Classroom happenings

1

TODDLER TIME

Happy New Year! December was a very busy month and we enjoyed many holiday activities and fun in the snow! We continued learning grace and courtesy, colors, numbers and the daily routine. This is key for toddlers, as this is the start of acquiring the knowledge of positive social behaviour. Through, the toddlers strong sense of independence, we begin to see the unique personality of each child. We guide the toddler from non-verbal to verbal communication by building their vocabulary which helps them express themselves through the use of voice. They are busy processing the classroom as a community and the responsibility of caring for the environment! As we move from January to February we will explore the body and self-care, classifying the world, letter sounds and the outdoors! See you in the Classroom! - Laurie

2

CASA KIDS

The Casa children had lots of fun the last few months. From playing in the snow, decorations, cards, cookie making to red and green day, our special events added a special touch to the program. Learning is nonstop with the many activities in the classroom. Many presentations on building vocabulary, sound work and blending sounds to make words have been presented in the Language Area. Number counting is always a daily exercise. Some older children are discovering the simple hierarchy in the decimal system. Great Work! Lots of study with the continents, flags, animals and plants. Many children are discovering how different shapes, especially the triangle, can form into a parallelogram, rhombus and trapezium. I am so proud of the Casa children. They really love to learn. - Melissa

3

FRENCH & MUSIC The children have been busy expanding their language and musical talents. This focus has been on learning how to introduce oneself, describing one’s feelings, and differentiating between boys and girls using common French vocabulary. Through songs and activities, the children are developing their listening and speaking skills in French while having a ton of fun! In music, we have been working on echo singing and keeping the beat during rhymes and songs. We have also begun to explore how to move to the tempo of a piece of music by altering between fast and slow movements. We are looking forward to continued practice in the New Year! - Michelle

SPECIAL WELCOME In the past two months we welcomed three new students to our program. Leland & Ezra joined the Casa program and Sage joined the Toddler room. All children have settled quite nicely. In January, we welcome Kira and William to the Casa Program.

BRILLIANT FUTURES MONTESSORI

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Introducing our new Newsletter format.

Our newsletter will inform parents of bi-monthly

events and happenings at Brilliant Futures. Any

immediate changes will be sent by email between

Newsletter Issues.

JANUARY & FEBRUARY 2018 NEWSLETTER

Bri Brilliant Futures Montessori

POLICIES & PROCEDURES The policies and procedures have been up-dated to reflect the changes required by the Child Care & Early Years Act and for Accreditation with the Canadian Counsel of Montessori Administrators (CCMA). They are currently under review. By January 5, all parents will receive the new Parent Handbook and a new General Policies and Procedures electronically. Some highlights to the new policies include:

• Visitor Policy • Emergency Policy • Complaint Policy • Tuition Fee Policy

In the Montessori Minute, the CCMA’s Accreditation Process will be explained along with the aspects of Montessori Education that the general public usually does not know. It is a good read to understand the aspects of BFM program and the fine-tuning that needs to take place. IT’S ALMOST HERE In January, the new BFM web-site will be launched. On the new web-site, there will be a parent portal (password required) to access forms, newsletters, photos and links. Exciting Stuff! OPEN HOUSES The third week of January through to March, we will be having Open House from prospective parents. We will be sending home a referral incentive form to all parents currently enrolled. If you know of any new families who would like to joins us, please refer them to BFM. Existing families will receive $50 off their September tuition when they refer any new family and they enroll their children in the Fall. A completed referral form must be attached to the new family’s Application form to receive this discount.

1

NEW FACES Laurie Penner is hardly a new face around Brilliant Futures. She helped us in the summer and has been a committed staff member. With a Bachelors of Arts degree in Theatre Arts, 13 years experience in Early Childhood Education and over six years as a Montessorian, Laurie shares her special gifts with the children as the lead teacher in the toddler room. Laurie specializes with children with special needs and has the natural ability to create a calm and peaceful atmosphere in the classroom. Her loving and caring approach to children is illuminated as she carefully takes the time to learn the strengths of each child. She carefully guides the children in developing their true potential within all areas of the classroom. In addition to the classroom, Laurie will be the new Administrator for the centre. As Michelle moves over to be the new Casa Assistant, her role as Centre support will be taken over by Rose DiBari. With over 15 years of working with children, Rose joins us to help in the kitchen, nap room and

2

aftercare. Rose’s experience as an entrepreneur running her past Home Based Childcare has given her the natural ability to relate to children well. She brings to the centre creativity and special activities that surely enhances the children’s learning experience. Look forward to Rose teaching Italian to the children in the near future. FAREWELL We said good-bye to Sarah and Lauren this last month and wish them well in their future endeavors. Michelle will be leaving BFM in February. IN SEARCH FOR A NEW RECE / ASSISTANT Since Michelle will be leaving us in February, we will be hiring another RECE/Montessori teacher to our program. Do you know of anyone? Do you know that parents can act a supply staff? If you are interested please ask Melissa for more information.

