Weekly News December 14th
Monday morning we had a concert practice with Miss Mel's class. We impressed Ms. Wood with our singing and how well we remembered the actions! You are all going to be very proud of your little performers! It wasn't raining on Monday so we had a good play in the sandbox and on the upper playground before snack. There were holes dug, castles erected, dragons chased and lots of great imaginative play before we came in to eat. Our work time this week was spent on making patterns. Some people did simple AB patterns and some tried some more complex ones. I brought out some new ways to practice mark-making (with fingers in a cinnamon/salt mixture) and subatizing numbers (being able to KNOW how many are in a set without counting).
Tuesday morning we started with learning choices - patterns or story workshop. It is so lovely to see so many of the students driving their own learning! There are great stories being told and awesome math happening everywhere! We ventured out into the pouring rain on Tuesday. It was fun to estimate which puddle would have more water and to measure it on our boots. Some students had umbrellas and enjoyed seeing what it was like to stand under the roof drain at the front of the school! It was raining so hard that we saw waves on the road so we weren't at all surprised that it was an inside recess day - but we were very happy to have gotten outside for a walk! For learning choices some people elected to work on a stained glass picture using markers and baby oil. They were amazed to see how the oil on the back made the paper translucent and when we get some of them framed in black paper they're going to look awesome! In library Miss Julie read us a story called Elmore which was about a porcupine who has difficulty with making friends. We did our book exchange and then went right to centres when we came back to the classroom.
Wednesday we had a concert practice with Ms. Mousseau's class. There were apparently some challenges with behaviour on the risers but we will have it worked out before the concert next week! Work time was all about using our knowledge of patterns to make a candy cane with coloured paper. We will be continuing to talk about and practice with patterns throughout the remainder of the year, as it is a foundational math skill. The students have indicated that they feel we need a "nap time" at school. They've been practicing and planning for it off and on for a couple of weeks now and it will be worked into our schedule as a daily occurrence after lunch. Ms. Mousseau and I had been discussing the need for a quiet time before centres so it was very interesting to have the students come to the same realization! I am still working out the logistics but if you have a small (crib sized?) blanket that could come to school and stay on their hook for rest time, they would LOVE it! They are currently fighting over the fort-making sheets for nap time blankets. No one has actually fallen asleep yet - but it's been close!
Thursday was fairly uneventful. We coped with the possibility of another inside day by doing some Go Noodle activities to move our bodies in the classroom. Our current favourite is Peanut Butter in a Cup - you can ask your child how it goes! We went to an assembly after snack where Ms. Calverley showed a new Mojo video about how Mojo learned to grow his brain using the power of YET. She also showed us the new outdoor equipment and cart that the PAC purchased for us. It's awesome and we are so excited to get to use it! The rain let up a little just at lunchtime so we did get to go outside after all - although the sandpit and field were closed due to the rain. We had another good nap after lunch - some people chose to read books rather than nap, but everyone was quiet and respectful of those who were resting.
Friday morning we practiced with all the kindergarten (and Miss Mel's grade 1) students. The stage is up and we practiced getting on and off and how to be safe on the risers. Miss Wood was oh-so-impressed with our singing and our great entrance and exit! We will practice again next week so we'll be totally ready for the concert on Thursday. We had a bit of outside time on the upper playground before snack - amazingly it wasn't raining! After lunch, BFF's, and a nap, we had a good long centres time. Just what everyone needed on a Friday afternoon!
I'm still looking for some items to borrow for the show next week - if you have anything that might fit the list (below on the yellow page) I'd probably love to borrow it! Our class costumes will need to be brought to school in a labelled bag so that we can change into them for the dress rehearsal on Wednesday after lunch. Please do not have your child wear their costume to school. Our costume is pj's and snow gear (snowpants, coat, mittens). Please make sure it is all clearly labelled with your child's name.
There was a notice sent home on Friday about the tree decorating we will be doing next Friday (which is also PJ day). See green notice in photos below.
With everything so focused on the performances next week it is unlikely that we will be able to go for a walk before Friday but please make sure your child is dressed appropriately just in case the opportunity presents itself!
