Selkirk Montessori School E

Selkirk Montessori
School E-Newsletter
DECEMBER 2015
From the Academic Head, Erin
Hayes
A season of celebrations in upon us. Children are celebrating the successes that are underway with the first
term of school behind them. Teachers are celebrating the
respectful relationships that are evolving and responsible behaviours being demonstrated now that routines
and classroom expectations are well established.
As a parent, what are you celebrating this year? Your
child’s perseverance? His emerging love of reading?
The spark in her eye as she tells you something she is
pretty sure you don’t know about the earth, water bodies, or cells? We love to hear what experiences at school
are sparking dinner conversations at your house or commuter conversations in your car.
A great place to celebrate as a community is the annual
Holiday Concert. Please join us on Tuesday December
15th (Grades 1-4), Thursday December 17th (Grades 58), or both to enjoy the stylings of your beautiful children. It will be a night to remember, so bring your cameras.
The staff would all like to wish you and yours a restful
break and a happy holiday season. We hope it is full of
festivity, family and friends.
Inside this issue:
Registration for 2016-2017
2
Leadership Update
3
Teddy Bear Costume Contest Photo Gallery
5-6
Remembrance Day Report
7
Performance Attendance Information
8
A Word From the Library
9
Dates to remember
10
Fundraising Auction is Coming—SAVE THE DATE!
Selkirk Montessori School Fundraising Auction
Saturday, April 16, 2016
The auction usually takes place every second year and proceeds help support
special projects or programs for the children. In the past, we have been able to
build playgrounds, installed climbing walls and funded outdoor education trips.
More information to come in the new year!
Registration for 2016-2017
Returning Families/Siblings
Registration packages will be emailed to you
in January.
As always, registrations are accepted on a
first-come, first-served basis, so it’s important
to get your completed forms in as early as
possible. There are a limited number of
spaces in some of our programs, especially
all-day Kindergarten, Preschool and Grade
One.
Deadline for re-registration is Friday,
January 29th.
A non-refundable deposit of $300 per child is
required at the time of registration. This applies to both returning students and new siblings.
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If you have any questions about space, reregistration, or the next step for your child,
please come see me in the office, call 250-3843414 or email me at
penny@selkirkmontessori.ca.
Waitlisted Families
We won't have any firm answers about space
and numbers until at least the middle of February, but please don’t hesitate to call me to remind us how keen you are!
Our Open House is set for January 21st at 5:30
pm. It’s a great opportunity to see the school,
check out the classrooms and meet the teachers. Hope to see you there!
S E L KI R K M O N T E S S O R I S C H O O L E - NE W S L E T T E R
Leadership Update
with various different programs they have
to offer, such as Adopt a Village, the Five
Pillars they support: (education, clean water, health, agriculture and food security)
and alternative income and livelihood.
Something a little bit different that we’re
doing this year in Leadership is taking on
another initiative that is both global and
local; we’re helping to sponsor a Syrian
refugee family come and live in Victoria,
and we will be helping to pay for their
first year or two here. We are working
with a Selkirk family and the Intercultural
Association of Victoria to raise funds.
Hello Selkirk families!
On behalf of the Grade 8 Leadership Class,
we are taking this opportunity to tell you
all what we have decided to pursue this
year for our global and local initiatives.
For our local cause, we’ve made the decision to volunteer our time at Selkirk Place,
a seniors home just down the street. We
will be leading art classes and other activities and visiting with the residents, as well
as decorating for Christmas this year.
Our global cause will be fundraising for
the Free The Children foundation, working
DECEMBER 2015
More to come on all these exciting initiatives! We thank you for all of your contributions so far, and hope that you will support us and help us achieve our fundraising goals.
The Mustard Seed Food Bank came on the
19th of November to collect all of the
food donations we collected, and it took 3
giant garbage bins to hold everything!
Thank you again, and have a happy holiday season!
Bridget and Ben
On behalf of the Grade 8 Leadership Class
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Teddy Bear Costume Contest—Junior Achievement/Kingfishers
The creatures were out in
force in the school gym at
the recent Teddy Bear
Costume Contest run by
some of the Kingfisher
Students in Junior
Achievement.
Prizes were given to the
top six entries but mostly
we enjoyed seeing all the
creative ways the children
— and their
parents — could
costume a stuffed
toy!
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S E L KI R K M O N T E S S O R I S C H O O L E - NE W S L E T T E R
First prize went to
a skate board riding, rock and rolling fox! (left)
Congratulations to
all the winners and
thanks to everyone
who participated.
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S E L KI R K M O N T E S S O R I S C H O O L E - NE W S L E T T E R
Selkirk Parent Group (SPG) Update
Warmest holiday wishes from the SPG
to every family in our school community. As we near the end of 2015 (how
did THAT happen?) it’s a chance to
pause and think of all the things the parent group has accomplished in the last
three months.
Heartfelt thanks to everyone for supporting:

The Angel Gifts program

The Socks in Sacks effort

The Coats for Kids drive

Our fundraiser coupon books,
Purdy’s chocolates, Level Ground
(way to go Natasha and team!)

