Dear Families,
Thanks so much for supporting our elementary students on their Terry Fox Run yesterday! Donations can be made by clicking here if you haven’t done so already. That day, our Casa (preschool & kindergarten) students also participated in a very special event: They joined thousands of other Montessori students around the world to celebrate and honour peace. Check out their beautiful singing on our Facebook page!
Thanks as well to all families who took the time out to connect at our PSG Back-to-School picnic – Fun was had by all!
Enjoy your weekend,
The Staff at Lions Gate Montessori
DATES & NOTES TO REMEMBER
Thursday, September 28 │ Casa (preschool & kindergarten) Terry Fox Run; Hot Lunch Order Cut-off
Wednesday, October 4 │ Upper Elementary Aquarium Outing
Friday, October 6 │ School Thanksgiving Celebration; VSO Form & Payment Due
Monday, October 9 │ Thanksgiving Public Holiday NO SCHOOL
Friday, October 13 | Pumpkin Patch at Richmond Country FarmsThursday, October 19 │ Parent/Child Workshop
Friday, October 20 │ Professional Development NO SCHOOL for students
Wednesday, October 25 | Upper Elementary Cleveland Dam Outing
Hot Lunch (Elementary and Extended-day Children Only): Cut-off dates and times for upcoming months are as follows:
October Cut-Off: Thursday, September 28, 3:00 PM
November Cut-Off: Thursday, October 26, 3:00 PM
December Cut-Off: Thursday, November 30, 3:00 PM
For more information on our hot lunch program (log-in required)
CASA COMMUNITY (PRE-SCHOOL & EXTENDED-DAY)
Terry Fox Run – Thursday, September 28th: The AM and PM Preschool children will receive lessons on The Legacy of Terry Fox’s Dream and participate in a power walk. The Extended-Day children will receive the same lesson, learning more about his story, and participate in a school run. Please have your children come to school in runners. Donations can be made by clicking here.
Extended-Day/Kindergarten Vanc ouver Symphony Orchestra Concert: Permission Forms & Payments due on October 6th
Friday, October 13th │ Pumpkin Patch Outing: Students will be visiting the pumpkin patch at Richmond Country Farms (12900 Steveston Hwy, Richmond). The fee for this event is $15 per person (bus and admission) or $9 per person (admission only) to the Pumpkin Patch. Please submit the form and payment to school no later than Friday, October 6th.
Casa Laundry Schedule: On a rotating schedule, at the end of each week, children in the Casa environment will bring home a bag of laundry to wash and return to school after the weekend. This is a family exercise for the parents to work with their child(ren) at home for the benefit of the school environment. Please do the laundry WITH your child and not for your child. It is an option if you would like to fold the laundry before bringing it to school. Thank you!
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!
Dressing for Colder Weather: We have entered the season of fall, please make sure your child has a proper jacket with him/her when coming to school.
Preparation for Emergency: 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)
Upper Elementary Outdoor Excursions: Throughout the school year, the Upper Elementary students will be participating in local outdoor excursions to such places as the Stanley Park, Granville Island, English Bay, Lulu Island Farm, and Richmond Nature Park for their environmental studies, biology research and observations as well as art and poetry. Visits will generally occur on Mondays, but an alternative day may be chosen depending on other school activities and programs occurring during the week. This form was due on the 20th. Kindly submit the permission on Monday if you haven’t done so already.
Upper & Lower Elementary Vancouver Symphony Orchestra @ Orpheum Theatre | October 6th (form & payment due): We’re already planning our annual musical journey to the VSO. These are very popular concert series for all schools in Lower Mainland. So, help us secure seats by submitting your permission form and payment before the deadline.
Wednesday, October 4th | Vancouver Aquarium Outing: We look forward to extending our research on ocean biology and ecology with a visit to the Vancouver Aquarium! There is a $22 fee for the Vancouver Aquarium (this includes admission and tax) and a $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 to the school by Monday, September 25th.
Friday, October 6th | Thanksgiving Feast: Students in grade 1 and up will prepare a Thanksgiving feast on this day to celebrate and give thanks for the harvest season! An ingredient will be assigned to each individual child to contribute and an email with that information will be sent out to you next week. Students are welcome to bring their own lunch if they wish, but we STRONGLY encourage all to participate in the sharing of our first communal meal together. Please do not hesitate to contact us should you have any questions with “Thanksgiving Meal” on the subject line.