NEW FACES & FAREWELL

3

1

BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS

Birthdays are very important at Brilliant Futures Montessori. One special moment is to show the children how we grow by seeing photos from birth to the child’s birthday age. When it is your child’s birthday, the parents are asked to bring a photo of their child at each age. For example, if your child will be celebrating their 3rd birthday, we will need a baby photo, a one-year-old photo and a two-year-old photo. We give to each birthday child a special day with the opportunity to walk around the sun, songs, blowing a candle and other surprises.

2

SPECIAL EVENTS

PAJAMA DAY & TEDDY BEAR PICNIC January 17

VALENTINES DAY PARTY February 14

Wear white, red or pink We will also be walking to Tabor Manor to

hand out our valentines to the residents!

FAMILY DAY February 19

We will be closed.

OPEN HOUSE Every Thursday starting January 18 to the

end of February from 6:00pm-7:00pm

CENTRE SHUT DOWN February 26 to March 2

PARENT REMINDERS LABELING: Please ensure that all of your child’s belongings are labeled with his/her name. TODDLER NEEDS: Extra clothes and baby wipes are needed for toddlers to help with the toileting routine. DRESS CODE: Tops with words and licensed characters such as Disney are not permitted. Plain, stripes, flowers, etc. are appropriate options. PLASTIC BAGS: Grocery Plastic bag donations would be greatly appreciated. SICK CHILDREN: It is very important to inform BFM in writing if your child will be away from school due to illness. Some illnesses are reportable to the Niagara Public Health and need to be posted for other parents to be informed.

PLEASE DO NOT SEND YOUR CHILD IF THEY ARE SICK!

OTHER CHILDREN CAN GET SICK AS WELL!

VALENTINES DAY PARTY FEBRUARY 14

We are excited for the month of February! We plan on including more kindness in our classrooms by working on our social skills and respect for one another. We will be practicing our writing skills on our own Valentine cards! On February 14th, the children will be walking to Tabor Manor to distribute Valentines to the residents. This is a great opportunity for the children to reach out to the community and share a little love. Parents are asked to bring two boxes of Valentine Cards by February 6th. Please leave the cards blank and we will do the rest.

SPECIAL BIRTHDAY WISHES TO THE CHILDREN HAVING BIRTHDAYS IN JANUARY & FEBRUARY

Leland – January 11

Mila – January 15 Vanessa – January 30 Robbie – January 31 Everett – February 2 Kaiyan – February 2

BRILLIANT FUTURES MONTESSORI JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2018

MONTESSORI MINUTE

ACCREDITATION REQUIREMENTS

It is a great honour to receive accreditation from the Canadian Council of Montessori Administrators (CCMA). The CCMA is a legally registered Canadian, not-for-profit corporation committed to supporting Canadian Montessori administrators and schools. The CCMA provides a unified voice in negotiations with government and other agencies. Why is Accreditation Important?

Parents who choose a CCMA Accredited Member school are joining those who want the best possible education for their children based on authentic Montessori philosophy. Because the Montessori name is in the public domain, any school can call itself a Montessori school even if it offers education that differs from Montessori philosophy and standards of practice. CCMA sets standards to protect the Montessori name. Accreditation by CCMA is a way to help schools be accountable to each other, parents, and the larger community. It also helps establish a consistency of standards and the preservation of the Montessori philosophy of education.

Accredited Schools provide children:

• A carefully prepared child-centred environment

• Mixed age per classroom

• An opportunity to progress at his/her own pace

• Activity-based learning

• Freedom and responsibility

• Co-operation, collaboration, not competition To become an Accredited School with the CCMA, a school must meet a certain criteria as indicated below:

1. Is licensed by the appropriate Provincial Licensing Authority. 2. Is guided by the educational philosophy of Dr. Maria Montessori. 3. Has one teacher in each classroom who holds an age-appropriate diploma from an AMI or MACTE accredited teacher training

institute. 4. Has a Full range of Montessori materials in each classroom as recommended by CCMA, which offers the broad curriculum to

allow for sequential learning. 5. Has an uninterrupted work cycle, that is ‘age and stage’ appropriate (e.g. range from 1 to 2 hours for Toddler; 2 to 3 hours for

Casa; 2-1/2 to 3 hours), to allow for the development of focus. 6. Has a policy of admitting children to the programme at the appropriate age level consistent with Montessori principles that

follow the developmental stages and sensitive periods for learning. 7. Has multi-age groupings in each classroom (with a span of 1 year or more in the Toddler classroom and 3 years in the Casa

classroom), which supports the concept that learning is a social process. 8. Requires attendance 5 days a week, for consistency in learning, with consideration for a phase-in period for

Toddler. 9. Meets the relevant Building, Health, Safety, and Fire codes and carries appropriate insurance. 10. Abides by the CCMA Code of Ethics.