Happy Groundhog Day!

I guess it depends on what part of North America you choose, the answer will be different, an early spring, or 6 more weeks of winter?

On Friday my students learned about Groundhog Day, a little bit about why we have a Groundhog Day and what the choices are, and why?  Each student made a choice between option #1) Yes, the groundhog will see its shadow and there will be 6 more weeks of winter, and option #2) No, the groundhog will not see its shadow and spring will come early. Then they drew a picture of a groundhog.  Some may have a shadow, some not!  Ask them which option they chose and why?

Please follow up on our discussion with your child and decide which it will be?  I know we are all hoping for an early spring, but the local forecast may indicate something entirely different!

Jung Hei Fat Choy

Also on Friday my students were introduced to a story about the "Cat and the Rat"- a story about how the Emperor of China chose what animal would be selected for each month of the Chinese calendar.  Each student chose one of the animals,drew it, then printed the name of the animal. This was followed by students' decorating a lantern to help celebrate the Chinese New Year.  Thank you to David for bringing all of our class members special tokens of "happiness and prosperity" which he shared for the Chinese New Year. This was very generous and helps us all have a better understanding of his culture. 

If anyone would like to bring to attention any special holiday, or celebration within their own culture, please feel free to contact me so we can discuss how we can share this with the class.


The next week ahead

This week we will be exploring the letter "Rr'" so keep on encouraging your child to bring things from home that start with the "letter of the week".  This has become a favorite circle time activity and thank you to all who have helped your child to think "outside of the box" and bring original items each day!

TOPA time is here!  All parents received a letter home on Friday.  This will take place on Tuesday, 6-8 teachers in the school, including myself will take small groups of children and administer the test.  It is something we are already doing in school-beginning letter sounds, and will not be anything new to your child.

*Please remember that Friday, February 7th is a Pro-D and that school is not in session!

Have a great week!

January 2014

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a restful time with family and friends. Thank you to all of my wonderful parents/guardians for their very generous holiday gift, it was very special that many of you took the time to meet at the end of the day and present me with my gift.  I treasure each child in my class and am inspired, each and every day, by their desire to learn! 



A new year and a new IB unit- Materials

We begin the new year with a new unit called "How the World Works"
-we will inquire into the natural world and explore the interactions between the natural world and human societies.

Our central idea is that "All materials have qualities that determine how they can be used".

You can carry on with this theme at home by asking your child questions about materials like wood, metal, paper, wool, leather, silk, and plastic.

"What is it made of?", Where did it come from?", What are the qualities of different materials?", and "Why do we use certain materials for objects?"

It would also be helpful if you could send different materials from home ( tiny boxes, beach glass, fabrics, ect) that we can  discuss during our circle time, imagination centres and sharing activities.

This unit is great for developing curiosity, creativity, and research skills!

Letter of the week

Each week we focus on a letter of the alphabet in many of our activities.  I am asking students to bring something from home that begins with the letter of the week.  The week of January 6th-10th is Nn, January 13th- 17th is Oo, ect. 

We are continuing our new recess routine

Children no longer eat their recess snack in the classroom.  To prepare them for grade one I have changed their routine by getting them to take a snack out with them at recess.  This not only allows them to gain greater independence, but it also allows for more instructional/activity time before the recess break. It would be great if parents could keep that in mind when packing their snacks for the day.   

Just a reminder that next Friday, on January the 17th there will be no school! 

The final week of December

The final week of December will be busy and full of fun! 

I am sure everyone is excited about winter break and to make a fun filled week a little easier for all involved it would be appreciated if children did not bring sweets as a snack!  Our kindies are full of energy and don't need anything else to get them excited about the holidays!

This week children will be busy working on holiday themed crafts, and curriculum.  The Thursday before break students will gather in the gym for a good old fashioned sing-a-long.  On Friday all of the kindergarten students will be getting together for an afternoon movie and fun activities throughout the day.

Parents I will post a notice outside of the classroom for the Friday event

   

It’s

Holiday Party

Time!

 

All 3 Kindergarten classes will be getting together to celebrate the holidays with a video!  There will also be games and arts/crafts with a general theme of “togetherness.”

On Friday, December 20^th, please send your child to school with snuggly items like a blanket, stuffy, and slippers. 

Sign-up for munchies can be found on classroom doors – there will be suggestions on the list, however if you have something else in mind (perhaps something traditional in your culture) then just write it in. 

A sweet treat will be provided by the TEACHER for the end of the day.  You are welcome to send sweet treats that will go home in a goody bag.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1) Popcorn in individual brown paper bags x 20 _____________________________

 

2) Potato Chips              

(Plain)__________________

(Ketchup)_______________

 

3) Cheezies

________________________

 

4) Juice boxes x 20 _______________________

 

5)_____________________

 

6)______________________

 

7)______________________

 

8)______________________

 

9)______________________

 

10)_____________________

 

 

 

*Please remember that all sweets will be sent home so if you can think of a holiday tradition that does not include sweets we will be pleased to introduce this to the students!

