Kind thanks to parents who came out for our Parent/Child Workshops last night! Although you were presented with just a glimpse of what your child/children might be doing at school, we hope it nevertheless, provided you some insight into our program. Please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher should you have any questions or concerns, and do join our upcoming Round Table Group Discussion to discuss further, your questions about Montessori.
We look forward to seeing parents in our classes next week as observers. We ask that you kindly review our Observation Guidelines and keep in mind that The presence of additional adults often affect the dynamics of the classroom. Enjoy your observation!
Wishing everyone a great weekend,
The Staff at Lions Gate Montessori
GENERAL NOTICES
Upcoming Dates to Remember
Monday, October 24th to Friday, October 28th │ Observation Week
Monday, October 24th│ Last Day for Covenant House donations
Wednesday, October 26th│ Upper Elementary & Adolescents Visit to Covenant House
Tuesday, November 1st │ North Creek Photo Day and siblings from both locations
Wednesday, November 2nd │ Anchor Point Photo Day and siblings from AP
Thursday, November 3rd │Upper Elementary WeDay Outing; Round Table Group Discussion 4:30pm at North Creek
Thursday, November 10th │ Bake Sale
Friday, November 11th │ Remembrance Day (no school for students)
Friday, November 18th │Curriculum Implementation PD Day (no school for students)
Flu Shots Clinics
October 31
1pm to 4pm: Pacific Spirit Community Health Centre (2110 West 43rd Ave)
November 1st
9:30am to 12pm: Strathcona Community Centre (604 Keefer St.)
11:30am to 1pm: St. Mary’s (2490 West 37th Ave.)
1pm to 4pm: The Cedars at Beulah Gardens (3350 East 5th Ave.)
November 2nd
9am to 12:30pm: Kensington Community Centre (5175 Dumfries St.)
1pm to 4pm: West End Community Centre (870 Denman St.)
2:30pm to 4:30pm: Robert & Lily Lee Family Community Health Centre (1669 East Broadway)
Round Table Group Discussion│Thursday, November 3: We invite all members of the community to join us for a Group Discussion on the overview of Montessori Pedagogy. This provides us with a great opportunity to answer any questions you may have after your special experiences during the Parent/Child Workshop and Parent Observation Week. It is scheduled for Thursday, November 3rd, 4:30 to 5:30 pm at North Creek. Limited childcare is available for children over 5 years old. Please RSVP us if you’d like to attend and kindly specify if you need child care.
Winter Party 2016│Wednesday, December 14th: Our Winter Party is scheduled for Wednesday, December 14th at the Roundhouse Community Centre. There will not be any regular classes for students that day. Please find more information as well as the seat reservation form attached. There is no fee for attending the Winter Party itself. The slip attached should be submitted for our records due to the need to remain within the seating capacity in the venue. Initially, we are reserving 2 seats per family. On Monday December 12, the week of the performance, we will know if there are any more seats available. Feel free to email us at office@lionsgatemontessori.org if you are interested in more seats.
Grinch Trees Fundraiser: The HOLIDAY SEASON is fast approaching!! This year the PSG is will again offer Grinch Trees as an adorable way to raise funds for our Upper Elementary MMUN trip! The Grinch Trees (10”) will come fully dressed and make a great center piece, greeting for your front door or a hostess gift. Keep your eyes open for the pre-order form. Trees will be handed out during the Craft Fair at the Winter Party on December 14th.
Hot Lunch Update: Please note that the last day of school is Friday, December 16th. Therefore, kindly order only through Thursday, December 15th.
Donation Drive for Covenant House: Thanks so much to those families who have already donated to our Covenant House drive! This upcoming Monday is the last day for dropping off your donations. Covenant House Vancouver provides food, shelter, clothing and counseling to an estimated 1,400 street youth living in Vancouver at any given time – young people for whom there is often no one else. Join us in collecting items to donate to Covenant House, to help bring warmth and joy to homeless youth this Thanksgiving. We will be collecting gently used clothing, toiletries, housewares and other items to be delivered to Covenant House by the Anchor Point Upper Elementary and Adolescent students. Due to space limitations, only certain items can be accepted as donations. Please see the attachment for a complete list of items accepted. For more information, please visit www.covenanthousebc.org.
