school community

2015/12/14 by Natalie

2015 RMS “Penguins” Christmas Concerts

Every year, Rowntree Montessori Schools’ students, staff, and parents work together to delight their audiences at Brampton’s Lester B. Pearson Theatre, as families gather for our annual Christmas concerts. This year the themes were based on our multi award-winning parade float design, “Penguins Celebrating Christmas at the South Pole”. As usual there were two concerts for the Academy, featuring the ever-cute Kindergarten Montessori – Grade 2’s, followed by the multi-talented Grade 3-8’s.

Kinder to Grade 2 Concert — Kindergarten Montessori to Grade 2 Christmas concert

This year, the title for the Kindergarten Montessori to Grade 2 show was “A Penguin Christmas.” The little ones had the audience laughing up a storm as the penguins journeyed from South to North in search of Santa. The parents expressed feelings of joy and some even shed a tear here and there to express their proud feelings.

The theme title for the Grades 3-8 was “Movin’ n’ Groovin’ North for Christmas”. The students did a great job moving and grooving from the South Pole to the North Pole. This again provided the audience with a relaxed and happy atmosphere at the theatre. The evening ended with all of our parents in a happy and festive mood as the students set the atmosphere for Christmas with their festive costumes, dances, and Christmas songs.

Click on the image below to see video footage of the students’ performances from the concerts

Merry Christmas to all from the RMS Family to yours!

We look forward to seeing you and sharing with you the private school community of which we are so proud!

To learn more about Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS), continue browsing our website and ideally drop by any of our 5 welcoming, friendly and family oriented campuses for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:00am-3:00pm. If you prefer, call to book an appointment for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:00am-3:00pm.

More details about Rowntree Montessori Schools‘ approach to education can be seen by clicking here .

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2015/12/10 by Natalie

The Global Citizen

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead

Collection of Toiletries for the Womens Shelter — Students of RMS collect hygiene products to donate to the local womens shelter

The staff and students of Rowntree Montessori have been long-time advocates and supporters of a variety of local charitable organizations. Every month, we have a $2.00 dress down day to support organizations in our community. We regularly donate food to help those in need, hygiene products to assist women living in shelters, and toys for children so that they can have something to open on Christmas morning. While these things will greatly impact the people we help, the effect it has on our Rowntree community has been immeasurable.

Mitten Tree for the Salvation Army — Collection of mittens, scarves and hats for the Salvation Army

In order to further promote our students’ sense of global citizenship, we embarked upon a whole new adventure two years ago and partnered up with one of the world’s largest children’s organizations, Free the Children. Free the Children, which was started in 1995 by 12 year old Craig Kielburger, is an international organization with a focus on promoting the rights of children, particularly by endorsing free and universal access to education. We actively participated in the “We are Love” campaign, and purchased buttons to raise funds to build a school in Kenya.

This year alone, our Rowntree Academy campus raised over $12,000, and more than 1000 items, for local and international charities.

So what does it all mean? We donate money to charities, we give our time to distribute food and toys to local families, and we learn about children in other parts of the world who do not have the same rights and freedoms that we have. Well, it means we foster a sense of responsibility to help those who need it, whether they are neighbours or strangers. It means we teach our children to appreciate what they have. It means we learn that we can make a difference. It means we become global citizens.

We look forward to seeing you and sharing with you the private school community of which we are so proud!

To learn more about Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS), continue browsing our website and ideally drop by any of our 5 welcoming, friendly and family oriented campuses for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:00am-3:00pm. If you prefer, call to book an appointment for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:00am-3:00pm.

More details about Rowntree Montessori Schools‘ approach to education can be seen by clicking here .

Please kindly SHARE this post with others if you found it informative and helpful by clicking onto one or more of the icons below. We would appreciate it and thank you in advance.

2015/11/27 by Natalie

RMS Choirs singing National Anthems at Brampton Beast game

Students are thrilled about the opportunity to sing the Canadian National Anthem and the American National Anthem.

Our RMS Junior and Senior choirs (Grades 1-8 Students from the RMS Academy) will be singing the Canadian National Anthem and the American National Anthem for the Brampton Beast ECHL game.

We feel that this is an exciting opportunity for our choirs and think it would be wonderful to have many children and families join the large representation of RMS students and their families attending the game, particularly since this is the first year our choir is performing for the Brampton Beast Hockey Team. Would it not be great to have a sell-out crowd present? Imagine the lifetime memory that would be for these choir members. Our choirs and the Brampton Beast Hockey team would appreciate all of the support! Our choirs previously performed the National Anthem for the Brampton A’s Basketball game last year, as well as the OHL Brampton Battalion and Mississauga Steelheads hockey games.