The Hallowe’en Bash

The Welcome Back Barbecue on
the Green
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
Dr Magali Brulot’s packed parent
ed talk on Anxiety (with thanks to
Dr Ian Gillespie for rising to the
occasion and helping by sharing
his expertise while Dr Brulot dealt
with a family emergency)

Every field trip and classroom supply that that the SPG was able to
help fund.
Extra thanks to all the class reps and
other volunteers who pulled these
events together. With our actions, we
demonstrate to our children that building community is worthwhile, one volunteer hour after another.
Looking ahead, the SPG is
having it’s December business meeting and social at
The Ruby, at Hotel Zed on
Douglas Street, on Wednesday December 2. If you would like to
attend, please email Brandi at bluebird2@shaw.ca .
S E L KI R K M O N T E S S O R I S C H O O L E - NE W S L E T T E R
Remembrance Day 2015—Ethan John Gunning
There was a procession of peace. The grades 5 and 6s came in with the 1-2 classes. The
candle had a light. There were preschoolers, and Eli, welcome speakers Mike Mitchell.
The strings people played O Canada. Jet and Katrina spoke In Flanders Fields. Jet did
“For the Fallen”. Nyah read a poem called Too Young to Remember.
The grade 5-6
choir played
and sang Blowing in the Wind,
with Eli.
Ron George,
Hereditary Chief
of the Wet’suwet’en, laid a
wreath.
Eli played the cello for
the Last Post.
Erin Hayes did the closing
remarks, and then the whole
school sang the school song.
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S E L KI R K M O N T E S S O R I S C H O O L E - NE W S L E T T E R
Performance Attendance—What’s the Practice?
With many events in December, we have had a few
parents ask what our practices are around taking
students out of their own class to attend special
events in a sibling’s classroom.
Please let me start with why your child’s teacher
might be hesitant to have your child slip out. Lessons and presentations in a Montessori classroom
are fluid and responsive to the children’s questions
and interests, so it is not advantageous to predict or
curtail a lesson for an outside event. In addition, the
work cycle is paramount to acquiring new skills
and teachers protect student concentration from interruption at all costs. When a small group of children leaves the classroom for a performance, they
understandably come back excited to share and can
interrupt the concentration of their peers or have
difficulty using the remainder of the time available.
Finally, as you can imagine, coordinating schedules
for their own classroom events, such as field trips,
can be challenging enough without having to consider making students available for events in other
classes.
2. Allow your viewing child to attend the performance, but please allow them to return to
class immediately after congratulating their
sibling – this means no snacks and social. This
will lead to less missed work and a higher
likelihood of settling in upon returning to
class.
3. Please let the teachers know, as soon as you
know, that you would like to take your child to
a performance.
4. On the day of the performance, please wait
outside your child’s class and he/she will be
released a few minutes before the performance
with the rest of the children who are attending
the event.
5. As Penny or Erin attend almost all performances, we would be happy to escort siblings
back to their classrooms to allow you to enjoy
a little social time, and often a treat or snack,
with the performing child.
6. If there is a field trip or special event in your
child’s own class, this will always take precedence over attending a performance of a sibling.
With all of these things in mind, there may be occasions that you (or we) feel it is an important opportunity for a sibling to support a brother or sister.
Here are some guidelines around grace and courtesy to help you minimize disruption to the classroom:
1. If your child has seen the dress rehearsal with
their class, please do not disrupt them to see the
show a second time with you. Enjoy this opportunity to focus on your performing child.
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7. Please be prepared to support your child in
any unfinished business that may result from
missed work.
A balance of work and family is important to all
of us. We want to continue to protect the
“normalized classroom” while continuing to honour our family community and culture.
S E L KI R K M O N T E S S O R I S C H O O L E - NE W S L E T T E R
The Bear’s Den—A Word from the Library
‘Tis the Season to be Reading
Chilly winter days are cosy times to curl up with an engaging book.
Here are a few titles to pique your interest.
Date Due
It’s almost time to get the Library ready for Happy New Year 2016! Please return all library books by
Monday, December 14th. The last day to check out books is Friday, December 11th.
Gentle Reminder
Please ensure that Public Library Books are returned to the Public Library, and Selkirk books returned to
the school. Selkirk books are popping up in libraries all over Victoria. Please recheck library books before
putting them into a library book drop. Thank you!
You may have tangible wealth untold
Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold
Richer than I you can never be
I had a mother who read to me.
Gillian Strickland
During this festive season, the gift of a book provides a key to the door of the imagination.
Wishing you all the very best for this holiday season. Happy Reading to all!
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S E L KI R K M O N T E S S O R I S C H O O L E - NE W S L E T T E R
2970 Jutland Road
Victoria, BC V8T 5K2
250-384-3414 (tel)
250-384-3420 (fax)
penny@selkirkmontessori.ca
We can make a difference.
www.selkirkmontessori.ca
Three enthusiastic young students carrying
the collection of sand toys the children have
been using in the new Natural Play Space.
Thanks to all our families for their generous
donations!
Dates to Remember




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December 15, 2015 —Grades 1-4 Winter
Concert (6:00 pm)
December 17, 2015 —Grades 5-8 Winter
Concert (6:00 pm)
December 18, 2015 —Last day before Winter
Break
January 4, 2016 —First day back after Winter
Break
January 21, 2016 —Open House/Transition
Meetings (5:30 pm)
Have a safe and happy
holiday and we’ll see you in
2016!