Holiday Greetings

                                                                                              

 I hope you have a wonderful holiday

 and have the opportunity to enjoy the season with family and friends.

Merry Christmas!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh What Fun!

Thanks for coming in to the classroom for a visit yesterday! I hope you were able to see your child well enough....our room is small and cozy but not all that great for large crowds! Despite our nerves the children did a really great job.

Thanks again for coming!

Soakers!

With all the freezing, melting, wet snow, and rain.....our yard is in chaos! You might need to replenish your child's stock of extra mittens, socks, and in some cases, another pair of pants for them to have on hand as back-ups for school!

I had the chance to pop some very wet items into our dryer at school, but sadly things got a little mixed in with another kinder class and some items may not have gone back home with the rightful owner!  Drop a note in your child's Note Tote with a description of a missing item and I will see what I can find!

My apologies!

Janis

P.S. Mabels Labels is still up and running if you are interested in tags (just remember to add Stonecrest as the school you are supporting), they really truly do stick to everything and maintain their integrity too.

Practice Makes Perfect!

Well, we are starting to gain confidence in the singing department! Don't forget that Wednesday is our classroom Holiday Concert where you are welcome to join us for a little entertainment. Estimated start time 10:30; estimated length of singing 10 minutes! ;o)

Christmas Goodies

Our classroom party for the children is going to be held on Thursday December 20th. It really is just an extra special snack time for the children. Don't worry about sending a snack in on the 20th for your child because the following families have kindly offered to provide it!

Thank you to:

The Khan Family for supplying fruit
The  Macdonald Family for supplying cupcakes

The Dark Family for supplying cookies
The               for supplying cheese and crackers

The McCurdy Family for supplying juice and cups

You can send the treats in with your child, drop them off in the office, or pop them here into the classroom. Whatever works best for you!

Thanks again!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Jack!

Hope you have a fantastic day!



Happy Birthday!

Happy 4th Birthday Olivia!

I hope you have a wonderful day!

Mark Your Calendar!

Please be sure to mark your calendar for some Kindergarten entertainment!

On Wednesday December 19th (tricky to see...should read nineteenth) please feel free to join us for a little classroom concert. Can't make it? Please consider sending an Aunt, Uncle, good family friend, Nanny, or Poppa in your place so that everyone will have a smiling face at them from the audience. Following our short concert there will be the opportunity to complete an edible craft with your child as well as indulge in some milk and cookies!

We will begin at 10:30 in your child's classroom (Room 102).

Please remember that we are a scent-free school; if you are bringing someone with you or sending someone in your place, please be sure to pass the scent-free message on to them as you/they will not be permitted within the school (this includes perfumes, hand/body lotions, hairspray etc.)

Look forward to seeing you!

I want to be a Scientist!

The tables in the classroom always have activities at them that are open for the children to go to as long as there is a spot available. Recently we talked about Scientists and what a Scientist might do. Upon discovering an empty chair at the colour mixing table one little guy came up to me and told me he wanted to go be a Scientist! It was so sincere and ever so cute as I watched him wander over and get down to business!

The theme of colour has truly lent itself to a unit of predicting, exploring, experimenting, and discovering as any great Scientist might do. Check out the pictures below of my little Scientists:

 

Paper Towel Experiment

 

Milk and Food Colouring Experiment

 

 

Can You Help?

December 12th marks the date for Santa's Seconds here at Stonecrest. I love to shop, but it can be tricky with 19 little friends who are trying to make some serious decisions and purchases! It is quite a busy time and I was wondering if anyone might be able to come in (about 4 or 5 Moms or Dads) and help some of the students out. The only job requirement is patience!!! ;o)

I understand that it is tricky to take time off of work for these types of situations. We will be having a classroom Christmas concert one morning the week of December 17th so I completely understand if you are unable to assist with our shopping adventure so that you can make our classroom party instead (details will follow shortly).

If you can help me out please drop a note in your child's Note Tote and I will get back to you with more details.

Many, many, many thanks!

Something Useful

Each morning we predictably sit and discuss the letters in my helper's name. Students are exposed to both upper and lowercase letters during this time and the specific sound that each of the letters make. I try to find various ways to review the letters (this month being if they are tall, small, or if they fall) so that the children continue to be engaged and feel success as they increase their recall.
Each week we do the "letter of the week" so we don't miss any (like q, z, x, etc.). When teaching the letters and their sound there is always an action that goes with them from a program called Jolly Phonics; I found this handout online and thought I would share:

http://www.communication4all.co.uk/Phonics/JP%20action%20Sheets.pdf

So far we have worked specifically on Tt, Ll, Hh, Ii, and Ee.