RMS Choir singing the Canadian National Anthem

The game is against the Elmira Jackals at home at the Powerade Centre on Sunday November 29^th, 2015 at 2:00pm. The Powerade Centre is located at 7575 Kennedy Road South, Brampton.

We hope you are able to join us to see our RMS Choirs perform and for what is always a fun and exciting afternoon at the hockey game.

We look forward to seeing you and sharing with you the private school community of which we are so proud!

To learn more about Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS), continue browsing our website and ideally drop by any of our 5 welcoming, friendly and family oriented campuses for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:00am-3:00pm. If you prefer, call to book an appointment for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:00am-3:00pm.

More details about Rowntree Montessori Schools‘ approach to education can be seen by clicking here .

Please kindly SHARE this post with others if you found it informative and helpful by clicking onto one or more of the icons below. We would appreciate it and thank you in advance.

2015/11/23 by Natalie

RMS Parade Float wins Chairman’s Award!

A very memorable Brampton Santa Claus parade.

We are delighted to announce that Rowntree Montessori Schools’ (@RowntreeSchools) float was awarded the Chairman’s Award (1st place) for Best Float in the Brampton Board of Trade (BBoT) 2015 Santa Claus Parade. We thank the BBoT Santa Claus Parade (@BramptonSanta) co-chairman and judges for recognizing the devotion and meticulous detail that went into creating our ‘Christmas at the South Pole’ entry. Also, a HUGE THANK-YOU goes out to all those who took the time to vote for us as their Fan Favourites’ – we are so honoured to have also been voted in 1st place by the parade fans.

RMS Christmas Float is all ready to go — RMS’ Christmas Float is all ready to go

The theme for this year’s spectacular RMS Santa Claus Parade Float was determined this past August, as staff and administrators gathered to begin the new school year. “Christmas at the South Pole” proved to be the winning idea, and the next several months were spent on weekly meetings to design and create the concept, characters, actions, costumes, and decorations. A South Pole hockey game, fishing derby, and fish fry over the open fires shared the upper deck with the snowmen, while the street was overflowing with penguins, some even breaking rank to give hugs to student spectators past and present. Let’s not forget the thousands of light bulbs to decorate every feature and character on the 53-foot float, as well as the fans blowing to keep up the inflatables and cooking fires! Add to all of this, the music and choreography mixed and performed by the dancing seals and penguins, (aka staff and students) and you have an unforgettable treat for the eyes, ears, and heart! Thanks so much to all members of the Rowntree community who came together to take “Christmas at the South Pole” from concept to reality!

This was Rowntree Montessori Schools’ 11^th year participating in the parade and we have been presented with a total of 10 awards for our parade entries over the years.

Click on the link or the image below to see a short video posted by the Brampton Board of Trade of our float as it started on the parade route.

RMS Christmas at the South Pole

The float as it starts the journey down Main St. — Our float as it starts the journey along the parade route

Penguin Marchers posing with CHFI individuals

Referee and Hockey Players — Rowntree Penguins getting ready for the Hockey game

The float as darkness fell — As darkness fell, the vibrant lighting of our float came to life

Our sincere appreciation and thanks goes out once again to our sponsors Moore Brothers Transport, Long & McQuade, RONA and Canadian Tire for their support.

To learn more about Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS), continue browsing our website and ideally drop by any of our 5 welcoming, friendly and family oriented campuses for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:00am-3:00pm. If you prefer, call to book an appointment for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:00am-3:00pm.

More details about Rowntree Montessori Schools‘ approach to education can be seen by clicking here .

Please kindly SHARE this post with others if you found it informative and helpful by clicking onto one or more of the icons below. We would appreciate it and thank you in advance.

2015/11/20 by Natalie

RMS hopes to see you at the Santa Claus Parade!

Only one more sleep until the Brampton Santa Claus parade tomorrow (Saturday November 21st 5:00pm)!

Everyone is excited and looking forward to a beautiful and memorable parade day. Below are images of our parade floats in the past two years.

Hopefully you are planning on coming to the parade which starts at 5pm sharp to see Santa and cheer on our students, staff, and parents as we participate for the 11th consecutive year in the Brampton Board of Trade Santa Claus parade which is the largest night time parade in Canada. Our float is early in the parade so don’t be late if you want to see us.

