Update from Ms. R

I would like to wish all the kindergarten families a safe, happy holiday and all the best for the year 2011!

News for December 17

News for December 17

Wow! What a busy week it was...

The children loved the fresh snow and they had fun shuffling and sliding in it, making "snow angels" and packing it into shapes for snowmen and snow forts.

The students experimented with aluminum foil and used it to create decorations for our class holiday tree.

We read Dr. Seuss' famous story, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" a wonderful, rhyming story that expertly teaches that happiness does not come from a store and that it is found in the love of friends and family. Then the class watched the video version, providing an opportunity to discuss the similarities and differences between the book and the video. We also learned the story of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer". As usual, more information on the books read in class can be found at:
http://planet5books.blogspot.com.

The big news of the week was the school's Holiday Concert. The morning and afternoon classes each went to practise on the stage twice before the big night. The morning class also got to watch some of the other classes perform. The children performed perfectly on the stage and it was wonderful to connect with all the families before the holidays.

The students created a simple letter for their families by writing and decorating around a photo of the children working in the classroom.

Three times this week, all the students in the school gathered in the gym to sing holiday songs. One of the favourites was "The 12 Days of Christmas" which we also sang in class.

On Friday, it was "pyjama day" and both classes had a small holiday party. After eating treats and being thankful for all our friends, we said "good bye" to 2010 with wishes for a happy holiday for everyone!

Update from Ms. R

As we approach the last week of school before the winter vacation, I am happy to report that the children have made great progress in taking off and putting on all their winter gear. Please remember to either leave velcro shoes at school or have your child bring shoes each day. If your child does not have shoes, he/she is required to wear his/her boots. The school does not allow children to walk around in sock feet.

Next week we will focus on doing up zippers...

NOTE:

The kindergarten Holiday Concert is on Wednesday, December 15th from 6:00 to 6:45. Please drop off your child in the classroom by 5:45, so you can go and get a seat. Remember to pick up your child after the concert at 6:45.

News for December 10

News for December 10

This week the whole school started the annual "Holiday Mailbox" activity. During the last two weeks before the winter vacation, children are encouraged to write/draw letters to send to other students and to staff members. This is a great opportunity to give students a real reason to write!
The students learned how to make paper chains. Using cut-up pages from magazines and glue sticks, the morning and afternoon classes each made paper chains long enough to make a garland reaching from one end of the classroom to the other.





























The students practised their number sense through several readings of the book "Dinner at the Panda Palace". They also learned that the sum of 1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9+10 = 55. As always, the read aloud books are featured on our companion blog:
http://planet5books.blogspot.com.

The students learned and practised how to write the numbers 1,2 and 3. We also spent some time talking about the concept of place value. That is, helping the children to recognize that the position of the digits effects the value of the number (e.g., 12 is twelve but 21 is twenty-one).

The class practised the three songs they learned for the Holiday Concert on December 15th. First, we will be singing the Hanukkah song, "The Dreidel Song". Next the students will sing and sign, "The Peace Song" using American Sign Language. Finally, the children will sing "Feliz Navidad" in Spanish and English. "Feliz Navidad" means "Merry Christmas" in Spanish. The students also practised how to bow at the end of a performance.

The afternoon class had a chance to go to the gym and see a performance of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer". It was a very funny play!

The students had a opportunity to build with plastic cups. Since the children have previous experience working with these, it was interesting how they used what they learned to make stable and more elaborate structures.

The students learned about a real cat named "Dewey Readmore Books" that lived in a library! Two books were read aloud to the class that were about how the cat came to live in a library and about one of his Christmas adventures. Here is a short movie featuring the real "Dewey":

Update from Ms. R

The class is starting to learn songs for the Kindergarten Holiday Concert. Please plan to attend this special event and watch your son or daughter perform on stage!

Important Dates:

December 15 - Holiday Concert - 6:OO to 6:45 in the gym (please drop off your child in Room 101 at 5:45 and pick them up by 7:00). The grades 1 - 6 concert begins at 7:00.

December 17 - Last day of school for 2010.

January 3 - First day of school for 2011.

