It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas. ..

...even in the water table! !

New Kindergarten Technology

The Kindergarten division has received a new piece of technology.  It is a starboard, which is an interactive white board.  It uses finger touch technology so today the kids were thrilled to print their name on the board using only their finger! We used the website www.abcya.com which has lots of educational games. We practiced our letter and number order and we had some fun decorating gingerbread houses and Christmas trees.  Our class will have the board every Thursday so we are looking forward to enhancing our learning with technology.   This piece of technology was purchased with funds from last year's dance-a-thon.

Second Sunday of Advent

Yesterday was the second Sunday of Advent.  At school today we lit the second purple candle.  The second candle reminds us to show love and kindness towards each other as  we get ready for Jesus' birthday.

This week

Tuesday December 8th is Joy Day. Please join us at 10:00 am to make Christmas crafts with your child.

Advent Family Mass is Tuesday December 8th at 7PM at Mary Mother of God Church.  Hope to see you there!

Friday December 11th is spirit day! Wear red and\or green or dress like a Christmas tree!

Advent is a Time to wait....

Our kids have made a Nativity scene on our bulletin board outside our class.  We voted and the children chose Happy Birthday Jesus as the sign.  Advent is a time when we wait in anticipation to celebrate Jesus's birthday, so baby Jesus will appear in the manger on Christmas day!

Scholastic Book Order

The Scholastic book order came home today and any orders are due Monday Dec. 7th.  Sorry it is coming home so close to the book fair last week, but I wanted to get orders in and delivered in time for the holidays.

Tree of Light

First Sunday of Advent

Today is the first Sunday of Advent. The first purple candle is lit and it symbolizes "hope" and reminds us that Jesus is coming.

Letter this week is Ee

Advent

This Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent.  We talked about the  seasons of the Church and how during ordinary time we have a green cloth on our prayer table. During Advent we put on a purple cloth because purple is a a colour associated with royalty and Jesus is our King!
Today your child is bringing home an Advent wreath and prayers that you can share as a family during Advent. The wreaths have candles but they don't all have wicks so they aren't really meant to be lit.  It is incredibly hard to find purple birthday  candles  (not sure why that is) so we had to cut the ones we had in half.
Also coming home is an Advent calendar that your child can colour and then place an angel sticker on for each day in December.

Also during Advent we will be sending home an Advent bag with a book, journal and activity for you to share with your family.  It is yours for one night only, please send it back the next day so another child can take it home.

Thank you.

Grocery Store

Our grocery store is a huge hit! Thanks for all the awesome donations.

Week of Nov. 23rd

The letter this week is K.

Our school library is having a Scholastic Book Fair this week so we will not be going to library for a story and book exchange.  This means your child can keep their library book for an extra week if you like.
Information came home on Friday regarding the Book Fair.  Our preview day is Wed. Nov. 25th.  The children get to look at the books that are for sale and then we help them write a wish list for two books that they would like.   We will explain to the kids that their parents may chose to buy only one of the books or they may decide not to purchase any.  It is totally up to you, please do not feel obligated.  It is a great time for a teachable moment with your child; just because they want something, doesn't always mean they will get it.

Friday November 27th is a PA Day, so there is no school for students.

Save the Date
Tuesday Dec. 8th will be our "JOY DAY".  This is a day where we invite parents in to make crafts with their children.  It will take place in the morning. More info will be posted soon.

Last Week

Thanks for taking the time to come in and spend some valuable time with your child in the classroom last week during observations.  They were so excited to see you and proud to take you around their classroom!   Miss Araujo and I enjoyed touching base with you regarding your child's progress.

On Friday afternoon we had our ice cream and movie party, which was a result of our class coming in third for the most money raised at the dance-a-thon.  We had Chapman's mini, peanut-free, ice cream sandwiches and we watched Finding Nemo.

Grocery Store

The movie theatre is closed and we will be opening grocery store in our drama centre.   Please send in empty food boxes, rinsed juice containers, empty yogurt containers etc., so we can stock our shelves.  Please ensure that the empty containers were peanut free food items.  A grocery store allows the children writing opportunities as they make grocery lists, learning their numbers on the cash register, they practice printing their numbers when making prices and it promotes social skills such as turn taking, role playing etc.  If you have re-usable grocery bags we can use those too.  Please label them if you want them returned ( I can't guarantee they will come back in excellent condition, but we will try).