The Brampton Board of Trade is once again looking for this year’s Fan favourite entry! To let them know yours, just log onto the Brampton Board Of Trade Santa Claus Parade’s social sites @BramptonSanta ‏to vote for your favourite band and float on Sunday before 4pm! We are sure working hard on our entry and hope to be your favourite!!

So make sure to join us for what is always a fun and exciting event at this time of the year. For more details about the parade route, go to http://www.bramptonsantaclausparade.com/route/default.html

We look forward to seeing you and sharing with you the private school community of which we are so proud.

To learn more about RMS, visit our website or please drop by any of our campuses for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:00am-3:00pm. If you prefer, call to book an appointment for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:00am-3:00pm.

Please kindly SHARE this post with others if you found it informative and helpful by clicking onto one or more of the icons below. We would appreciate it and thank you in advance.

2015/11/18 by Natalie

A “Growth Mindset” – Nurturing Resiliency in Today’s Young People

Resiliency is a combination of skills and positive attributes that we gain from life experiences and relationships. Resiliency allows us to constructively cope with and recover from negative or stressful experiences, setbacks, challenges and adversities.

At present, we live in a technologically interconnected world of increasing dynamism, making it of even greater importance that young people develop the skills and attributes to “bounce back” and persevere when things become complex and challenging.

As educators, we understand the necessity to cultivate resiliency within each of our students, and we rigorously explore relevant teaching and learning experiences which serve to facilitate this.

One recent and invigorating idea for supporting students’ resiliency in terms of academic success and achievement comes from Professor Carol Dweck’s theory, the “Growth Mindset”.

We invite you to take a few minutes to listen to Dweck’s talk on the “Growth Mindset” by visiting, http://www.ted.com/talks/carol_dweck_the_power_of_believing_that_you_can_improve?language=en and then testing your mindset at http://mindsetonline.com

We look forward to seeing you and sharing with you the private school community of which we are so proud!

To learn more about Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS), continue browsing our website and ideally drop by any of our 5 welcoming, friendly and family oriented campuses for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:00am-3:00pm. If you prefer, call to book an appointment for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:00am-3:00pm.

More details about Rowntree Montessori Schools‘ approach to education can be seen by clicking here .

Please kindly SHARE this post with others if you found it informative and helpful by clicking onto one or more of the icons below. We would appreciate it and thank you in advance.

2015/11/17 by Natalie

Santa invites RMS students to be his elves for the Parade

It isn’t common knowledge, that for a number of years, RMS students have had the privilege of being invited by Santa and the Brampton Board of Trade (BBOT) Santa Claus Parade Committee to be the elves on Santa’s float. Seeing that Santa’s float is the highlight of the Santa Claus Parade, kids are always thrilled about such an experience.

RMS Students on Santa's float — RMS students as elves on Santa’s float

The fortunate students are selected amongst students who have previously been voted “Student of the Month” during the previous year. The students’ names are put into a hat and 4 are picked. Those students are very excited and honoured to have been chosen. It is truly a lifetime memory to spend the day with Santa Claus and be his helpers in bringing cheer to the parade spectators.

Be sure to wave to the elves as Santa will be asking them which nice young boy or girl they saw at the Parade!

We look forward to seeing you and sharing with you the private school community of which we are so proud!

To learn more about Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS), continue browsing our website and ideally drop by any of our 5 welcoming, friendly and family oriented campuses for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:00am-3:00pm. If you prefer, call to book an appointment for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:00am-3:00pm.

More details about Rowntree Montessori Schools‘ approach to education can be seen by clicking here .

Please kindly SHARE this post with others if you found it informative and helpful by clicking onto one or more of the icons below. We would appreciate it and thank you in advance.

2015/11/11 by Natalie

Lest We Forget

“Lest We Forget” is a common saying heard throughout the month of November in Canada. But do you really understand what it means? The phrase comes from Rudyard Kipling’s 1897 poem Recessional; it cautions against forgetting the people who have died in war, and the reasons they were fighting in the first place. Along with the poppy, this slogan is a symbol of Remembrance Day.

Remembrance Day is not a regular holiday; it is not a day off school full of family fun. Remembrance Day is an important day of the year where we pay tribute to the courageous men and women who have served, and continue to serve, our country during times of both war and peace. Remembrance Day is observed by many countries worldwide; the first Remembrance Day was in 1919 to remember fallen service members of the First World War.

