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Guiding your child in the right direction!
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Archived Newsletter
Newsletter - SPRING 2001 - MAY ISSUE Northstar Montessori Schools Newsletter SPRING 2001 - MAY ISSUE IN THIS ISSUE: 1).... Family Picnic 2).... Important Notice 3).... Bus Service 4).... Congratulations and Best Wishes! 5).... What does not belong? 6).... Will My Child be able to adjust to Traditional School after Montessori? ARTS AND CRAFTS THE CLUBHOUSE 13).. Summer Camp 2001 1).... Family Picnic The end of the year is fast approaching and the preparation for our annual picnic has begun. This year's picnic will be held at the Mississauga Valley Park, between the hours of 9 am to 2 pm on Wednesday June 20 and families are invited to attend. In case of a rainy day, it will be held on the following day (Thursday June 21). If parents are unable to accompany their child/children to the park, alternate arrangements can be made with grandparents, babysitters or other relatives, as transportation will not be provided. Families are also asked to bring a picnic lunch. There will be a rest station where families can stop throughout the day to have a drink. Please remember to bring sunscreen, hats, etc., for your children. We hope to see you all there! 2).... Important Notice 3).... Bus Service In our last newsletter, we had brought up the possibility of providing a bus service for interested parents. To this point, we have only been able to get 10 responses. We must have a closer estimate to determine costs, therefore any parents who wish for a bus service, please contact the office by end of May. 4).... Congratulations and Best Wishes! Mrs. Indu Luthra is expecting her first baby in June!! Her last day a t Northstar is June 8, 2001. Mrs. Luthra will be on maternity leave for the next twelve months. Best Wishes to Mrs. Luthra, her family and new baby! Congratulations on behalf of all the Northstar staff, students and parents. We will miss you and hope to see you next year! 5).... What does not belong? 6).... Will My Child be able to adjust to Traditional School after Montessori? Montessori children by the end of age five are normally curious self-confident learners who look forward to going to school. They are normally engaged, and enthusiastic. What teacher wouldn't give her left arm for a room filled with children like that? Well, truthfully over the years we've found some who consider these children "disruptive". Disruptive? A polite, independent Montessori child, disruptive? Well, first off, let's remember that Montessori children are real human beings, and not all children who attend Montessori fit the idealized description. However, enough do that the generalization is often fairly accurate. Montessori children, by age six, have spent three or four years in a school where they have been treated with honesty and respect. While there were clear expectations and ground rules, within that framwork their opinions and questions were taken quite seriously. Unfortunately, there are still some teachers and schools where children who ask questions are seen as challenging authority. You an imagine an independent Montessori child asking his new teacher, "But why do I have to ask each time I need to use the bathroom?" or "Why do I have to stop my work right now?" We also have to remember that children are different. One child may be very sensitive or have somewhat special needs that might not be met well in a teacher-centered traditional classroom. Other children can go anywhere. In general, there is nothing inherent in Montessori that causes children to have a hard time if they are transferred to traditional schools. Some will be bored. Others may not understand why everyone in the class has to do the same thing. But most figure the new setting out fairly quickly, make new friends, and succeed within the definition of success understood in their new schools. Naturally, there are trade-offs. The curiculum in Montessori schools is often much more enriched and accelerated than many found in other nursery and elementary schools in the United States. The values and attitudes of the children and teachers may also be quite different. Learning will often be focused more on adult assigned tasks done more by rote than with enthusiam and understanding. There is an old saying that if something is working, don't try to fix it. This leads many families to continue their children in Montessori at least through the sixth grade. As more Montessori high schools are opened in the United States, it is likely that this trend will continue. But other families, for financial or other reasons, don't plan to have their children continue in Montessori. They often ask if there is any particular age level at which Montessori children tend to find the transition particularly difficult? There is no absolute answer, because of individual differences in children and the next schools that are available to them. But in general, we strongly recommend that parents plan to keep their children in Montessori at least through the end of kindergarten. Every year, in the winter issue of Tomorrow's Child, we prepare an article that considers the reasons behind this in greater detail. Ideally, families should consider a commitment through at least elementary school, although, I can make a strong case that it is during these middle-school years that children most need what Montessori has to offer. From: Tomorrow's Child magazine - Back to School 2000 7).... Sweethearts for Mom and Dad 8).... Wind Chimes 9).... Culture Club Thursday afternoons have been fun at Northstar with the Culture Club meetings! Mrs. Gosal and Mrs. Luthra have introduced the students to fascinating Cultures from around the world. We have explored languages, food, and dress from Poland, India, Greece and China. The students have participated well and the information exchanged has been wonderful. The Culture Club would like to give a special thanks to Mrs. Yuen, (Colin and Gerome's mother), and Mrs. Macheras, (Denise and Peter's mother), for their help with the China and Greece presentations. Northstar fully promotes multiculturalism and we are pleased with the positive response from both parents and students! 10).. Rubber Stamp Art Club Each afternoon for a week in December, the Rubber Stamp Art Club met for an hour to make rubber stamp crafts. Mrs. Haji and Mrs. Tyleman guided the children through different rubber stamp techniques such as stamping and embossing. The children each decorated two Christmas cards, a stocking and a door hanger. We had a wonderful week! 11).. Science Club Science proved to be a big success this year. The elementary students spent 5 challenging weeks exploring the world of magnets. The Casa students spent 5 fun-filled weeks learning how to make things like goop, and explored a variety of other areas. We had a great time and hope you will join us again in the future. Thank-you for your participation. 12).. Spanish Club The Spanish Club was offered to new and returning students twice a week for a period of a month. The students enjoyed the different games and activities, such as the calendar, greetings, bingo, guessing games, music and videos based on the information presented. The Spanish Club was a great success, thank you for all of your enthusiasm and cooperation. We hope to see old and new faces next year. 13).. Summer Camp 2001 The end of the school year is approaching and we are busy preparing for the Summer Camp. Activities during the weeks of Summer Camp will include field trips, cooking, sports, and arts and crafts. As per the previous years we request parents to indicate the weeks that your child will be attending the camp so that we may plan and prepare accordingly. Please indicate below the Summer Camp weeks that your child will be attending. Please note that the weeks cannot be altered at a later date for any reason as we schedule staff accordingly. Your child will be expected to attend Summer Camp on the weeks indicated and funds will not be returned. Please include post-dated cheques dated for the Monday of each week. The cost remains $150.00 per week, and $125.00 for the four day weeks. Please return the form and post-dated cheques to the school by May 25, 2001. If you have any questions please contact Mrs. Gosal. Jul 3 – Jul 6 __ Jul 9 – Jul 13 __ Jul 16 – Jul 20 __ Jul 23 – Jul 27 __ Jul 30 – Aug 3 __ Aug 6 – Aug 10 __ Aug 13 – Aug 17 __ Aug 20 – Aug 24 __ Child's Name: _________________________ Parent Signature: _______________________ For archived newsletters, please click here. 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