It's been a busy two weeks in Room 166!
It was very nice meeting with all the parents during Parent-Teacher Interviews. I enjoyed speaking with you about your children's progress! Keeping a journal at home and a book report booklet is a wonderful "next steps" activity for children who wish to do more writing activities.
The children did a wonderful job on their Remembrance Day writing/art activities and I was so impressed with their attentive listening during the quiet Remembrance Day ceremony. The children wrote about Peace and make a booklet called "A Poppy is to Remember" based on a book we read of the same name.
Our Grade 8 Reading Helpers continue to read one-on-one with the children in the mornings and at the end of the day. I have made little puzzles called "I am a bear-y good reader" and for each book the child reads they get a piece of a bear-shaped puzzle. When they get all the pieces they can bring them home and make the puzzle!
Our Morning Class worked on two booklets called "Signs of Fall" and "The Story of the Black Bear." On Monday the afternoon class will meet their Reading Buddies from Mrs. Adair's class and we will work together on those books too.
On Monday, the children learned a lot about Bees and Insects in their lesson from the Scientists in the Classroom! Thank you to the parents who volunteered to assist with this special day. A special thank you to Angelina's mom who brought in a huge (empty!) wasp nest that she discovered in the Ottawa area, along with photos of what it looked like when it was on the tree. I will find a special spot on the classroom to display it!
Thank you also to Logan's mom who generously contributed Christmas/Holiday Crafts for the children. I will incorporate Holiday activities in our learning starting in December, and we will use the crafts at one of our tables during the Holiday Party.
Please save any small white Shopper's Drug Mart Beauty Boutique Bags for the classroom. I need at least 40 of them. Thank you!
In our journals we wrote about our favourite parts of the Robert Munsch story "The Paper Bag Princess." What a wonderful and funny story!
Our sight words of the week have been "the" and "said." We continue to work on our phonics duotangs and many of the SK children are on Set Two already which is terrific!
We are learning all about Bears and have been reading bear-themed books (such as "Corduroy"), writing in journals, doing bear math, making patterns and making booklets as part of this fun and interesting unit. The children did a wonderful job being "as quiet as hibernating bears" during their table work time. Next year I plan on teaching the children all about Penguins and incorporating this cute and interesting animal in our learning in November. I also plan to teach a unit on Fairy Tales in February and for the children to create a lot of reading and writing activities from some classic stories.
We had a special day on November 22 when award-winning author Rukhsana Khan read stories to the children. www.rukhsanakhan.com The children especially loved her New York Times recommended book, "The Big Red Lollipop." Thank you to Cameron who brought his own copy in and had it signed by the author! We wrote in our journals about our favourite part of this wonderful story.
The children did a wonderful job reciting the poem, "Manners" during our Sharing Assembly. Congratulations to Kai L, Kai B, Cameron and Julia who received certificates for "Empathy" at our assembly.
On Friday, November 30 all LKS students are encouraged to wear ties/dress shirts/pants as part of "Movember" to support Prostate Cancer awareness and research. Student Council will be collecting donations as well.
The date for our special holiday-themed December Sharing Assembly will be posted soon on the LKS blog. We hope you can attend! The Character trait for this assembly will be "Kindness and Caring" and I will post the names of the children who will receive a certificate for this TDSB Character Trait on my blog in advance of the assembly.
Have a wonderful weekend, see everyone tomorrow!
Beverley
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Dear families,
Just a reminder that the SKs will be receiving their Progress Reports on Monday. If you have not yet booked an interview on line at www.schoolbookings.net and wish to do so, I still have some time slots available on Thursday from 4-5 p.m. Both JK and SK parents are welcome to book interview times and I look forward to meeting with you!
Please remember that the children need indoor shoes that remain in their cubbies throughout the cold season. Thank you. If you are missing any items just have a peak in the lost and found bag in the back of the cubby room.
At our upcoming Sharing Assembly on November 23 we will be recognizing the TDSB Character Trait of "Empathy." Kai B. and Julia (Morning Class), and Kai L. and Cameron (Afternoon Class) will be recognized at this assembly for their kindness and caring. Congratulations children! Please attend if you are able.
