September 2025

October 1, 2025

Dear families,

September News.  The monthly newsletter is our way of keeping families informed about what’s happening at school, upcoming dates, and events to note. It’s also a chance for us to explain the what, why (and sometimes how) behind our projects.  If you’ve been with us for years, some of this might sound like a broken record, but every year we welcome new families.  With each newsletter, you’ll receive links to classroom photos. These links only last for seven days, so please be sure to download them in that time frame. You can always enjoy them at a later date.  Be warned … there are a lot of photos.  A lot.  These moments in time give you a glimpse into not only your child’s world, but the broader classroom environment as well.  Every child participates in the same teacher-directed project related to our current theme or continent, but you’ll also see a variety of individual work and exploration.  Maybe your child has mentioned a particular tray or object they enjoy and suddenly, there it is in a photo, and it all becomes clear. We post at least once a month on Instagram.  Please follow us @strathconamontessori.. We’re not concerned with follower counts, but those little hearts do let us know that you’re following your child’s journey alongside us.

The Month of Transitions.  September is a time of transition for everyone.  Children begin a new school year, adults adjust to changing routines, and the world around us shifts from summer into autumn.  New students are busy adapting to a world of newness: new faces, new environments, new materials, and new routines.  It’s a lot to adjust to, so patience and understanding are essential as children find their balance.  The four-year-olds are very social.  They are rediscovering old friendships, making new ones, and finding their rhythm again.  That takes time, too.  A Montessori classroom is child-led.  There is a great deal of freedom, but with rules, which is called freedom within boundaries. Children are free to choose their work from the available materials they’ve received demonstrations on. These choices are age-appropriate and carefully and thoughtfully chosen.  Younger children will be supported and not overwhelmed, while older children remain challenged and engaged.  It’s a delicate balance (a phrase you’ll hear from us often).

Daily routines provide a rhythm with a clear beginning, middle, and end to each class. Children are given time to complete their work or to revisit it another day. This flexibility helps them learn time management and purpose. Transitions are signaled in advance, helping children move smoothly between activities.  Routines are comforting and help children know what to expect and what is expected of them.  Clear, consistent boundaries foster a sense of security and confidence, empowering children to step out of their comfort zones and take developmental risks.  Circle time is an essential part of each day.  It’s a moment for connection and learning.  Teachers introduce stories, songs, classroom materials, and important concepts.  This is also a time for children to share their thoughts, ideas, and personal news, building concepts of group time and communication skills.  September is a month of beginnings, growth, and discovery.

Lessons and demonstrations are given in groups and on an individual basis. The Sound Game works with phonetic sounds and sandpaper letters.  Letters are referred to by their sound, not name.  The letter ‘b’ is ‘buh’.  After a period of time, recognition begins, the sounds are blended, and reading begins.  The names of letters will come later.  We stress the use of lower-case letters only.  When printing and spelling at home, please use lowercase letters for everything except the first letter of your child’s name.  Use of upper-case letters is easier to print but causes confusion and can hinder a child’s reading development. Lower case will help with ability and literacy down the road.  Quality books recognize the use of lower-case letters, with capitals only for names and sentence starts.  Counting and tracing sandpaper numbers is the introduction to math concepts. 

More Practical Life exercises are going onto the shelves each week, and button sewing and stringing glass seed beads are both in full swing. Beading and button sewing attract children to the exercise while honing fine and gross motor skills. These activities are fun, but also promote the capacity to focus, follow through, and finish.  And as attractive as these exercises may be, too much of a good thing is too much of a good thing. If you start doing a lot of beading and sewing at home, children will not be interested in doing the work at school.  Part of these exercises is also to learn to socialize with other children in groups as they bead, sew, and work together. A little bit at home is okay.

Montessori activities are designed to strengthen hands, improve dexterity, and prepare children for writing, drawing, puzzles, and other academic tasks.  As children develop these skills, they also gain independence and self-confidence. 