Hope it is useful!

Library...

Library day tomorrow!

 

 

 

Library will be every Tuesday until Christmas!

Some Extras...

Have a peek at some of the extras that the children were up to last month.

Teamwork to complete a tricky puzzle!

Making silly spider hats!

 

On a letter hunt!

Library Day Monday

It is Library Day on Monday! Please remember to return your child's book so that they can borrow another!

Sorting 101

Remember last month when each child's name was selected to help take attendance to the office, be the line leader, and overall helper? If it was John's turn we talked about the letters (capital and lowercase), how many there were, what it looks like on a ten frame etc. Well this month we are sorting the letters in the helper's name and deciding if  they are tall, small, or if they fall (See Vala's name below). As we sort the letters we are having yet another review and quicker identification of upper and lowercase letters.

Sorting is something the children are very comfortable doing....especially when it comes to sorting colours! Below is a chart that we worked on together for a number of days and later used for referral in the completion of another, more independent, activity revolving around Halloween items.

But wait.....we couldn't stop there! Why not incorporate a language activity too! Notice the piece of paper in the student's hand? He is looking carefully at the word in his hand and comparing it to the chart paper to see if this is the word he is looking for to finish the sentence that tells how he sorted. Strategies such as identifying the initial letter on a word, counting letters and comparing were all topics of discussion! It was so much fun to watch, listen, and see their reaction when they found the word they needed!

Count 'em

This fun activity had students recognizing a number in standard form and correctly placing that number of spiders on the web. Add tweezers for more fun!

 

 

We Borrowed Books!

We visited the Library today and borrowed our first book!!

 

Because our school runs on a 5 day cycle, please note that Library Day will change based on PD Days and Stat Holidays. Next week we will have Library on Monday again (Day 3) but because we have a PD Day on November 16th, Day 3 will then be Tuesdays until another holiday or break occurs.

Please remember that your child won't be able to borrow a new book if they forget to return the book from the previous week. I'll give a heads up here on the blog of Library day but I will also remind the kids too.

Catching Up!!!

Whew...time flies! Thought I would post some pictures of the children dressed up in costume. We had a wonderful time dancing, parading, and eating those yummy snacks that were sent in! Thanks again!

 

 

 

 

I knew that the children would be so exhausted the next day and that it would be best to keep things pretty low-key soooooo......we baked! Here we are making mini pumkin pies with Mrs. McDonald!

If your child enjoyed the treat here is the link to the recipe....they are pretty tasty and to make it even easier I just purchase the premade mini shells.

http://www.food.com/recipe/mini-pumpkin-pies-91412  

Meet Our Buddies

One of my favourite things to do in the school year is to spend time with some Big Buddies! Having Buddy time is incredibly rewarding and heart warming as I watch older students engage in the activity time they share with their JK Buddy. This year we are very lucky to be working with Mrs. Wilker's Grade 3's! If you were to peak through our door you would see us enjoying books, games or activities that help to support or review concepts that are being taught in the classroom. The children, both young and old, always look forward to Day 2 (Fridays for now)!

  

Play-Doh!

Thanks for the Play-Doh this month Hannah's family and Vala's family!



Sticky Webs

Always a good time to be had when there is a frisbee in the equation! In completing this activity the students created a piece of artwork that had a spider web effect by simply rolling a marble through paint.



 

 



 

Silly Spiders

Who said spiders were scary? Take a look at these cute, silly spiders!
 

The activity incorporated our scissor skills, following instructions, being aware of space on paper, and using wet glue appropriately, as well as counting up to 8 and being sure that there were an even number of legs on each side. Even though these spiders aren't the most "real" you can easily recognize this arachnids two body parts and eight legs. Not too sure about the orange nose but it sure adds character!

Hallowe'en Festivities

Our very first classroom party is fast approaching! Please feel free to send your child to school in their Halloween costume on October 31st, but be sure to leave masks, wands, swords, or any other accessory at home so that it doesn't get left behind or damaged. We will be participating in a small parade around the school and then will return to the classroom for our yummy snacks. Hopefully if there is enough time we'll manage to squeeze a craft in too!