This Thursday, November 15 is CRAZY HAIR DAY! Show your school spirit by having crazy hair!
The children did a wonderful job listening attentively at the Remembrance Day Ceremony on Friday morning. I was very proud of them. This week we talked and wrote about peace, friendship and Remembrance Day. Some of the children's work is displayed on our hall bulletin board. They did a lovely job.
Please help your child to remember to return their white bags, Snuggle Books, Read and Write Books (SKs only) and Library Books to me each Monday at entrance. It teaches them responsibility and reinforces classroom routines. Thank you.
I hope your children are enjoying reading their Snuggle Books (JKs and SKs) and Read and Write Books (SKs) and that they are putting them in their Book Box. I have seen real improvement in the children's reading and writing which is wonderful. Keep up the good work!
The children are also continuing their phonics work and we have completed Set One (S,A,T,I,P,N). The SKs should be finished their first set of their Phonics Duotang; if it isn't finished by the end of ther week, I will send it home for homework.
Wonderful news! The afternoon class will meet with their Reading Buddies from Mrs. Adair's Grade 3 class each week starting November 19! We are looking forward to meeting with them and having fun reading together!
If you have signed up to volunteer next week with our Scientist in the Classroom, please remember that the Scientist will be with the children all morning and all afternoon. Thank you. A special thank you to Quentin's mom who generously donated insect-related items for our classroom. Thank you Liza!
Thank you also to our parent volunteers this week for Reading Club, Mystery Reader, and White Bags/Snuggle Books - we couldn't have such an enriched classroom without you!
I hope you have a wonderful weekend and I'm looking forward to meeting with you next week to discuss your child's progress.
Beverley
Just a reminder that the SKs will be receiving their Progress Reports on Monday. If you have not yet booked an interview on line at www.schoolbookings.net and wish to do so, I still have some time slots available on Thursday from 4-5 p.m. Both JK and SK parents are welcome to book interview times and I look forward to meeting with you!
Please remember that the children need indoor shoes that remain in their cubbies throughout the cold season. Thank you. If you are missing any items just have a peak in the lost and found bag in the back of the cubby room.
At our upcoming Sharing Assembly on November 23 we will be recognizing the TDSB Character Trait of "Empathy." Kai B. and Julia (Morning Class), and Kai L. and Cameron (Afternoon Class) will be recognized at this assembly for their kindness and caring. Congratulations children! Please attend if you are able.
This Thursday, November 15 is CRAZY HAIR DAY! Show your school spirit by having crazy hair!
The children did a wonderful job listening attentively at the Remembrance Day Ceremony on Friday morning. I was very proud of them. This week we talked and wrote about peace, friendship and Remembrance Day. Some of the children's work is displayed on our hall bulletin board. They did a lovely job.
Please help your child to remember to return their white bags, Snuggle Books, Read and Write Books (SKs only) and Library Books to me each Monday at entrance. It teaches them responsibility and reinforces classroom routines. Thank you.
I hope your children are enjoying reading their Snuggle Books (JKs and SKs) and Read and Write Books (SKs) and that they are putting them in their Book Box. I have seen real improvement in the children's reading and writing which is wonderful. Keep up the good work!
The children are also continuing their phonics work and we have completed Set One (S,A,T,I,P,N). The SKs should be finished their first set of their Phonics Duotang; if it isn't finished by the end of ther week, I will send it home for homework.
Wonderful news! The afternoon class will meet with their Reading Buddies from Mrs. Adair's Grade 3 class each week starting November 19! We are looking forward to meeting with them and having fun reading together!
If you have signed up to volunteer next week with our Scientist in the Classroom, please remember that the Scientist will be with the children all morning and all afternoon. Thank you. A special thank you to Quentin's mom who generously donated insect-related items for our classroom. Thank you Liza!
Thank you also to our parent volunteers this week for Reading Club, Mystery Reader, and White Bags/Snuggle Books - we couldn't have such an enriched classroom without you!
I hope you have a wonderful weekend and I'm looking forward to meeting with you next week to discuss your child's progress.