News for December 3

News for December 3

We started off this week by learning which hand is the "right" hand and which is the "left" hand. You probably noticed that your child often had a "happy face" stamp on his/her right hand. This was used as a visual clue for the children. We also learned a song to help remember that we use the right hand to shake hands with someone. Here are the words to the song that you can read or sing with your child:

Give them your right hand,

Look them in the eye,

Put a smile on you face,

Then you say "hi" (repeat once)

The students explored 10 alphabet treasure boxes this week. These are containers that hold small objects with names that begin with a particular letter sound. For example, two of the items in the "Dd" box were a small plastic dolphin and a toy drum.

The children used glue and tissue paper to create collages. They experimented with tearing, scrunching and overlapping the coloured tissue.

We focused on the letters U, V and W this week. The children practised the songs, sounds and shapes. We also reviewed the letters and sounds the class has learned so far (13...halfway through the alphabet).

The class discussed the different ways to tell a story. The students talked about how a story can be told through words (orally), through print (reading), through video and through song. We "watched" the story of Frosty the Snowman on DVD and talked about how the video was like a story in a book. Next, we read the story of Frosty as a read aloud book and then realized that the words were actually the lyrics to the song! The children had fun stomping their feet to:

Thumpty, thump, thump,

Thumpty, thump, thump,

Look at Frosty go!

Thumpty, thump, thump,

Thumpty, thump, thump,

Over the hills of snow!

The students had a drawing lesson on how to draw a snowman. After learning the basics and how to look at a snowman to help our brains decide how to draw it (for example, how his head looks like a circle; his scarf like a rectangle), we used our stuffed snowman as a model.

The class began to talk about the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. We read a story about how families celebrate this holiday and began to learn the "dreidel song" (a dreidel is a spinning top with Hebrew letters on the sides).

As always, more information about the books (and DVD) we read this week, can be found at our companion blog at:

http://planet5books.blogspot.com/

Update from Ms. R

The cold weather is here! With that Room 101 has some notes for parents:

* Have velcro shoes for your child to wear at school. These are easy for your child to take on/off independently. These shoes can be kept in your child's cubbie for the duration of the cold weather.

* Please have mittens that your child can take off/on independently. Gloves are tricky as many students lack the dexerity to put gloves on, as are mittens with very tight elastic at the wrist.

* Mittens get lost very easily! Having mitten clips that attach to coat sleeves or mittens on a string that are threaded through the sleeves help keep the mittens with your child's coat.

* Please put your child's name on ALL clothing (mittens, coats, boots, hats). A permanent marker works very well. Even initials are helpful...

As I have said before, I am often alone helping children to get clothing on and off. With 21 children in the morning and 19 in the afternoon, I hope you can see that the above tips will not only make my job easier, but also help your child to feel more independent. Thanks for listening!

News for November 26

News for November 26

This week the students learned how to draw a person. They used what they know about printing capital letters (big line, little line, big curve, little curve) to create "Mat Man". They learned a song about body parts and what the parts are for. Using clipboards and singing the song, the class drew a whole group of "Mat Man" drawings. They also could use the pieces to make the Mat Man figure independently. The words to the song were sent home with students on Friday to practise reading the words at home. This exercise helps students develop their ability to draw people. A video of what the students did can be found at the end of this posting.

The students had an opportunity to write their own little books. Children love to take the little books and write and draw on the blank pages. This reinforces concepts of print and helping the students see themselves as writers and artists.

Students painted using tempera blocks this week. It was wonderful to hear the children talking about what they have learned about colours and colour mixing as they painted. They mixed two of the primary colours (red, yellow, blue) to get secondary colours (orange, green, purple). Some even used what they learned from the "Colour Kittens" book read aloud this week, the fact that when all the colours are mixed together, you get brown. These paintings are now decorating our classroom.

The students are enjoying using their personal clipboards to write and draw during centre time. I've included a photo this week of students using their clipboards in the big blocks centre to create an office.

The children experimented with bead stringing, new wooden puzzles, wood pieces and mixing white playdoh with coloured playdoh.

We learned the names, sounds, shapes and songs for the letters U and V.

Update from Ms. R

A great big THANK YOU to all the families that came by Room 101 this week to meet with me. I had a wonderful time talking about all the great things that your daughters and sons do in our classroom.

Multicultural Night will be held on November 25 from 5:30 to 7:00. It is a potluck dinner, where families each bring a food dish to share. A letter about this event was sent home this week.

News for November 18

News for November 18

We only had 4 days together this week but that never stops the students in Room 101!