All About Me and Autumn.  We begin each September with two familiar themes that engage and connect us, All About Me and Autumn. These themes help children relate to themselves, their peers, and the natural world around them.  All About Me is explored through stories, discussions, and activities.  We discuss our senses, families, feelings, emotions, respect for friends and respect towards our classroom environment.  Children learn to express themselves, listen to others, and build empathy, laying the foundations for a positive classroom community.  Autumn exploration brings attention to the seasonal changes, leaves, apples, pumpkins, and harvest time.  We look at the changes in nature and what animals and humans do to prepare for winter.  Soon we will be looking at Thanksgiving and its meaning, First Nations and their contributions, and the continent of North America.  We approach these topics in age-appropriate ways.  While our curriculum is thoughtfully pre-planned, we remain open to current events, children’s questions, and spontaneous learning opportunities.  When a child shows curiosity or enters a “sensitive period” for learning, we aim to follow their interests and deepen their understanding.

Scholastic Books.  In case you didn’t know already … We Love Books!  Two weeks ago, the first Scholastic Book flyers went home, and we are so excited to see the response. These little catalogues are a small sample of the vast selection available through Scholastic. A whole world of books is waiting online.  Books can be shipped directly to your home (shipping fees are minimal), or you can choose to have them delivered to the school.  When combined classroom orders reach $40, the shipping is free.  We are very grateful to all the families who place Scholastic orders through our school. Every purchase earns us points that we can use to bring new books into the classroom, which is something our students look forward to.  We were thrilled to see that this September, about half the class placed orders from the first flyer   It’s a clear sign that families are reading together, and that shared reading time makes a big difference in so many ways. Reading supports language development, sparks imagination, and builds lasting memories. Books are more than just reading material; they are experiences.  A tablet may hold a story, but a real book is so much more. You can fall in love with a real book, hold it, take it everywhere with you, and carry that comforting memory through your entire life. There is a joy (and skill) in turning the pages of a favourite story. We can never stress enough how valuable real books are in a child’s development. Thank you for supporting a love of reading both at home and at school.

Cold and flu season.  We introduce the proper way to cough and sneeze, and reinforce these actions daily. Attendance sheets must be maintained daily.  Please phone if your child is going to be away.  If your child is ill, please inform us of their symptoms, so we may monitor the class for the same.  If your child has a high fever or has been in contact with a contagious illness, please notify us immediately.  When in doubt about symptoms of common childhood illnesses, please refer to your ‘Sneezes and Diseases’ e-book that was sent out in a previous email.  The number one health protocol is the ’24 hour symptom-free’ rule.  If your child has not been symptom free for 24 hours, please keep them home and allow them to rest until they are feeling better.  “48 hours is required for more severe symptoms.  These Licensing rules and standards help prevent the spread of illness and disease, for other children as well as the teachers.  An adult-to-child ratio must be maintained.  If there are not enough trained and vetted healthy adults, no one can attend school.  An illness protocol sheet was placed in every home file last month and emailed to every family.  Outdoors is a part of the daily program at the end of every class, which includes all children unless the weather is too harsh.  If a child is not well enough to play outside, they are not well enough to come to school.  Please make appropriate clothing choices to include outdoor activities.  Extra layers of clothing can always be removed.

Please remember to bring back your child’s work folder.  The folder will protect their beautiful work from the Vancouver rains and ensure that every piece gets home dry.

Thank you to Safa and family for the donation of beautiful pieces of canvas.  We are planning an art project for spring 2026.  So exciting!  Thank you to Ozzy, Levi and family for the amazing bread maker and ingredients.  We opened the package and started the process.  We all loved the warm homemade bread for snack time, and it is deeeeelicious!  Already looking to branch out with more recipes.  Yay!

Upcoming dates and closures to note:

• Thanksgiving – Monday, October 13^th
• Diwali will be celebrated on Monday, October 20^th and 21^st
• Halloween will be celebrated on Thursday, October 30^th and Friday, October 31^st
• VSB Kindergarten registration … Saturday, November 1^st
• Remembrance Day – Tuesday, November 11^th
• Student Led Conferences will be held November 10^th to 19^th (sign up sheets with times will go out October 27^th).  More information will be coming out mid-October.

