Newsletter #5

October 10^th Edition of

The Kindergarten Class News

Hello Everyone! What a wonderful week. We have been learning a lot about pumpkins, seasons and being a good friend.

On Monday we practiced printing the letter f and made beautiful pumpkin art. The kids signed out new books from the library and we welcomed some local fire fighters in to the class who taught us about fire safety. Later, we had our first fire drill (lucky for us we were already outside). There is an open house at the Ganges fire station this Saturday. 

On Tuesday we joined up with Ms. K’s 1-2 class and enjoyed a morning of dance! We all learned a dance routine that we performed for the school in the afternoon. So fun! We also had our Oral Language groups where we are focusing on storytelling. 

Wednesday we talked about what it means to be thankful, and then made a thankful book! We also made applesauce for the harvest lunch and picked apples to eat from our garden. It was a beautiful, crisp day.

Thursday was our Garden Harvest Lunch. What a treat! It was so nice to gather as a school and enjoy the wonderful food each class helped to make. A big thanks to all the parents and students who helped make this happen. At our Whole School Meeting, Melissa and Reverie presented their artwork to the school. Good job!

The kids are enjoying sharing their special items from home on their show and tell day. Next week they are encouraged to bring something that begins with the letter ‘C’. Please try to stick to your day so we have time to hear from each child. Thanks! Here is the list again; it will be the same every week:

Monday or Friday: Athena, Duke B, Duke F and Louis

Tuesday: James, Lachie and Nathan

Wednesday: Melissa, Max and Reverie

Thursday: Rosemary, Patrick and Winter

Important Dates to Remember:

October 14- Thanksgiving- schools closed

October 18- School in session 

October 22- Fieldtrip to the pumpkin patch (Please return the permission slip next week if you haven’t already done so).

October 22- Picture day

Happy Thanksgiving!

Ara Van Riel

avanriel@sd64.org

Fire safety day!

Making a heart in the gym.

Luv 2 Groove dance session!

Getting creative

Making applesauce

Picking apples from the garden.

Some cool buildings at centres.

The Garden Harvest Lunch!

Newsletter #4

October 3^rd Edition of

The Kindergarten Class News

Greetings Everyone!

Monday was Orange Shirt Day! It was wonderful to see such strong support shown by our school community. We also worked on our printing, made pumpkin window art and went to the library. Later we practiced making letters with our bodies while at the outdoor classroom.

On Tuesday we had our oral language learning groups. We also wrote in our journals about what we would love to get in the mail and learned some new games in the gym. We also used apples as stamps and played a letter identification game outside.

Wednesday we had fun searching for the letter Aa, did a cool science experiment about why leaves change colour in the fall and wrote our names in nature. 

On Thursday Mrs. Lamirand taught the class as I was away for a workshop. They had free choice in the gym, played a math game, went to Whole School Meeting and Music class. I hear it was a fun day.

The kids have enjoyed sharing their special items from home on their show and tell day. Next week they are encouraged to bring something that begins with the letter ‘Bb’. Here is the list again:

Monday/Friday:Athena, Duke B, Duke F and Louis

Tuesday:James, Lachie and Nathan

Wednesday:Melissa, Max and Reverie 

Thursday:Rosemary, Paddy and Winter

There are a number of important dates coming up for you to mark down in your calendars. 

October 8^th- Luv to Groove dance workshop

October 10^th- Garden Harvest Lunch

October 14^thThanksgiving- no school

October 18^th- School in session

October 22^nd- Photo day! This is for individual school photos, class/school photos happen in the spring.

October 22^nd- Field trip to the pumpkin patch!

As the cold and flu season sets in, please remember that the overall health of the class and school community is important. Please keep your child home for 24 hours if they vomited, has thick, green mucus, has a fever or very bad, persistent cough. We know that some cold symptoms (especially coughs) can last longer than the contagious time so please just use your good judgment. 

Also, please remember to fill out the criminal record check (if you haven’t already) if you are thinking about volunteering your time in class or on fieldtrips. To access the online request go to: https://justice.gov.bc.ca/eCRC/. Access Code: DNW8SBGDPQ Thank you!

Have a great weekend!

Ara Van Riel

avanriel@sd64.org

 New sand! Everyone is very excited.

Making letters with our bodies.

 Quiet time (read, rest or draw).

Apple stamping

 Letter game

  

Science expertement 

Writing our names in nature

Newsletter #3

September 26^th Edition of

The Kindergarten Class News

Hello Everyone!

What a busy week! Here are some highlights:

On Monday the class continued with printing practice. We also visited the library and signed out books to take home. Please be sure to return these books by Monday each week so that your child can sign out a new one. Later we had a lesson on bus safety and the kids were excited to go on the school bus and check it out.

Tuesday we went to the gym (as we do every day) and worked in our journals. I was pleased to see the progress, even since last week. Later we welcomed Olive and Lee-ann in to help facilitate our Oral Language Groups that will run every Tuesday. This is a wonderful program that helps the children develop phonological skills (rhyming, sounds, syllables etc) to help with reading and more. This week we worked on story sequence using picture cards. Later, we went outside and planted bulbs around the front entrance of the school and are looking forward to seeing our flowers bloom in the spring. 

Wednesday we practiced our writing our names in rainbow colours (focusing on using the lowercase letters within the name) and learned more about apples and math through a taste-testing/graphing activity. Later, the kids went upstairs to do a math activity with Mrs. Lamirand and then we went outside to experiment with different items that may sink or float. Fun!

On Thursday the class had free choice in the gym and listened to the story, “When We Were Alone” by David A. Robertson. This is an age appropriate story that touches on the history of residential schools. We had a class discussion about it and I was amazed (but not surprised) at how thoughtful and companionate the children were about the topic. Later, at Whole School Meeting Rosemary won an orange shirt to wear on Monday (Orange Shirt Day) and Lachie and Louis won orange bracelets! We also had Music class and we went out to the forest.

We have really enjoyed the All About Me presentations! If you missed your day, please send it in whenever it is ready.

Next week we start regular Show and Tell. Your child can bring one item from home each week on their day. Please try to stick to their special day. We will be looking closer at the letters of the alphabet and encourage children to bring in something that starts with the letter Aa is next week. Here is a reminder about your child’s ongoing day:

Mondays: Athena, Duke B., Duke F. and Louis

Tuesdays: Lachie, James and Nathan

Wednesdays: Melissa, Max and Reverie

Thursdays: Rosemary, Patrick and Winter

Here are some important dates coming up:

September 30^th Orange Shirt Day 

October 8^th- Luv to Groove dance workshop

October 10^th- Garden Harvest Lunch

October 14^th Thanksgiving- no school

October 18^th- School in session

October 22^nd- Photo day! This is for individual school photos, class/school photos happen in the spring.

October 22^nd- Field trip to the pumpkin patch!

Please remember to fill out the criminal record check (if you haven’t already) if you are thinking about volunteering your time in class or on fieldtrips. To access the online request go to: https://justice.gov.bc.ca/eCRC/. Access Code: DNW8SBGDPQ Thank you!

Have a great weekend!

Ara Van Riel

avanriel@sd64.org

Lego letter Y!

Centres time

Bus safety presentation

Athena writing her name in a colour pattern!

Working on number matching.

Letter matching game

Planting bulbs

Sink or float activity