We continue to talk about colours. The students worked with playdoh to review the primary colours: red, blue and yellow. They had the opportunity to make the secondary colours: orange, green and purple. It was wonderful to see the faces of the children as they each mixed together two colours to make a brand new colour. We learned:

red + yellow = orange

yellow + blue = green

blue + red = purple

The students put their colours on a piece of cardboard to dry.

The children used glue sticks to glue coloured squares on yellow paper. Some made pictures with the squares (e.g., a flower, a calendar) and some made repeating patterns.

We read two books about animals and colours. In one story an elephant (and in the other story, a chameleon) uses colour to change his appearance but learns that he is happier being just the way he is. Details of the books we read each week can be found on our class books blog at:

http://planet5books.blogspot.com/

The afternoon class said a heartfelt "good bye" to the special needs assistant, Denise. Denise was a great help to all the students in the class. We made a big thank you card for her and we will miss her.

The students learned the songs and sounds of the letters H and L. The children focused on alphabet puzzles to review letter names and matching capital and lower case letters.

The class talked about why it is important to brush your teeth twice a day. We learned a new song, "You Brush Your Teeth" which also reviews counting to 10 using your fingers.

...What did Ms. R hide in the container of playdoh?

Update from Ms. R

Report cards for the senior kindergarten students go home on Monday. Interviews for all parents are scheduled for this week. A confirmation of the date and time of your interview will be sent home on Monday. Please wait outside Room 101. I will try my best to stay on schedule!

Important Dates:

November 15 - Report cards for senior kindergarten students go home.
November 16 to 19 - Parent/teacher interviews
November 19 - P. A. Day - no classes on this day
November 25 - Multicultural Night (details to follow)
November 30 - school photo re-takes
December 15 - Holiday Concert (Kindergarten, 6:00 to 6:45; Grades 1-6, 7:00 to 8:00)
December 20 to January 2 - Winter Holidays

News for November 12

News for November 12

This week the classes talked about peace as part of our discussion of Remembrance Day. The students learned about the poppy flower as a symbol for this day and how it says "peace" without using words. We read "The Peace Book" that reminded us that peace comes in many forms. Kindness to others, thinking about loved ones and sharing, are all ways of peaceful living. The children also learned a song called "Deep Peace" and practised the American sign language signs that go along with the lyrics:

Deep peace of the running waves to you,
Deep peace of the shining stars to you,
Deep peace of the flowing wind to you,
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.

We started a unit on colours this week. The children used what they know about colour to help them practise the math concept of "sorting" as well as the words "same" and "different". The students sorted all different kinds of objects by colour. We also started to write our class book for November based on colours. Their favourite colours were written on chart paper and then each student practised "touch reading" (touching the words as he/she says them) his/her sentence.

The students practiced the capital letters M and N. Junior students used the magnet boards and the senior students wrote in their workbooks. We also started to talk about the capital letter H.

The classes worked hard to create new name cards. We use these name cards as an attendance activity at the beginning of the day. The children practised their capital letters and keeping the letters the same size.

As always, the details of the books we read together this week can be found at:

http://planet5books.blogspot.com




This is a photo of our gym teacher, Mr. Hinrichsen, helping students put gym equipment away.








Here is a video of students feeding our pet fish, Alpha, Beta and George:

Update from Ms. R

Parent/Teacher interview request forms were sent home this week. Please make your 1st, 2nd, 3rd choices and return the completed form as soon as possible.

Please read the "Grey Squirrel" poem/song with your child. This was sent home on Friday.

The Global TV date for PM students is now on Monday, November 8 from 6:00 to 7:00 PM.

Important Dates:

November 11 - Remembrance Day
November 15 - Report Cards go home (SK students only)
November 16, 17, 18, 19 - Parent/Teacher interviews (all students)
November 19 - P.A. Day - no school on this day
December 20 to January 2 - Winter Holidays

News for November 5

News for November 5

This week the classes talked a lot about squirrels and acorns.

The students learned the poem/song "Grey Squirrel". A copy of the words to this song were sent home on Friday. Please read this poem with your child and point to the words as your child sings them.

The read aloud books focussed on squirrels. We read two adventures of "Earl the Squirrel", read about animal homes and a funny book, "Scaredy Squirrel". As always, the details of these books can be found at our companion blog:
http://planet5books.blogspot.com/

In math, the children continued to talk about repeating patterns. The students made "trains" out of unifix cubes. We sorted them using the words "same" and "different". The class also used plastic animals and geometric pattern blocks to explore making patterns. We are working on understanding what is a pattern and answering the question, "What comes next?"

