March 25, 2013.

Dear parents,

I hope you had a wonderful Spring Break. Easter is coming early this year and we have been busy over the last few weeks reviewing our popcorn words and learning Spring and Easter words. The children enjoyed our popcorn word centres and their sight word vocabulary is really coming along! They especially enjoy their "read, write and erase" booklets and their letter formation is improving as well. Remember -top to bottom, left to right. :)

The children learned a new song for the Sharing Assembly called M-A-R-C-H, we read about how seeds turn to dandelions and made a pie chart to show the changes a seed goes through. The children also started a book they are making with their Reading Buddies called 'Flowers Make a Rainbow."

This Thursday your child will also be bringing home a bunny they made that "talks" and can "say" different words - hop, mop, pop, stop, flop and drop.

Major areas of growth this month and in April will include:

- observing seasonal changes and the signs of Spring
- continuing to learn new sounds in phonics
- confidently attempting to write personal stories in our journals
- reading simple pattern books
- planting and observing daily the growth of a seed
- learning new Spring and Easter songs and finger plays
- sequencing a series of events when discussing the growth of a seed and the birth of a chick
- continuation of number work in relation to counting, simple addition, patterning of numbers and numeral recognition

Easter activities will include making Easter bunny bags, building/weaving a nest for our Easter eggs, writing an "Easter is.." booklet and making a big bunny puppet.

Thank you in advance to our Parent Volunteers who are helping out at Thursday's Easter Craft Day. We will be dipping eggs (thank you for bringing them in!) so please dress your child in appropriate clothing. We need 25 green plastic baskets. They can be found at the green grocer and usually hold fruit.

Please remembrer to bring in a hollow egg for your child to dip at our Easter Party.
1. Pierce 2 holes in an egg, one at each end. A large sewing needle works well.
2. Pierce the yolk inside the egg.
3. Blow out the egg yolk and white into a bowl.

It was wonderful reading the children's journal entries from the March Break. What wonderful work they did and I am so pleased with their efforts. I will be sending home their journals to write in over the Easter long weekend. I am also sending home a homework sheet in which the children are to draw a picture of the word they read. Please remember that if work goes home stamped "Please complete for Mrs. Tyndall" that it is homework to be completed and returned. Please sit with your child and encourage him/her to do ther best work. This is also good practice for next year.

Kind regards,

Mrs. Tyndall