Other important things to note:

• The BC Affordable Child Care Benefit is available to families living in BC, and is different from the Federal Child Care Benefit. The benefit is calculated on a sliding scale according to family income, size of family and needs, and goes directly towards tuition. Please email Mrs. B. if you would like an application form.
• If you have any last minute changes for pick up or drop off, or if your child will be away, please phone the school (do not email).  We check for phone messages throughout the day.
• Please let us know if you have recently changed any personal contact information, or wish to add someone to the authorized pick up list.  If you have a regular pickup change, please email the name and their contact numbers to us, so we may update files

Summer is over and we welcome October.  Autumn brings new beauty and adventures. 

July 2025

August 1, 2025

Dear parents and families,

Welcome to our final newsletter of the school year.  As our school year comes to a close, we reflect on all the adventures, growth, and laughter we’ve shared. Our continent studies wrapped up last month with Australia and the Great Barrier Reef, which led us straight into exploring ocean animals and ocean life.  The children were fascinated by the many curious sea creatures—especially the blobfish (a.k.a. the “ugly fish”)!   We learned how this deep-sea fish adapts to ocean pressure and turns into its famous blob shape when depressurized as it is brought to the ocean’s surface … one of the many marvels of our natural world.

This final month brought its own unique rhythm, shaped by the personalities of this year’s class. Fine motor skills lend a hand to colouring … so much that we ended up creating new pages based on the children’s evolving interests: sharks, sea stars, flowers, strawberries, and ice cream sundaes were a few of the requests. Some friends even made giant world map colouring sheets!  Our final art project of wind chimes was made with driftwood and many, many, used keys. Thank you to everyone who donated keys!  The children looped them onto jute twine and tied them to scrubbed and sterilized driftwood sticks, safe for indoors and ready to jingle in the summer breeze. These are all natural elements of the earth, with a little lesson on recycling and reusing thrown in for good measure.  These little hands can do impressive work.  They turned out beautifully! 

With the arrival of warm weather, we spent as much time outdoors as possible: walks to parks, picnic lunches and snacks, and splashing away at the McLean water park. Those spare clothing changes from last September came in handy, although a few were a little snug.  A very special highlight was our two magical trips to Casa Gelato.  A huge thank you to Tina, Vito, and Raphael from Casa Gelato for making it such a special treat!

Outdoor play included frozen treasures in ice blocks at the water table, floating toys, and even washing our school chairs!  Believe it or not, this is a favourite activity of soapy water, sunshine, and teamwork.  The children also washed their chalk artwork off the outside walls.  Sunshine, water, bubbles, and friends—what’s not to love?  When the clouds rolled in, we shifted to fresh indoor activities. Yoga and dance parties stayed popular right up to the final week, with our favourite dance songs getting lots of play. Sports Day brought races, relays, and balancing games, and our final Circle Times focused on summer safety: looking twice for people, cars, and bikes, even at the park.

A gigantic thank you to Boe, and his parents Doug and Lindsey from DownLow Chicken, for generously catering our final Wednesday lunch. Hands down, the best chicken in Vancouver. Seriously yummy.  Thank you for a delicious and thoughtful send-off!

A special thank you to all of our families for the lovely gifts, cards, and very precious, thoughtful, and heartfelt notes.  We are deeply moved and touched by the kind sentiments in your cards.  We honestly and truly appreciate everything.  Parents are so busy these days, and the fact that you look closely at what we do and extend it into your home is amazing.  Parents teach us a lot … the latest and greatest activities, websites, and toys. Your communication with us is highly valued and a true gift.  Thank you very much Levi, Ayla, Micah and Ozzy for the bread maker and bread-making supplies gift to the school.  There will be some very yummy homemade breads being made next year for snacks. 