The following families have very kindly signed up to provide snacks for our Halloween party:

                                                           Fruit Tray: The Gilmour's

                                                   Veggies & Dip:

                                            Cheese & Crackers: The Bourne's

                                                           Cupcakes: The Blyth's/Murphy's

                                                             Cookies: The Wilson's

                                                     Juice & Cups: The Long's

Feel free to send the items in your child's backpack or, if it easier, you can drop the snacks off in the front office (just leave a note on top with my name on it).

Thanks so much for the snacks!



Happy Birthday!!!

Happy Birthday Dear Sophie!!!

Happy Birthday to you!!!

 

 

Letter Of The Week

We are diving deeply into upper and lowercase letters! Today was our very first attempt at completing a worksheet about the letter Tt. Typically I start with letters that are easier to print so that the children feel great success right away. We talk about the sound, perform the action that goes with it, and how you print it properly.

The activity is one for exposure and to "have a go" at trying to print the letter "t". I was absolutely impressed at how well the children did in following the instructions and finishing the page to the very best of their ability! I was also so surprised to see how many children printed their name independently using only 1 capital letter and the rest being lowercase! What a great way to start the week!

Spider Schema

Last week we kicked off a unit of learning about Spiders. We began by thinking about everything we know about Spiders (or what we think we know!) and then shared this information. It was not a question about whether the thought was accurate or not, but more about getting our ideas down on paper. Here is a list of our current knowledge:

• spiders eat butterflies
• spiders spin webs
• spiders can drop from their web
• spiders live outside
• spiders live inside
• spiders eat mosquitos
• spiders have 8 legs
• spiders can bite
• dogs eat spiders
• spiders can crawl on people

After communicating what we knew about spiders, we then shared our curiosities through "I wonder..." statements. This proved to be a more difficult concept for the children to grasp onto, but here are a few:

• I wonder what a spider will do if it gets mad?
• I wonder what spiders eat? Do they eat pumpkins?
• I wonder if they chew their food?
• I wonder if spiders can bite?

It's Chilly Out There!

Wow...is it ever getting cold! Sadly, I think toque and mitten weather is around the corner! Please know that the children remain outdoors in the morning for at least 20-25 minutes. As the weather changes, our time preparing for home has increased and the task of assisting many little ones for outdoors can be tricky and time-consuming. Any efforts in practicing zippers, mittens, and getting a backpack on over a bulky jacket is much appreciated! Our efforts now will be hugely helpful for when snowsuits come on the scene!

Working Our Muscles

We sure do love our time in the gym running, jumping, bouncing and developing our coordination and large muscles! In the classroom it is a different story of how we are developing our smaller muscles. By lacing beads on strings, picking up tiny things with tweezers, and playing with playdough we are working on fine motor. A recent activity had us working our fingers (and patience) as we ever so carefully peeled tiny stickers and placed them "just right" on a dotted line. The children were expected to complete at least one shape with stickers and then were free to change to crayon to trace the lines. Of course this wasn't done in a day; we picked away at it and took breaks from time to time as it was one of those jobs that could get tiresome!

SMILE...It's Picture Day!

Remember that tomorrow is picture day!

Please send in the paper that indicates your colour background preference and picture pose.

Gobble, Gobble!

There is nothing like a craft that children complete on their own! These little turkeys seem to all have a personality of their own! The activity we completed was awesome as it integrated so many important skills from cutting the turkey body out to pasting feathers on, from counting feathers to drawing eyes, to printing the corresponding numeral beside the matching colour word (with some help from me if necessary).

Aren't they so cute!

You can support this learning at home by encouraging your child to show you how they counted (i.e. did they touch the correct feather colour? Did they count correctly?), do they see any capital letters, how many letters are in some of the words, if they can spy the letter "a" or "e" etc.

I hope you are enjoying a relaxing time with family and friends!

Happy Thanksgiving!

This Week...

Don't forget

 

 



  book orders are due Thursday

Friday is a PD Day.

Playdough...

Thanks goes out to Caroline, Logan, and Jack G's family for supplying our Play-Doh this month!

Much appreciated!

I've Got A Friend

I took pictures of the students and began a Word Wall that the children can refer to throughout the school year. Currently there are pages (with pictures or without) that the children can use to practice printing who their friends are. This is a great way to use and transfer information from their environment.

As your child writes at school I do assist them with a proper grip on writing tools and can often be heard repeating "Show me your alligator snap". Here is a visual for what we are working towards.