Hello everyone and welcome back! I hope you and your children have had a restful holiday. I have posted my archived emails to classroom parents dating from September to December on my blog for your reference. I also have photos from many of our classroom activities and will post them on my blog shortly.
Just a reminder that this Wednesday, January 6 is our Scientist in the Classroom day - thank you to our four parent volunteers! The children will be learning about Magnets and the 2-hour session will start right after announcements.
A reminder from the Library that parent volunteers are no longer needed. If you have signed up to be a volunteer for January and would still like to help in the classroom the originally scheduled day (but not during Library time) please let me know -- you could be a special mystery reader or help the children with their phonics booklets, for example!
An important note regarding snacks: due to the increase in food allergies the kindergarten team would ask that any baked goods or special treats (i.e. birthday treats) be commercially purchased and that they *must* be nut safe/free (i.e. baked/made in a nut-free facility).
I would also like to say a very sincere thank you to all of you for your wonderful and generous Christmas gifts and for the lovely rosemary tree with the children's ornaments on them; I will treasure them and I also truly appreciate the gifts from Ma Maison, Starbucks and Gourmet Kitchen! I have written thank you cards to you individually and they will go home in tomorrow's white TDSB bags along with some of the Holiday crafts your children made that hadn't dried by the end of our party. Thank you again.
Please remember that the children need indoor shoes/slippers that they wear in the morning and that stay in their cubbies overnight. Most of the children can now do their own zippers and dress themselves which is excellent! On cold days such as today we won't be going outside but the children still always need to be warmly dressed for the walk home i.e. hats and mitts. I have a "lost and found" corner in the cloakroom and a few pairs of gloves and two sweaters are there now.
This month we are continuing with phonics and numbers and the green phonics booklets will be going home this Thursday. If your child has missed some of the sheets due to absence please encourage him/her to complete the sheets at home over the weekend.
As always, Reading Club is on Mondays and Fridays from 10:30-11:00 a.m.
I will be starting a new series of books for our Snuggle Books that go home on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Please remember to return the white TDSB bag before the next suggle book day (i.e. by Monday or Wednesday respectively).
Please feel free to send me an email at any time if you have specific questions that I haven't addressed in my blog, or as always you can talk to me before or after classes.
Thank you,
Beverley
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Monday, January 4, 2010
Schedules
Hello everyone
Just a reminder that the new Snack, Mystery Bag and Classroom schedules for January and February are posted outside the entrance and that they were emailed to you in December. Thank you as always Vicky for your help with the scheduling!
Just a reminder that the new Snack, Mystery Bag and Classroom schedules for January and February are posted outside the entrance and that they were emailed to you in December. Thank you as always Vicky for your help with the scheduling!
December post 4
Hello everyone
We picked Secret Santas today and some children left their slips of paper (indicating who they chose) in the coatroom. The slips of paper should be in your child’s backpack. Just in case, I wrote down which child picked which other child to give a gift to. Here is the list:
CHILD (receives gift) SECRET SANTA (gives gift)
Callum William
Owen Alexandra
Joshua David
Eric Siri
David Jamie
Maya K. Spencer
John Adrian
Julian Maya S.
Alexandra Joshua
Siri Callum
Jamie Julian
Samantha Eric
Chloe Samantha
William Chloe
Maya S. Maya K.
Jackson Sia
Sia Jackson
Spencer Owen
Adrian John
Please remind your children to keep who they are giving a gift to a secret. Please also ask your child to make a card for his/her classmate at home. We will open the gifts on Friday during the party!
Thank you – have a nice weekend.
Beverley
We picked Secret Santas today and some children left their slips of paper (indicating who they chose) in the coatroom. The slips of paper should be in your child’s backpack. Just in case, I wrote down which child picked which other child to give a gift to. Here is the list:
CHILD (receives gift) SECRET SANTA (gives gift)
Callum William
Owen Alexandra
Joshua David
Eric Siri
David Jamie
Maya K. Spencer
John Adrian
Julian Maya S.
Alexandra Joshua
Siri Callum
Jamie Julian
Samantha Eric
Chloe Samantha
William Chloe
Maya S. Maya K.
Jackson Sia
Sia Jackson
Spencer Owen
Adrian John
Please remind your children to keep who they are giving a gift to a secret. Please also ask your child to make a card for his/her classmate at home. We will open the gifts on Friday during the party!
Thank you – have a nice weekend.
Beverley
December post 3
Hello everyone
I have a small request regarding Holiday Cards; after the holidays, rather than recycling them, please tear or cut off the message/personal part of the card and save the picture part of the cards so that we can reuse them next year at our writing/craft centres. The children love to create their own cards and they really love the pictures.
Thank you – I’ll send out another reminder in January. Used Birthday, Easter or other holiday cards such as Mother’s Day and Father’s Day would also be a great opportunities to reuse them in the classroom.
Beverley
I have a small request regarding Holiday Cards; after the holidays, rather than recycling them, please tear or cut off the message/personal part of the card and save the picture part of the cards so that we can reuse them next year at our writing/craft centres. The children love to create their own cards and they really love the pictures.
Thank you – I’ll send out another reminder in January. Used Birthday, Easter or other holiday cards such as Mother’s Day and Father’s Day would also be a great opportunities to reuse them in the classroom.
Beverley
December post 2
Hello everyone
If you haven’t let me know about whether you would like your child to participate in Secret Santa, please let me know.
Tomorrow I will be sending home the children’s music folders so that they can practice their songs and poem at home this week – the concert is only a week away! We will be singing Oh Christmas Tree, Bonhomme, and our poem is called “Christmas.” Please remember that our outfits for the concert will be white tops, dark/black bottoms, and a Santa hat if you have one (always available at the dollar store).
We are working on lots of holiday crafts as well as finishing up two phonics sounds “n” and c/k”. A booklet with the sounds we have done to date will go home for the holidays, in which the children can write words with those sounds and also add photos or pictures of words with those sounds.
This week your child will be going home with a little Christmas calendar s/he has made in class with beads and a bell. The green beads represent weekdays and the red beads are weekends. The bell is for Christmas day, and the children count down with the beads the number of days until Christmas.
Take care,
Beverley
If you haven’t let me know about whether you would like your child to participate in Secret Santa, please let me know.
Tomorrow I will be sending home the children’s music folders so that they can practice their songs and poem at home this week – the concert is only a week away! We will be singing Oh Christmas Tree, Bonhomme, and our poem is called “Christmas.” Please remember that our outfits for the concert will be white tops, dark/black bottoms, and a Santa hat if you have one (always available at the dollar store).
We are working on lots of holiday crafts as well as finishing up two phonics sounds “n” and c/k”. A booklet with the sounds we have done to date will go home for the holidays, in which the children can write words with those sounds and also add photos or pictures of words with those sounds.
This week your child will be going home with a little Christmas calendar s/he has made in class with beads and a bell. The green beads represent weekdays and the red beads are weekends. The bell is for Christmas day, and the children count down with the beads the number of days until Christmas.
Take care,
Beverley
December post 1
Hello everyone
I hope you have had a nice weekend! It was very nice to have had the opportunity to meet with many of you for interviews on Thursday and Friday.
Just a reminder that tomorrow is Library, and our Holiday concert is on the 14th.
I was wondering if you would like to participate in a “Secret Santa”; each child would draw another child’s name from a hat (or Santa cap!) and they would give a small gift for under 10.00. Let me know if you would like to participate – we could leave the gifts under our little tree on the Christmas table and could open them at the Christmas Party on the 18th.
I will be setting up a blog over the holidays and will let everyone know when it is ready. I will also include my emails from September for your reference.
Take care,
Beverley
I hope you have had a nice weekend! It was very nice to have had the opportunity to meet with many of you for interviews on Thursday and Friday.
Just a reminder that tomorrow is Library, and our Holiday concert is on the 14th.
I was wondering if you would like to participate in a “Secret Santa”; each child would draw another child’s name from a hat (or Santa cap!) and they would give a small gift for under 10.00. Let me know if you would like to participate – we could leave the gifts under our little tree on the Christmas table and could open them at the Christmas Party on the 18th.
I will be setting up a blog over the holidays and will let everyone know when it is ready. I will also include my emails from September for your reference.
Take care,
Beverley
November post 8
Hello everyone
The Kindergarten Christmas/Holiday Concert will be on Monday, December 14 at 6:00 p.m. Please arrange for your children to be at school by 5:30 p.m. so that we can do a warm-up in the classroom beforehand. Please also have the children dressed in a white top and black skirt/pants. They can wear a Santa hat if they have one .
I will be sending home interview times this week. Reports go home on November 30th, and interviews are December 4th after school and December 5th during the day. Please remember that for First Term only the SKs will be receiving report cards, but parents of both SKs and JKs are welcome to arrange for an interview regarding their child’s progress.
Our yellow Poem and Song Folders went home last week. Please return them by Friday so that we can add some more songs and poems to our collection.
Thank you,
Beverley
The Kindergarten Christmas/Holiday Concert will be on Monday, December 14 at 6:00 p.m. Please arrange for your children to be at school by 5:30 p.m. so that we can do a warm-up in the classroom beforehand. Please also have the children dressed in a white top and black skirt/pants. They can wear a Santa hat if they have one .
I will be sending home interview times this week. Reports go home on November 30th, and interviews are December 4th after school and December 5th during the day. Please remember that for First Term only the SKs will be receiving report cards, but parents of both SKs and JKs are welcome to arrange for an interview regarding their child’s progress.
Our yellow Poem and Song Folders went home last week. Please return them by Friday so that we can add some more songs and poems to our collection.
Thank you,
Beverley
November post 7
Hello everyone
Good news! Almost all the children are able to do up their coats/jackets which is terrific now that the weather is getting colder. Thank you very much for helping your child with this skill at home.
On November 11 the children participated in our Remembrance Day Ceremony and their behaviour was exemplary. A special thank you to Chloe and Callum who did an excellent job in their reading.