The end of the year is always bittersweet. We’ve spent so much time together that your children feel like extended family.  Each child received a parting gift from the teachers, a book and a refillable bubble wand.  We hope their love of stories and books will flow into the summer and beyond.  Returning students will be back the week of September 2nd, and we can’t wait to hear about their summer adventures. For our friends making that leap into kindergarten, we know you are ready for this next step, and we send you off with pride and a few happy tears. We’ll miss you deeply.  You are always welcome to come back and visit.  We reflect often on each child’s journey, from those early, tentative steps to the confident, curious, and caring individuals they’ve become. Thank you for sharing your beautiful, amazing children with us. They may still be small, but as the wise (and very Canadian) Winnie the Pooh once said, “Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.”  It’s been a wonderful, busy year full of change, stories, and cherished memories. With heartfelt gratitude, we wish all our families a joyful, restful August. It takes a village.  Thank you for being such a wonderful village.

June 2025

July 2, 2025

As June comes to a close and July begins, we’ve been reflecting on what a full month it has been (but aren’t they all?).  Our continent studies wrapped up with Australia—always a favourite!  From the unique platypus to boxing kangaroos and adorable koalas, Australia never fails to capture the children’s imaginations. The frilled lizards were a particular hit, especially the way they puff up to appear bigger when threatened. Exploring the diverse wildlife of the Land Down Under was a fun conclusion to our journey through the Southern Hemisphere.

For Father’s Day, the children created thoughtful “soap-on-a-rope” gifts. They tied slices of loofa sea sponges with rope, and placed them into molds. Then, using essential oils (Deep Blue Sea scent), food coloring, and melted glycerin soap, they stirred and poured their own fragrant creations. The results were beautiful, practical, and made with love. We hope every Dad and Grand had a wonderful Father’s Day!

Our annual Teddy Bear Picnic was a cozy, joy-filled event. The children brought their favorite stuffies for an afternoon of songs, stories, and a parade. We transformed the space with beehive lanterns, gingham tablecloths, and a special bear-themed snack: teddy bear-shaped strawberry jam sandwiches, strawberries, blueberries, heart-shaped watermelon slices, and pink lemonade.  Snack was topped off with popcorn. Each child also had a keepsake portrait taken at the teddy bear photo booth, which was sent home last week. Throughout the week, we crafted teddy bear collages, practiced lacing, and made tiny picnic baskets. The week ended with a sweet treat—chocolate cupcakes, baked and decorated by the children, tucked neatly into their handmade baskets. So adorable!  The Teddy Bear Picnic is always a fun week and a wonderful day for both young and old.

Academically and socially, we continue to be amazed at how much the children are growing. Whether working independently or in small groups, their joy of learning shines through. They’re absorbing new ideas at a remarkable pace, and we’re always introducing new materials to keep things fresh.  Although it is wonderful to see how the older activities continue to be favourites.  Absorbent minds.

All year round we promote recycling, reusing, composting and not wasting, including food. Miss Grace recently led a baking activity where the children grated apples to make apple bread for snack.  It was delicious!   Miss Stacy and Miss Ainsley have been turning leftover fruit and yogurt into homemade popsicles. Yummy, refreshing, and healthy, and all are gobbled up on a hot day.  We had a lot of leftover fruit from the Teddy Bear Picnic (bulk shopping at Costco), so strawberries and blueberry smoothies will be on the menu in July, along with banana bread (we have a lot of frozen bananas).  July will be a busy food and baking month. Fortunately, we have many little hands who love to help and have big appetites.  Many hands make light work!

With the warmer weather, we spend more time outdoors, and make more excursions to the local parks and playgrounds, and have stepping stones and other activities in our own playground that focus on motor skills.  On these beautiful days, we have all of our meals al fresco.  A mirror is set up on the outdoor table for the children to apply sunscreen.  Very independent.  The children’s second batch of butterflies recently emerged and were released into the wild—a magical moment, made even more special by the warm sunshine.

Welcome to a joyful July!