Thursday, 5 March 2026

Newsletter #20

 March 1st Edition of

The K/1 Class News


Happy weekend Everyone!

We had an exciting week and finished with a bang, celebrating the 100th day of school on Thursday. We enjoyed looking at all the different representations of the number 100 and had a super fun day!

 

We were lucky enough to win the school challenge of being the class who was most aware of bringing our plastic recycling home and not filling our garbage. Yay! 

 

We have been enjoying the feeling of Spring in the forest and made beautiful spring art. 

 

Also, we must have a bunch of growth spurts going on as many of the kids are polishing off all of their food and needing more. We do have some food for those in need but perhaps ask your child if they need a bigger lunch. 

 

Next week is the last week of school before the break. 


We are on V for Show and Tell. 

 

I will be submitting the scholastic book orders tomorrow so get your order in now if you want to get in on the next shipment. The class code is on the top left corner of the flyer. 

 

Important Dates to Remember:

March 13 First day of Spring Break

March 30 School back in session

April 6th Easter Monday (No School)

 

Warmly,

Ara Van Riel

avanriel@sd64.org

 




























 

      

 

  


 

Thursday, 26 February 2026

Newsletter #19

 February 26th Edition of

The K/1 Class News


Hi Everyone! What a week!

Here are some highlights: 

 

It finally feels like Spring is here to stay. Fingers crossed. We have noticed spring blossoms popping open and we made art to represent this seasonal change. 

 

We also focused a lot of kindness and how to be a good friend this week. Pink shirt day was on Wednesday, and I think our class took home first place for the most pink overall. 

 

We have been reviewing skip counting by 2’s and used a number line to help visualize this process. 

 

Next week (Thursday) we will celebrate the 100th day of school! The kids are all very excited. We have been counting straws each day to keep track. On Thursday, you are invited to send in a collection of 100 to show the class. This could be a jar of 100 shells, 100 stickers, 100 pom-poms etc. We will be celebrating the number 100 all day in several fun ways.

 

Important Dates to Remember:

March 5 100th day of school

March 13 First day of Spring Break

March 30 School back in session

April 6th Easter Monday (No School)

 

Warmly,

Ara Van Riel

avanriel@sd64.org

 

      

 

  


 

Friday, 20 February 2026

Newsletter #18

February 15th Edition of

The K/1 Class News


Hello Everyone!

We had a busy week. 

 

Monday was a holiday so we had our Valentine’s Day party on Tuesday! The kids were excited to fill our mailboxes with cards. A great lesson on giving! The “feast” was a huge hit! Thanks to all who sent in snacks/treats. It was a special day.

 

Thanks to those of you who made it out to celebrate your child’s learning on Wednesday. It was so cute watching how proud each child was to share with you some of what they have been working on. 

 

Friday was our Winter Showcase! The class enjoyed watching the show and cheering on their peers. How fun!

 

We are on to the letter T for show and tell next week. 

 

We also have Pink Shirt Day coming up on the 25th. This is a day to wear pink to stand up to bullying. We will talk about being a good friend to all and how to prevent unkind behaviour. For those who don’t own any pink, I will have pink hearts to tape on.  

 

Important Dates to Remember:

February 25 Pink Shirt Day (to support anti-bullying) 

March 12 Last Day of School before Spring Break 

March 30 Back to school

 

Warmly,

Ara Van Riel

avanriel@sd64.org

 














      

 

  


  

Thursday, 5 February 2026

Newsletter #17

 February 5th Edition of

The Kindergarten/1 Class News


Greetings Everyone!

It has been an interesting couple of weeks here at school with many children away due to illness and various “extra” activities, including a visit from baby lambs! I was pulled away from the class a few times for various reasons and the kids were very well behaved for the Teachers On Call.

 

We continue learning about the objects in the sky and the portable planetarium visit last week was a real treat! We went on a visit to outer space and even touched a piece of a real shooting star. We have taken this study across all subject areas, writing about it and creating art. 

 

We have been focusing on learning how to identify syllables in our Oral Language Groups. 

 

During our math explorations, we have added counting by 5’s into our counting collection work as well as working with doubles. 

This is the time of year I always tend to notice the kids really starting to “get it” in many areas of our learning which is exciting! I sent out a link to sing up for our Student Led Conferences that are happening on February 18thPlease sign up for a time to come in and have your child show you a bit of what they have been learning in class. This is meant to be a celebration of learning with your child.

 

Valentine’s Day is also coming up! At school we like to encourage kindness to all, and this is a great opportunity for your child to make cards/tokens for their peers, spreading a little love around. As Valentine’s Day is on a Saturday this year, we will have our class celebration/card exchange on Tuesday, February 17th. If you can send in a snack to be shared, it would be appreciated! We will be making little card collection bags at school in advance. 

 

February 20th is a school Friday and our Winter Showcase! Thanks to those of you who filled out the form (optional) if your child wanted to sign up for the talent show or talent display. You are invited to come watch the show on this day at 1:30pm in the gym. Displays are to be brought to school that morning, clearly labeled and removed at the end of the day. This event is a favourite of many and showcases our very talented school community.

 

Important Dates to Remember:

February 14 Valentine’s Day

February 16 Family Day (no school)

February 17 Valentine’s class celebration

February 20 School in session

February 25 Pink Shirt Day (to support anti-bullying) 

 

Warmly,

Ara Van Riel

avanriel@sd64.org



























 

      

 

  


 

Newsletter #20

  March 1 st   Edition of The K/1 Class News Happy weekend Everyone! We had an exciting week and finished with a bang, celebrating the 100 t...