Why do we remember today? Despite the comfortable lives we live here in Canada, the world has not always been such a peaceful place—and there are still many areas of the world today that are at war. We often take for granted our Canadian values and institutions: our right to education and freedom of cultural, religious, and political affiliation. People all over the world are still fighting for these same rights and freedoms that are enjoyed by Canadians

At RMS, staff and students hold an assembly every November 11. There are skits that recreate life during wartime, songs of peace, and a Laying of the Wreaths ceremony. We take a moment of silence at 11 a.m.—the time that the fighting of the First World War officially ended—to acknowledge the bravery and sacrifice of Canadian soldiers and their hard work to achieve peace. In class, even our youngest students learn about the significance of the poppy and Remembrance Day.

2015 is a very significant year for remembrance ceremonies. It marks 65^th anniversary of the start of the Korean War, the 70^th anniversary of the end of World War II, and the 101^st anniversary of the beginning of the First World War. It also commemorates the 100^th anniversary of the writing of the iconic poem In Flanders Fields by Canadian John McCrae.

Last year, a Bill was put forward in the House of Commons by NDP MP Dan Harris to declare Remembrance Day a national statutory holiday, giving it the same status as Canada Day. Currently, Remembrance Day is a statutory provincial holiday in all but Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and the Northwest Territories. As of November 5, 2014, the Bill has passed the First Reading and will now be passed on to a Second Reading and a Standing Committee for further debate.

Will making November 11 a public holiday diminish the importance of this day of remembrance? Currently, schools and workplaces across the country hold ceremonies and continue to teach the importance of remembrance, whether or not it is a day off. Should this Bill be passed, veterans and service members will continue to be honoured each and every November at RMS.

For more information and resources on Remembrance Day, please visit Veterans’ Affairs Canada.

We look forward to seeing you and sharing with you the private school community of which we are so proud!

To learn more about Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS), continue browsing our website and ideally drop by any of our 5 welcoming, friendly and family oriented campuses for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:00am-3:00pm. If you prefer, call to book an appointment for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:00am-3:00pm.

More details about Rowntree Montessori Schools‘ approach to education can be seen by clicking here .

Please kindly SHARE this post with others if you found it informative and helpful by clicking onto one or more of the icons below. We would appreciate it and thank you in advance.

2015/11/09 by Natalie

Will You Fill My Bucket?

Did you know that everyone has an imaginary bucket?

Grade 2A has been learning all about Bucket Filling and what it means to fill, or dip into, someone’s bucket. The purpose of this activity is to promote harmony and kindness not only within the classroom, but in the students’ everyday lives outside of school as they begin to emulate these behaviours.

So what does it mean to fill someone’s bucket? The Grade 2’s read a story called “How Full is Your Bucket? For Kids” by Tom Rath and Mary Reckmeyer. The story explains how everyone has an imaginary bucket above their heads that, when full, helps them feel a sense of happiness and care for themselves and for others. When someone’s bucket is being dipped into, they feel sad. The story sends a great message to ensure that children understand what it means to fill someone’s bucket, and how, in turn, their bucket gets filled in the process!

Students immersed in reading about the concept of “Fill my bucket”

After the story was read, the Grade 2’s discussed ways that they can fill someone’s bucket. Some examples of bucket filling were: invite someone to play with them if they don’t have anyone to play with; be kind and respectful towards others; make someone feel better when they are sad; help to clean up a mess even if the mess was not yours; and say nice things to one another. All of the ideas were thought of by the students themselves, and since the exercise, the students have been much more aware of what they say and how they treat their friends. This story is definitely a great tool for creating a warm, caring environment within the classroom. It also helps bring to light positive ways to deal with social issues before they possibly become bullying situations.

Bucket Fillers 101 is a website with many great resources that can be used to reinforce the Bucket Filling philosophy both in the classroom and at home. There are many publications and versions of the “How Full is Your Bucket?” story that are suitable for many ages and grades, because you are never too young or old to fill someone’s bucket!

We look forward to seeing you and sharing with you the private school community of which we are so proud!

To learn more about Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS), continue browsing our website and ideally drop by any of our 5 welcoming, friendly and family oriented campuses for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:00am-3:00pm. If you prefer, call to book an appointment for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:00am-3:00pm.

More details about Rowntree Montessori Schools‘ approach to education can be seen by clicking here .

Please kindly SHARE this post with others if you found it informative and helpful by clicking onto one or more of the icons below. We would appreciate it and thank you in advance.

