Week of September 16-20

Dear families,

Thank you for helping make the first two weeks of school a smooth transition for your children.

This week was busy and the children did a wonderful job listening during the Fire Drills and Lockdown Drills. There was also a fun presentation called "Cyberbusters" this week and a Terry Fox Assembly.

A note regarding water bottles and snacks -- your children can bring water bottles to school but there is no need for them in class since we have a water fountain. There is no need for snacks either since the Special Person of the Day provides snack for the entire class. Please remember to provide your child with indoor shoes that remain in their cubbies. Thank you.

It was a pleasure meeting you at Curriculum Night. For further information regarding the Kindergarten Curriculum please see tdsb.on.ca/kindergarten.

Some parents were asking about good first dictionaries for their children, and I recommend the Scholastic First Dictionary, which is the one we use in class. The ISDN number is 978-0-439-7983 and it can be purchased through Scholastic for 22.99.

Bubbles the Beta Fish is our new classroom pet and the Special Person of the Day gets to feed him! We also met with our Reading Buddies this week and the JKs and SKs were interviewed by their Buddies and started making a booklet together called "The Twelve Days of Kindergarten."

A big thank you to my Grade 8 volunteers Haley and Leyla who read one-on-one with the afternoon children each day at the end of the day. I will be recruiting morning Grade 8 volunteers as well.

We are practicing the poem "Me" for the Sharing Assembly:

I've got ten little fingers,
And ten little toes,
Two little eyes,
And one little nose.
Put them all together
And what have you got?
You've got me, baby,
And that's a lot!

We read the wonderful book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and the children enjoyed making a coconut tree with the letters of their name on it. They are on display in the hall bulletin board.

We also learned about the letter sound "S" and are practicing our number poem, a copy of which will be sent home in this Friday's white bag. Soon your child will be bringing home his/her first calendar. Please put it on the fridge and practice saying and counting the numbers with them.

Here are some tips on how to be a good Reading Coach:

Pause...Prompt...Praise

When your child is stuck on a word, pause, then give them time to figure it out.

Prompt

Suggest a strategy they could try:
- Look at the picture. Are there any clues there?
- What would make sense there?
- Let's look at the letters. Are there any little words in it you know? Stretch out the sounds in the word.
- Try skipping a word. Read to the end of the sentence (or re-read the whole sentence) and come back to it.

Praise

- "I like the way you sounded that out."
- "Good for you for re-reading to figure that out."
- "You did a great job looking for clues in the picture."

Don't let your child struggle for a long time oveer a single word. Tell them it's a hard word and tell it to them.

Whether your child is listening to you read, "reading" pictures, or reading words, be sure to communicate how much you enjoyed your book time together. Your enthusiasm will encourage your child's interest in reading. Each child reads at his/her own pace.

Most of all, enjoy this special time with your child...

A big Thank You to my Grade Parents Tim Ryder, Marsha McFayden, Erica Bower and Liza Snowden for their help in creating our volunteer schedules. They are posted by the entrance doors each month. Thank you as well to the parents who have already signed up for the numerous volunteer opportunities within the classroom. Thank you to Grace's dad for doing the afternoon mail bags!

Scholastic orders are due September 30. Thank you to Megan's mom who volunteered to do Scholastic orders from October onwards.

An important reminder to bring only nut- and sesame-free snacks to class. There are children in my classes that have severe nut and sesame allergies. A note regarding this will be sent home tomorrow. Thank you.

I hope you have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Tyndall