This Friday, November 20 is our second Sharing Assembly. We are preparing a song called “Falling Leaves”. The assembly will take place in the lunchroom after morning announcements. Parents whose children are receiving awards (and every child will receive an award by the end of the year – not to worry – I will present 3 students each month) will be notified by email this evening.
This Friday, November 20 is also the Seeds of Hope Day/Fundraiser in which LKS students will wear black and the Seeds of Hope Ambassadors will wear Yellow. Funds raised will go towards building a school in Kenya. A black shirt/dress is fine.
The children have been working hard on their Lettering and Phonics booklets and I have prepared two new booklets for them to work on (and as always, the booklets will go home once your child has completed the exercises): Patterning, and Small and Capital Letters.
Thank you very much to the parents who have been helping with Book Bags and with Reading Club, as well as all the other volunteers who help the children with Computer Lab, by being Mystery readers, and with Library. Your help is sincerely appreciated.
On Friday, November 27 the library will be having a very special guest: Andrea Beck, who is the creator/writer of Elliott Moose. Our normal library time is changed that day from 9:42-10:24 to 10:35-11:35. Dr. Mehta, you are our library helper that day, so please be kind enough to arrive at 10:30 that morning. Mrs. McPhail, you are our Reading Club volunteer that morning, so if possible I would like to change the time of Reading Club to 9:30-10:30. Please let me know if these changes aren’t possible.
Four outstanding Grade 8 volunteers (Teigan (I can’t believe I’ve forgotten her last name since I taught her last year and she is a lovely student!), Scott Sedran, Emily McLean, Maggie Solby and Morganna Turner have been volunteering in my classroom when their regular school work is finished (with teacher permission) which the children are very excited about and which I am delighted about as well.
A reminder to please hand in your “request for interview” forms if you haven’t already done so; I am coordinating times with other teachers who teach our class’ siblings and would like to complete my scheduling by Monday and have those times to you by then.
That’s all the news for today. Please never hesitate to ask me questions etc. I do have time after 11:45 and before school, and I’m also back to LKS at about 3:45 each day.
Beverley
Good news! Almost all the children are able to do up their coats/jackets which is terrific now that the weather is getting colder. Thank you very much for helping your child with this skill at home.
On November 11 the children participated in our Remembrance Day Ceremony and their behaviour was exemplary. A special thank you to Chloe and Callum who did an excellent job in their reading.
This Friday, November 20 is our second Sharing Assembly. We are preparing a song called “Falling Leaves”. The assembly will take place in the lunchroom after morning announcements. Parents whose children are receiving awards (and every child will receive an award by the end of the year – not to worry – I will present 3 students each month) will be notified by email this evening.
This Friday, November 20 is also the Seeds of Hope Day/Fundraiser in which LKS students will wear black and the Seeds of Hope Ambassadors will wear Yellow. Funds raised will go towards building a school in Kenya. A black shirt/dress is fine.
The children have been working hard on their Lettering and Phonics booklets and I have prepared two new booklets for them to work on (and as always, the booklets will go home once your child has completed the exercises): Patterning, and Small and Capital Letters.
Thank you very much to the parents who have been helping with Book Bags and with Reading Club, as well as all the other volunteers who help the children with Computer Lab, by being Mystery readers, and with Library. Your help is sincerely appreciated.
On Friday, November 27 the library will be having a very special guest: Andrea Beck, who is the creator/writer of Elliott Moose. Our normal library time is changed that day from 9:42-10:24 to 10:35-11:35. Dr. Mehta, you are our library helper that day, so please be kind enough to arrive at 10:30 that morning. Mrs. McPhail, you are our Reading Club volunteer that morning, so if possible I would like to change the time of Reading Club to 9:30-10:30. Please let me know if these changes aren’t possible.
Four outstanding Grade 8 volunteers (Teigan (I can’t believe I’ve forgotten her last name since I taught her last year and she is a lovely student!), Scott Sedran, Emily McLean, Maggie Solby and Morganna Turner have been volunteering in my classroom when their regular school work is finished (with teacher permission) which the children are very excited about and which I am delighted about as well.
A reminder to please hand in your “request for interview” forms if you haven’t already done so; I am coordinating times with other teachers who teach our class’ siblings and would like to complete my scheduling by Monday and have those times to you by then.
That’s all the news for today. Please never hesitate to ask me questions etc. I do have time after 11:45 and before school, and I’m also back to LKS at about 3:45 each day.
Beverley
November post 6
Hello everyone
One more small request: If you could find the time on your walk to school or this weekend, please have your child gather 10 (hopefully varied in colour, size, type) LEAVES so that we can discuss and graph the class’ collection next Friday.
Thank you so much. The leaves could be put in a small zip lock baggy. We will do this graphing next week.
This week’s Friday graphing will be the classroom pumpkin.
Thanks again,
Beverley
P.S. If you child is having trouble opening/closing their jacket zipper, please check that the zipper is working. Also, it is getting colder outside and the children spend from 10-20 minutes outside each day.
One more small request: If you could find the time on your walk to school or this weekend, please have your child gather 10 (hopefully varied in colour, size, type) LEAVES so that we can discuss and graph the class’ collection next Friday.
Thank you so much. The leaves could be put in a small zip lock baggy. We will do this graphing next week.
This week’s Friday graphing will be the classroom pumpkin.
Thanks again,
Beverley
P.S. If you child is having trouble opening/closing their jacket zipper, please check that the zipper is working. Also, it is getting colder outside and the children spend from 10-20 minutes outside each day.
November post 5
Hello everyone,
Here is the link to the Ontario Curriculum Document for Kindergarten:
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/kindercurrb.pdf Pages 37-39 in particular discuss Reading and Writing Expected Outcomes (by the end of the Kindergarten Years).
Below is another useful article regarding Kindergarten basics now that we are going to be starting our Reading Club
Many parents are worried that their children should be able to read in kindergarten. This of course is a wonderful goal and many children accomplish it, however it is not a requirement. The most important thing is that your child experiment with reading and writing during the kindergarten year. More than likely your child will learn to read basic stories by the end of the year if he/she did not read before entering kindergarten. Of course, if your child reads before entering kindergarten then he/she will learn even more and read even better.
Preparing Your Child
If you are interested in preparing your child to read before kindergarten or at least helping him understand the basics of reading then there are a few things you can do. The first thing is to teach the alphabet and vowels. Once your child knows the alphabet then you can start working on recognizing the alphabet and the sounds of the different letters. If your child enters kindergarten with this basic knowledge then he will have no problem whatsoever learning to read during the year.
The best way to start is to introduce your child to the alphabet through books. Kids love to have their parents or others read books to them and they will sit quietly and pay attention. If you are going over the alphabet and having your child read the letters after you then you will see him learning and having fun at the same time. Then, make a game out of tracing the letters and coloring them with different colors. Also have your child write his name and teach him the letters in his name. This will all prepare your child for kindergarten and help him understand the basic letters and sounds which in turn will help him learn to read.
There are also lots of educational DVDs that are fun to watch and teach kids all about the alphabet, phonics, reading, and more. Reader Rabbit is a good example. It will keep him occupied and he will have lots of fun learning about reading and having fun.
You can find other ways to teach your child the alphabet and basics of reading. Whatever seems to work for you and your child will be the best thing to focus on.
Here is another excellent summary:
• What is the real purpose of kindergarten?
• Developing Self-esteem
• Emphasis on cooperation
• Fostering children's natural love of learning by building on curiosity
• How is kindergarten different from preschool?
• Socialization and play are still key elements but kindergartners are also introduced to more “formal learning” and work in a more organized independent manner.
• What makes a good kindergarten program?
• Expands a child’s ability to learn about the world, organize information and problem solve; in turn this increases feelings of self-worth
• Children should feel free to express themselves through talk and through use of blocks, paint, clay and other creative materials.
• A balanced program should also include a combination of formal and informal activities and projects—storytelling, music and dramatic play—which allow children to work in groups or on their own
• Active hands-on learning
• Are all five-year-olds “ready” for kindergarten, and what do I do if my child is not quite ready?
• No two children develop in the same way or at the same time.
• Educators describe the child’s development as having four dimensions:
• Intellectual
• Social
• Emotional
• Physical
All four do not progress or develop at the same rate
• The best schools and teachers understand this and adapt their classroom plans to accommodate the differences among children.
• If your child’s fifth birthday falls near the cutoff date for school admission—and he or
• she seems unusually immature compared with others her age, or doesn’t seem quite ready to learn in a classroom setting—you might consider postponing kindergarten. Experts recommend waiting a year if you have serious doubts—older children generally do better in school than younger ones.
• Do what is best for your child!
• What kinds of challenges might come up as my child adjusts to kindergarten, and what’s the best way to handle these?
• Many parents often tend to talk up kindergarten as “real school,” and emphasize discipline issues. This can add fear for a child. It is important to talk about what might be familiar and safe, and not just new, big and important.
• The fact that your child may have to spend more time sitting down may cause anxiety.
• What is the role of play in kindergarten?
• When you are five, play is your most important life’s work
• There should be plenty of time of every day for children to choose and direct their own play.
• There should be sensory tables and blocks, and dramatic play areas to encourage youngsters to use their imaginations in positive, thought-provoking ways.
• What will my child learn about reading and writing in kindergarten?
• The kindergarten reading and writing program should be an extension of reading and writing that begin at home!
• Most kindergarten teachers don’t necessarily “teach” reading, in a good program children are immersed in a language-rich environment which helps them to identify words that have meaning to them.
• Wide range of reading abilities in any one kindergarten class—some children may be fluent readers while others can’t read at all. Parents of non-readers need not worry, as research clearly indicates that children who are formally taught to read in kindergarten have no significant advantage over their peers by the end of second grade.
• In terms of writing, the school program should help children explore ways in which writing is useful and meaningful.