In science, we talked about the different types of squirrels: ground squirrels, flying squirrels and tree squirrels (these are the type we see in our neighbourhood). The students examined acorns and leaves from oak trees, using magnifying glasses. We talked about how squirrels gather and store acorns (they stuff them in their cheeks, and burying them to store them) and how they use their razor-sharp teeth to eat the acorns. Each student took home and acorn to keep as a treasure.

The children learned the songs for and how to write the capital letters, R and N.

The students had a chance to try finger-painting this week. We talked about using their hands and fingers as tools to spread and make pictures in the paint. These will be part of our new display in the hallway outside our classroom.

Global Update

I received an email today saying that the Global TV segment featuring students from the PM class will be aired on Monday, November 8 sometime between 6:00 and 7:00.

Update from Ms. R

It 's been a busy week! With a field trip to the farm and Halloween activities, there was a lot going on in Room 101.

On Friday, a copy of the "5 Little Pumpkins" poem was sent home. Your child already knows the words. Please sit down and read the poem with your child and point to the words as he/she says them. This is great practise for sight word recognition and one-to-one correspondence of spoken words to written words.

I wish all of our families a safe and happy Halloween!

Important Dates:

November 11 - Remembrance Day
November 15 - Report cards go home (senior kindergarten only)
Week of November 15 - Parent/Teacher interviews for all kindergarten students
November 19 - P.A. Day - no classes on this day

News for October 29

News for October 29

This week, the students focused on talking about our farm trip and learning about Halloween.

Almost one hundred kindergarten students from our school went to the farm. We saw lots of animals, learned about how pumpkins grow, harvested vegetables directly from the field, walked through a corn maze and had a hayride on a trailer pulled by a tractor. It was a busy day! A video of some photos from our trip can be found at the end of this posting.

The students learned the letter/sound/action for the letter B. They also practised making the letter with wood pieces and using the magnet boards.

The senior kindergarten students began using their printing workbooks this week. The students are required to use the proper pencil grip and writing the letters from the top. We learned a song, "Where do you start your letters? At the top!" to help the children remember.

The students experimented with using different materials to create patterns. Plastic teddy bears and unifix cubes were used to make various repeating patterns.

Two new centres this week were the water table (where children experiment with different containers, scooping and pouring water) and sewing cards (where the students exercise the small muscles in their fingers and pracise eye-hand coordination).

The class practised the poem "5 Little Pumpkins" using the pumpkins puppets they made. A copy of the poem was sent home for your child to read with you.

On Friday, there was a Halloween parade in the morning and the afternoon for the students to not only show off their costumes but also see the costumes of the other students in our school. We had a class party where the children frosted and decorated cupcakes.

The read aloud books for this week are listed at our companion blog at:
http://planet5books.blogspot.com/

Global News Update

The planned air date for the Global TV segment for the afternoon class is:

Wednesday, November 3 between 6:00 and 7:00 PM.

The segment will be between 2 and 3 minutes long.

Update from Ms. R

The students are starting to wear their cold weather clothing. Please make it easy to find misplaced items by writing your child's name on all clothing, shoes and boots with a permanent marker. Often children may have the same style of boots, for example, and the only way to see to whom the boots belong is to look inside for the name. Thank you for your help in this matter.

Important Dates:

October 27 - Parent Council Movie Afternoon in the gym from 3:30 to 5:00
October 28 - Trip to Round the Bend Farm - morning and afternoon classes - 8:30 to 1:30
October 29 - Halloween Parade and in-class Halloween celebration
October 29 - Lice Check (notice sent home this week)
November 15 - Report Cards for senior kindergarten students sent home
November 19 - P.A. Day - parent interviews - no school on this day

News for October 22

News for October 22

This week the morning and afternoon classes each had a special event. The morning class went to the gym to see a play called, "The Crab Prince", based on an Italian fairy tale. The afternoon class was visited by the Global TV crew. They filmed the students singing the "Falling Leaves" song and looking at leaves with magnifying glasses. (The tentative air date is October 27. I will post the date/time when I am told.)

