Sunday, September 23

Dear families,

Wow! Three weeks of school are over already! The children are really settling into our classroom routines, such as reading a "Bell Book" when they come into the classroom before the start of our lessons. Good job!

Thank you for attending Curriculum Night. We enjoyed speaking with you and explaining the Kindergarten Curriculum to you. Here is more detailed information:

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/kindergarten.html

Please be sure to return your child's Medical Forms by Monday at the very latest.

The first Scholastic order is due at the end of September. The second Scholastic order is due at the end of October. Please support the classroom by supporting Scholastic. Orders are usually shipped within one week of the due date.

Please be sure to arrive on time to school and to pick up your child on time, especially during these first weeks of school when routines are being established and reinforced. Thank you. If you arrive please get a late slip for your child at the office.

Terrific job with the Bedtime Book Boxes! They look wonderful! Happy reading!

We have met our Afternoon Book Buddies from Ms. Sunde's class. This is a weekly opportunity to make a new friend and practice reading with a Grade 2/3 LKS student. Morning Book Buddies are coming soon!

Four poems/songs have gone home for your child to practice: If I Were a Leaf, Apples, Kindergarten Here I Come, and Sep-tem-ber.

The JKs completed their Brown Bear, Brown Bear booklets and should be able to "read" the story to you. The SKs did a wonderful job making and writing a little booklet (one of many they will make this year) entitled "I Like..." They are displayed on our inside hall bulletin board.

In our Science Centre the children are learning about fasteners and how to use simple technology such as staplers, hole punches (single, dual, triple), tape dispensers, paper clips, etc. and they enjoy making booklets from the materials.

In the children's white bags you will find a little project called "Who Am I?" Please help your child complete this and send in a baby and recent photo. We will read the work together and try to guess who is who! Please do not attach the photos. We will do that when we have read and guessed who the children are.

The children started their weekly journals and wrote and drew a picture about Fall.

The children also have a sheet called "Alphabet Chart" and "August/September Words." We practice these daily and I have asked the children to practice reading those words at home as well.

We completed our first calendar. The JKs are learning to write their numbers 1-5 and the SKs are reviewing their numbers 1-31. I will keep a copy each month for assessment and I will send the original home so you can see your child's progress with number writing. Here are the little sayings we say while learning numbers (a copy of this will go home):

Around, around, around you go, that's the way to make zero.
A straight line down is lots of fun, this is how you make the number one.
Around and back on the railroad track, two, two, two.
Around the hill, around the tree, three, three, three.
Down and over, down once more, this is how you make the number four.
Fat old five goes down and around, give him a hat and look what you've found.
Six is a monkey's tail that I've found, make a "C" and curve around.
Straight over, slant down, number seven is coming to town.
Make an "S" and close the gate, now you've make the number eight.
Around and down, number nine is coming to town.

LKS had practice Fire Drills and Lockdowns and they children did an excellent job lining up quickly and quietly and exiting the school (fire drill) and keeping silent in the cubby room (lockdown).


Our little class library has changed from "Back to School" books to the books of Eric Carle, the author, along with Bill Martin, Jr., of Brown Bear, Bear, Brown Bear, amongst many other wonderful books.

Miria and Elle from Mrs. Wilson's class were our Mystery Readers this week, and Daphne from Mr. Ourique's class collated the Scholastic Orders. Thank you so much!

Soon the SK children are going to be borrowing "Read and Write Mini Books" which are read at school and then put in their Bedtime Book Boxes and practiced at home. They will be exchanged weekly just like the Snuggle Books. The children will also be making/writing Sight Word Mini Books and will bring those home to keep in their Bedtime Book Box (no need to return those). If you are unsure of what is to be exchanged and what is to keep, a good rule of thumb is, "if it is laminated, it goes back to school."

Thank you so much to our parent volunteers:

Noah's mom - Play-Doh
White Bags and Snuggle Books - Charlie's mom, Anna's mom, Cam's mom, Chloe's mom

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and see you tomorrow!

Mrs. Tyndall