Girl Guides Cookies: Arianne, one of our Grade 2 students, has recently joined the Girl Guides of Canada and is very excited about the program. She is selling cookies to raise funds for the Guides. Arianne will bring the boxes to school next week on Wednesday, October 25th and Thursday, October 26th for distribution. Please note that a box of 24 chocolate mint cookies is $10 and when you buy a box – you give one too. Arianne will donate one box for each one sold to a displaced person in Vancouver. She will be handing them out in person, accompanied by her dad. The proceeds from the sale of Girl Guide Cookies support Guiding activities – both in our community and across the country. The money raised through cookie sales help them provide diverse and exciting programs and activities, allows girls the chance to discover new interests, learn valuable leadership skills and make lasting friendships, and assist girls and leaders with attending camps and other events. If you are interested in purchasing the boxes, please send cash with your child/ren prior or on that day. Arianne will have a form to collect the monies and organize the distribution.
Reading Buddies: We are excited to announce the return of our “Reading Buddies” program on Tuesday, November 1st. Every Tuesday, a small group from Lower Elementary will visit Ms. Janice and Ms. Julia’s Kindergarten and Extended-day to read for them. This allows the Casa children to get to know the elementary students and the elementary children can exercise their mentoring and reading skills.
CASA COMMUNITY (PRE-SCHOOL & EXTENDED-DAY)
Labeling: Please label your child’s clothing, shoes, food containers, water bottles, and bags. Because many children have identical items, it is very helpful for the children (and staff) to be able to identify the objects quickly. This is especially important as the children become capable of identifying their own items. Thank you!
Parent Observation Week │October 24th – 28th, Monday to Friday: We look forward to your classroom visit next week! You will receive information at the door as well as paper to write down your notes. Please read the guidelines carefully. Each parent’s observation session is 20 minutes.
Please note: The location of all Preschool Observation is at the North Creek campus.
The location of all Extended-Day/Kindergarten Observation is at the Anchor Point campus.
Photo Day │Tuesday, November 1st: This is a regular school day. A professional photographer will be coming to the North Creek campus to set up a small area to take individual, sibling, and class photographs for our Casa community. Photos will be made ready for order and will also be used in the 2016-2017 school yearbook.
Halloween Celebration │Monday, October 31: North Creek will celebrate Halloween but will not be supporting the commercial and consumerist values of the festival that are promoted in the marketing world. The Casa students will not be dressing up in the classroom environment. It is a regular school day with activities and lessons on animals, classified cards and cultural dressings, including stories and discussions in geography and history. We respectfully ask families to kindly refrain from bringing candy treats, as we would like to focus on the subjects of people, land, and their stories that bring us together. We deeply appreciate your attention to this request. Please do not hesitate to email northcreek@lionsgatemontessori .org if you have any questions about this.
ELEMENTARY & ADOLESCENT COMMUNITY
Upper Elementary – WE Day │Thursday, November 3rd: Our Upper Elementary students were invited to attend this year’s WE Day on Thursday, November 3rd at Rogers Arena. WE Day is an educational program that empowers young people to become active local and global citizens. An unparalleled stadium-sized experience, 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 schools enrolled in the WE Schools Program. The show starts at 9:30am. On that day, kindly drop off your child promptly at 8:30am at Anchor Point along with a picnic lunch! You can also support the Greater Vancouver Food Bank this year at WE Day Vancouver by bringing nonperishable food items to WE Day! Kindly ensure that your child is dressed for the weather, as we will be attending rain or shine. Kindly return this permission slip by Friday, October 28th 2016.
Parent Observation Week │October 24th – 28th, Monday to Friday: We look forward to having you visit us next week! You will receive guidelines at the door with information as well as paper to write down your notes. Please read the guidelines carefully. Each parent’s observation session is 20 minutes. Kindly refrain from asking observation questions at this time – the teachers would love to speak with you before or after school in person or over the phone.
