Week of September 8-12

Dear Parents,

Thank you to everyone who attended the Kindergarten Open House last week. I enjoyed meeting you and I am looking forward to being your child's teacher this year.

This week we reviewed/learned classroom routines and the children enjoyed playing at various inquiry-based centres. They are a wonderful group and I have noticed already what excellent listeners they all are! The children are making new friends quickly which is terrific.

A note about outdoor play: it was very hot and humid last week and the children do play outside for about one hour in total. Please ensure they are adequately dressed for the weather.

A lot of information/paperwork was sent home on Friday. Please complete all the required forms and return them in your child's white TDSB bag by Monday.

A note re: snacks: Please LABEL your child's snack as "SNACK" so that they know what to eat for snack and what to eat for lunch. Thank you!

The children will be eating their snacks in class and their lunch in the lunchroom at 12:00 with he other Kindergarten classes. Please ensure that all your child's belongings, including his/her lunch bag, are clearly labelled with their name.

Curriculum Night is on Tuesday from 5:30-6:00 p.m. in the gym. I am looking forward to seeing you then. After our talk about Kindergarten Curriculum and Routines, you are welcome to return to my classroom to sign up for volunteer opportunities in the classroom this year. Thank you in advance to our Grade Parents Trudie Hynes (JK) and Erica Bower (SK) for doing the volunteer scheduling and calendars.

Here are some tips to start out the year:

- read stories to your child that are suited to their interests and comprehension level
- answer questions and encourage curiosity
- teach responsibility by asking your child to tidy up and care for personal items such as clothes and toys
- invite your child's peers, classmates to play dates
- supervise the amount and kind of media your child watches
- provide materials for active play -- balls, tricycles, etc.
- discipline- suitable consequences for misbehaviour, rules that are easy to understand and fair; provide explanation for the consequence, make sure your child understands why. Fairness is key.
- give your child plenty of time to get ready for school
- allow your child to do things s/he can in order to foster independence
- talk to your child about school as an interesting place to go; a place where s/he will have fun and learn many new things with friends
- arrive on time to school, say good bye cheerfully at the door, arrive on time to pick your child up

I'm looking forward to speaking to your further at Curriculum Night.

Have a terrific week!

Mrs. Tyndall