Selkirk Montessori School E

JANUARY 2016
From The Academic Head,
Erin Hayes
Selkirk Montessori
School E-Newsletter
I would like to personally invite
and encourage our current families
to join us for our Open House and
Transition Night on Thursday,
January 21st.
It is a night where I never fail to be
inspired by the considerable
growth and varied interests of the
students. Please come and learn
something new – about your child
or our programs.
Allow your child to be your guide.
Have them share with you the work
they are most proud of and the
most challenging accomplishments
they have achieved. Ask them
where they spend their quiet moments when their work is done or
what their preferred activities are.
Invite them to give YOU a lesson!
As always, grandparents, friends,
the whole entourage is welcome if your child wants to share the experience, we are happy to accommodate. Keep in mind some children really do appreciate a few
quiet moments with their parents to
share their experiences, so perhaps
discuss what they prefer first to
ensure this is a meaningful visit for
you all.
doing, the transition portion of the
evening is an opportunity to see
what you might look forward to in
the years to come.
We have the exceptional privilege
of uniting three schools under one
roof. Our Kindergarten/Preschool,
Elementary and Middle School
programs are all united in their approach to education through the
Montessori philosophy. However,
as children mature and change, so
too do the programs. I am excited
to wear all my hats to this portion
of the evening.
We experience things so differently
depending where our children are
in their development. I am looking
forward to seeing life through her
eyes for a night and anticipating
the student she is to become. I hope
each of you enjoy your evening
just as fully.
Once again, our most experienced
Montessori students will be conducting tours with prospective
families. Feel free to invite friends
or family members who you think
might like to join our waitlist.
Just as the Open House is a showcase of what your child is currently
Inside this issue:
Leadership Update—Syrian Refugees
2
Message from the Board of Directors
3
Ancient India Comes Alive!
4
Re-registration 2016-2017
5
Kindergarten/Preschool Photo Gallery
6
Bear’s Den/Christmas Tree Contest Photos
Dates to Remember
7-8
9
“And now we welcome
the new year. Full of
things that have never
been.”
Rainer Maria Rilke
Leadership Update—Syrian Family Fundraiser
Dear Parents, Teachers, and Staff Members,
The Syrian refugee crisis is a very real issue
in the world today. Justin Trudeau has committed to letting 25,000 refugees into the
country, but a large amount of support is
needed; that is why the leadership group has
decided to devote some of their time and effort into helping a family come to Victoria.
This cause has been of high interest within
the group, and they are asking for you to be
supportive, (that does not necessarily mean
giving money).
Our school’s group has teamed up with another group in contact with the Intercultural
Association of Greater Victoria (ICA) and
they have already made a significant
amount of progress, especially in fundraising. We do not have the exact amount of
money raised but we do know it is not
nearly enough to support the family here for
one year or even two years. Victoria is an
expensive city to live in, and it is more challenging when you do not speak English.
We are looking for volunteers for many
tasks, especially teaching English. Most of
us would agree we would rather not be upfront and ask for money. There are many
other things you could be doing, such as donating old everyday house hold items. If
you feel that you do want to contribute
money, please speak to Penny Barner in the
office so we can get it flagged under our
school’s name when you donate. You may
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still have questions about this and we suggest speaking to Bree Tibble, Penny Barner,
or Erin Hayes. If you do choose to contribute in any way and would like to be told of
the progress, there will be a newsletter sent
out with updates.
Newsletters come out once a month with
new information each time. The main parts
you will see in the newsletters about this
particular cause will be the word of the
month; an Arabic phrase we and our partner
group choose each month, and updates.
Therefore, if you feel you are not getting
enough information about the Syrian refugee crisis itself, some informative websites
are: www.news.nationalpost.com and
www.worldvision.com.
If that does not satisfy you, you can easily
search videos on YouTube. (www.youtube.com)
Before you decide to lend your support you
should have some knowledge of the family.
Unfortunately, we do not have much information at this time; we do however know
that the family consists of: one woman, a
man, 3 young children and a baby on the
way. When we get more information, we
will certainty include that in one of the
newsletters to come.
Thank you for all your support,
Sincerely,
The Grade 8 Leadership Group
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
From the Pacific Montessori Society Board of Directors
crease for staff and ensure we continue to be able to
deliver an exceptional program to your children.
The annual price of tuition will go up by 3.5 per
cent, resulting in the following price adjustments:

Dear Selkirk Montessori Parents:
At Selkirk Montessori School, we aim to deliver
an exceptional education program in a nurturing
environment that allows students the opportunity
to explore their interests in and outside of the
classroom. Our two-teacher per classroom
model, low student teacher ratios, and excellent
educators and staff provide the attention and support every child deserves in order to succeed.
Teaching using the Montessori
Method, challenging but achievable personalized
academics, plenty of opportunities for initiative
and self-direction, modeling grace and courtesy
and fostering a sense of community all make our
school special and unique.
Maintaining the school experience we value requires continued investment in our teaching and
administrative staff and in our facilities, equipment and teaching materials. The reasonable compensation of our valued staff, as well as the maintenance of all aspects of the school, the regular
costs of which continue to rise, comes from the
tuition fees we receive and we try to set our fees at
a level that will support this investment while continuing to deliver quality service.
The administration has put a lot of effort into
managing a strict budget where costs are controlled through thoughtful decision making to ensure money is spent in accordance with our operational and educational priorities.
To continue to meet these priorities, the Board of
Directors has recently approved an increase in tuition fees for the 2016-17 school year. The fee increase will help support a 1.5 per cent wage in-
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


Kindergarten/Preschool Half Day from
$6,041/year to $6,252
Kindergarten Full Day from $7,978/year to
$8,257
Preschool Full Day from $10,178/year to
$10,431
Elementary and Middle School Levels 1-8
from $7,429/year to $7,689
There will be no fee increase for the before and after school care programs.
We understand that fee increases have a financial
impact on parents and we are working to keep the
rise to a minimum. The decision to increase tuition
was made after extensive discussion at the board
level. It is in line with the feedback received in
the results of the School Survey done in spring
2015 where the majority of respondents supported a
fee increase to support a more competitive wage for
our staff.
The Board of Directors has done a comparative review of tuition fees at Greater Victoria’s independent schools and feels our price is within the average
cost while providing the first-rate experience
you receive at Selkirk Montessori.
Anybody with questions or concerns regarding this
fee increase is encouraged to please stop by the office.
Thank you for your continued support for Selkirk
Montessori.
Sincerely,
Philip Twyford
Chair, Board of Directors
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
Kingfisher Class—Ancient India Museum Photo Gallery
As part of their unit on Ancient India, the Kingfisher Class researched and created an amazing
‘interactive museum’ of food, games, music, dance and art with all the students in the school able to
come and learn and play.
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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
Registration for 2016-2017
Re-Registration
The re-registration package has been
attached to this email. Deadline for the
return of completed registration forms is
Friday, January 29th. Please be sure that
you have read and understood all of the
information on the forms. You must mark
the programs you require, check all the
boxes and sign the form for it to be considered complete. Remember that space is
limited in a few of our programs.
Siblings
If you are a returning family and have a new
sibling to enrol for the 2016-2017 school
year, instructions for registration of siblings
are in the package mentioned above . Again,
the deadline for submission is Friday,
January 29th.
history – just to name a few) you may decide not to return to Selkirk for the 20162017 school year. We’ll be sorry to see you
go.
We ask that you let us know as soon as possible. Your child will let us know if you
don’t; maybe not in so many words, but in
their own way, that they are not coming
back. It has been our experience that children become confused when they are told
they are making a move. They wonder, “Is
Selkirk still my school? Is there any reason
to keep working hard here? Do I still have
to follow the rules of the school?” We’ve
even had children say, “I don’t have to listen
to you because I’m not coming back to this
school.” You can imagine the detrimental
effect this can have on your child’s education, especially as we still have six months
of school to get through!
Waitlisted Children
We expect to be in touch with families of
children on the waitlist by mid to late
February. Please be patient….but don’t
hesitate to contact us if you are anxious! I
am always happy to hear from parents that
they are still keen to get their child(ren)
enrolled.
We want to ensure that your child’s experience at Selkirk is a positive one, right down
to their last day of school. It’s a fact of life
that some of you will be leaving. Come talk
to us about making the transition an easy
one for your child, for their teachers and for
the school community as a whole.
Not Returning
If you have any questions about registration
for 2016-2017, please email me at
[email protected] or call
250-384-3414. I am back from visiting
Emily in England on Monday, January 11.
The decision to move a child from one
school to another is never an easy one;
however, for many reasons (religious affiliation, finances, moving, convenience, family
Page 5
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
Photo Gallery—Hummingbirds and Chickadees Galore!
Cookie monsters arrive
in the office from the
Hummingbird Class
with a bag full of treats
for staff!
Jasmine and a couple of Chickadees bring their Angel
Gifts to the office to be ready to be taken to Our Place.
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We had a special
Hanukkah celebration
in the Hummingbird
Class and the Chickadees were have a
Ukrainian Christmas
this year. Thanks to
the teachers and staff
for making these
lovely memories for
our children.
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
Save the date! Coming SOON!
What’s new in the Bear’s Den?
It’s already time to start planning for the Scholastic BOOK FAIR!
Many thanks to Michelle Singh and Olivia Rockwell who helped process over 300 new books to
add to our library shelves! Our students love, love,
love books and are always very excited when the
new books they have been eyeing in the
“Hibernation Area” are ready to be checked out.
The Fair will be held in the school Gymnasium
Thursday, February 25 & Friday, February 26,
2016 at the following times:
Some of the new books include: Deadly Dinosaurs, Two Hour Craft Projects, Norse Myths, Adventure Time, Strange But True!, Exploratorium,
Guitar Notes, Everest, and A Brush of Colour, as
well as the latest and greatest books from the
Geronimo Stilton, Elephant and Piggie, and Big
Nate series.
Volunteers are always welcome in the Bear’s
Den! We still have a few boxes of books to process. Please see Arlene for more information.

8:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.

11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
This popular event gives you and your child the
opportunity to buy quality books and products at
affordable prices. The children start counting the
days as soon as the Scholastic Book Fair posters
appear in the hallways at the beginning of February. One can feel the energy of anticipation mounting throughout the school as the date comes closer
and closer. Selkirk students LOVE books and reading! Please join us.
BOOK FAIR Volunteers Needed (Sign-up Sheet
in the main floor hallway)
We will need a total of 14 volunteers for set-up,
take-down, and sales and customer service. Please
volunteer to help at the BOOK FAIR and sign up
for your preferred time. Sign-up sheet is in the
foyer near the office. Help promote a love of reading and support our Selkirk School Community.
Please volunteer. It’s fun!
Wishing you and yours a Happy Book-Filled
New Year!
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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 Students Invited to Judge Christmas Trees!
A small group of grade
seven students and
teacher Gigi Cook
trundled over to the
Pension Corporation
offices in December to
judge the annual Christmas tree decorating
contest!
The students were
judging trees in a
number of provincial
government offices
on the Selkirk site.
This was the first
one we saw. Pretty
creative use of the
box of materials
each group were
given to decorate their generic tree!
Items in the box included coffee filters,
construction paper, clothes pegs, silver foil,
boas and other unusual materials.
Each tree was unique,
with special touches
like this colourful star.
When we reached the third floor, a table full
of treats appeared. I’m sure there was no
intention to bribe the judges!!
I had to leave them after
the third tree for a meeting back at school, but
Gigi tells me that the
treats just kept on coming as they moved from
office to office. These
folks sure know the
way to a kids heart!
Thanks to
Fred at
Pensions
for inviting
us to take
part in the
celebrations
this year. I
hope it becomes an annual tradition!
Lucky grade sevens Spencer, Niall, Charlie,
Junseong and Dakota also got a big bag of
candy at the end of the judging.
Students took their
duties very seriously,
with notes taken on
each tree.
Page 8
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)
[email protected]
We can make a difference.
To celebrate Diwali, two of our current grade 7 students and one
of our graduates from last year performed for their peers, teachers
and parents in the Kingfisher Class. Carefully explaining all the
dances, the girls helped us all better understand that Diwali, or
www.selkirkmontessori.ca
Dipawali, is India's biggest and most important holiday of the
year. The festival gets its name from the row (avali) of clay
lamps (or deepa) that Hindus light outside their homes to symbolize the inner light that protects us from spiritual darkness.
Dates to Remember

January 21, 2016—Open House/
Transition Meetings (5:30-8:00 pm)

February 8, 2016—Family Day
(Provincial holiday)

February 11, 2016—Grade 1-3 Musical Theatre Performance

February 19th—Professional
Development Day (no school for
children)
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