Beverley
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Fall is truly here and that means time for rain boots and indoor shoes. Please provide your child with a pair of indoor shoes or slippers. Croc-type shoes work very well. Most of the children are in the "zipper club" and have learned the "flip trick." Please remember that we have outdoor play each day for 10-20 minutes and to dress your child accordingly.
Hallowe'en has come and gone, and with it a lot of excitement and fun learning opportunities. We estimated and counted the seeds in our little pumpkin and counted 307 (morning class) and 356 (afternoon class)! We also learned and practiced Hallowe'en words, counting pumpkins, learned how pumpkins grow with sequencing pictures, and made several crafts at the the Hallowe'en Party.
Parent-Teacher interviews are coming up the week of November 12-16. Please see Ms. Caddel's website for instructions on how to sign up for an interview time. The Senior Kindergarteners will soon be receiving their first report card and I am assessing the JKs' progress as well. Their first report card will be in February. All parents are welcome to book an interview time and I look forward to meeting with you to discuss your child's progress.
Please help your child remember to return their white bag and snuggle book/read and write book each week, as well as their library book.
Thank you to all my parent volunteers this week. You were a great help at the Hallowe'en Party and during the Parade and of course at Reading Club, as Mystery Readers, helping with the white bags and snuggle books, and with the Computer Lab.
Warm regards,
Beverley
Hallowe'en has come and gone, and with it a lot of excitement and fun learning opportunities. We estimated and counted the seeds in our little pumpkin and counted 307 (morning class) and 356 (afternoon class)! We also learned and practiced Hallowe'en words, counting pumpkins, learned how pumpkins grow with sequencing pictures, and made several crafts at the the Hallowe'en Party.
Parent-Teacher interviews are coming up the week of November 12-16. Please see Ms. Caddel's website for instructions on how to sign up for an interview time. The Senior Kindergarteners will soon be receiving their first report card and I am assessing the JKs' progress as well. Their first report card will be in February. All parents are welcome to book an interview time and I look forward to meeting with you to discuss your child's progress.
Please help your child remember to return their white bag and snuggle book/read and write book each week, as well as their library book.
Thank you to all my parent volunteers this week. You were a great help at the Hallowe'en Party and during the Parade and of course at Reading Club, as Mystery Readers, helping with the white bags and snuggle books, and with the Computer Lab.
Warm regards,
Beverley
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Hallowe'en is fast approaching and what an exciting time for the children! Please see the "Important upcoming dates" section of this blog for more information on the Hallowe'en Parade and Craft Party. Come see our new spooky decorations in the class!
The JKs finished their "colour wheel" pies and had to "read" a colour chart to match up the colour chart words with their colour pie words, i.e. only one colour starts with R (so it must be red), one starts with O (it must be orange), etc. The SKs wrote a little Apple Booklet about features of apples and all the kids made a cute "Who is in the Barn?" booklet, with the JKs reading a colouring the booklet and the SKs reading the booklet, filling in blanks, and drawing accompanying pictures to match the words they read.
We also worked on patterning - ABAB, ABAC, AAB, ABC, ABCD, etc. and they children made patterns with foam stickers and had to read and understand the pattern they made. For the JKs I expected a simple ABAB pattern and for the SKs I expect a more complicated pattern. If you want to work on patterns at home, bingo dabbers are a fun and mess-free way to create patterns (dollar store).
We are also learning about pumpkins and did pumpkin math (counting), pumpkin sequencing, pumpkin ordering (smallest to biggest), and little booklets on how a pumpkin grows. Next week we will make jack-o-lanterns from our little class pumpkins together and will do a little science; we will weigh the pumpkins before and after removing the seeds, will estimate and then count the seeds, talk about the shapes we use to make the jack-o-lantern, etc.
Willem and Jacob from Mrs. Wilson's class read to our morning class and our afternoon class Reading Buddies helped the children read their Farm booklets and our class library Hallowe'en books. The Morning Class will be starting Reading Buddies later this month.
We also wrote in our journals and worked on our Phonics Duotangs as we do each week.