• Writing may take the form of random controlled scribbling or invented spelling
• Children experiment with different forms of writing to meet their needs and interests. The classroom should provide a variety of writing tools. Opportunity to explore different forms of writing such as notes, poems and journals.
• What will my child learn about math?
• Children begin to understand numbers through measuring, comparing counting and matching quantities. These concepts are reinforced through motor-skills activities such as coloring, pasting, drawing, and the use of special hands on math materials known as “manipulatives.”
• “table” blocks in a variety of shapes and colors
• puzzles
• small objects for counting, sorting and classifying
• Regular building blocks are great for early –math material for exploring geometry, parts-and-wholes, patterns and measurement.
• How will science and social studies be introduced?
• No strict curriculum—but children will learn about these subjects through daily experiences.
• As children explore, they experiment, they invent, they think about cause and effect, and they predict results.
• As they use blocks, they discover properties of balance; as they use art materials, they are inventing.
• Children explore social studies in much the same way. Children learn by looking at pictures, hearing stories, watching videos and going on field trips. A teacher does not dump information on children, but rather teaches through a process of self-discovery.
• What about art, music, and physical education?
• The arts help build coordination (fine motor skills) and develop literacy, and math and science skills
• Art supplies should be accessible for children’s daily use
• The room will also have a tape recorder or cd player where children can sing songs, and play simple instruments
• Physical education, active play helps children learn about the value of exercise as they build their physical strength and muscular coordination.
• What will my child learn about getting along with others?
• The teacher is instrumental in showing kids how to resolve their disagreements in a peaceful positive way. Providing children with the ability to problem-solve—together in a group and independently is a key piece of kindergarten.
• Children learn important social skills and behaviors by interacting with one another in formal and informal activities. Developing these social skills is one of the most important missions of any kindergarten program.
• When should I talk to my child’s teacher? When should I talk to the director?
• When parents and teachers work together as partners, everyone benefits—especially the children.
• The teacher needs to understand how the child interacts at home—and vice versa.
• Parents need to know what and how their child is doing at school.
• To establish an early, positive link with your child’s teacher, have a telephone conference or in-person meeting before the school year begins to introduce yourself and set up a partnership.
• Keep communication going all year through regular conferences, school visits and written notes.
• If there are issues to clear up about school policy, if you are seeking ways to get involved in the classroom, or if your communications with the teacher have become difficult for some reason, then you should not hesitate to see the director.
• What can I do at home to support what my child is doing in school?
• Incorporate reading into your daily routine. You should also make sure your child sees you reading.
• Show interest in and support of your child’s school activities.
• Get involved in your child’s play.
• Make use of a variety of language experiences through everyday family life
• Mostly, just take time to talk with your children, and get engaged in their play.
• How do I know if my child is getting a good education and how do I evaluate that?
• Listening to your child, asking questions, and observing behavior is the best way to assess the quality of education. Does your child find school fun and satisfying—or is it boring and stressful? Is your child feeling confident and competent?
• Are their strengths as an individual learner being recognized?
• Is he or she being supported with patience and compassion in areas that need to develop?
• DO NOT rely on test scores or worksheets coming home as a tool for evaluating your kindergarten program. At the kindergarten level, test scores are neither valid nor reliable, and may give you a misleading picture of how your child is learning and how well the school stacks up against others.
• What kind of special training do kindergarten teachers have?
• Are trained for their work in early childhood courses at either the undergraduate college or graduate school level. Many are trained to teach other grades as well.
• There is one characteristic that most kindergarten teachers share: a real love of children.
• It is the combination of professional skills, experience and real love that typically turns the kindergarten experience into a joyous one for children.
• Are all kids ready for first grade after a year in kindergarten? How can I tell if my child is ready?
• Emphasize once more that there is a very wide range of abilities and normal developmental differences among children ages five and six.
• Not all kids will be equally ready for first grade after one year of kindergarten.
• Do not assume that your child is not ready just because he or she seems less mature in some areas than other kids.
Here is the link to the Ontario Curriculum Document for Kindergarten:
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/kindercurrb.pdf Pages 37-39 in particular discuss Reading and Writing Expected Outcomes (by the end of the Kindergarten Years).
Below is another useful article regarding Kindergarten basics now that we are going to be starting our Reading Club
Many parents are worried that their children should be able to read in kindergarten. This of course is a wonderful goal and many children accomplish it, however it is not a requirement. The most important thing is that your child experiment with reading and writing during the kindergarten year. More than likely your child will learn to read basic stories by the end of the year if he/she did not read before entering kindergarten. Of course, if your child reads before entering kindergarten then he/she will learn even more and read even better.
Preparing Your Child
If you are interested in preparing your child to read before kindergarten or at least helping him understand the basics of reading then there are a few things you can do. The first thing is to teach the alphabet and vowels. Once your child knows the alphabet then you can start working on recognizing the alphabet and the sounds of the different letters. If your child enters kindergarten with this basic knowledge then he will have no problem whatsoever learning to read during the year.
The best way to start is to introduce your child to the alphabet through books. Kids love to have their parents or others read books to them and they will sit quietly and pay attention. If you are going over the alphabet and having your child read the letters after you then you will see him learning and having fun at the same time. Then, make a game out of tracing the letters and coloring them with different colors. Also have your child write his name and teach him the letters in his name. This will all prepare your child for kindergarten and help him understand the basic letters and sounds which in turn will help him learn to read.
There are also lots of educational DVDs that are fun to watch and teach kids all about the alphabet, phonics, reading, and more. Reader Rabbit is a good example. It will keep him occupied and he will have lots of fun learning about reading and having fun.
You can find other ways to teach your child the alphabet and basics of reading. Whatever seems to work for you and your child will be the best thing to focus on.
Here is another excellent summary:
• What is the real purpose of kindergarten?
• Developing Self-esteem
• Emphasis on cooperation
• Fostering children's natural love of learning by building on curiosity
• How is kindergarten different from preschool?
• Socialization and play are still key elements but kindergartners are also introduced to more “formal learning” and work in a more organized independent manner.
• What makes a good kindergarten program?
• Expands a child’s ability to learn about the world, organize information and problem solve; in turn this increases feelings of self-worth
• Children should feel free to express themselves through talk and through use of blocks, paint, clay and other creative materials.
• A balanced program should also include a combination of formal and informal activities and projects—storytelling, music and dramatic play—which allow children to work in groups or on their own
• Active hands-on learning
• Are all five-year-olds “ready” for kindergarten, and what do I do if my child is not quite ready?
• No two children develop in the same way or at the same time.
• Educators describe the child’s development as having four dimensions:
• Intellectual
• Social
• Emotional
• Physical
All four do not progress or develop at the same rate
• The best schools and teachers understand this and adapt their classroom plans to accommodate the differences among children.
• If your child’s fifth birthday falls near the cutoff date for school admission—and he or
• she seems unusually immature compared with others her age, or doesn’t seem quite ready to learn in a classroom setting—you might consider postponing kindergarten. Experts recommend waiting a year if you have serious doubts—older children generally do better in school than younger ones.
• Do what is best for your child!
• What kinds of challenges might come up as my child adjusts to kindergarten, and what’s the best way to handle these?
• Many parents often tend to talk up kindergarten as “real school,” and emphasize discipline issues. This can add fear for a child. It is important to talk about what might be familiar and safe, and not just new, big and important.
• The fact that your child may have to spend more time sitting down may cause anxiety.
• What is the role of play in kindergarten?
• When you are five, play is your most important life’s work
• There should be plenty of time of every day for children to choose and direct their own play.
• There should be sensory tables and blocks, and dramatic play areas to encourage youngsters to use their imaginations in positive, thought-provoking ways.
• What will my child learn about reading and writing in kindergarten?
• The kindergarten reading and writing program should be an extension of reading and writing that begin at home!
• Most kindergarten teachers don’t necessarily “teach” reading, in a good program children are immersed in a language-rich environment which helps them to identify words that have meaning to them.
• Wide range of reading abilities in any one kindergarten class—some children may be fluent readers while others can’t read at all. Parents of non-readers need not worry, as research clearly indicates that children who are formally taught to read in kindergarten have no significant advantage over their peers by the end of second grade.
• In terms of writing, the school program should help children explore ways in which writing is useful and meaningful.
• Writing may take the form of random controlled scribbling or invented spelling
• Children experiment with different forms of writing to meet their needs and interests. The classroom should provide a variety of writing tools. Opportunity to explore different forms of writing such as notes, poems and journals.
• What will my child learn about math?
• Children begin to understand numbers through measuring, comparing counting and matching quantities. These concepts are reinforced through motor-skills activities such as coloring, pasting, drawing, and the use of special hands on math materials known as “manipulatives.”
• “table” blocks in a variety of shapes and colors
• puzzles
• small objects for counting, sorting and classifying
• Regular building blocks are great for early –math material for exploring geometry, parts-and-wholes, patterns and measurement.
• How will science and social studies be introduced?
• No strict curriculum—but children will learn about these subjects through daily experiences.
• As children explore, they experiment, they invent, they think about cause and effect, and they predict results.
• As they use blocks, they discover properties of balance; as they use art materials, they are inventing.
• Children explore social studies in much the same way. Children learn by looking at pictures, hearing stories, watching videos and going on field trips. A teacher does not dump information on children, but rather teaches through a process of self-discovery.
• What about art, music, and physical education?
• The arts help build coordination (fine motor skills) and develop literacy, and math and science skills
• Art supplies should be accessible for children’s daily use
• The room will also have a tape recorder or cd player where children can sing songs, and play simple instruments
• Physical education, active play helps children learn about the value of exercise as they build their physical strength and muscular coordination.
• What will my child learn about getting along with others?
• The teacher is instrumental in showing kids how to resolve their disagreements in a peaceful positive way. Providing children with the ability to problem-solve—together in a group and independently is a key piece of kindergarten.
