Weekly News September 21st
Thank you all for sharing your lovely children with me! We are starting to get used to our routines now. Most of the students are getting very good at anticipating the next steps and we have started trying to add a little something each day.
Monday morning there were a couple of new invitations out... a sensory bin with letters to examine, some interesting collector spoons to pattern and play with. Most students remembered the right thing to do with their BFF and bag - thank you to those who are remembering to check and sign it every day! It makes a difference for your child to know that you're engaged with their routines. Next month we will begin to practice writing our names in it every day and you'll be amazed to see their growth! In the afternoon we had some grade 7 helpers come to assist in placing our dots on the sea can.
Tuesday was sunshine and lovely! We had a great play outside before snack. Just at the end of our play time we walked through the route we will take for the fire drill. Once we had walked down to the back we decided to go and check out our dots on the sea can. Everyone enjoyed pointing out their dot. During snack we watched a video from Mystery Doug. He answers kids questions and explains the scientific reasons behind whatever the question of the week is. We have now learned about the most dangerous animal in the world and also about why we sweat when After snack our work time was spent tracing our names with markers. Everyone is getting much better at recognizing their names now that they've been practicing them!
Wednesday was another lovely day - though there was some threat of rain. We got a bit of outside time before snack and the sandbox was again the most popular place to play. Work time was focussed on making a mosaic of our names. Some students really took great care in the process while others rushed it a little and had to come back to it and put more directed effort in later. Our centres time was a little shortened to accommodate the 1 hour early dismissal. I spend the early dismissal time starting the process of setting up my online portfolio tool. You can expect an invitation to your child's portfolio on FreshGrade to come to the email you provided within the next week or two. We were very fortunate that the rain held off long enough that we could do the Welcome Back BBQ outside. It was lovely to see those of you who were able to make it - and I'd like to remind you all that I am available to connect with you at your request in person, on the phone or electronically.
The fire drill on Thursday morning went very smoothly. We lined up quickly and (relatively) quietly and made our way down to the meeting place on the field. The alarm was not as scary as some had feared it would be and we were able to come back to choices right away afterwards. Having all of the walking forms returned was awesome because we were able to go for a walk to the park. While we will often go with other classes, this first time it was just us. We talked about important safety rules when we're walking on the sidewalk and when there isn't a sidewalk. We had our snack right away when we got there and then a good play. Having no swings at school means that it's important for us to access the park regularly as swinging and spinning have been proven to be important for the development of sensory integration (the body's ability to organize its experiences with touch, movement, body awareness, sight, sound, and the pull of gravity). On our way back we were able to have a few precious moments on the lower playground before the big kids started coming out for lunch recess. In a few weeks the kindergarten students will begin to spend recess down on the lower playground with the rest of the school.
Friday morning we had Fine Arts with Ms. Wood. She is new to the position and will be doing a number of things with the students over the year. Sometimes it will be music and other times it will be drama or art. After Fine Arts we had some free choices time until snack. While we ate we watched an abc video showing the sign for each letter and giving the sound it makes. We will be building our signing vocabulary over the next few months - we are already making good use of the sign for "toilet" and "sit down". By the time we finished lunch and hit rest, relax, and read time some students were ready to head home! Everyone is tired and ready for the weekend and some are fighting nasty bugs. I hope that the three sleep-ins will help to rejuvenate us all!
Please remember that it takes a lot of emotional and physical energy for 4 and 5 year olds to hold it together all day long at school. They are working hard to follow new routines and meet expectations. They are doing their best to communicate effectively and self-regulate their behaviour. They are doing an amazing job of it! Unfortunately I know that means that by the time they get home they are exhausted and overwhelmed - which falls on you. It will get better. I promise within a few months they will have adjusted and you won't be getting the brunt of their exhaustion nearly as often!
Please note: We still have several students who need a water bottle that can live at school. I will label it with their name and make sure it gets washed out regularly.
Anyone wishing to order from the scholastic book orders should please return the forms by the end of the day on Tuesday. We were a bit late getting these ones out but I am planning for the October catalogues to be sent home in the first week of October.
NEXT WEEK - September 24th - 28th
We will be collecting Toonies for Terry all week
Monday - Non Instructional Day - no school for students (Teachers will be learning at Cow High)
Tuesday - Scholastic book orders are due
Wednesday - There will be a guest teacher as I have an appointment
Thursday - Terry Fox run - we will be starting the run around 10:30. Parents are welcome to join us!