 

The last week of November!

Wow...I can't believe we are at the end of November! 

Sorry for the delay between posts, I have been working on reports for the past few weeks. 

I would like to share some pictures from the firefighters visit on November 14th.

The firefighters first came to the classroom to discuss fire safety with the children.  Ask your child to explain; STOP, DROP, and ROLL!

At the end of their presentation, the firefighters from unit 5 invited the children to come outside to show them specialized equipment from their fire truck.  For many this was the highlight of the visit!

The children were very excited to walk through the cab of the fire truck and see what 'treasures' the firefighters had inside.

Ask your child to remember their favourite item from inside the fire truck!

 

 

Our class along side the firefighters for a final photo!

 

 

 

 

 

November is here!

Hello families;

November is here already!  Wow, the school year is flying by...October was gone in a blink of an eye! 

Our class is starting our second IB unit: Who We Are; which is an in inquiry into the nature of the self; beliefs and values; personal, physical, and social  health.  We will be exploring relationships including families, friends, communities and cultures. 

Our central idea is; How Relationships Can Provide a Sense of Connectedness.

Our inquiry is linked to Kindergarten Social Studies, Health and Careers and Mathematics. 

Since September, we have been working on the roles and responsibilities of  each class member, building on how to use words to express our feelings and solve conflict, how to share, listening with our ears, eyes and heart, and how to help willingly.  This unit will continue exploring these skills.  It will also include the students' roles and responsibilities within the family, and characteristics of a healthy relationship.

Communication and social skills are a big focus, as well being respectful, independent and open-minded. 

Roots of Empathy

On Tuesday, November 5th we will meet with Valerie and baby Zoe for the first time.  Last week our class prepared for their arrival by sharing ideas about what a baby can to do.  We also looked at how they express themselves when they are scared, happy and hungry.


Hot Lunch

Just a reminder to provide your child with a snack on Fridays, even though it is Hot Lunch day children need to have a snack before they go out for recess.  Could parents also put a spoon and a fork in their child's lunch, they are not provided with the Hot Lunch meal. 

Halloween Treats

If your child is bringing a Halloween treat to school for snack, or lunch please only include one sweet treat for the day!  Too many treats make it difficult for children to focus, especially in the afternoons!

Thank you for your support,
Wendy Rogers





 

Halloween

Dear Families;

Halloween is quickly approaching.  Our day is going to be busy and fun!  The students are to come to school in costume.  Please remember that no toy weapons are permitted.  Also, avoid scary masks or gruesome costumes.  There will be a Halloween Costume Parade for the primary classes at 1:00pm. 

If children wish to take off their costumes, please provide an extra set of clothes.  We will follow the parade by sharing a Halloween snack.  Please send a SMALL amount of one of the following items for our Monster Mix:

Cheerios

Raisons

Dried cranberries

Pretzels

Shreddies

Small gummies

(If your child is allergic to any of the following items please let me know and I will make a batch without the item)

PJs and Pages Morning

On November 1^st from 8:45-9:10, join our class to cuddle up and read.  Teddy Bears and blankies are most welcome.  Grandparents, aunts, and uncles and other caregivers welcome too of course!  Feel free to bring a favorite story to share with a friend. 

Please read through the letter sent home regarding 'roots of empathy' and send back the consent portion of the letter as soon as possible.  We are very excited to be starting the program on the 29th of October. 

regards,

Ms. Rogers

 

                                                  

Happy Thanksgiving

I am excited to announce our search for 'gingy' throughout the school was a success!  Special thanks go out to Joanne Tansey for creating our new class mascot 'gingy' and the tasty treats the children received once gingy was discovered back in our classroom.  He was found sitting on my chair reading "The Gingerbread Man" of all the books in the library this is the one he chose!  It was a great end to our IB unit-How we organize ourselves. Children are more familiar with many parts of the school and staff, and have become much more independent since September.  Please check out the bulletin board across from our classroom to see pictures of the children working on missing posters, and examples of those posters that were posted throughout the school.

I hope you all enjoyed our Mr. Turkey poem, the children worked very hard learning this one!

This week we will continue to learn about Autumn as a season, using leaves as a focus. In this unit we will integrate math, art, science and language arts to learn the parts of a leaf, and its growth cycle, continue to differentiate between upper and lower case letters, printing names and words, poems, and use counting with numbers and dots, as well as shapes and colors on a daily basis. 

Please remember to return students' folders on Tuesday.

Library is on Wednesday.  Gym is on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend with family and friends,

Ms. Rogers