Bus Safety Presentation

Today we went to a presentation about bus safety.  The presenters talked about the "danger zone" around the bus which is 10 feet around the perimeter of the bus.  If you are in the "danger zone", then the bus driver can't see you.  They discussed the proper way to get on and off of the bus and how to sit properly on the bus.  The kids enjoyed the presentation, especially the remote controlled bus that rolled around the gym.  As your child what they remember about the presentation.

Learning From Each Other

We love it when our students share their knowledge with everyone. One of our students printed the numbers from 1-10 in Arabic and brought it in to show everyone.  It created quite a discussion about the similarities and differences between the English numbers and the Arabic numbers.  We learned that in Arabic writing goes from right to left. our students love learning from their peers!  We are all teachers and learners at the same time!

Looking for Lids

Please send in your lids from yogurt,  sour cream,  cream cheese,  margarine containers etc . We need them for a Christmas craft that we will be doing soon.  I know I  can't believe that we are talking about Christmas either!

Next Week's Letter is Cc

Words to review

Each week we introduce a new letter and the children bring in an object and present it for pat time.  Along with this letter we also introduce words for our word wall.  So far this year we have introduced the following words:
a
am
an
and
are
I
is
it
in
no
not
she
said
this
to
the
play
put

Please practice these words at home with your children.  Put the words on cue cards and put them on the stairs  so your child has to say the word as they walk up the stairs.  Help your child find the words in stories that you  read, or make a matching game with the words.  Most importantly, have fun while learning.

Remembrance Day

Today we had a Remembrance Day liturgy in our class.  We sang O Canada and then had a brief prayer service that included a minute of silence to remember those who served in the military in order for us to have such a peaceful country.  The children were amazing,  so reverent and respectful!  You should be very proud of your children.
We have included a picture of our bulletin board that showcases our still life poppy paintings.  A special thanks to Mrs. Liu for creating the art with the kids.

Remembrance Day

We have been talking about Remembrance Day and the meaning of wearing a poppy.  We focus on what peace looks like and how we can be peacemakers.  The children have been very thoughtful, coming up with ideas such as peace is quiet, peace is sharing, peace is loving others.  We read a book today called The Peace  Book which was a simple story about peace. 

Important Dates This Week

Thursday November 12th is photo re-take day.
Friday November 13th is Diabetes Awareness Day- Please wear blue

If you have not returned the bottom portion of the observation note, please do so this week.  Thanks

Next Week's Letter is Nn

Volunteers Needed

If you are interested in volunteering in our classroom, and you have a police check, then please send us a note indicating when you would like to come in.  It can be a weekly commitment or an occasional commitment, whatever works best for you.  However,  we would prefer the assistance in the mornings.
We would like to have volunteers start the week of November 23rd,  after observations.  Any amount of time is appreciated.

Looking for "popcorn "

Our drama centre has become a movie theatre, as voted on by the children.   We have a movie listing and snacks for sale. We have an awesome popcorn machine and we are looking for those Styrofoam packing peanuts to use as popcorn .  If you happen to have any that you no longer need or want, please send them in.

Pizza coupon

All students in the school received a pizza coupon for participating in the dance-a-thon.  
Adriana in our class won the Minion Playdoh pack from the  dance-a-thon prize raffle.  Congratulations!

Movie and ice cream Party

As a result of the generous dance-a-thon pledges from our families,  our class came in 3rd in terms of the most money raised.  Our prize is a movie and ice cream party for our class.  YAY!  The kids are really excited about it.  We will let you know when that is going to take place. Thanks again for your generosity!

Snuggle Up and Read

SK FAMILIES
The blue duotang in  your child's mailbag is their Snuggle Up and Read folder. Each Tuesday and Thursday it will be sent home with a new book. Please have your child read it to you.  Please see inside the cover for reading strategies.  We  have already read this first book together at school so it should be familiar to them.
The JKS Snuggle Up will begin in January.   Please continue to read to your child daily as the love of reading is the best gift you can give them.

This week. ..

Scholastic book order forms came home today. Please return the form by Friday November 6th if you would like to place an order.

Please return your child's reading log for October so that they can receive a certificate.

P is the letter of the week

Dance a thon

Don't forget that tomorrow is the dance- a- thon.  Kids can come in costume, but remember,  no weapons, masks or food treats allowed. We are dancing at 9 :30, please feel free to join us.