The letters for this week were "D" and "P". The students learned the songs to help them remember the sounds that these letters make and used the wood pieces and chalkboards to create these letters.

The class talks about patterns everyday when we do the pattern on our calendar. The pattern for October is pumpkin-leaf-cat. Students began to do patterns on their own using unifix cubes. The children are getting very good at answering the question, "What comes next?" Some students in the afternoon class decided to take the cubes and make a tower. When it got too big, they asked if they could put it along the ground. They made a tower using all the cubes! A video showing this can be seen at the end of this posting.

The students had a chance to make large drawings on the ground outside using big pieces of chalk.

The children finished their class books for October. "Thanks for..." was made by having each child think about what they are thankful for in the world. These words were typed and the students glued the words, his/her photo and made a drawing to go with it. The details of this book and the other read aloud books can be found at our companion blog at:

http://planet5books.blogspot.com/.

The class had a lot of fun investigating the different ways to stack plastic cups. Some students chose to work alone and others worked as a team. Some children stacked them so that the tower was taller than they were!
After rereading the book, "Mud Puddle", the students showed their understanding of the story structure by acting out the story.

The class learned a new poem this week called, "Five Little Pumpkins". They also learned the actions to do when reciting the poem.

The children each made a pumpkin puppet this week. They used the skills they have been practising like, using a glue stick and using scissors, to help them do this craft.

Update from Ms. R

Thanks to all the parents for being a great part of Room 101's Borrow-A-Book program! Reading to your child every day is one of the best things you can do at home to help your child's literacy development. Please return the book everyday and keep the reading log chart paper in the bag.
Many of the children have asked to take home the books I read aloud in class. These books are a part of our program and we need them to stay in the classroom so we can refer back to them to make connections in our learning. Please go to our companion blog at http://planet5books.blogspot.com/ to see these titles. You can use this information, if you wish to borrow these books from the public library or to buy them. Remember buying them through this site makes a bit of money for our class budget.

Notes:

1. Please remember our school snack program does not include Friday. I still provide crackers on the snack table, but you may wish to send a healthy snack with your child on Fridays.
2. The Global News TV crew will come to our class on Tuesday, October 19 in the afternoon. If you want your child to participate please complete and return the media release form (sent home on Friday afternoon).
3. The permission forms for the class trip to Round the Bend Farm were sent home this week. Please return the completed forms (along with $5.00) as soon as possible.

News for October 15

News for this (short) week.

The class talked a lot about trees and leaves this week. The students collected leaves and looked that them with magnifying glasses. We raked the leaves into a big pile and jumped into the pile! We read books about why trees are important to the world and learned a song about how leaves fall in autumn. A video of this song can be found at the end of this posting.

We started Room 101 handwriting/phonics program this week by learning the capital letters F and E. Through using hands-on manipulatives, songs and gestures the children can now recognize the letters, write the letters and "read" the sounds of the letters.

The classes finished the "Thanks for" community books this week. Their words will be typed and put into book form and put into the reading corner.

Each student created a new colourful drawing for the class "October" bulletin board. The students are now telling more detailed stories about their artwork.
Another new song for this week was "And the Green Grass Grew All Around". It is a song with a growing pattern of details based on the structure of a tree.














As ususal, the details of the books read aloud this week can be found at our companion blog at:
http://planet5books.blogspot.com.

Update from Ms. R

Well, I must apologize for my absences at the end of this week. I have a very bad cold that resulted in my having a sinus infection and losing my voice! Having a cold is one thing, but not being able to talk so I can do my job is quite another. I hope to be back on Tuesday.

I would like to wish all the families of Room 101 a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

Note: QSP magazine fundraising started this week. Your participation helps to raise money for school activities. Information envelopes were sent home on Monday.

News for October 8

News for October 8

This week the morning students went to their first assembly in the gym. It was to launch the school's QSP fundraising event. The selling of magazine subscriptions helps to raise money for our school.

Every child had instruction at the "teacher table" this week on how to properly (and safely) use scissors.

Students exercised the small muscles in their hands by using their "pinchy fingers" (the thumb and pointer fingers) to manipulate and count coloured pom poms.

We continued to talk about fall and the changes that happen outside during this season. We now have a tree of our own inside the class that we will cover with leaves in the fall colours. We also learned about the holiday of Thanksgiving. We began to create a new class book, "Thanks for..." by writing down what each student is thankful for this time of year.