• Children learn important social skills and behaviors by interacting with one another in formal and informal activities. Developing these social skills is one of the most important missions of any kindergarten program.
• When should I talk to my child’s teacher? When should I talk to the director?
• When parents and teachers work together as partners, everyone benefits—especially the children.
• The teacher needs to understand how the child interacts at home—and vice versa.
• Parents need to know what and how their child is doing at school.
• To establish an early, positive link with your child’s teacher, have a telephone conference or in-person meeting before the school year begins to introduce yourself and set up a partnership.
• Keep communication going all year through regular conferences, school visits and written notes.
• If there are issues to clear up about school policy, if you are seeking ways to get involved in the classroom, or if your communications with the teacher have become difficult for some reason, then you should not hesitate to see the director.
• What can I do at home to support what my child is doing in school?
• Incorporate reading into your daily routine. You should also make sure your child sees you reading.
• Show interest in and support of your child’s school activities.
• Get involved in your child’s play.
• Make use of a variety of language experiences through everyday family life
• Mostly, just take time to talk with your children, and get engaged in their play.
• How do I know if my child is getting a good education and how do I evaluate that?
• Listening to your child, asking questions, and observing behavior is the best way to assess the quality of education. Does your child find school fun and satisfying—or is it boring and stressful? Is your child feeling confident and competent?
• Are their strengths as an individual learner being recognized?
• Is he or she being supported with patience and compassion in areas that need to develop?
• DO NOT rely on test scores or worksheets coming home as a tool for evaluating your kindergarten program. At the kindergarten level, test scores are neither valid nor reliable, and may give you a misleading picture of how your child is learning and how well the school stacks up against others.
• What kind of special training do kindergarten teachers have?
• Are trained for their work in early childhood courses at either the undergraduate college or graduate school level. Many are trained to teach other grades as well.
• There is one characteristic that most kindergarten teachers share: a real love of children.
• It is the combination of professional skills, experience and real love that typically turns the kindergarten experience into a joyous one for children.
• Are all kids ready for first grade after a year in kindergarten? How can I tell if my child is ready?
• Emphasize once more that there is a very wide range of abilities and normal developmental differences among children ages five and six.
• Not all kids will be equally ready for first grade after one year of kindergarten.
• Do not assume that your child is not ready just because he or she seems less mature in some areas than other kids.
November post 4
Hello everyone
(1) We will be starting a Reading Club next week (thank you Samantha’s mom for the excellent idea!) in order to help the children with their reading skills. If you would be willing to assist the children please let Vicky and Anouchka know and they will assist us in setting up a schedule. Since we do Snuggle Books Tuesdays and Thursdays and we have library one day a week (the weekday varies since it follows the 5 Day schedule), I would like our Reading Club to be on Mondays and Fridays if that is all right with everyone. I would propose a 20-minute commitment on each of those two days, and it might be easier if parents chose one week to do (as we do our book bags) in order to simplify the schedule. The time would be 10:30-11:00 a.m., a time which does not conflict with any of our other activities.
I have set a small table and two chairs outside the classroom for the child and parent and I will prepare a duotang that the parent would complete as follows:
Date:
Child’s name:
Grade: (JK/SK)
Name of Book:
Comments: (here you would write which words the child can read, improvements, sounds that are challenging, progress, etc.)
I will be using the same level as our Snuggle Books (i.e. early readers) including (my favourite!) BOB BOOKS (excellent leveled readers). If the child reading for/with you is an advanced reader I will provide you and your reading buddy with a more advanced level reader. An excellent way to help your reading buddy is to encourage them to follow the words with their finger as you/they are reading.
If you would like to volunteer to be a Parent Reading Buddy, please be kind enough to let Vicky or Anouchka know (and thank you as always, Vicky and Anouchka, for your wonderful help with scheduling).
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(2) Secondly, for graphing this Friday I need your help if possible: If you can, please bring in ten wrappers of your child’s Hallowe’en candy (small items, not chip bags) so that we can graph and chart favourites, how many of each kind were brought in, etc. – a fun math-based activity. I will prepare a bin to place the wrappers and we will sort them together.
(3) Letters will be going home soon regarding Report Cards and interviews. Please note that in first term the SKs only receive report cards, but all the children’s parents will have the opportunity to meet with me for an interview regarding their child’s progress.
Thank you everyone for your continued support and assistance!
Beverley
(1) We will be starting a Reading Club next week (thank you Samantha’s mom for the excellent idea!) in order to help the children with their reading skills. If you would be willing to assist the children please let Vicky and Anouchka know and they will assist us in setting up a schedule. Since we do Snuggle Books Tuesdays and Thursdays and we have library one day a week (the weekday varies since it follows the 5 Day schedule), I would like our Reading Club to be on Mondays and Fridays if that is all right with everyone. I would propose a 20-minute commitment on each of those two days, and it might be easier if parents chose one week to do (as we do our book bags) in order to simplify the schedule. The time would be 10:30-11:00 a.m., a time which does not conflict with any of our other activities.
I have set a small table and two chairs outside the classroom for the child and parent and I will prepare a duotang that the parent would complete as follows:
Date:
Child’s name:
Grade: (JK/SK)
Name of Book:
Comments: (here you would write which words the child can read, improvements, sounds that are challenging, progress, etc.)
I will be using the same level as our Snuggle Books (i.e. early readers) including (my favourite!) BOB BOOKS (excellent leveled readers). If the child reading for/with you is an advanced reader I will provide you and your reading buddy with a more advanced level reader. An excellent way to help your reading buddy is to encourage them to follow the words with their finger as you/they are reading.
If you would like to volunteer to be a Parent Reading Buddy, please be kind enough to let Vicky or Anouchka know (and thank you as always, Vicky and Anouchka, for your wonderful help with scheduling).
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(2) Secondly, for graphing this Friday I need your help if possible: If you can, please bring in ten wrappers of your child’s Hallowe’en candy (small items, not chip bags) so that we can graph and chart favourites, how many of each kind were brought in, etc. – a fun math-based activity. I will prepare a bin to place the wrappers and we will sort them together.
(3) Letters will be going home soon regarding Report Cards and interviews. Please note that in first term the SKs only receive report cards, but all the children’s parents will have the opportunity to meet with me for an interview regarding their child’s progress.
Thank you everyone for your continued support and assistance!
Beverley
November post 3
One more thing to add to our calendars – our Remembrance Day Ceremony will take place with the entire school in the gym on Wednesday, November 11 at approximately 10:45 a.m. Two children from each class will present a wreath (that we will all make together in class) and the children will complete the sentence “Peace means…” (to be discussed in class beforehand). I will choose the children from my class by lottery (picking two names out of a hat- one boy and one girl).
The new November/December Snack and Mystery Bag schedules are posted at the classroom entrance. If your child has a birthday in November or December their snack day will be on their birthday just in case you wanted to bring in (nut-free) cupcakes or treats.
Thank you!
Beverley
The new November/December Snack and Mystery Bag schedules are posted at the classroom entrance. If your child has a birthday in November or December their snack day will be on their birthday just in case you wanted to bring in (nut-free) cupcakes or treats.
Thank you!
Beverley
November post 2
Blending
Blending is the process of saying the individual sounds in a word and then running them together to make the word. For instance sounding out d-o-g and making dog. It is a technique every child will need to learn, and it improves with practice. To start with you should sound out the word and see if a child can hear it, giving the answer if necessary. Some children take longer than others to hear this. The sounds must be said quickly to hear the word. It is easier if the first sound is said slightly louder. Try little and often with words like b-u-s, t-o-p, c-a-t and h-e-n. There are lists of suitable words in The Phonics Handbook and the Jolly Phonics Word Book.
Remember that some sounds (digraphs) are represented by two letters, such as sh. Children should sound out the digraph (sh), not the individual letters (s-h). With practice they will be able to blend the digraph as one sound in a word. So, a word like rain should be sounded out r-ai-n, and feet as f-ee-t. This is difficult to begin with and takes practice. The Jolly Phonics Regular Word Blending Cards can be used in class to improve this skill.
You will find it helpful to be able to distinguish between a blend (such as st) and a digraph (such as sh). In a blend the two sounds, s and t can each be heard. In a digraph this is not so. Compare mishap (where both the s and h are sounded) and midship (which has the quite separate sh sound). When sounding out a blend, encourage children to say the two sounds as one unit, so fl-a-g not f-l-a-g. This will lead to greater fluency when reading.
Some words in English have an irregular spelling and cannot be read by blending, such as said, was and one. Unfortunately, many of these are common words. The irregular parts have to be remembered. These are called the 'tricky words'.
Identifying Sounds in Words
The easiest way to know how to spell a word is to listen for the sounds in that word. Even with the tricky words an understanding of letter sounds can help.
Start by having your child listen for the first sound in a word. Games like I-Spy are ideal for this. Next try listening for the end sounds, as the middle sound of a word is the hardest to hear.
Begin with simple three letter words such as cat or hot. A good idea is to say a word and tap out the sounds. Three taps means three sounds. Say each sound as you tap. Take care with digraphs. The word fish, for instance, has four letters but only three sounds, f-i-sh.
The Jiglets help identify the sounds in words. Rhyming games, poems and the Jolly Jingles also help tune the ears to the sounds in words. Other games to play are:
a) Add a sound: what do I get if I add a p to the beginning of ink? Answer: pink. Other examples are m-ice, b-us, etc.
b) Take away a sound: what do I get if I take away p from pink? Answer: ink. Other examples as above, and f-lap, s-lip, c-rib, d-rag, p-ant, m-end, s-top, b-end, s-t-rip, etc.
Spelling the Tricky Words
There are several ways of learning tricky spellings:
1) Look, Cover, Write and Check. Look at the word to see which bit is tricky. Ask the child to try writing the word in the air saying the letters. Cover the word over and see if the child can write it correctly. Check to make sure.
