Our last day was really busy.  Several older students helped us with a variety of activities including the following crafts: tambourines, crowns, and seahorses.

It’s been a great year.  Thanks to all the families for their ongoing support.  I wish everyone a safe, happy, and healthy summer!

It’s the last week and I can’t believe it’s already here.  The children have all worked very hard to make this a successful school year and I”m proud of each one of them!

Thanks to all the parents for their ongoing support both in the classroom and in the home environment where you reinforce our school lessons. 

I will miss all my SKs but wish them well in Grade one.  I am looking forward to another year with all my JK students.  I hope everyone has a safe and happy summer holiday!  

This is the week we are hoping to set up a store in our kitchen centre to complement our money unit in math.  Please continue to send in empty boxes/packages of food items.  We will also gladly take gently used but clean wallets or purses if you have any you are willing to donate.  Thanks. 

June is finally here although it doesn’t feel like it.  I am happy to see that everyone has been wearing the proper shoes for both inside and outside. 

We are continuing with our insect unit in Science and will look at Animals under the Sea and Summer Safety (RiskWatch program - bike helmets/water safety, etc.). 

In math we are looking at simple addition/subtraction, sequencing and money.  To complement the money unit, I would like to set up a play store in our kitchen centre so please send in any empty and clean packaging (ie. cereal boxes, cracker boxes, and so forth) starting on Monday of next week.  Also, if you have any old wallets, purses, toy money or toy cash registers that you are able to donate, please send them with your child. Thanks. 

In Language, we are reviewing the 6 styles of writing (listed in the Writing section of this website) and focussing on some basic structures (capitals- only at beginning of a sentence or in a name, and basic punctuation).  Please if you have any commercial samples of the styles of writing send them to our class so we can build a collection (ie. advertisements are persuasive writing, recipes are procedural writing, etc.).  I will let students who bring in samples glue them in a class journal with their name.  Senior students (and a few Jks) are learning  consonant blends (bl, pl, ph (f sound), st, wh, th) and vowel blends (ai, ie, oa, oo, ie,ee, etc). The children are learning how vowel blends often make the long sound (the vowel says its name) of the first vowel in the blend (ie. ai -pain, it’s a long a sound; pie -it’s a long i sound, sheep - it’s a long e sound; boat - it’s a long o sound).   SKs are also building their sight vocabulary words to help develop these at home please refer to the “Sight Words” page of this website.  Many of the JKs continue to work on the a-z alphabet sounds, please play games at home that help your child learn the sounds (ie. “what’s a word that starts with “b”? - website activities: http://www.dltk-teach.com/minibooks/index.htm or http://www.mes-english.com/worksheets/phonics.php).   All the students continue to practise breaking words apart by sound (ie. cat - “c” “a” “t”), we do this on our arm, tapping once for each sound.   “Chunking” words is another concept we are learning - www.starfall.com has a great video that explains this concept and gives examples.

 In  physical education and the arts we are doing a variety of activities including making some simple tambourines. 

For personal and social activities we are really focussing on the 10 character attributes (listed in the Classroom Environment & Student Roles section of this website).  I am using the vocabulary on a regular basis to familiarize them with positive examples of the behaviour and it’s working successfully.  This month we’re focussing on co-operation & inclusiveness. We continue to reinforce our previously stessed attributes as well.  Please try and use these words at home as well.  All of them have gotten a fish and they deserve them!

The class is no longer able to check out library books.  Our book in a bag program and homework booklet program are finished for the year as well.  If your child would like to continue with those types of items, keep reviewing the word lists you currently have or many of the dollarstores and websites ( http://www.first-school.ws/theme/alphabet.htm & see the Website Links section of this website for my ideas); have lots of great activities to enhance these skills.  Please email or write down and let me know any other great language or math websites that you discover, it’s amazing what you can find with google…….and sharing benefits all of us!  The public library also runs some wonderful and age appropriate programs for the children including a summer reading program which gives small rewards (stickers, bookmarks, etc.). 

Congratulations to the class, we read 100 books between March and May!!!! Scholastic will be sending us a  certificate to post in our classroom, the company donated 100 books to a school in need and the students each received a paper bookmark.

Today, most of the students coloured a story mat.  They had to tell a story with a beginning, middle and end using toy dinosaurs.  Once they successfully told a story, they got to keep 1 of the dinosaurs that I specifically bought for this purpose.  Please practice retelling stories using the mat at home.   In the middle of the story, some type of action or activity must occur.

The library is closed for the next 2 weeks to keep things quiet for EQAO. Unfortunately, the students won’t get to check out new books during this time.  The librarian needs all the books back so they can be repaired, sorted and placed back on the shelves before summer break.  

On Wed. May 20th students are encouraged to bring in a rock.  We will be using these rocks for our math unit on measurement.  We will sort the rocks, weigh them and then decorate them.   Please send in any craft items (buttons, pom-poms, googly eyes, etc.) that you are willing to donate.  Thanks.

Wed. May 20th is also Sport Team spirit day.  Wear any sport team clothing, including hats to get student council house points for your team. 

 June book orders are due May 27th. 

Today your child is bringing home his/her math folder.  Please take the time to review all the work your child has done over the year.  These folders can stay at home.

Next week your child will bring home a reading folder.  Please take the time to review the work and continue to allow your child to practice reading the items in the folder for review.  Keep the folder at home and read the mini booklets over the next few weeks and during the summer for reading practice.

The following week your child will bring home his/her general work folder, again, review it and keep it at home. 

The nice weather is here but it is very important for the children to have the proper shoes.  Shoes that have support are required  both indoors and outdoors for safety reasons. 

Indoor shoes must be running shoes that can be used in the gym.

  Outdoor shoes need to have support on them (ie. they can be a sandal with straps around your child’s foot).   These are school mandated for safety reasons.  Children wearing flip-flops will not be allowed to play on the equipment -they will be allowed outside but will be limited in their choice of activities. 

To prepare the SK students for next year, they will be sent onto the big yard with the Grades 1-4.  This will start after the Victoria Day Holidays.  The first day for our SK students will be Wed. May 2oth.  The JK students will remain on the Kindergarten yard during this time.

May 6 - May book orders are due.  Our class will also be participating in the Jump Rope for Heart Event.  Please return all envelopes to school.  Parents are welcome to come from 1:45 -3pm to help cut and distribute popsicles for the classes.  You can also walk around with our class and watch the kids participate in the activities.  Anyone available to help out from 8:30- 11am can also help count money so students get their prizes sooner.