Halloween

We have been busy with a variety of Halloween activities.   Below is our bulletin board outside our class that displays a sampling of the kids work. We did some patterning where the kids had to create a two-part or three-part pattern using Halloween stickers.  They made spiders out of egg cartons and pipe cleaners and they made their own monster using various shapes.

The kids voted on the face they wanted for our class pumpkin and today we carved it.  The kids loved feeling the inside of the pumpkin and they came up with many words to describe what they felt.  We also did an activity where the kids had to glue pumpkin seeds to paper and then count them. This was fun for them and it also allowed us to reinforce  1 to 1 correspondence.

We Did It!

Thanks for generous food donations! With everyone's support our class has collected 102 food items! We did it! Great job everyone!

71 and counting. ...

We counted our food items and so far we have 71 food items for our food drive.  Thanks awesome families for your support!  Only 29 more items needed to reach our goal of 100.

Halloween is Coming

Today the children made their own Jack -o -lanterns. They had to draw a pumpkin, cut it out, make a face using a variety of different shapes and then explain what shapes they used and record how many of each shape.  Here is a sample of what they looked like.

Our Favourite Apple

Well it looks like the Golden Delicious was the favourite apple in our class with it receiving 12 votes followed by the Macintosh with 8 and the Granny Smith close behind with 7  votes.  Graphing activities help the children to respond to and pose questions about data collection. It allows us to talk about which number is the biggest or smallest.  We discussed ordinal; which was the first, second and third choice of apples and we looked at number formation.  The children loved tasting the different apples too!

Andrews Scenic Acres

We had a great time at the farm on Friday and the weather was lovely. Thanks to the parents who volunteered for our trip!  Here are a couple photos.

Apples Apples Apples

We have  been talking about apples the last few days so today we did apple tasting.  We  tried Macintosh, Golden Delicious and Granny Smith.  The children came up with words to describe what they were tasting and then we graphed their favourite apple.  At the science table they were able to look at apple seeds and the core and then write about what they were seeing, what they were thinking and what they were wondering about. Stay tuned to find out what the favourite apple was in our class!

SORTING

The children sorted the nature items into three groups: leaves, acorns and pine cones.  They then sorted the leaves into groups by colour and the pine cones into groups by size.   The acorns were counted.  So many math, language and social expectations were met.  This is  learning through play.

Drama Centre and Nature

Our drama centre is being transformed into a farmer's market so we are looking for those paper baskets that you get when you buy Ontario fruits and veggies.  If you have any, please send them in.  Thanks!

We are getting ready for Thanksgiving and doing inquiries about fall. If possible we would love the children to bring in some fall items .....Acorns, pine cones, colourful leaves, milk weed, gourds etc...in fact if each child could bring in 5 items we can add a lovely math component into their learning as the children think of different ways to sort the items.  Thanks so much!

Prayer Table

We talked about our prayer table today and the special items we have on it; a cross, the Bible,  a green cloth for ordinary time, praying hands and a candle as Jesus is the light of the world.  We also read a  book called We are Catholic which talks about our  special connection to God and Jesus. We discussed how  we all belong to God's family. We have added a beaded necklace that includes each child's initial as a reminder that we are all part of God's special family.

Classroom Needs

We are in need of a few items for our class.  If you can help out we would appreciate it.

*tissues (cold season  is already here)
*Lysol wipes
*playdoh
*"found" items for our art station (empty cardboard rolls, old greeting cards, extra buttons, scrap material, anything that you find in the house and are thinking of  throwing away) it is amazing how creative the kids are!

Thanks for your support!

October Home Reading Program

Yesterday your child came home with a reading log for the month of October.  Please read a book together each night and then record the book in the log.  Reading to your child is one of the best gifts you can give them.

It's Okay To Make Mistakes

This is a book we read today by Todd Parker.  We want the kids to understand that making mistakes is o.k. as that is how we learn.   This book was a good way to introduce this idea and talk about  how our class is a safe place to try new things, take risks and not be afraid to try.

Home activities with your child

There are a few things you can do at home with your child that will reinforce what we are doing in school.

1.  Make sure they can identify and print the letters in their first name (JK) and first and last name for SK.

2.  When reading have your child count the words in a sentence.   This helps children understand that letters make up words and words create a message.