2) Say it as it sounds. Say the word so each sound is heard. For instance, the word was is said as 'wass', to rhyme with mass, the word Monday is said as 'Mon-day'.
3) Mnemonics. The initial letter of each word in a saying gives the correct spelling of a word. For instance, laugh - Laugh At Ugly Goat's Hair.
4) Using joined-up writing also improves spelling.
The Actions
s Weave hand in an s shape, like a snake, and say ssssss
a Wiggle fingers above elbow as if ants crawling on you and say a, a, a.
t Turn head from side to side as if watching tennis and say t, t, t.
i Pretend to be a mouse by wriggling fingers at end of nose and squeak i, i, i.
p Pretend to puff out candles and say p, p, p.
n Make a noise, as if you are a plane - hold arms out and say nnnnnn.
c k Raise hands and snap fingers as if playing castanets and say ck, ck, ck.
e Pretend to tap an egg on the side of a pan and crack it into the pan, saying eh, eh, eh.
h Hold hand in front of mouth panting as if you are out of breath and say h, h, h.
r Pretend to be a puppy holding a piece of rag, shaking head from side to side, and say rrrrrr.
m Rub tummy as if seeing tasty food and say mmmmmm.
d Beat hands up and down as if playing a drum and say d, d, d.
g Spiral hand down, as if water going down the drain, and say g, g, g.
o Pretend to turn light switch on and off and say o, o; o, o
u Pretend to be putting up an umbrella and say u, u, u.
l Pretend to lick a lollipop and say l l l l l l.
f Let hands gently come together as if toy fish deflating, and say f f f f f f.
b Pretend to hit a ball with a bat and say b, b, b.
ai Cup hand over ear and say ai, ai, ai.
j Pretend to wobble on a plate and say j, j, j.
oa Bring hand over mouth as if you have done something wrong and say oh!
ie Stand to attention and salute, saying ie ie.
ee or Put hands on head as if ears on a donkey and say eeyore, eeyore.
z Put arms out at sides and pretend to be a bee, saying zzzzzz.
w Blow on to open hand, as if you are the wind, and say wh, wh, wh.
ng Imagine you are a weightlifter, and pretend to lift a heavy weight above your head, saying ng...
v Pretend to be holding the steering wheel of a van and say vvvvvv.
oo oo Move head back and forth as if it is the cuckoo in a cuckoo clock,
saying u, oo; u, oo. (Little and long oo.)
y Pretend to be eating a yogurt and say y, y, y.
x Pretend to take an x-ray of someone with an x-ray gun and say ks, ks, ks.
ch Move arms at sides as if you are a train and say ch, ch, ch.
sh Place index finger over lips and say shshsh.
th th Pretend to be naughty clowns and stick out tongue a little for the th,
and further for the th sound (this and thumb).
qu Make a duck's beak with your hands and say qu, qu, qu.
ou Pretend your finger is a needle and prick thumb saying ou, ou, ou.
oi Cup hands around mouth and shout to another boat saying oi! ship ahoy!
ue Point to people around you and say you, you, you.
er Roll hands over each other like a mixer and say ererer.
ar Open mouth wide and say ah. Flap hands as if a seal,
and say ar, ar, ar. (US English)
Blending is the process of saying the individual sounds in a word and then running them together to make the word. For instance sounding out d-o-g and making dog. It is a technique every child will need to learn, and it improves with practice. To start with you should sound out the word and see if a child can hear it, giving the answer if necessary. Some children take longer than others to hear this. The sounds must be said quickly to hear the word. It is easier if the first sound is said slightly louder. Try little and often with words like b-u-s, t-o-p, c-a-t and h-e-n. There are lists of suitable words in The Phonics Handbook and the Jolly Phonics Word Book.
Remember that some sounds (digraphs) are represented by two letters, such as sh. Children should sound out the digraph (sh), not the individual letters (s-h). With practice they will be able to blend the digraph as one sound in a word. So, a word like rain should be sounded out r-ai-n, and feet as f-ee-t. This is difficult to begin with and takes practice. The Jolly Phonics Regular Word Blending Cards can be used in class to improve this skill.
You will find it helpful to be able to distinguish between a blend (such as st) and a digraph (such as sh). In a blend the two sounds, s and t can each be heard. In a digraph this is not so. Compare mishap (where both the s and h are sounded) and midship (which has the quite separate sh sound). When sounding out a blend, encourage children to say the two sounds as one unit, so fl-a-g not f-l-a-g. This will lead to greater fluency when reading.
Some words in English have an irregular spelling and cannot be read by blending, such as said, was and one. Unfortunately, many of these are common words. The irregular parts have to be remembered. These are called the 'tricky words'.
Identifying Sounds in Words
The easiest way to know how to spell a word is to listen for the sounds in that word. Even with the tricky words an understanding of letter sounds can help.
Start by having your child listen for the first sound in a word. Games like I-Spy are ideal for this. Next try listening for the end sounds, as the middle sound of a word is the hardest to hear.
Begin with simple three letter words such as cat or hot. A good idea is to say a word and tap out the sounds. Three taps means three sounds. Say each sound as you tap. Take care with digraphs. The word fish, for instance, has four letters but only three sounds, f-i-sh.
The Jiglets help identify the sounds in words. Rhyming games, poems and the Jolly Jingles also help tune the ears to the sounds in words. Other games to play are:
a) Add a sound: what do I get if I add a p to the beginning of ink? Answer: pink. Other examples are m-ice, b-us, etc.
b) Take away a sound: what do I get if I take away p from pink? Answer: ink. Other examples as above, and f-lap, s-lip, c-rib, d-rag, p-ant, m-end, s-top, b-end, s-t-rip, etc.
Spelling the Tricky Words
There are several ways of learning tricky spellings:
1) Look, Cover, Write and Check. Look at the word to see which bit is tricky. Ask the child to try writing the word in the air saying the letters. Cover the word over and see if the child can write it correctly. Check to make sure.
2) Say it as it sounds. Say the word so each sound is heard. For instance, the word was is said as 'wass', to rhyme with mass, the word Monday is said as 'Mon-day'.
3) Mnemonics. The initial letter of each word in a saying gives the correct spelling of a word. For instance, laugh - Laugh At Ugly Goat's Hair.
4) Using joined-up writing also improves spelling.
The Actions
s Weave hand in an s shape, like a snake, and say ssssss
a Wiggle fingers above elbow as if ants crawling on you and say a, a, a.
t Turn head from side to side as if watching tennis and say t, t, t.
i Pretend to be a mouse by wriggling fingers at end of nose and squeak i, i, i.
p Pretend to puff out candles and say p, p, p.
n Make a noise, as if you are a plane - hold arms out and say nnnnnn.
c k Raise hands and snap fingers as if playing castanets and say ck, ck, ck.
e Pretend to tap an egg on the side of a pan and crack it into the pan, saying eh, eh, eh.
h Hold hand in front of mouth panting as if you are out of breath and say h, h, h.
r Pretend to be a puppy holding a piece of rag, shaking head from side to side, and say rrrrrr.
m Rub tummy as if seeing tasty food and say mmmmmm.
d Beat hands up and down as if playing a drum and say d, d, d.
g Spiral hand down, as if water going down the drain, and say g, g, g.
o Pretend to turn light switch on and off and say o, o; o, o
u Pretend to be putting up an umbrella and say u, u, u.
l Pretend to lick a lollipop and say l l l l l l.
f Let hands gently come together as if toy fish deflating, and say f f f f f f.
b Pretend to hit a ball with a bat and say b, b, b.
ai Cup hand over ear and say ai, ai, ai.
j Pretend to wobble on a plate and say j, j, j.
oa Bring hand over mouth as if you have done something wrong and say oh!
ie Stand to attention and salute, saying ie ie.
ee or Put hands on head as if ears on a donkey and say eeyore, eeyore.
z Put arms out at sides and pretend to be a bee, saying zzzzzz.
w Blow on to open hand, as if you are the wind, and say wh, wh, wh.
ng Imagine you are a weightlifter, and pretend to lift a heavy weight above your head, saying ng...
v Pretend to be holding the steering wheel of a van and say vvvvvv.
oo oo Move head back and forth as if it is the cuckoo in a cuckoo clock,
saying u, oo; u, oo. (Little and long oo.)
y Pretend to be eating a yogurt and say y, y, y.
x Pretend to take an x-ray of someone with an x-ray gun and say ks, ks, ks.
ch Move arms at sides as if you are a train and say ch, ch, ch.
sh Place index finger over lips and say shshsh.
th th Pretend to be naughty clowns and stick out tongue a little for the th,
and further for the th sound (this and thumb).
qu Make a duck's beak with your hands and say qu, qu, qu.
ou Pretend your finger is a needle and prick thumb saying ou, ou, ou.
oi Cup hands around mouth and shout to another boat saying oi! ship ahoy!
ue Point to people around you and say you, you, you.
er Roll hands over each other like a mixer and say ererer.
ar Open mouth wide and say ah. Flap hands as if a seal,
and say ar, ar, ar. (US English)
November post 1
Hello everyone
Did anyone happen to find a pink costume slipper in their large TDSB bags today? If you did, it belongs to Samantha Gupta and is part of her Hallowe’en costume.
Thank you very much to everyone who helped with the Hallowe’en Party and Parade this morning! The weather cooperated and I think the children had a fun and exciting time. A special thank you to Lisa Rankin, Vicky Giancos, Julia Fuller, and Anouchka Freybe for their help with the party and to all those parents who brought loot bags and food items for our party. Lucky children! Thank you as well to Josie Leal who did the TDSB and snuggle book bags this week.