Thanks to the parent volunteers of this week! Reading Club was Dexter's mom and Sienna's mom, Computer Lab was Logan's mom, White bags was Dana's mom and Natasha's mom. Please remember to return your Snuggle Books and Read and Write Mini books (afternoon class will receive the read and write books on Monday) so that your child can receive and read another one. If you can read it, you can write it!
Have a wonderful weekend!
The JKs finished their "colour wheel" pies and had to "read" a colour chart to match up the colour chart words with their colour pie words, i.e. only one colour starts with R (so it must be red), one starts with O (it must be orange), etc. The SKs wrote a little Apple Booklet about features of apples and all the kids made a cute "Who is in the Barn?" booklet, with the JKs reading a colouring the booklet and the SKs reading the booklet, filling in blanks, and drawing accompanying pictures to match the words they read.
We also worked on patterning - ABAB, ABAC, AAB, ABC, ABCD, etc. and they children made patterns with foam stickers and had to read and understand the pattern they made. For the JKs I expected a simple ABAB pattern and for the SKs I expect a more complicated pattern. If you want to work on patterns at home, bingo dabbers are a fun and mess-free way to create patterns (dollar store).
We are also learning about pumpkins and did pumpkin math (counting), pumpkin sequencing, pumpkin ordering (smallest to biggest), and little booklets on how a pumpkin grows. Next week we will make jack-o-lanterns from our little class pumpkins together and will do a little science; we will weigh the pumpkins before and after removing the seeds, will estimate and then count the seeds, talk about the shapes we use to make the jack-o-lantern, etc.
Willem and Jacob from Mrs. Wilson's class read to our morning class and our afternoon class Reading Buddies helped the children read their Farm booklets and our class library Hallowe'en books. The Morning Class will be starting Reading Buddies later this month.
We also wrote in our journals and worked on our Phonics Duotangs as we do each week.
Thanks to the parent volunteers of this week! Reading Club was Dexter's mom and Sienna's mom, Computer Lab was Logan's mom, White bags was Dana's mom and Natasha's mom. Please remember to return your Snuggle Books and Read and Write Mini books (afternoon class will receive the read and write books on Monday) so that your child can receive and read another one. If you can read it, you can write it!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Last week we finished our booklets called "Leaves," learned about life on a farm and what farmers do, read books with our Book Buddies, did our October Calendars, and learned about apples through vocabulary building and graphs about what is made from apples. We also wrote about Thanksgiving in our Journals. We practiced our numbers and have learned/reviewed the first three Jolly Phonics sounds S,A and T. The children also worked on their phonics duotangs.
www.jollyphonics.com
Thank you so much to Sienna's family and Logan's family for craft supplies! We used some of them already to make patterns.
Thank you to Dana's mom and our co-op student Emily for making the "Who is in the Barn?" booklets. We will complete them this week. The JKs will colour and read their booklets, and the SKs will fill in missing word blanks, draw pictures to accompany the words, and read their booklets.
Thanks to Caroline's mom and Victoria's mom for being our Mystery Readers, Logan's mom and Caroline's mom for doing the Friday bags, Charlie's mom for doing Reading Club, and Kai L.'s dad for helping with Computer Lab.
At this month's Sharing Assembly we will recite the poem "If I were a Leaf" and sing the song "Apples." The children receiving certificates for Responsibility will be Clive, Emma, Carson, and Emerson. Good work! We are proud of you!
Have a great week!
www.jollyphonics.com
Thank you so much to Sienna's family and Logan's family for craft supplies! We used some of them already to make patterns.
Thank you to Dana's mom and our co-op student Emily for making the "Who is in the Barn?" booklets. We will complete them this week. The JKs will colour and read their booklets, and the SKs will fill in missing word blanks, draw pictures to accompany the words, and read their booklets.
Thanks to Caroline's mom and Victoria's mom for being our Mystery Readers, Logan's mom and Caroline's mom for doing the Friday bags, Charlie's mom for doing Reading Club, and Kai L.'s dad for helping with Computer Lab.
At this month's Sharing Assembly we will recite the poem "If I were a Leaf" and sing the song "Apples." The children receiving certificates for Responsibility will be Clive, Emma, Carson, and Emerson. Good work! We are proud of you!
Have a great week!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)