NEXT WEEK - December 17th - 21st
Monday -
Tuesday - Library Day - please help your child remember their book
Wednesday - dress rehearsal for the concert
Thursday - Concert day! Performances are at 1:00 and 6:30. (students can be dropped off at the
classroom between 6 and 6:15pm for the evening show)
Friday - Pajama Day!
- Candy Tree Day - please send a small bag of candy suitable for decorating a "tree"
Tuesday morning we started with learning choices - patterns or story workshop. It is so lovely to see so many of the students driving their own learning! There are great stories being told and awesome math happening everywhere! We ventured out into the pouring rain on Tuesday. It was fun to estimate which puddle would have more water and to measure it on our boots. Some students had umbrellas and enjoyed seeing what it was like to stand under the roof drain at the front of the school! It was raining so hard that we saw waves on the road so we weren't at all surprised that it was an inside recess day - but we were very happy to have gotten outside for a walk! For learning choices some people elected to work on a stained glass picture using markers and baby oil. They were amazed to see how the oil on the back made the paper translucent and when we get some of them framed in black paper they're going to look awesome! In library Miss Julie read us a story called Elmore which was about a porcupine who has difficulty with making friends. We did our book exchange and then went right to centres when we came back to the classroom.
Wednesday we had a concert practice with Ms. Mousseau's class. There were apparently some challenges with behaviour on the risers but we will have it worked out before the concert next week! Work time was all about using our knowledge of patterns to make a candy cane with coloured paper. We will be continuing to talk about and practice with patterns throughout the remainder of the year, as it is a foundational math skill. The students have indicated that they feel we need a "nap time" at school. They've been practicing and planning for it off and on for a couple of weeks now and it will be worked into our schedule as a daily occurrence after lunch. Ms. Mousseau and I had been discussing the need for a quiet time before centres so it was very interesting to have the students come to the same realization! I am still working out the logistics but if you have a small (crib sized?) blanket that could come to school and stay on their hook for rest time, they would LOVE it! They are currently fighting over the fort-making sheets for nap time blankets. No one has actually fallen asleep yet - but it's been close!
Thursday was fairly uneventful. We coped with the possibility of another inside day by doing some Go Noodle activities to move our bodies in the classroom. Our current favourite is Peanut Butter in a Cup - you can ask your child how it goes! We went to an assembly after snack where Ms. Calverley showed a new Mojo video about how Mojo learned to grow his brain using the power of YET. She also showed us the new outdoor equipment and cart that the PAC purchased for us. It's awesome and we are so excited to get to use it! The rain let up a little just at lunchtime so we did get to go outside after all - although the sandpit and field were closed due to the rain. We had another good nap after lunch - some people chose to read books rather than nap, but everyone was quiet and respectful of those who were resting.
Friday morning we practiced with all the kindergarten (and Miss Mel's grade 1) students. The stage is up and we practiced getting on and off and how to be safe on the risers. Miss Wood was oh-so-impressed with our singing and our great entrance and exit! We will practice again next week so we'll be totally ready for the concert on Thursday. We had a bit of outside time on the upper playground before snack - amazingly it wasn't raining! After lunch, BFF's, and a nap, we had a good long centres time. Just what everyone needed on a Friday afternoon!
I'm still looking for some items to borrow for the show next week - if you have anything that might fit the list (below on the yellow page) I'd probably love to borrow it! Our class costumes will need to be brought to school in a labelled bag so that we can change into them for the dress rehearsal on Wednesday after lunch. Please do not have your child wear their costume to school. Our costume is pj's and snow gear (snowpants, coat, mittens). Please make sure it is all clearly labelled with your child's name.
There was a notice sent home on Friday about the tree decorating we will be doing next Friday (which is also PJ day). See green notice in photos below.
With everything so focused on the performances next week it is unlikely that we will be able to go for a walk before Friday but please make sure your child is dressed appropriately just in case the opportunity presents itself!
NEXT WEEK - December 17th - 21st
Monday -
Tuesday - Library Day - please help your child remember their book
Wednesday - dress rehearsal for the concert
Thursday - Concert day! Performances are at 1:00 and 6:30. (students can be dropped off at the
classroom between 6 and 6:15pm for the evening show)
Friday - Pajama Day!
- Candy Tree Day - please send a small bag of candy suitable for decorating a "tree"