Next week we will be continuing with our phonics booklets and doing the “a” sound. We will also be carving our pumpkin (the large “Mr. Pumpkinhead” pumpkin in the classroom), weighing it, counting the seeds and ribs, measuring the height and circumference, and charting our results. We will also be continuing our patterning and sequencing practice and continuing with assessment (numbers, letters and sounds) in preparation for report cards (SK only first term). Our songs will be Phonics based as we continue the Jolly Phonics Program (see below). The Kindergarten teachers all do one sound a week. We appreciate that some children are just learning their ABCs and 123s and others are reading at advanced levels and continue to encourage you to read daily with your children have them read to you if possible. The children are almost finished their “Brown Bear, Brown Bear” booklets and will bring those home next week. Next week they will also bring home any Hallowe’en painting/clay crafts that have dried over the weekend.
Have a wonderful and safe Hallowe’en and weekend,
Beverley
JOLLY PHONICS:
In Jolly Phonics the 42 main sounds of English are taught, not just the alphabet. The sounds are in seven groups. Some sounds are written with two letters, such as ee and or. For example, oo and th can each make two different sounds, as in book and moon, that and three. To distinguish between the two sounds, these digraphs are represented in two forms. This is shown below.
Each sound has an action which helps children remember the letter(s) that represent it. As a child progresses you can point to the letters and see how quickly they can do the action and say the sound. As a child becomes more confident, the actions are no longer necessary.
Children learn each letter by its sound, not its name. For instance, the letter a should be called a (as in ant) not ai (as in aim). Similarly, the letter n should be nn (as in net), not en. This will help in blending. The names of each letter can follow later.
The letters have not been introduced in alphabetical order. The first group (s, a, t, i, p, n) has been chosen because they make more simple three-letter words than any other six letters. The letters b and d are introduced in different groups to avoid confusion.
Sounds that have more than one way of being written are initially taught in one form only. For example, the sound ai (rain) is taught first, and then the alternatives a-e (gate) and ay (day) follow later.
I hope this helps you understand the program. B.
Did anyone happen to find a pink costume slipper in their large TDSB bags today? If you did, it belongs to Samantha Gupta and is part of her Hallowe’en costume.
Thank you very much to everyone who helped with the Hallowe’en Party and Parade this morning! The weather cooperated and I think the children had a fun and exciting time. A special thank you to Lisa Rankin, Vicky Giancos, Julia Fuller, and Anouchka Freybe for their help with the party and to all those parents who brought loot bags and food items for our party. Lucky children! Thank you as well to Josie Leal who did the TDSB and snuggle book bags this week.
Next week we will be continuing with our phonics booklets and doing the “a” sound. We will also be carving our pumpkin (the large “Mr. Pumpkinhead” pumpkin in the classroom), weighing it, counting the seeds and ribs, measuring the height and circumference, and charting our results. We will also be continuing our patterning and sequencing practice and continuing with assessment (numbers, letters and sounds) in preparation for report cards (SK only first term). Our songs will be Phonics based as we continue the Jolly Phonics Program (see below). The Kindergarten teachers all do one sound a week. We appreciate that some children are just learning their ABCs and 123s and others are reading at advanced levels and continue to encourage you to read daily with your children have them read to you if possible. The children are almost finished their “Brown Bear, Brown Bear” booklets and will bring those home next week. Next week they will also bring home any Hallowe’en painting/clay crafts that have dried over the weekend.
Have a wonderful and safe Hallowe’en and weekend,
Beverley
JOLLY PHONICS:
In Jolly Phonics the 42 main sounds of English are taught, not just the alphabet. The sounds are in seven groups. Some sounds are written with two letters, such as ee and or. For example, oo and th can each make two different sounds, as in book and moon, that and three. To distinguish between the two sounds, these digraphs are represented in two forms. This is shown below.
Each sound has an action which helps children remember the letter(s) that represent it. As a child progresses you can point to the letters and see how quickly they can do the action and say the sound. As a child becomes more confident, the actions are no longer necessary.
Children learn each letter by its sound, not its name. For instance, the letter a should be called a (as in ant) not ai (as in aim). Similarly, the letter n should be nn (as in net), not en. This will help in blending. The names of each letter can follow later.
The letters have not been introduced in alphabetical order. The first group (s, a, t, i, p, n) has been chosen because they make more simple three-letter words than any other six letters. The letters b and d are introduced in different groups to avoid confusion.
Sounds that have more than one way of being written are initially taught in one form only. For example, the sound ai (rain) is taught first, and then the alternatives a-e (gate) and ay (day) follow later.
I hope this helps you understand the program. B.
October post 10
Hello everyone just a reminder that PHOTO RETAKE DAY is Thursday, NOVEMBER 5th. If your child was absent on Photo Day or if you would like your child’s photo redone please contact the office (416-394-7890) to enquire as to when the photos will be taken (i.e. morning or afternoon). The usual procedure is that children will be called down to the gym for their retakes on that day.
I am completing November and December’s Snack and Mystery Bag Schedules and they will be posted by Friday.
Dr. Mehta – no need to bring in snack on Friday for Sia and her classmates (which you were scheduled for); it is our Hallowe’en Party and I think there will be plenty of snacks! I will schedule you for the following week.
Thank you everyone,
Beverley
I am completing November and December’s Snack and Mystery Bag Schedules and they will be posted by Friday.
Dr. Mehta – no need to bring in snack on Friday for Sia and her classmates (which you were scheduled for); it is our Hallowe’en Party and I think there will be plenty of snacks! I will schedule you for the following week.
Thank you everyone,
Beverley
October post 9
Hello Everyone
Since I anticipate a lot of our parents attending the Hallowe’en Parade on Friday (which takes place outside, directly after morning announcements), I would like to change the start time of our Hallowe’en Party from 11:00 a.m. to 9:30-10:30 a.m. (starting directly after the Parade). That way parents who are assisting with the party don’t have to make two trips to the school. I hope this is okay with everyone. I am organizing some crafts for the children to complete and take home during the party as well as Hallowe’en colouring and sticker books, so it should be a wonderful day for the kids. And I think we’re all glad that Hallowe’en is on a Saturday this year!
Also, a reminder that photos and accompanying cheques are due. Thank you to everyone for remembering to return the Art Cards.
The childrens’ painted Family Trees with their photos are on display on our hall bulletin board, as well as a pumpkin craft they have done.
Also a reminder of the Sharing Assembly tomorrow morning after announcements.
Sincerely,
Beverley
Since I anticipate a lot of our parents attending the Hallowe’en Parade on Friday (which takes place outside, directly after morning announcements), I would like to change the start time of our Hallowe’en Party from 11:00 a.m. to 9:30-10:30 a.m. (starting directly after the Parade). That way parents who are assisting with the party don’t have to make two trips to the school. I hope this is okay with everyone. I am organizing some crafts for the children to complete and take home during the party as well as Hallowe’en colouring and sticker books, so it should be a wonderful day for the kids. And I think we’re all glad that Hallowe’en is on a Saturday this year!
Also, a reminder that photos and accompanying cheques are due. Thank you to everyone for remembering to return the Art Cards.
The childrens’ painted Family Trees with their photos are on display on our hall bulletin board, as well as a pumpkin craft they have done.
Also a reminder of the Sharing Assembly tomorrow morning after announcements.
Sincerely,
Beverley
October post 8
Hello everyone
This is just a friendly reminder to please have your children take out their white TDSB bags and Snuggle Book bags and put them in the appropriate bin by the classroom entrance each morning. It would be easiest if the children had the bags and books removed from their backpacks while they are in line outside, ready to put in the appropriate bins when they enter the classroom.
On Tuesday’s book day almost all the children had done this, but today, Thursday, a lot of the white TDSB bags and Snuggle books were still in the backpacks and it is very time-consuming for me/my parent helpers to look in each backpack for missing items etc.
Thank you very much for your assistance with this important morning routine.
In a nutshell:
Wednesdays and Fridays upon entering the classroom – before entering the classroom, take white TDSB bag and Snuggle Book bag out of backpack, put in appropriate bin at entrance. C’est tout!
One more note – I have switched the SK Snuggle Book readers to an easier set. I recently discovered a treasure trove of leveled readers in our book storage room! Don’t worry if your child can’t read all the words, but if they can, you can ask comprehension questions as well. If your child is an advanced reader, encourage him/her to take books from the library that s/he can read to you at home. The more the better!
Thanks very much,
Beverley
This is just a friendly reminder to please have your children take out their white TDSB bags and Snuggle Book bags and put them in the appropriate bin by the classroom entrance each morning. It would be easiest if the children had the bags and books removed from their backpacks while they are in line outside, ready to put in the appropriate bins when they enter the classroom.
On Tuesday’s book day almost all the children had done this, but today, Thursday, a lot of the white TDSB bags and Snuggle books were still in the backpacks and it is very time-consuming for me/my parent helpers to look in each backpack for missing items etc.
Thank you very much for your assistance with this important morning routine.
In a nutshell:
Wednesdays and Fridays upon entering the classroom – before entering the classroom, take white TDSB bag and Snuggle Book bag out of backpack, put in appropriate bin at entrance. C’est tout!
One more note – I have switched the SK Snuggle Book readers to an easier set. I recently discovered a treasure trove of leveled readers in our book storage room! Don’t worry if your child can’t read all the words, but if they can, you can ask comprehension questions as well. If your child is an advanced reader, encourage him/her to take books from the library that s/he can read to you at home. The more the better!
Thanks very much,
Beverley
October post 7
Hello Everyone
This is just a reminder to return your art cards as soon as possible (with your cheques payable to LKS) – Friday is preferable.
Also, your children’s photos are in! They will be in tomorrow’s white TDSB bags and are due back (with payment) on October 26th.
Snuggle Books and TDSB bags are due by tomorrow as well.
A small note to parents who kindly help me with the white TDSB bags: please include all the items in the bags that are in the blue basket (such as letters home, etc.), not just the Snuggle Books. Several items, including the Snuggle Books, do go home each week in the TDSB bags and Tuesday and Thursday are our special days for that. Thank you!