We practised our new song about popcorn and one about swimming.

I've included a photo of my pet cat "Iggy" sitting in my teacher basket. This is where the students put their name cards at the beginning of the day, as well as, any papers from home that are for me.

As always, to read more about the books we read together this week, please visit our book blog at:

http://planet5books.blogspot.com/

Update from Ms. R

After 19 days of being friends together in Room 101, the children have settled into routines, learned the names of their classmates and managed to move (fairly reliably) through the school walking in a line. I am also happy to report that most students are now able to put on their coats by themselves. Everyday I am lucky to see the faces of children as they do something for the first time and say, "I did it myself!"

Library Books

We visit the library once a week. The students began their book exchange this week. Students must return their books in order to take out a new book. The morning class goes to the library on Day 3 (this week that was Thursday) and the afternoon class goes on Day 5 (this week that was Monday).

School Snack Program

Our School Snack Program begins on October 12. Students need to sign up for this program to participate. Forms were sent home this week.

Important Dates:

October 11 - Thanksgiving Day holiday
October 19 - Trees For Life Canada/Global TV visit - details to follow
October 28 - Visit to Round the Bend Farm - details to follow
October 29 - Halloween parade

News for October 1

News for October 1

Room 101 was a busy place as usual this week!

On Monday, our school participated in the annual Terry Fox Run. In the morning, the children met out in the field and the kindergarten students ran around the track. In the afternoon, we had the field all to ourselves as we ran around the track.

My friend, Joan came to visit the class this week to talk to the children about American Sign Language and to teach the children how to do the signs for our national anthem, "Oh Canada". A video of Joan signing the national anthem can be found at the end of this posting.
The children went to the gym this week to get their photos taken. We also had a class photo taken. The proofs will be sent home to families in 1-2 weeks.

The students, in addition to our regular activities, had a chance to assemble wood puzzles with geometric shapes, string wooden beads and play a math matching card game (matching numerals to repeated drawings of the same number). The children know that one of the reasons to go to try these activities is to exercise the small muscles in their fingers (necessary for fine-motor development).

The students are showing great creativity as they cooperate in group play. A boat and a jet plane were built in the "big blocks" centre this week. Some children decided to use materials from the "house centre" to create a picnic.

As a link to the read aloud book, "One Watermelon Seed", we studied popcorn. The students had a chance to look at a real cob of corn, dried popcorn kernels and, of course, we popped some popcorn. We also had a wonderful time as we sat down together to share the snack. Some comments heard were:

"I can smell the popcorn!"

"I can hear the popcorn popping."

"It tastes so good."

"Ms. R, can we do this again?"

As always, details of the books we read together can be found at our companion blog:

http://planet5books.blogspot.com/

Here is Joan signing "Oh Canada":

Update from Ms. R

It was wonderful meeting all the families on Thursday night. The BBQ and Curriculum Night was a great success! If you are able, donations of kleenex, hand sanitizer, napkins, crackers and/or donations to the class budget would be greatly appreciated.

A Note About Birthdays

We love to celebrate birthdays in Room 101! If your child is celebrating a birthday, please make sure to send enough treats for everyone in the class (AM= 21 students; PM = 19 students). Having muffins, cookies or cupcakes, as well as, napkins makes serving everyone much easier. If your child celebrates a birthday during the summer months, we will celebrate these birthdays in the month of June.

Important Dates:

September 27 - Terry Fox Run (9:30 AM and 1:45 PM)
September 29 - Photo Day
October 28 - Kindergarten Trip to Around the Bend Farm (details to follow)

News for September 24

News for September 24

This week the students reviewed the story "Swimmy" by Leo Lionni and created an art response to reflect the message in the story. Every student made a small, red fish
and these were put together to make a large fish with the main character, Swimmy the fish as the "eye" of the big fish, just like in the book. We learned that we can do anything if we work together.

Every student drew a picture to go on the class bulletin board for September. There is a separate display for the morning (AM)/afternoon (PM) classes. This display will change monthly.

Each class made a book based on the book, "Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?". The students made one page each to contribute to the book. They wrote their names and taped down a photo to complete each page. The class book, "Kindergarten, kindergarten, what do you see?" was read aloud and has become a favourite book choice in the reading corner. To read more about this book, and the other books featured this week at our companion blog http://planet5books.blogspot.com/.