Halloween Celebration │Monday, October 31: On Monday, October 31st we would like to hold a small Halloween celebration at the school. The children may dress up in costumes that represent either a historical figure or a fictional character. They are encouraged to make their own costumes so as to help them develop their creativity and imagination. Costumes of Disney characters or superheroes are not good choices. If the child chooses a fictional character, it should be someone that can be seen as a role model to young children. It would be great if the child could briefly talk about their costume: why they chose it and what it means to them. This is a great opportunity for you to connect with your child and their interests.
We invite all students to contribute a small, homemade Halloween themed snack. It can be a fruit spider or mini pumpkin muffins. It doesn’t have to be enough for the whole class, but something that can be easily shared. Take the time to help your child research and choose the recipe, make a grocery list, shop and pay for those ingredients, measure and combine the ingredients, and present the final product. This teaches them vital life skills, as well as provides an opportunity for them to apply math, language (new vocabulary) and reading to solve real life problems.
Bake Sale│ Thursday, November 10th: We’re looking forward to our Remembrance Day Bake Sale!All families are invited to contribute baked goods. If you are interested in contributing or volunteering, please let us know by email no later than Tuesday, November 8th 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 (November 10th). Funds raised in our general bake sales have been used to reduced fees and pay for full admissions to programs and events. This term, we will also set aside some of the money raised towards our MMUN trip!
Photo Day │Wednesday, November 2nd: A professional photographer will be coming to the Anchor Point campus to set up a small area to take individual, sibling, and class photographs for our Elementary community. Photos will be made ready for order if you are interested. The photos will also be used in the 2016-2017 school yearbook. Please note that if your child has a sibling attending the North Creek campus, the sibling photo day will be on Tuesday, November 1st while your child’s individual photo will be taken on Wednesday, November 2nd.
Farm Update: The grounds continue to be too wet for further work at the farm. We regret that next week’s visit will be cancelled, so please pick your child up at school as per the regular schedule.
COMMUNITY NOTICES Wondering what to do with your family over the weekend? Check these out!
Metro Vancouver Regional Parks: Did you know Metro Vancouver Regional Parks provides ongoing FREE family programming all over the Lower Mainland? In late October take part in helping remove invasive plant species around Burnaby Lake (Oct 16th), solve the “Case of the Mysterious Mess” at Burnaby’s Regional Park (Oct 22nd), and celebrate the return of the salmon in Maple Ridge (Oct 23 & 30th).
Vancouver Giants: The Giants are at home at the Langley Events Centre all weekend. Saturday, the Swift Current Broncos visit the LEC for Saturday Night Hockey at 7:00pm. Sunday, the Tri-City Americans will be in town for Family Sunday at 4:00pm.
After Sunday’s game, they’ll be hosting a post-game skate with the team! Fans will be able to leave the arena after the game to get their skates and helmets, but will need their tickets to get back in for the skate at Gate 1. Helmets & skates will also be available to rent from the LEC in the skate lobby, post game. Single tickets available starting at $19.50 OR get your White Spot Family Pak, starting at $99!
Saturday, October 22, 2016 Click Here >
Sunday, October 23, 2016 Click Here >
Diwali Fest │Now until November 30th: Diwali Fest is an annual South asian arts & cultural festival that marks its 13th year in Vancouver. The festival showcases the best & brightest South Asian talent, through FREE (or very reasonably priced) performances across the city.
Cineplex Community Day│October 22nd: In addition to their every Saturday $2.99 movies, on October 22nd, they are hosting their annual Cineplex Community Day event. Enjoy FREE movies such as The Jungle Book, Inside Out, Zootopia and more all on the big screen.
Halloween at FlyOver Canada │ October 13 to 31, 2016: FlyOver Canada is celebrating the fun of Halloween by adding some spine-tingling entertainment to its popular, must-see attraction. Broomelda the Witch invites guests to venture through the Haunted Hallway and onto a thrilling ride across Canada. If everyone survives, visitors will earn their official “Witch Academy Diploma” at the end. The Halloween-themed activities are aimed towards kids aged 4-12 years.
