Learning About Trees

After "adopting" Princess Peach the tree, our class has been learning about many different kinds of trees. The students took a real liking to Cherry Blossoms! Luckily for us, there was a cherry blossom statue in the school office, which we borrowed to check out. Many students decided to try and draw their own cherry blossoms at the arts and crafts centre.

Terry Fox Run

We learned about Terry Fox today and we had our annual Terry Fox Run at school. Our Kinders didn't run and we just took a long walk around the school yard to honour Terry Fox.

Here are some samples of student work after the run to document our activities:

Library Book Bags

Beginning today your child will be bringing home library books from school. They will be brought home in these special Library Book Bags:

Please read these books at home with your child every week and then return them to school in these bags before the next library day.  Our library days are marked on our monthly calendars.  Students must return their library books every week in order to take a new book, so make sure to return them on time!  Also, books must be returned in these bags as they will be labelled with your child's name and that is how we keep track of which books were returned to school in preparation for the next library day.  Thanks!

Poem #3 - I Am Special

Here is a picture of the poem we are learning for the week of September 24th. As we have been learning about the letter S, students were asked to circle that letter in the poem and to draw a picture of something they like to do.

Poem #2 - I am

This is the poem we learned over the week of September 17th:

I Am (sang to the tune of Frere Jacques)

I am (insert student name here).
I am (insert student name here).

That's my name.
That's my name.

I am glad to be here.
I am glad to be here.

At school today!
At school today!

Students took this poem home in their yellow poetry books and were asked to draw a picture of something they like to do at school.

We have "adopted" a tree!

To learn about seasonal changes, the environment, as well as many other important things, our class has decided to symbolically adopt a tree!

This tree resides in front of our school and we visit it often. During a data management lesson in math we took a vote and decided that this tree is a girl. We also voted to decide on a name.

Introducing Princess Peach the tree!

Poem #1 - The Rules of the Class

This is the poem we learned over the week of September 10th:

The Rules of Our Class

We raise our hands to speak,

We work quietly in our seats,

We use voices soft and sweet,

We keep our places tidy and neat,

We are helpful, friendly and fair,

We take turns and we share!

Students took this poem home in their yellow poetry books and were asked to draw a picture of one of our class rules.

September Newsletter

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Welcome to Kindergarten and welcome back to those of you returning to Senior Kindergarten!  I hope that you all had a wonderful summer and are refreshed and ready for a new school year.  Here are a few important details to help us get off to a smooth start.

Monthly Newsletters

Monthly newsletters will be sent home during the last week of every month.  This newsletter will outline what we have been covering in class, an overview of the following month’s activities and provide a calendar of upcoming events.  Please read the newsletters carefully, so that you have a good picture of what goes on in your child’s classroom, and are aware of upcoming events.

Friday Folders

Each Friday your child will bring home his/her Friday Folder.  Inside you will find important classroom information, letters, calendars, updates, notes and activities completed by your child.  Please read through the folder with your child and ensure that it is returned to school each Monday.  This way we can add things into your child’s folder as the week progresses.  Thank you!

Attendance

School hours are between 8:45 a.m. to 3:20 p.m.  If your child is going to be absent or late, please let the school know by leaving a message with the school office.  Please see us for the phone number, if you do not already have it.  If you arrive late, please sign in your child at the office before entering the classroom.  Once the door is closed, we have begun our program for the day and would appreciate your understanding in not interrupting the class by knocking.  Also, please ensure that your child joins the rest of the class whether we are in our room, in the library, gym, etc.  For your child’s safety, it is important that you wait with your child until the entrance bell rings and the children are invited into the classroom.

Clothing

Please send your child with appropriate clothes for indoor and outdoor activities.  Clothes should be practical and comfortable.  To ensure safety in the classroom, gym and on the outdoor play structure, all students should wear closed toed shoes with rubber soles.  Feel free to leave a pair of your child’s running shoes at school if this is convenient.  If possible, please have a change of clothes in your child’s backpack.  Please be sure to clearly label all your child's clothes, backpacks and lunch bags with your child's name.

Toys

We ask that children keep toys at home to reduce the chances of special toys being lost or broken.