The children played with letter magnets, playdoh extruders and "life skill" boards, where they practiced tying shoelaces, zipping zippers, buttoning buttons, snapping snaps and fastening buckles.

We also learned a new song, "Swimming, Swimming, In the Swimming Pool" where, as the song progresses, the actions are done with fewer and fewer words sung.

The students are now getting to know the names of everyone in the class. We played the "Name Game" (a rolling ball game).

Update from Ms. R

Many families still need to complete and return the information forms handed out last week. Thanks to all the families that have already handed these completed forms in.

* Remember, Thursday, September 23 is our school's Welcome Back BBQ and Curriculum night!
This week, forms were sent home to order food. You MUST order food in advance. This way the planning committee orders only what is needed and there is no waste. Please remember to send in your forms to avoid disappointment.

A request from Ms. R As the weather changes and your child will be wearing boots to school, please plan to have a pair of shoes to leave at school. (Students are not allowed to walk in sock feet at school). Please have velcro shoes. Please. Often I am alone when the children arrive and it is difficult to stop to do up 20 pairs of shoelaces! Thanks for your understanding.

News for September 17

News for September 17

The children have settled in nicely to the routines of Room 101 as we finished our 9th day of being friends together.

There were some new centres open this week. The sand table is always a favourite with students. Scooping and pouring sand with different utensils is a great way for children to study cause and effect.

A new toy called "Straws and Connectors" was a big hit. Students worked individually and in groups to create amazing structures, as they experimented with different ways to connect the straws together.

The children did a fine motor art activity as they glued coloured paper shapes on construction paper.

I had a chance to conference with each child to talk to them about counting. They each had an opportunity to orally count as high as they could. Then I looked at their grasp of 1:1 correspondence as they counted small wooden blocks.

By now, half of the students in each class has had the chance to be "star student". In the daily message the class helps me sound out the words and figure out what letters should be written down. We are concentrating on the first sounds in words.

The class learned some new songs this week. "Bingo", "Clap Your Hands Together" and a new favourite, "Slippery Fish". We also played an indoor rolling ball game to help us learn all the names of the students.

During out outdoor play time, the students played with balls and hula hoops. Many students made up their own games. One clever one was to have several students hold up hoops in a row, while another student tries to throw a ball through all the hoops.

We had a fire drill this week and all of our practising paid off! The students left the classroom in a quick and orderly fashion to find our special spot of the field.

Remember to learn about the books we read together this week at our companion blog:

http://planet5books.blogspot.com/.

Update from Ms. R

Well, it's been a great week in kindergarten! Meeting and getting to know the students has been a lot of fun. I will be posting photos and the news every week. I usually post the photos on Friday evening and finish writing the post on Saturday.

Please remember to complete the student information package forms and return them as soon as possible.

Important Dates:

Sept. 23 - Welcome Back BBQ and Curriculum Night (5:30 -7:30)
Oct. 11 - Thanksgiving Day - no classes on this day

News for September 10

News for September 10

Well, the first week of school is over. The children were very quick to learn the rules and routines of the classroom and have settled in nicely.

We have three fish as our class pets. The orange golf ball goldfish is named "Alpha", the white/orange/black shubunkin goldfish is named "Beta" and the algae-eater (or plecosaurus) is named "George".

The students learned our "Hello" song, "Good bye" song and a song to learn the days of the week. In math, we had fun reviewing counting forward and backward to five through songs and fingerplay poems ("One Little Jellybean" and "Five Little Monkeys").

Each day, we write a daily message together and read and reread the sentences. This month we search for letters that match the first letter of the star student's name. The star student then takes home the daily message to read with his/her family.

The children got used to the idea of going to centres in our classroom. That is, they have a free choice time to participate in various activities. This week they played in the house centre, reading corner, big blocks, drama/dress-up, snack table, puzzles, play-doh and art table. At the art table the students experimented with crayons, markers, pencil crayons and chalk.

Every day one student is chosen to be the "star student" for the day. This child is the line leader and my helper for the day. Every child gets a chance to be the star student on a rotating basis. Right now, we are working on putting the star students names on our class word wall.

A book is read aloud to the students everyday. If you would like to see which books we read every week, along with my comments, please visit our companion blog at:

http://planet5books.blogspot.com/

Try to visit the site with your child and have him/her talk to you about the stories we read together every week.