Open House Feburary 26, 2005

The Montessori Winter Open House this year will take place on February 26, 2005 from 10 to 2.  This is an opportunity to roam through the rooms, look at the special Montessori materials, and find out why the Montessori method offers a superior start for your children.  Also during this event will be the school's grand opening of its newly renovated library.  This spacious room has been beautifully prepared by parents and staff to create a calm and relaxing environment where children can roam and explore the wonders of fact and fiction through reading.  The room has been outfitted with specially-sized furniture to accommodate smaller bodies and the walls are painted with images to spark the children's creativity and interest.  The school thanks the parents and staff who made possible this beautiful addition to our special school.

Laurentian University
Phys.Ed. Students

We are fortunate to have Laurentian University students interacting with and teaching our young students the game of Kin Ball as of March 10, 2005.  This will provide a unique opportunity for our students to engage in something new and fun, while increasing their fitness level.  We are proud to offer our students the opportunity to interact with these young, active and dynamic adults. 

Roots and Shoots:
“Roots and Shoots” is the Jane Goodall International Institute’s environmental and humanitarian program for young people. The mission is to foster respect and compassion for all living things, to promote understanding of all cultures and beliefs and to inspire each individual to take action to make the world a better place for the environment, animals and the human community. The Roots and Shoots projects conducted at the Montessori School of Sudbury encompass the three following themes:

Within these broad themes, the following projects have been implemented within the school by two elementary staff members, Kristina Rivard Gobbo and Gillian Howard.

	Parent/Student Volunteer Day: Collection of Canadian Tire Money throughout the year to purchase plants/shrubs/flowers for the playgrounds in the spring was a great success! Parents and children donated close to 500 bulbs, soil, and fertilizer to the school playground. The volunteers spent the morning working together, digging the beds and planting the bulbs. MCTV visited the school and aired the story on the 6:00 p.m. news.
	SPCA Food and Cat Litter Drive: This was a month long project and two children were chosen to deliver the food to the shelter.
	Christmas Food Drive: During the month of December the school donated canned goods to the less fortunate in the community.
	Bake Sale: The money raised from this will contribute towards the purchase of plants and trees for the playground.
	Helping the Homeless: Roots and Shoots members worked at the “Out of the Cold” program for the homeless on April 2nd. The selected children will serve the homeless and volunteer at the shelter for the evening.
	Book Collection: The school collected books for the children in the North who have no access to libraries, bookstores or roads. The OPP collected the books during the latter part of March and will deliver the books to the less fortunate schools in the North.
	Playground Design: The children will design a plan for the schoolyard and the money raised from the activities mentioned will contribute towards the purchase of the materials required.
	Annual Roots and Shoots Conference: The Montessori School of Sudbury was invited to attend the Annual Roots and Shoots conference that was held at Science North. The title of the workshop is “Small Schools Can Still Make a Difference”. Gillian Howard and Kristina Rivard Gobbo delivered a 25 minute presentation to local teachers/principals/students and biologists to on how they can make a difference by implementing the three themes of Roots and Shoots.
	Hydroponics: The students learned the principles of hydroponics and will be growing organic vegetables and plants in the science area of the school. The children check the PH of the water, care for the plants, monitor the growth of the species and donate the flowers/vegetables to the elderly.

Tennis
All lower and upper elementary students will attend the tennis bubble during the month of April for tennis lessons.

Slavery
The upper elementary children are studying slavery in the 21st century. The children want to take action and donate money to the organizations that free children from the harsh world of slavery. The children have begun to make cards that they will sell to the parents. The cost to free one slave is $50.

Artists
During the month of June, the upper elementary children will take part in an in-depth study of artists from the Renaissance period.

The Montessori Strings
Available to both Casa and Elementary students, the Montessori Strings is a partnership with the Sudbury Symphony Orchestra and School of Music. Group lessons (usually three or four students) study twice a week under the tutelage of a classically trained professional violinist or cellist. The very reasonable fees are set at a break-even rate and instrument rentals are available through a local violin shop. There have been over 20 students this year, some of whom have gone on to private lessons with the SSO. This is a wonderful way for anyone who wishes to explore violin and cello to find their niche. Extra advantages of this program include the occasional promotional concert at the school by the string ensemble and other opportunities to see the orchestra “in action”.

Book of the Month Club
How would you like a chance to read a great book and join your Principal/Administrator for lunch to discuss it? But wait- there's more - dessert is free! The Book of the Month Club meets monthly to do just that. The members can't decide if they enjoy "digesting" the book or the treat more. Books covered this year to date are “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban”, “The Lion, the Witch and Wardrobe”, “Charlotte's Web”, and “Holes”, to name a few.

Additional Activities in the Elementary Program:

	Trip to the Sugar Bush
	The Sudbury Theater centre - Jelly Belly
	Earth Day Celebration (The whole day is filled with activities)
	Flat Stanley Exchange with Calgary School
	Sudbury Theatre Art Contest
	Library visits to collect books for research
	Track and Field Day
	End of the Year “FUN DAY”
	Sudbury Secondary School - The Velveteen Rabbit
	The Sudbury Theater centre - Charlie and Alice
	Day at Science North

Look at what’s happening in our Casa Program...

Themes in the Casa (Preschool) Classroom:
In addition to participating in activities designed to focus on language arts, math skills, art and music, our Casa students have also investigated the following this academic year:

	The seasons
	Celebrations around the world
	The continents and landforms
	Different cultures
	The life cycles of animals and plants
	The solar system
	The body – skeleton, muscles, organs
	Volcanoes, rocks and minerals, geological formations
	Sea life

Community-Related Events for Casa
The Lion’s Club Telethon
The Heart and Lung Association’s “Jump Rope for Heart”
Meals on Wheels

Exciting and Fun Casa Events Still to Come!!
Earth Day Celebration – cleaning up the environment
Easter Celebration – making Easter eggs
Spring Garden – care of and planting of yearly bulbs
May Musical Performance (violin, cellos, recorders)
June Casa Graduation of children leaving the Casa Program