2015/11/02 by Natalie

Our Chicks Have Arrived!

A very exciting event has happened at Rowntree this month. After anxiously awaiting their arrival, we are pleased to welcome our baby chicks! This is our second year housing these sweet little creatures, and our students, staff, and parents were very excited to see them hatch. Last year we were fortunate enough to have three little chicks hatch at RMS named Pokey, Shelby and Pebbles; this year we were greeted by twenty new chicks between the Academy, Downtown, and Central Park campuses!

A company called Creature Quest supplied us with the eggs. Creature Quest is a proud Institutional Member of Canada’s Accredited Zoos and Aquariums. The eggs stay inside an incubator for 22 days until they start to hatch. They are then moved to a brooder, where they stay for approximately two weeks. Webcams were set up to document any action that occurred, and could be watched via an internal website so no one at school would miss out on the birth of our little ones.

The eggs cracking — The eggs are beginning to crack

Chicks hatching — The chicks are starting to hatch

Bringing the chicks into the school is such a wonderful experience for our students because it is not only exciting to anticipate their arrival, but the students are able to see first-hand how the life cycles work; this incorporates a biological, educational aspect to this momentous event. The students participate in discussions about the chicks and participate in fun activities to learn more about how the chicks develop and are born. This is yet another way that RMS is dedicated to providing an array of educational and hands-on experiences for our students.

Click on the picture below or here to see a short video of our little guys having fun in the brooder!

The chicks are all warm and cozy in the brooder

We can’t wait to see our little ones grow!

We look forward to seeing you and sharing with you the private school community of which we are so proud!

To learn more about Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS), continue browsing our website and ideally drop by any of our 5 welcoming, friendly and family oriented campuses for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:00am-3:00pm. If you prefer, call to book an appointment for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:00am-3:00pm.

More details about Rowntree Montessori Schools‘ approach to education can be seen by clicking here .

Please kindly SHARE this post with others if you found it informative and helpful by clicking onto one or more of the icons below. We would appreciate it and thank you in advance.

school community

We look forward to seeing you and sharing with you the private school community of which we are so proud!

Please kindly SHARE this post with others if you found it informative and helpful by clicking onto one or more of the icons below. We would appreciate it and thank you in advance.

We look forward to seeing you and sharing with you the private school community of which we are so proud!

Please kindly SHARE this post with others if you found it informative and helpful by clicking onto one or more of the icons below. We would appreciate it and thank you in advance.

Students are thrilled about the opportunity to sing the Canadian National Anthem and the American National Anthem.

We look forward to seeing you and sharing with you the private school community of which we are so proud!

Please kindly SHARE this post with others if you found it informative and helpful by clicking onto one or more of the icons below. We would appreciate it and thank you in advance.

A very memorable Brampton Santa Claus parade.

Please kindly SHARE this post with others if you found it informative and helpful by clicking onto one or more of the icons below. We would appreciate it and thank you in advance.

Only one more sleep until the Brampton Santa Claus parade tomorrow (Saturday November 21st 5:00pm)!

We look forward to seeing you and sharing with you the private school community of which we are so proud.

To learn more about RMS, visit our website or please drop by any of our campuses for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:00am-3:00pm. If you prefer, call to book an appointment for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:00am-3:00pm.

Please kindly SHARE this post with others if you found it informative and helpful by clicking onto one or more of the icons below. We would appreciate it and thank you in advance.

We look forward to seeing you and sharing with you the private school community of which we are so proud!

Please kindly SHARE this post with others if you found it informative and helpful by clicking onto one or more of the icons below. We would appreciate it and thank you in advance.

We look forward to seeing you and sharing with you the private school community of which we are so proud!

Please kindly SHARE this post with others if you found it informative and helpful by clicking onto one or more of the icons below. We would appreciate it and thank you in advance.

We look forward to seeing you and sharing with you the private school community of which we are so proud!

Please kindly SHARE this post with others if you found it informative and helpful by clicking onto one or more of the icons below. We would appreciate it and thank you in advance.

We look forward to seeing you and sharing with you the private school community of which we are so proud!

Please kindly SHARE this post with others if you found it informative and helpful by clicking onto one or more of the icons below. We would appreciate it and thank you in advance.

We look forward to seeing you and sharing with you the private school community of which we are so proud!

Please kindly SHARE this post with others if you found it informative and helpful by clicking onto one or more of the icons below. We would appreciate it and thank you in advance.

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