Mrs. Crone's Kindergarten Blog |
Thank you very much to all of the parents and students that donated to the Terry Fox Foundation and braved the wet and cold weather to participate in the run. Although the circumstances that brought us together are very unfortunate, the spirit of community and making a difference was phenomenal. As was evident by the stickers worn, we have all been affected by cancer.
This week at school the children: - examined changes that occur in fall through stories and discussions - practiced printing the letter "Cc" and identified words beginning with the "Cc" sounds - added the word "can" to their word ring - learned about who Terry Fox was and why we participate in the Terry Fox run each year - shared many of their personal connections to cancer - practiced skipping in gym and played "bridge" tag - practiced cooperative and creative play during centre time and in the maker space - learned what the word "indigenous peoples" means and why we wore our orange shirts - went on a leaf hunt with the grade 4's to collect leaves for our upcoming leaf study and art project Enjoy the first weekend of fall (even though it may feel like winter)! IMPORTANT REMINDERS - PICTURE DAY IS ON MONDAY! **An individual at Rideau Park School has a confirmed case of pertussis (whooping cough). Please observe your child for symptoms of a persistent cough which is worse at night, may be accompanied by a whooping sound and may end in vomiting or gagging. If you notice these symptoms in your child or yourself please contact your doctor or call the Health Link at 811. We had another exciting and eventful week in Kindergarten. On Tuesday, we had our first fire drill. The Kindergartens did a fabulous job of exiting the building quickly and quietly. This can be a frightening event for some young children, so it was important that we were informed of the first fire drill and the children knew exactly what to expect. