for extra tickets. So please submit your seat by Monday, November 30th. Unfortunately, we will not be able to accommodate family members and guests who have not RSVPed by this date.

Preschool, Extended-day and Kindergarten: 2:15pm Children will be dismissed right after the performance to their parents. If your child wishes to sit with you after dismissal, please keep your child on your lap as seats are going to fully reserved.

Elementary Cast and Crew (Stage & Make-Up Departments): DROP OFF at 9am. Please note that there will be no need to pack a lunch for cast and crew students who are required to be there at 9 am. We will be ordering pizza (Rocky Mountain) for these students from the School’s Enrichment Fund.

Remaining Elementary Students: 12pm (an email will sent out to parents a week prior).

Holiday Market – Thursday, December 10th: Please note that our incredible Holiday Market will be open before and after the Winter Performance. The hours of operations will be as following: 1pm to 2:30pm and 4:15pm to 5pm. We will accept cash and credit card. Grinch Trees will be available for pick-up at the market!

Invitation to Share Experiences and Expertise: Families – we’d love for you to come in and share your experiences and expertise with our students at all levels! 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 feel free to email us or speak with your child’s teachers if you have some time to come for a visit!

Local Outreach Winter Food Drive – November 16th to December 4th: Once again, we are participating in a Winter Food Drive for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank. Please bring in non-perishable food items and place them in the marked box in the entrance at both locations. The most wanted items are high protein, whole grain, lower sodium, lower sugar items such as canned fish or meats, canned beans (kidney, black, chickpeas), 100% nut butters, pasta and rice, canned vegetables and pasta sauces, canned fruit, packed in its own juice or water, whole grain breakfast cereals, hearty soups, stews and chili. Please note, due to health and safety issuesthe Food Bank is not able to accept homemade items, expired food, products containing alcohol, and open packages of food. Thanks in advance for your support for such a worthwhile cause!

HOT LUNCH PROGRAM: Due to our Winter Performance on Thursday, December 10th, hot lunch will be delivered on Wednesday, December 9th instead.

ELEMENTARY COMMUNITY

Parent Conferences – Friday, December 4: Sign-up sheets are posted at the Anchor Point entrance for meetings with Ms. Michelle and Ms. Silvia. If you are unable to attend, please email us to reschedule.

Physical Education: This is our last week before we take a break! This Monday, kindly drop off your child as follows:

Upper Elementary (Grades 4 to 7, Ages 9 to 13): 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.

Lower Elementary Group B*: 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.

Lower Elementary Group A*: Regular drop off at Anchor Point (9:00am).

A Call for Donations: Our craft projects are underway and would appreciate donations for these items: Glass jars (clean, small and medium sized); Picture Frames (old, but in good shape and new).

Snack Policy Reminder: This is a friendly reminder that the school provides healthy and nutritious snacks (organic, where possible) such as seasonal fresh fruits, vegetables, oatmeal, rice cakes, and crackers, as well as filtered water for your child. The students also make their own breads and cookies. You are welcome to pack your child his/her own snack, but if you do, kindly refrain from sending sugary and non-nutritious snacks such as chips, chocolate, candy, etc. Thank you!

Heritage Christmas Celebration, Burnaby Village Museum, 6501 Deer Lake Ave., Friday, December 11th: Extended-Day and Elementary students will participate in the “Heritage Christmas” program. They will be touring all the exhibits in the museum and riding on a vintage carousel. This program is a wonderful way for students to learn about different aspects of life in a 1920’s urban community. Please prepare a bagged lunch and a light snack for this outing. Again, please check the weather on the day of the field trip and send your child to school with the appropriate clothing and footwear. We will be taking a school bus for this field trip. We may have a few extra seats available for parents who are interested in coming along on this trip. Please let us know if you would like to join us. Kindly return the permission form back to school with payment no later than Monday, November 30th. We would like to send a special thank you to our Parent Support Group for generously funding the transportation to the museum.

Arts Umbrella Dance Company – Mixed Nuts, Vancouver Playhouse, 600 Hamilton St., Tuesday, December 15th: Elementary students will attend this very special interpretation of Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker”. Not limited to ballet, this twist on the holiday classic will have a variety of dance styles including Hip-Hop, and Ballroom Dance. We will have an early lunch at the school and walk to the venue. We will be departing from school at approximately 11:30 am. As always, please check the weather on the day of the field trip and send your child to school with the appropriate clothing and footwear. Elementary students have raised enough funds for the entire class to attend, so no payment is needed. Congratulations students! Kindly submit the permission form no later than Monday, November 30th.

CASA COMMUNITY (PRE-SCHOOL & EXTENDED-DAY) 

Parent Conferences – Friday, December 4: Sign-up sheets for both AM and PM classes are posted at North Creek for meetings with Ms. Julia and Ms. Kelly respectively. If you are unable to attend, please email us to reschedule.

Arts Umbrella Dance Company – Mixed Nuts, Vancouver Playhouse, 600 Hamilton St., Tuesday, December 15th: Kindergarten/Extended-Day students will attend this very special interpretation of Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker”. Not limited to ballet, this twist on the holiday classic will have a variety of dance styles including Hip-Hop, and Ballroom Dance. We will have an early lunch at the school and walk to the venue. We will be departing from school at approximately 11:30 am. As always, please check the weather on the day of the field trip and send your child to school with the appropriate clothing and footwear. Elementary students have raised enough funds for the entire class to attend, so no payment is needed. Congratulations elementary students! However, since the Kindergarten/Ex-day students are planning on taking public transit to the venue, the total cost for this field trip is $3.50. Kindly return the permission form with payment no later than Monday, November 30th.

Casa Parent Discussions @ North Creek – Thursday, December 3rd, 4:30 to 5:15pm, hosted by Ms. Priscilla, Topic – Inner Sensibilities: Have you ever wondered why certain materials in the environment are placed there and when are they to be presented to the student? We invite all parents to join us at our second Casa round-table discussion. Kindly RSVP us by Tuesday, December 1st with Casa Discussion on the subject line if you plan to attend. We look forward to learning together! We will also be offering along with the Parent Support Group child care for that evening. When RSVPing, kindly add that you will need child care for your child(ren). Childcare will be provided at our Anchor Point facility.

University of Oxford, PhD Research Project: PhD candidate, Ms. Hanako Shimamura, has conducted her research work with four year-olds whose families have submitted their consents. She has since returned to Oxford, UK. Below is a thank you note from Ms. Hanako:
Thank you so much for welcoming me to your beautiful class! It was such a pleasure to be in a loving and productive classroom.

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

ArtStarts (808 Richards St) on Saturdays presents “Elements” with Metaphor – Saturday, November 28, 2015: Metaphor is a crew of hip-hop artists who build community empowerment and social justice through their performance and facilitation. Metaphor’s latest show, Elements, combines poetry, rap, turntablism, beatbox, percussion and interactive music. Elements come together to form a greater whole. As the artists display their individual talents, the show begins to synthesize their skills and expose the power that is inherent when we all connect and unite. These artists use music and participatory games to explore themes of inclusion, exclusion, bullying and acceptance. Sessions start at 11am and 1pm. Free! No pre-registration necessary.

Free Painting Workshop ‘Brush Work’ – Saturday, November 28, 2015: On the last Saturday of each month, the Contemporary Art Gallery (555 Nelson Street) invites all ages to drop-in for short exhibition tours and free art making activities that respond to our current exhibitions. Come and explore the RBC Painting Competition exhibition, then create your own experimental paintings using a variety of techniques and tools to create lines, shapes, colours and textures. Click here for more information.

Common Ground: An Exhibition of Young People’s Art – Saturday, October 17, 2015 – 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. 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.

Body Worlds – 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.

KOOZA Cirque du Soleil – Sunday, November 1, 2015 – Sunday, December 27, 2015: KOOZA tells the story of The Innocent, a melancholy loner in search of his place in the world. KOOZA is a return to the origins of Cirque du Soleil: It combines two circus traditions – acrobatic performance and the art of clowning. The show highlights the physical demands of human performance in all its splendor and fragility, presented in a colorful mélange that emphasizes bold slapstick humor.