3.  Practice the alphabet with your child, focusing on the sounds that the letters make.

4.  Read with your child every day. This is one of the most important things you can do for your child. 

5. Let your  child practice using scissors.   Remind them that their thumb should point to the sky when cutting.

Thanks

Thanks so much for coming out to curriculum night last week.   As mentioned I am posting the benchmarks.  Year 1and Year 2 refers to JK and SK respectively.

Family Photos

Please send in a photo of your family for our Family Tree wall.  I know we took photos of the Jk's and their parents during the interviews, but if you would like to send in another photo that includes all family members, that would be awesome.

Our Library day is every Monday. Please return books each Monday

First Full Week

We had a great first week of school!  The children are settling in and learning the class rules and routines and they are getting to know their classmates.  There has been the occasional tear or "I miss my mommy", but for the most part, the kids are adjusting well.  If they are feeling a little sad, we tell them to put their palm of their hand to their cheek and feel the love of mommy and daddy.  This comes from the book "The Kissing Hand", which we read last week.   At home you can kiss their palm and remind them to put their hand on their cheek if they are missing you!

Last week the kids printed their names and began working on their self-portraits.  We will have them displayed on curriculum night when you come in.

We had two fire drills last week and the children did a beautiful job!  We are required to have 3 in the fall and 3 in the spring, so there will be one more very soon.  We prepared them for it by reading a book about fire drills and then we practiced before the actual drill so that everyone knew what to do.  They were awesome at lining up quietly, walking single file and remaining quiet during the whole drill.  We were very proud of them!

Your child might be talking about how they styled Mrs. Harrison or Miss Araujo's hair this week.  That is because we have changed our drama centre into a hair salon.  The children are loving "washing", "colouring" and "styling" each other's hair.  Don't worry, they don't use actual combs or brushes (lice precaution)  they just pretend.  The drama centre provides your child with the opportunity to learn the following:

• imagination and role playing
• to work cooperatively with peers
• to communicate ideas with others
• to take turns, share and use kind words
• to learn about people in their community
• to nurture and care for others
• to tidy up when finished playing

Looking forward to another great week!

International Dot Day

Today was International Dot Day, a day to celebrate the courage to create and collaborate.  We read the book The Dot by Peter  Reynolds, which is a story that encourages self-expression and artistic experimentation.  As a class we created a dot collage  using sponges, mini-mops and bingo dabbers.  The children had a blast! Who knew making dots could be such fun!

Great Beginning

We had a great first two days last week!  All the children settled in quickly and enjoyed exploring the classroom, meeting new friends and reconnecting with old friends.  We have 28 students this year, 15 SK's and 13 JK's.  Miss Araujo and I can already tell that we have an awesome group of students!  Please make note of some important dates below.  As mentioned in the interviews and the September newsletter, most information pertaining to the class will be posted on the blog, so please bookmark it.

Tues. Sept. 15th:   International Dot Day, wear polka dots if you have them.
Wed. Sept. 16th:   PICTURE DAY
Fri.   Sept. 18th:    Pizza order forms and money due
Mon. Sept. 21st:   Family Package of forms due
Thrus. Sept. 24th: Curriculum Night @ 6:30 pm in the gym, followed by classroom presentations


Reminders:  Please send in an extra set of clean clothes in a labelled Ziploc bag to keep in your child's cubby in case of an accident (bathroom, food or water).
Please send in a pair of indoor shoes that your child can leave in their cubby.  Please remember no laces as children this age cannot tie shoes so it becomes a safety issue.

Thanks so much!

Class schedule

Welcome and Hello

Dear Parents,

We would like to welcome our new families to full day Kindergarten (FDK) and welcome back our returning families!  My name is Nancy Harrison and my teaching partner is Diana Araujo.  Together we will be your child’s educators.  We look forward to getting to know your child as we learn and grow together!

 School times

8:30 am – Free entry- drop your child off at the gate & he/she will be met by the ECE at the gate.

8:45 am – Morning bell

8:50 am - Instruction Starts

3:20 pm - Afternoon Dismissal

 School Absence: If your child is going to be away you must call the safe arrival program at the school and leave a message at 905-257-7102.  If you know in advance that your child will be absent for appointments or vacation, please send a note to school in your child’s mail folder.