The children are almost all finished their Number Books and they will go home with them when they are done. We have also completed patterning (elementary math) exercises related to Hallowe’en themes and will continue to do this throughout the year. Encourage your children to find patterns around them – they’re everywhere!
We have also almost completed our “Brown Bear” reading booklets and we will be starting our Phonics next week – learning one new sound a week, and reinforcing this sound with accompanying worksheets which will go in your child’s Phonics Folder.
We are learning two Hallowe’en Songs (“Pumpkin, Pumpkin” and “Lack-o-Lantern”) and the children will complete a little art project on pumpkins tomorrow. Some of the children are just learning how to use scissors so if you have small children’s safety scissors I encourage you to help your child with this important motor skill by giving them little things to cut out (pictures from flyers, magazines, etc.)
That’s our news for today! Don’t forget that our first Sharing Assembly is October 27 (I will notify those parents whose children will be receiving an award this month in advance so that they can try to plan to attend), and our Hallowe’en Parade and Party are October 30.
Thank you as always to my parent volunteers who help out so much! The children love to have their parents in their school!
Have a nice evening,
Beverley
This is just a reminder to return your art cards as soon as possible (with your cheques payable to LKS) – Friday is preferable.
Also, your children’s photos are in! They will be in tomorrow’s white TDSB bags and are due back (with payment) on October 26th.
Snuggle Books and TDSB bags are due by tomorrow as well.
A small note to parents who kindly help me with the white TDSB bags: please include all the items in the bags that are in the blue basket (such as letters home, etc.), not just the Snuggle Books. Several items, including the Snuggle Books, do go home each week in the TDSB bags and Tuesday and Thursday are our special days for that. Thank you!
The children are almost all finished their Number Books and they will go home with them when they are done. We have also completed patterning (elementary math) exercises related to Hallowe’en themes and will continue to do this throughout the year. Encourage your children to find patterns around them – they’re everywhere!
We have also almost completed our “Brown Bear” reading booklets and we will be starting our Phonics next week – learning one new sound a week, and reinforcing this sound with accompanying worksheets which will go in your child’s Phonics Folder.
We are learning two Hallowe’en Songs (“Pumpkin, Pumpkin” and “Lack-o-Lantern”) and the children will complete a little art project on pumpkins tomorrow. Some of the children are just learning how to use scissors so if you have small children’s safety scissors I encourage you to help your child with this important motor skill by giving them little things to cut out (pictures from flyers, magazines, etc.)
That’s our news for today! Don’t forget that our first Sharing Assembly is October 27 (I will notify those parents whose children will be receiving an award this month in advance so that they can try to plan to attend), and our Hallowe’en Parade and Party are October 30.
Thank you as always to my parent volunteers who help out so much! The children love to have their parents in their school!
Have a nice evening,
Beverley
October post 6
The Sharing Assembly is a small assembly that takes place once a month in the cafeteria when Primary teachers give awards to children and the class as a whole performs a short poem or song. I will give a “heads up” to parents whose children will be receiving awards in our class so they can be sure to attend if they can (to take photos etc. ).
Here are the dates of the Sharing Assemblies:
October 27
November 20
January 22
February 26
March 26
April 23
May 28
June 11
Here are the dates of the Sharing Assemblies:
October 27
November 20
January 22
February 26
March 26
April 23
May 28
June 11
October post 5
Hello everyone
Just a reminder that the Pizza Forms and money are due by Friday.
When you have filled out the Acorn Art Card Information Sheet that is attached to your child’s artwork, please return the art and information (attached – do not detach) to me. Cheques are payable to LKS.
Our first Sharing Assembly will be on October 27. The children in my class will be performing a song and story about pumpkins.
Library books are due tomorrow (library day).
A new set of Snuggle Books go home tomorrow and should be returned the next day if possible (Monday is ok of course – as long as they are returned by Tuesday which is our next snuggle book day). All the JKs will be rotating through one set of readers at a time, as will the SKs (a more challenging set). If your child is an exceptionally strong reader already (as are some of them) I will send home more challenging readers as well. Please note that each Kindergarten teacher on our JK/SK team does the following: the children work through sets of readers; programs are not individualized to children unless they are exceptionally strong readers. Please continue to encourage your child to sound out words as we do in class. Pointing at words is also very helpful, when you are reading to your child, or when your child is reading on his/her own or to you.
October 20 is pajama day!
I am very pleased to see some of the children using our Thanksgiving, Autumn and Hallowe’en words in their craft projects and at the writing table. Wonderful!
There is a marked improvement in how your children write their names which is also excellent. Each month we complete a sheet with their name and a drawing of themselves. At the end of the year I will collate them and send them home in a booklet.
That’s our news for today!
Sincerely,
Beverley
Just a reminder that the Pizza Forms and money are due by Friday.
When you have filled out the Acorn Art Card Information Sheet that is attached to your child’s artwork, please return the art and information (attached – do not detach) to me. Cheques are payable to LKS.
Our first Sharing Assembly will be on October 27. The children in my class will be performing a song and story about pumpkins.
Library books are due tomorrow (library day).
A new set of Snuggle Books go home tomorrow and should be returned the next day if possible (Monday is ok of course – as long as they are returned by Tuesday which is our next snuggle book day). All the JKs will be rotating through one set of readers at a time, as will the SKs (a more challenging set). If your child is an exceptionally strong reader already (as are some of them) I will send home more challenging readers as well. Please note that each Kindergarten teacher on our JK/SK team does the following: the children work through sets of readers; programs are not individualized to children unless they are exceptionally strong readers. Please continue to encourage your child to sound out words as we do in class. Pointing at words is also very helpful, when you are reading to your child, or when your child is reading on his/her own or to you.
October 20 is pajama day!
I am very pleased to see some of the children using our Thanksgiving, Autumn and Hallowe’en words in their craft projects and at the writing table. Wonderful!
There is a marked improvement in how your children write their names which is also excellent. Each month we complete a sheet with their name and a drawing of themselves. At the end of the year I will collate them and send them home in a booklet.
That’s our news for today!
Sincerely,
Beverley
October post 4
Hello everyone and I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend.
Today in your child’s white TDSB bag there was a form for you to fill out regarding their pizza lunch day in June. My apologies for not sending them home earlier! I have spoken with Mrs. Seitz and Mrs. MacPherson and they have received only a few forms back and will submit them when all the forms are in, which they hope will be by the end of the week.
Please return the completed forms with money for the lunch by this Friday at the latest and I will forward them to our Pizza Lunch Coordinator.
Thank you very much to the parent volunteers who helped out with the Art Cards today. The children did a lovely job and they are very proud of their work.
Thank you as well to the parents who are helping out with the TDSB bags and snuggle books. What a great help that is!
In the classroom we have started patterning activities combined with Hallowe’en-themed activities, which the children always love. Their number and alphabet books are almost done and we are still working on our “Brown Bear, Brown Bear” booklets and will send them home when they are complete.
Tomorrow was to be Jonathan Odorico’s Special Day and snack day but he has been attending Montessori since the beginning of the school year so I will bring snack for tomorrow. Our Special person will be John Yeom (in absentia) whose mom is ill and who is still in Korea with her and his family. We hope they return soon and in good health. Our thoughts are with them.
Sincerely,
Beverley
Today in your child’s white TDSB bag there was a form for you to fill out regarding their pizza lunch day in June. My apologies for not sending them home earlier! I have spoken with Mrs. Seitz and Mrs. MacPherson and they have received only a few forms back and will submit them when all the forms are in, which they hope will be by the end of the week.
Please return the completed forms with money for the lunch by this Friday at the latest and I will forward them to our Pizza Lunch Coordinator.
Thank you very much to the parent volunteers who helped out with the Art Cards today. The children did a lovely job and they are very proud of their work.
Thank you as well to the parents who are helping out with the TDSB bags and snuggle books. What a great help that is!
In the classroom we have started patterning activities combined with Hallowe’en-themed activities, which the children always love. Their number and alphabet books are almost done and we are still working on our “Brown Bear, Brown Bear” booklets and will send them home when they are complete.
Tomorrow was to be Jonathan Odorico’s Special Day and snack day but he has been attending Montessori since the beginning of the school year so I will bring snack for tomorrow. Our Special person will be John Yeom (in absentia) whose mom is ill and who is still in Korea with her and his family. We hope they return soon and in good health. Our thoughts are with them.
Sincerely,
Beverley
October post 3
Hello everyone
With Anouchka and Vicky’s help scheduling, I would truly appreciate some help on Tuesdays and Thursdays with the White TDSB Bags and snuggle books. I didn’t realize that I’m the only Kindergarten teacher that didn’t have help with this task (it takes about 20 minutes) and with curriculum and all the other little tasks in my teaching day help with this would be wonderful and most appreciated!
I spoke with Ellen Raymond and I will be following what she does; on Snuggle Book days (Tuesdays and Thursdays), I would need one parent to come in on both those days to help fill the white TDSB bags and hang them on the children’s coat hangers ready to go home. In the bags would be letters home, artwork, snuggle books, writing booklets the children have finished, letters from the office, forms etc.
What would work very well would be for one parent to take turns being the “TDSB white bag volunteer” for one week (meaning Tuesdays and Thursdays). The parent would start at 9 a.m. when dropping his/her child off, do the bags (I will have everything ready for them), and be done by 9:20-9:30 at the latest.
Thank you so much. I would prefer to have a different family sign up each week so they can also take a peek into their child’s kindergarten world. Your children love it when you are there and can meet their friends and see what they do in class! They also always feel especially proud when their parents are in school.
If you are able to volunteer please let Vicky and Anouchka know the week you are available and they will add it to our calendar.
.
Take care,
Beverley
With Anouchka and Vicky’s help scheduling, I would truly appreciate some help on Tuesdays and Thursdays with the White TDSB Bags and snuggle books. I didn’t realize that I’m the only Kindergarten teacher that didn’t have help with this task (it takes about 20 minutes) and with curriculum and all the other little tasks in my teaching day help with this would be wonderful and most appreciated!
