We enjoyed a glorious morning at the Pumpkin Patch! Many thanks to all who joined and helped us at this outing.
We’re looking forward to having you learn more about our activities at our Parent/Child workshops this coming week! This is a wonderful opportunity for you to participate in a lesson with your child, so please don’t miss it and do let us know if you need to re-schedule. We’d be happy to accommodate you!
Now that the colder weather is upon us, students are coming in with extra clothing and footwear. Please ensure you clearly label these items to prevent any mixups! Our students engage in a variety of activities that may involve water, sand, and paint which may result in soiled clothing at school, so please send an set of extra clothing to school if you haven’t done so already. Thanks!
Wishing you a lovely weekend,
The Staff at Lions Gate Montessori
DATES & NOTES TO REMEMBER
Wednesday, October 18│Upper Elementary WeDay Outing
Thursday, October 19 │ Parent/Child Workshops, North Creek & Anchor Point
Friday, October 20 │ Professional Development NO SCHOOL for students
Wednesday, October 25│Upper Elementary Cleveland Dam Outing
Monday, October 30 │ Bake Sale (see note below)
Tuesday, October 31 │ Communal Lunch for Grade 1 & Up Students (see Anchor Point note below)
Wednesday, November 1 │WE Scare Hunger Food Bank Drive (see note below)
Thursday, November 2 │ Photo Day at Anchor Point
Friday, November 3 │ Photo Day at North Creek
Friday, November 10 │ Professional Development NO SCHOOL for students
Monday, November 12 │Remembrance Day Holiday NO SCHOOL
Friday, November 24 │Childcare Fundraiser (see note below)
Friday, December 15 │Winter Performance & Craft Fair Party (see note below)
Hot Lunch (Elementary and Extended-day Children Only) Cut-off Dates and Times:
November Cut-Off: Thursday, October 26, 3:00 PM
December Cut-Off: Thursday, November 30, 3:00 PM
Monday, October 30 │ Bake Sale: We’re looking forward to our first Bake Sale of the year at Anchor Point! All families are invited to contribute baked goods. If you are interested in contributing or volunteering, please let us know no later than Wednesday, October 25th with “Bake Sale” on the subject line. Kindly note that we respectfully request that you drop off your contributions by 8:30am on the day of the Bake Sale at Anchor Point (October 30th). Funds raised will used to reduce fees or pay for full admissions to future field trips. A portion of the funds from this bake sale will be contributed to victims of the recent Mexico earthquake.
Wednesday, November 1 │WE Scare Hunger Food Bank Drive: Help our students collect food to help scare away hunger this Halloween season by dropping off non-perishable food items at either North Creek or Anchor. Donated items will be donated to our local community food bank.
Friday, November 24, 5pm to 8pm | Childcare Fundraiser: Parents – are you looking for an evening to relax, run some errands or go on a date without your child(ren)? For a donation, you are welcome to drop off your child(ren) at North Creek from 5-8pm to receive childcare by the older Elementary students with adult volunteers. If you would like to use this childcare service, please RSVP us with Childcare on the Subject line by Friday, November 17.
Friday, December 15 │Winter Performance & Holiday Market Party: Mark your calendars and join us at the Space Centre’s Star Theatre & Deck! Please see attached information for details. Note that seating for the performances is limited. All families who plan to attend the performances must submit the attached Winter Party Seat Request by Friday, December 1. Unused seats will be allocated to families who have made extra seat requests, so please let us know if you plan to attend by the December 1 deadline. (Extra seat requests will be confirmed by Friday, December 8).
CASA COMMUNITY (PRE-SCHOOL & EXTENDED-DAY)
Thursday, October 19th │Parent/Child Workshop: This is a very special opportunity for your child to show you some of the work they have been doing at school. While regular dismissal is in effect, each family is invited to return at their assigned time slot with your child(ren) for the after school event. Please pick you your child on time. The teachers will need the time to prepare the classroom and make sure the event will run on time for all families. Each session is 20 minutes. Please do not hesitate to let us know if you are unable to attend the Parent-Child Workshop and would like to reschedule.
Tuesday, October 31: This is a regular school day at North Creek. Children will participate in a variety of activities and lessons using nomenclature cards, cultural stories and discussions in geography and history. We would like to focus on the subjects of people, land, and their stories that bring us together. The Casa students will not be dressing up in the classroom environment. We respectfully ask families to kindly refrain from bringing candies and Halloween themed treats to school. We deeply appreciate your attention to this request. Please do not hesitate to email northcreek@lionsgatemontessori .org if you have any questions about this.