Snacks and lunch

We have 2 snack times – one in the morning and one in the afternoon.  Please remember to send your child with 2 small, nutritious snacks.  Nutritious foods help children stay focused and become better learners.  Snack time is about 15 minutes long so one item is usually enough.  Some snack suggestions are: half a cheese and crackers, dry cereal, cut up fruits or vegetables.  Please send water instead of juice.  If your child has any food allergies, please alert us ASAP! 

Students will be eating lunch in their classrooms.  Please be sure to send lunch foods that are ready to eat and do not require heating in a microwave.  Please use separate containers/bags for each snack and lunch and talk to your child about which items are to be eaten during which parts of the day.

**Do not send in food items containing nuts or nut products.  We have children in the school with life-threatening nut allergies!  Please read all labels before buying any pre-packaged snacks, as we will send back items that read “May contain traces of peanuts/other nuts”.**

Birthdays

We understand birthdays are a special time for children and that you may wish to celebrate that special day in the classroom.  However, due to various food allergies in the school we do not allow any food items to be sent to school for these celebrations.  If you wish to send in party invitations to be handed out or to mark your child’s birthday by sending in some small items, such as pencils, we would be more than happy to accommodate those requests.  Please speak to your child’s teacher if you have any questions or for more information.

Contact Numbers

It is very important for us to have a current daytime phone number where you could be reached in case of emergencies.  Please update the school on any changes in telephone numbers and emergency contacts during the school year.  Also, for safety reasons, if you ask a friend/neighbour/relative to pick up your child from school, please send a note indicating the name of that person and the dates on which they will be picking up your child.  

We are looking forward to a great year filled with much learning, growth and excitement.  Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

The Kindergarten Team

September Calendar

Please click on the image to make it larger:

Friday Folders and Poetry Books

Every Friday we will be sending home GREEN FRIDAY FOLDERS

and YELLOW POETRY BOOKS.

The Friday Folders will contain any important notes and school information for parents.  We will also be using it to send home student work from throughout the week.  Please empty the Friday Folder and return it to school every Monday.  If you ever need to send a note to school for teachers please be sure to put them into these green folders.

Our class will be learning a new poem every week and this poem will be sent home in their Poetry Books.  Please read over these poems with your child and help them with the little "homework" activities for that poem.  DO NOT do the work for your child!  Sit with them, help them and do it together, but do not do it for them.  These are just meant to be short, fun activities for your child to complete over the weekend to give them a sense of accomplishment and pride in their work.

Welcome To Our Classroom!

For those parents and caregivers who have not been able to visit our classroom, please take a look at some pictures of our different centres!

Every morning we begin our day by reading some books, doing the calendar and reading the morning message together. 

We will be using some technology in our program, including computers, laptops, CD players, digital cameras, iPads and this Smartboard.

Above is just an overview of our classroom set-up.  Directly in front are our Writing and Arts & Crafts centres, on the chart stand is where students can read our weekly poems, behind that is our Math Centre, off to the back (out of sight) is our Exploration Centre and at the back is our House Centre, Building/Blocks Centre as well as our Dramatic Play Centre, all of which you will be able to see in more detail a few pictures down.

Here is our Listening Centre!  Students can sit together and listen to books being read on CDs or tapes and can read along with their favourite stories.

This is a closer shot of our House Centre.

Here is a classic favourite - the Sand Centre!  Students love to explore different textures in the sand, to see what happens when water is added to the sand, to use various tools for building in the sand, measure the capacity of different containers using sand, etc.

Here are some of our blocks that the students love using to explore building different structures.  You can also see some more blocks at the back of the room.  As you may also note, we have what we call the "comfy couch" for quiet reading, resting and even for dramatic play!

Introduction

Hello!

My name is Miss Pal and I will be your child's Kindergarten teacher this year!  We have two adults in the classroom, myself and Mrs. Menzies (our ECE TA).

I will be using this blog to keep you updated about any news, events and fun learning happening in our classroom!  Not to worry, this blog will not contain any personal information about students, nor will it have any pictures of the students either.  If you have any questions or concerns about this blog, please don't hesitate to speak to me in person.

Be sure to check back occasionally to see what our class has been up to this year!

Bye!