End of the Day Dismissal: We must be notified in writing of any changes to a student’s dismissal arrangements.  Dismissal arrangements should be kept as consistent as possible.  This helps eliminate confusion and ensures your child’s safety.

Walkers:  If you are picking up your child at the end of the day, please remain outside the kindergarten playground.  If you are driving you MUST park your car in the parking lot. We will dismiss only to those people that have permission to pick up your child.   Our dismissal gate is the main gate in the kindergarten parking lot.  If it is raining or too hot/cold at dismissal, we will dismiss directly from the classroom.  Please remain outside the side door.

Bus Students:  If your child takes a bus, they will be put on the bus by teaching staff at the end of the day.  Please do not send older siblings to the class to meet your child, they will meet on the bus.

YMCA Students:  If your child attends the YMCA, they will be met by YMCA staff at dismissal.

Mail Bag:  Each child will be given a zippered mail bag to use for the school year.  It will be used for notes that go between home and school.  Please send it to school each day, even if it is empty.

 Class Blog:.   In an effort to be as paperless as possible, most class information will be communicated through the class blog.  We are an environmentally friendly school and are dedicated to being “Stewards of the Earth".  Please bookmark the address and check it often:

http://harrison102.blogspot.ca/

Food for Lunches and Snack: We are a peanut/nut free school. All snacks and lunch items can not contain any peanuts or nuts. Even the slightest traces of peanuts/nuts are not allowed. We have numerous children who have life threatening allergies.  There is a law in Ontario called Sabrina’s Law.  An overview is below.

 “ Act to Protect Anaphylactic Pupils: Sabrina's Law came into force on January 1, 2006, and is the first legislation of its kind anywhere in the world. This law ensures all school boards have policies or procedures in place to address anaphylaxis in schools, which includes providing instruction to staff and guidance on the administration of medication.” Ministry of Education.

Please refrain from sending in look-a-like products such as WOW BUTTER, Sun butter, Golden Pea Butter etc.  These products are almost identical in colour, consistency, smell and taste to peanut butter.  Schools cannot be expected to monitor for student safety when it is impossible to differentiate between these products and peanut butter.  Thanks for your cooperation in this matter.

Every day your child must have one morning snack, one lunch and one afternoon snack.  Please ensure that these lunches are litter-less and all items are in reusable containers or zip-lock bags. Although there is a water fountain in the room you are encouraged to send a reusable water bottle that your child can keep in their lunch bag. Please number your child’s food in the order that they are suppose to eat it. For example, morning snack would be labeled 1, lunch food labeled 2 and afternoon snack labeled 3. This will help your little one eat the proper food at the right time.

 Parent Volunteers: We LOVE having parent volunteers in the class room and on field trips. There are a few things that have to be done in order for this to take place. You MUST have a police check which can be done at the local police station. It usually takes from 3-6 weeks. Once you receive the paper work, please bring it to the front office.  Only then will you be allowed to volunteer in the classroom and go on field trips.  We will begin requesting parent volunteers in October.  This allows us time to establish strong routines.

Backpacks:  Please provide your child with a large backpack.  It must be large enough to carry a large picture book, mailbag and lunch bag.  Your child should be able to open and close the backpack without assistance.

Extra Clothing: Please send in a full set of clothing (shirt, underwear, socks and pull on pants) in a zip-lock bag labeled with your child’s name. Accidents happen and we do not make a big deal about them.  If your child has an accident we will send home the wet clothing and ask that you send in a replacement set of clothing for their cubby the next day.

Indoor Shoes Every child will need to bring a pair of indoor shoes to school.   They must be rubber-soled and Velcro or slip on.  NO LACES PLEASE.  They are to be left in your child’s cubby.

Birthday Celebrations Birthdays are special. We ask that you do not send in any food treats to the class. Every child is given a birthday hat and gets to choose a prize from the birthday box.  We do a beautiful birthday blessing and sing Happy Birthday as a class!

Toys:  All personal toys are to be kept at home.  It is devastating for a child to have a favourite toy lost or broken at school.  Please help us avoid this situation.

 Thank you for entrusting us with your child. If you have any questions or concerns, please call us at the school at 905-257-7102.  We look forward to a wonderful year of faith development, intellectual growth and open communication.

God Bless,

Mrs. Nancy Harrison, OCT

Miss Diana Araujo, ECE