Time: Daily from 4pm – 9pm (the non-Halloween version runs from 10am – 3pm)
Where: Canada Place
Address: 201-999 Canada Place (Entrance on upper level, North end of Canada Place)
VanDusen Garden’s Glow in the Garden │October 24 to 31, 2016: Experience an unforgettable Halloween walk in the woods at VanDusen Botanical Garden The Garden comes to life with spellbinding lights, ghoulish music, and glowing pumpkin characters created by award-winning carvers, Clive Cooper and Bruce Waugh. After the walk, costumed kids will enjoy creating fun Halloween crafts inside. Parents can pick up a pumpkin and hot apple cider at the Taves Family Farms pop-up shop on the plaza. Don’t miss Clive’s live carving demos on October 24, 27, and 30. Come in costume and share your photos with #VanDusenGlow for a chance to win a grand prize!
Time: 5pm to 8pm (open late until 9pm from Oct 28 to 31)
Where: VanDusen Botanical Garden
Address: 5251 Oak Street, Vancouver
Stanley Park Ecology Society: The Stanley Park Ecology Society hosts ongoing events exploring the beauty of Stanley Park. Admission is either by donation or an nominal amount. The programs promoted on Family Fun Vancouver are open to participants of all ages. As with any event, we do our best to provide our readers with the most current information but it is a good idea to give the Stanley Park Ecology Society a call prior to heading out. Events can be changed due to weather or they can fill up. Enjoy exploring & learning about Vancouver’s largest park.
Creatures of the Lost Lagoon: Leaping carp, sunning turtles, migrating birds, and romping otters… while not an old one, Lost Lagoon’s ecosystem is certainly a busy one. Grab your binoculars and join our guided tour of what lives, thrives, and lurks in the shallows of this mudflat turned freshwater hangout.
When: October 22, 2016
Time: 10am – noon
Where: Stanley Park Nature House
Address: Foot of Alberni St, Vancouver
Cost: $5 for members / $10 for non-members online
Mad About Mushrooms: Fall is a great time to get out and find the multitude of fungus species among us. We invite you to discover the mad, mad world of mushrooms on this popular guided walk. Register early—space is limited!
When: October 23, 2016
Time: 1:30pm – 3:30pm
Where: Stanley Park Nature House
Address: Foot of Alberni St, Vancouver
Phone: 604-718-6522
Cost: $5 for members / $10 for non-members online
Birds of a Feather: Though we dread the coming weather, many seabirds from the north embrace it upon touching down in our relatively warmer waters. Join us for this two-hour easy walking exploration to learn about migratory bird identification and behaviour.
When: October 30, 2016
Time: 9am – 11am
Where: Stanley Park Nature House
Address: Foot of Alberni St, Vancouver
Phone: 604-718-6522
Cost: admission by donation
Carousel Theatre for Young People │Sultans of the Street: October 29 & 30, November 5, 6, 11, 12 & 13, 2016: Carousel Theatre for Young People productions introduce children to the wonderful world of theatre. The hour-long performances, full of bright colours, lots of action, sometimes singing, and engaging stories, mesmerize children for the entire performance. The first production in the 2016/17 season is the Sultans of the Street. The play tells the tale of 4 children: 2 of whom want new kites and 2 of whom merely want the privilege of attending school. The children desiring an education are trapped in a world of begging on the streets of Kolkata, India. Wearing the clothing of gods, the 2 children bless the generous and threaten to curse those who do not give them something. The four children work together to escape servitude and set a course for a new life. The Sultans of the Street is presented in association with Diwali Fest. While most Carousel Theatre for Young People productions are intended for children aged 3 & up, the Sultans of the Street is best suited for children aged 6 & up.
Other shows in the Carousel Theatre for Young People’s 2016/17 season are: Goodnight Moon and the Runaway Bunny (November 19 – 26), A Charlie Brown Christmas (November 25 – December 24), Dr Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat (February 24 – March 19), and Good Day and Good Night (June 6 – 18).
Sultans of the Street:
Time: 2pm & 7pm performances (see performance calendar for further details)
Where: The Waterfront Theatre
Address: 1412 Cartwright Street, Granville Island, Vancouver