I spoke with Ellen Raymond and I will be following what she does; on Snuggle Book days (Tuesdays and Thursdays), I would need one parent to come in on both those days to help fill the white TDSB bags and hang them on the children’s coat hangers ready to go home. In the bags would be letters home, artwork, snuggle books, writing booklets the children have finished, letters from the office, forms etc.
What would work very well would be for one parent to take turns being the “TDSB white bag volunteer” for one week (meaning Tuesdays and Thursdays). The parent would start at 9 a.m. when dropping his/her child off, do the bags (I will have everything ready for them), and be done by 9:20-9:30 at the latest.
Thank you so much. I would prefer to have a different family sign up each week so they can also take a peek into their child’s kindergarten world. Your children love it when you are there and can meet their friends and see what they do in class! They also always feel especially proud when their parents are in school.
If you are able to volunteer please let Vicky and Anouchka know the week you are available and they will add it to our calendar.
.
Take care,
Beverley
October post 2
Hello everyone,
A letter will be going home tomorrow regarding the wonderful “art card” program offered by LKS and many other schools and I wanted to send you the URL as well. Thank you Vicky and Anouchka for your help in organizing our volunteers, and thank you volunteers! It means so much to the children when their parents are in the classroom to see them at work and play!
Our date for the Art Cards is October 13th, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. when the children don’t have other morning activities (such as IT or Library). I will prepare samples for each of the children’s tables to assist our volunteers.
The children are working hard on their Number Books and Letter Books and when they are complete I will be sending them home. We are also working on writing our names and I am already seeing some progress! Please continue to read with your children and encourage them to write their names on the crafts/artwork they do at home. Capital letters are easiest at first for little ones. Lower case letters are learned/recognized in tandem but primarily after upper case letters. If your child is an advanced reader (and some of the class’ children are) please continue to challenge your children with new readers. Mastermind (everyone’s favourite store!) has an excellent selection of supplementary workbooks and readers. Tomorrow, Thursday, is Mystery Bag Day and Snuggle Book Day (for bigger-sized books). Please return them by Friday (Monday at the latest).
Thank you everyone for providing healthy snacks and for remembering to return your child’s library books. Next week Library will be on Thursday, so today’s books are due by that day.
Tomorrow we are doing a Thanksgiving Craft which is a name card for your child to have at the dinner table.
Wishing everyone a wonderful and restful Thanksgiving weekend,
Beverley
A letter will be going home tomorrow regarding the wonderful “art card” program offered by LKS and many other schools and I wanted to send you the URL as well. Thank you Vicky and Anouchka for your help in organizing our volunteers, and thank you volunteers! It means so much to the children when their parents are in the classroom to see them at work and play!
Our date for the Art Cards is October 13th, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. when the children don’t have other morning activities (such as IT or Library). I will prepare samples for each of the children’s tables to assist our volunteers.
The children are working hard on their Number Books and Letter Books and when they are complete I will be sending them home. We are also working on writing our names and I am already seeing some progress! Please continue to read with your children and encourage them to write their names on the crafts/artwork they do at home. Capital letters are easiest at first for little ones. Lower case letters are learned/recognized in tandem but primarily after upper case letters. If your child is an advanced reader (and some of the class’ children are) please continue to challenge your children with new readers. Mastermind (everyone’s favourite store!) has an excellent selection of supplementary workbooks and readers. Tomorrow, Thursday, is Mystery Bag Day and Snuggle Book Day (for bigger-sized books). Please return them by Friday (Monday at the latest).
Thank you everyone for providing healthy snacks and for remembering to return your child’s library books. Next week Library will be on Thursday, so today’s books are due by that day.
Tomorrow we are doing a Thanksgiving Craft which is a name card for your child to have at the dinner table.
Wishing everyone a wonderful and restful Thanksgiving weekend,
Beverley
October post 1
Hello everyone and thank you again Vicky and Anouchka for your help!
We have started our “Snuggle Books” today and each child has come home with a different early reader in a zip lock bag with their name on it. I’ve started with the excellent collection of “Bob” books which I’ve found are terrific for young readers. Please read the book with your child and return it by Thursday, when s/he will take another reader home, due Friday (Monday at the latest). In order to take a new snuggle book home the children need to return the first one. We will continue with this system (a new book each Tuesday and Thursday) for the rest of the year. I will also get larger bags for larger readers that the children can pick themselves, but I wanted to focus on books they can read along with to start.
Our card-making activity will be October 13th, , when the children create special cards that are then printed and can be used as thank you cards, Holiday cards etc. If you would like your child to create a particular theme on his/her card please let them know (could be “Happy Birthday” “Thank you” “Happy Holidays” etc.) so we can assist them. Vicky and Anouchka are helping to coordinate volunteers for that day – thank you Vicky and Anouchka!!
Fall is here and the children are wearing jackets and coats in cooler weather. Please be kind enough to practice zipping/buttoning/unzipping/unbuttoning your child’s outdoor clothing. A good trick is to place the coat on the ground so that the tag is facing them, they crouch down and put their arms in the holes, and flip the jacket over their head. They love doing this and it’s a good trick if they have trouble getting their arms in their sleeves. Please also help them to turn their sleeves rightside out. Reversible coats are wonderful, too! Hoodies are easy for them to put on and big zippers are easier than little zippers. Our SKs will be helping the JKs as well . In order to save time, I will plan for their outdoor play time to be at the end of their morning, so that the children only have to get dressed once.
Take care,
Beverley
We have started our “Snuggle Books” today and each child has come home with a different early reader in a zip lock bag with their name on it. I’ve started with the excellent collection of “Bob” books which I’ve found are terrific for young readers. Please read the book with your child and return it by Thursday, when s/he will take another reader home, due Friday (Monday at the latest). In order to take a new snuggle book home the children need to return the first one. We will continue with this system (a new book each Tuesday and Thursday) for the rest of the year. I will also get larger bags for larger readers that the children can pick themselves, but I wanted to focus on books they can read along with to start.
Our card-making activity will be October 13th, , when the children create special cards that are then printed and can be used as thank you cards, Holiday cards etc. If you would like your child to create a particular theme on his/her card please let them know (could be “Happy Birthday” “Thank you” “Happy Holidays” etc.) so we can assist them. Vicky and Anouchka are helping to coordinate volunteers for that day – thank you Vicky and Anouchka!!
Fall is here and the children are wearing jackets and coats in cooler weather. Please be kind enough to practice zipping/buttoning/unzipping/unbuttoning your child’s outdoor clothing. A good trick is to place the coat on the ground so that the tag is facing them, they crouch down and put their arms in the holes, and flip the jacket over their head. They love doing this and it’s a good trick if they have trouble getting their arms in their sleeves. Please also help them to turn their sleeves rightside out. Reversible coats are wonderful, too! Hoodies are easy for them to put on and big zippers are easier than little zippers. Our SKs will be helping the JKs as well . In order to save time, I will plan for their outdoor play time to be at the end of their morning, so that the children only have to get dressed once.
Take care,
Beverley
September Newsletter
Hello everyone
This is just a reminder that the Terry Fox Walk is tomorrow, Thursday, October 1 at 9:15 a.m. Tomorrow calls for light showers and 12C so the children will need warm jackets and appropriate footwear.
Today was library day which is always a wonderful day for the children. Please be sure to return library books each week in the white library bin just inside the classroom entrance.
In class we have been working on fall themes and today the children did wonderful plasticine pictures which are displayed in the large bulletin board in the school hallway outside our class. We are working each day on Thanksgiving and fall-related songs and poems.
The children are also completing a work sheet each day to improve their writing skills. Some are booklets which, when completed, will be sent home, and some are individual sheets which are also filed and will be collated and sent home shortly so that you can see your child’s progress. I encourage you to do crafts and writing activities at home in order to help with their manual dexterity skills – colouring, cutting shapes, tracing, etc.
If you haven’t yet submitted your family tree photos please send them in as soon as possible; we will be painting our “Family Trees” shortly and then will add the photos.
Some of the art and literacy activities we will be doing will be following a theme of the well-known and wonderful children’s writers and illustrators Eric Carle, Barbara Reid, and Jann Brett.
www.eric-carle.com
www.janbrett.com
www.barbarareid.ca
The children will create artwork and work on writing booklets following the themes of these author’s works.
I am truly enjoying teaching your children and look forward to a wonderful October!
Sincerely,
Beverley Tyndall
This is just a reminder that the Terry Fox Walk is tomorrow, Thursday, October 1 at 9:15 a.m. Tomorrow calls for light showers and 12C so the children will need warm jackets and appropriate footwear.
Today was library day which is always a wonderful day for the children. Please be sure to return library books each week in the white library bin just inside the classroom entrance.
In class we have been working on fall themes and today the children did wonderful plasticine pictures which are displayed in the large bulletin board in the school hallway outside our class. We are working each day on Thanksgiving and fall-related songs and poems.
The children are also completing a work sheet each day to improve their writing skills. Some are booklets which, when completed, will be sent home, and some are individual sheets which are also filed and will be collated and sent home shortly so that you can see your child’s progress. I encourage you to do crafts and writing activities at home in order to help with their manual dexterity skills – colouring, cutting shapes, tracing, etc.
If you haven’t yet submitted your family tree photos please send them in as soon as possible; we will be painting our “Family Trees” shortly and then will add the photos.
Some of the art and literacy activities we will be doing will be following a theme of the well-known and wonderful children’s writers and illustrators Eric Carle, Barbara Reid, and Jann Brett.
www.eric-carle.com
www.janbrett.com
www.barbarareid.ca
The children will create artwork and work on writing booklets following the themes of these author’s works.
I am truly enjoying teaching your children and look forward to a wonderful October!
Sincerely,
Beverley Tyndall
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