Friday, October 13th | Pumpkin Patch Field Trip: Students will be visiting the pumpkin patch at Richmond Country Farms (12900 Steveston Hwy, Richmond). The fee for this event is $15 per person (bus and admission) or $9 per person (admission only) to the Pumpkin Patch. Please see detailed information on the permission form and submit the form and payment to school no later than Friday, October 6th.
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. Kindly return the permission slip and Notice to Parents from the organizers by Thursday, October 12th.
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 permission form and payment to school no later than Monday, October 16th.
FSA: 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!
Arrivals and Dismissals: Classes begin promptly at 9:00 am for elementary. Students who do not arrive promptly often miss important lessons and begin their days harried. Late arrivals and repeated tardiness are recorded for all students in kindergarten and up. Please call us and let us know if your child is arriving late for arrival. It is essential to call if you know that you are going to be late for pick-up and can get to a phone. This greatly relieves your child’s anxiety while waiting and prevents your emergency contact person from being called unnecessarily.
Daily Work Journals: We’re sending our Lower Elementary students’ work journals home for the weekend starting this week! Please take some time to review what has been noted – we think you’ll find some great fodder for conversation! Kindly make sure these journals are sent back to school every Monday.
Birthdays at Anchor Point: Birthday celebrations with peers are a welcome event in the classroom. You may send a special snack to school on this special day. Nutritious cupcakes, carrot cakes or fruit bars are preferable. A special book or photographs of your child growing up are wonderful things that can be shared with the class. Your child may wish to present a book, or artifact on nature, science, or history to the classroom to be added to our permanent library collection. Please write an acknowledgment on the inside of the book cover such as,”Presented to Lions Gate Montessori on the occasion of John’s 7th Birthday.”
Children’s birthdays that fall during vacation times may be celebrated on the last week before vacation, so please confirm with us at least a week prior to our break to arrange for this. If you are planning a party outside of school for your child, please refrain from asking the teachers to hand out invitations during class time.
Please note that this year, we will be celebrating on Fridays from 11:30 pm to noon. We ask parents to kindly set aside a few (3 to 5) of pictures reflecting milestones or interesting moments in their child’s life such as a fun trip, a place he/she likes to be, a special moment with a family member, etc. We will talk about these memories and students will proceed to ask questions to learn more about the birthday classmate. It is optional to bring a treat to distribute, but if you’d like to, kindly make sure you have enough for all the students (35).
COMMUNITY NOTICES Wondering what to do with your family this weekend? Check these out!
Hapa-palooza Festival – September 22nd to 24th: Hapa-palooza is about bridging worlds, gathering the community, and celebrating diverse ancestry and cultural heritage. ‘Hapa’ is a Hawaiian term used to describe people of mixed ancestry, and Hapa-palooza embraces it as an inclusive term for people who identify as having mixed heritage.
Stars in Focus – Saturday, September 23rd at 8:00 PM: For all ages, discover the stars and constellations in the autumn night sky. Weather permitting, stargazing with telescopes. Meet at Cammidge House at Boundary Bay Regional Park.
RiverFest – Inspired by the Fraser – Saturday, September 23rd: Presented by Port of Vancouver, RiverFest is a FREE family-friendly festival, and a great way to enjoy a beautiful fall day along the mighty Fraser River, including: vendors whose products embody the Fraser, a diverse assortment of exhibitors, children’s activities, and live music.
World Rivers Day at Still Creek – Sunday, September 24th: World Rivers Day is a celebration of the world’s waterways. It highlights the many values of rivers and strives to increase public awareness and encourages the improved stewardship of rivers around the world.
Walk for Reconciliation – Sunday, September 24th: Join tens of thousands of Vancouverites in this second-ever Reconciliation walk. In 2013, over 70,000 people of all Nations, ages, abilities, communities, and faiths walked together. The brainchild of the inspirational Chief Dr. Robert Joseph, O.B.C., the walk was originally conceived as a healing tool among Indigenous peoples and all Canadians, in light of the legacy of Indian residential schools.