Kew Park Montessori Day School acknowledges this land, now known as Toronto, or Tkaronto, as the traditional territory of many nations. Mississaugas of the Anishinaabe, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and Wendat peoples have all lived here, either together or at different times. We recognize the enduring presence of all First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples who continue to call this land home. Peace on this land is achieved through treaties, including Treaty 13. We commit to uplifting the voices of Indigenous people, teaching and learning with Two-Eyed Seeing and encouraging reciprocity and respect towards Indigenous communities....
Our school participated in our annual Terry Fox walk yesterday! After a short warm up, everyone dropped their money in the big shoe and walked around the block. In the afternoon our upper elementary students collectively ran the equivalent of two marathons at Greenwood Park. Classes have been reading and learning about Terry’s mission and we had a representative from @terryfoxfoundation present to our lower elementary students. A great effort and thank you to all of our families for their generous donations!...
During the final morning at Kinark Outdoor Centre, our upper elementary students had a thrill doing the flying squirrel on the high ropes and then participated in a meaningful debriefing and recap of their time away. After lunch and saying goodbye and thank you to all the staff, they boarded the bus and headed home.
While the main purpose of our annual 3-day trip to Kinark Outdoor Centre is for team building, it is always so much more than just that. It is also an opportunity for the students to spend quality time in nature and with each other outside of the classroom. It is a chance to try new things and step outside of their comfort zone and into their growth zone, with Kinark’s “challenge by choice” approach. It is a time to build confidence and independence being away from home, often for the first time. And it is an opportunity to have a tonne of fun, making memories that will last a lifetime!...
Our upper elementary class had a full and incredibly fun-filled second day at Kinark Outdoor Centre! We went on a beautiful hike, explored critters with dip netting, did archery and archery tag, made candles, went on a pontoon boat around the lake, played stock-ticker, tried low ropes and had a thrill climbing the high ropes. What a blast!...
Our upper elementary class had an action packed first day at Kinark Outdoor Centre! We are all thrilled to be back in this beautiful setting for another year of adventures and memory making....
Our upper elementary class discovered Biidaasige Park on Friday! Biidaasige Park, pronounced “bee-daw-si-geh” and meaning “sunlight shining toward us” in Anishinaabemowin, is an exceptional new green space in the Toronto Port Lands area near the mouth of the Don River that celebrates waterway restoration and reconciliation. The upper students loved it and had a blast!...
Reading Buddies has begun! It is a terrific program that encourages relationships between children of different ages. Second and third-year casa children are paired with grade 2 and 3 students every Friday afternoon. Children read together one-on-one for 30 minutes. It is a wonderful opportunity for younger children to experience the reading skills of older children (something to which they can aspire!) and for older children to reinforce their reading skills....
It was wonderful to celebrate the accomplishments of our grade 6 graduates last week, and each prepared a speech to share at their graduation. Congratulations graduates!...
Before bringing their art portfolios home for the year, each elementary child chose three pieces of their art work to share with their peers at our annual Art Gallery, where all the classes got to visit and admire an amazing array of art!...
Over several weeks this spring, classes observed the life cycle of painted lady butterflies, from larvae to caterpillars to chrysalises, and then they released the butterflies over the final weeks of school. It is always an inspiring classroom activity and a very special moment to eventually see them fly free....
Over the last week, both our lower and upper elementary students had their track and field meets with the Independent Schools Athletic Association. They had great fun, performed very well and showed incredible sportsmanship supporting each other and cheering loudly. A big thank you to all of our parent supervisors who helped out. Go, Kew Park!...
One of our elementary families generously and thoughtfully built and donated two mud kitchens for our casa yards this week. The children were thrilled and they absolutely love them! They are perfectly designed to encourage messy, imaginative, outdoor play. How fun!...
We are very excited to have three new maple trees planted in our elementary yard! One of our classes conducted a school wide survey and data collection exercise to name them and several child have designated themselves “guardians of the trees” as they protect them from balls at recess!...