Preparation for Snack and Lunch: Please follow safety guidelines in food preparation for young children. Grapes are required to be cut in halves and hard boiled eggs to be cut to bite size. 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. 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, 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 (GRADES 1 & UP)
Student and Parent Volunteers Needed – We are planning a childcare evening on Friday, November 24th for parents to drop off their child(ren) to be cared for by our very own senior elementary students and adult volunteers. Please let us know if you or your child(ren) are interested in helping out by Thursday, November 9! Each student caregiver will sign a contract to comply with their duties as a responsible individual to care for the younger children. Attached is a contract for students who are interested in taking on the role as the caregiver in this fundraiser. Please ensure you and your child sign it and return it to Anchor Point. All volunteers will be treated to a pizza dinner!
Wednesday, October 18th | Upper Elementary WE Day Event, Rogers Arena: Our Upper Elementary students have been invited to join WE Day again this year! An educational program that empowers young people to become active local and global citizens, WE Day brings together world-renowned speakers and performers with stands packed with young social innovators to honour their contributions and kick-start another year of change. Tickets for WE Day are not sold. Thanks to their generous sponsors, the event is free to attend for selected schools. For more information, visit www.weday.com.
Thursday, October 19th │ Parent/Child Workshop: Please ensure you sign up for this! Join us for this special opportunity to attend a lesson with your child and/or receive a lesson from him/her at school while class is in session. Each slot is 20 minutes. Please do not hesitate to let us know if you are unable to attend the Parent-Child Workshop and would like to reschedule.
Wednesday, October 25th | Upper Elementary Cleveland Dam Outing: Upper Elementary students will be visiting Cleveland Dam to learn how citizens of the Lower Mainland get their drinking water! There is no fee for this except transit costs – $1.80 fee for the bus both ways, $3.60 total. Please pay for the bus fare with exact change or send your child to school with their compass card. Students are also required to bring a bagged lunch to school for this excursion. Please submit the attached form and payment to school no later than Monday, October 16th.
Tuesday, October 31 | Costumes & Communal Lunch: Children love to dress up and spend a day in someone else’s shoes! On this day, Anchor Point students are welcome to dress up as a favourite historical figure (eg. Leonardo da Vinci, Marie Curie) or literary character (eg. Anne of Green Gables, Sherlock Holmes). Students are welcome to conduct a mini-research about that figure, and share their knowledge with the class. We’re all very eager to learn about fascinating people! Please e-mail the Anchor Point teachers with any questions. Students are also invited to participate in a communal lunch. A sign-up sheet will be posted by Wednesday, October 18.
FSAs: This year, all schools will administer the BC Ministry of Education’s new Foundation Skills Assessment (FSA) from October 2 to November 10, 2017. Please do not hesitate to let us know if you have any questions!
GIRLsmarts4tech Workshops: UBC Department of Computer Science, in partnership with Microsoft and SAP, is pleased to be offering workshops for the fourteenth year. GIRLsmarts4tech workshops encourage young women in grades 6 and 7 to become interested in technology, mathematics and sciences. (See attached Zip file.) For grade 6 girls, UBC will be offering two (identical) full-day workshops:
Saturday, January 20, 2018
Saturday, February 3, 2018
The grade 6 workshop includes activities on HTML, Programming, Computer Hardware, and Cyber Security. Space is limited and will be filled on a first-come first-served basis. Registration is online here.
COMMUNITY NOTICES Wondering what to do with your family on weekends? Check these out!
Apple Festival 2017: A family event for all ages, the UBC Apple Festival celebrates one of BC’s favourite fruits. From learning about the diversity of apples to tasting rare and unusual varieties, the Apple Festival is a great opportunity to discover more about this delicious fruit of over 70 varieties.
Kanaka Creek Watershed Stewardship Centre Open House: Super Salmon: Visit the fish fence (see October 15 listing for “Curious by Nature: Super Salmon”) to see live salmon coming home to spawn. Then come to the Stewardship Centre to see what they do at the Bell-Irving Hatchery with the salmon eggs and talk to salmon experts.
Diwali Fest: Diwali Fest returns for it’s 14th Annual Celebration of the Festival of Lights at Diwali Downtown Vancouver this Saturday, October 14, 3PM to 7PM. This multicultural event features music and dance performances by local artists. The beloved Rangoli room will be back again – join us to create a room sized mosaic artwork! Fashion is a big part of Diwali as this time is one of the biggest shopping seasons in India and it is customary to wear something new on Diwali to symbolize a new year. Fashion will be a focus at “Diwali Downtown Vancouver” with a Sari-Wrapping workshop and a Fashion Show. There will also be Free Diwali Theme instructor led Art class and Rangoli-painting workshops for kids.