Friday - Orange Shirt Day - students are invited to wear orange in the spirit of reconciliation and hope because every child matters (I will be sharing a developmentally appropriate version of the reason for orange shirt day)
Monday morning there were a couple of new invitations out... a sensory bin with letters to examine, some interesting collector spoons to pattern and play with. Most students remembered the right thing to do with their BFF and bag - thank you to those who are remembering to check and sign it every day! It makes a difference for your child to know that you're engaged with their routines. Next month we will begin to practice writing our names in it every day and you'll be amazed to see their growth! In the afternoon we had some grade 7 helpers come to assist in placing our dots on the sea can.
Tuesday was sunshine and lovely! We had a great play outside before snack. Just at the end of our play time we walked through the route we will take for the fire drill. Once we had walked down to the back we decided to go and check out our dots on the sea can. Everyone enjoyed pointing out their dot. During snack we watched a video from Mystery Doug. He answers kids questions and explains the scientific reasons behind whatever the question of the week is. We have now learned about the most dangerous animal in the world and also about why we sweat when After snack our work time was spent tracing our names with markers. Everyone is getting much better at recognizing their names now that they've been practicing them!
Wednesday was another lovely day - though there was some threat of rain. We got a bit of outside time before snack and the sandbox was again the most popular place to play. Work time was focussed on making a mosaic of our names. Some students really took great care in the process while others rushed it a little and had to come back to it and put more directed effort in later. Our centres time was a little shortened to accommodate the 1 hour early dismissal. I spend the early dismissal time starting the process of setting up my online portfolio tool. You can expect an invitation to your child's portfolio on FreshGrade to come to the email you provided within the next week or two. We were very fortunate that the rain held off long enough that we could do the Welcome Back BBQ outside. It was lovely to see those of you who were able to make it - and I'd like to remind you all that I am available to connect with you at your request in person, on the phone or electronically.
The fire drill on Thursday morning went very smoothly. We lined up quickly and (relatively) quietly and made our way down to the meeting place on the field. The alarm was not as scary as some had feared it would be and we were able to come back to choices right away afterwards. Having all of the walking forms returned was awesome because we were able to go for a walk to the park. While we will often go with other classes, this first time it was just us. We talked about important safety rules when we're walking on the sidewalk and when there isn't a sidewalk. We had our snack right away when we got there and then a good play. Having no swings at school means that it's important for us to access the park regularly as swinging and spinning have been proven to be important for the development of sensory integration (the body's ability to organize its experiences with touch, movement, body awareness, sight, sound, and the pull of gravity). On our way back we were able to have a few precious moments on the lower playground before the big kids started coming out for lunch recess. In a few weeks the kindergarten students will begin to spend recess down on the lower playground with the rest of the school.
Friday morning we had Fine Arts with Ms. Wood. She is new to the position and will be doing a number of things with the students over the year. Sometimes it will be music and other times it will be drama or art. After Fine Arts we had some free choices time until snack. While we ate we watched an abc video showing the sign for each letter and giving the sound it makes. We will be building our signing vocabulary over the next few months - we are already making good use of the sign for "toilet" and "sit down". By the time we finished lunch and hit rest, relax, and read time some students were ready to head home! Everyone is tired and ready for the weekend and some are fighting nasty bugs. I hope that the three sleep-ins will help to rejuvenate us all!
Please remember that it takes a lot of emotional and physical energy for 4 and 5 year olds to hold it together all day long at school. They are working hard to follow new routines and meet expectations. They are doing their best to communicate effectively and self-regulate their behaviour. They are doing an amazing job of it! Unfortunately I know that means that by the time they get home they are exhausted and overwhelmed - which falls on you. It will get better. I promise within a few months they will have adjusted and you won't be getting the brunt of their exhaustion nearly as often!
Please note: We still have several students who need a water bottle that can live at school. I will label it with their name and make sure it gets washed out regularly.
Anyone wishing to order from the scholastic book orders should please return the forms by the end of the day on Tuesday. We were a bit late getting these ones out but I am planning for the October catalogues to be sent home in the first week of October.
NEXT WEEK - September 24th - 28th
We will be collecting Toonies for Terry all week
Monday - Non Instructional Day - no school for students (Teachers will be learning at Cow High)
Tuesday - Scholastic book orders are due
Wednesday - There will be a guest teacher as I have an appointment
Thursday - Terry Fox run - we will be starting the run around 10:30. Parents are welcome to join us!
Friday - Orange Shirt Day - students are invited to wear orange in the spirit of reconciliation and hope because every child matters (I will be sharing a developmentally appropriate version of the reason for orange shirt day)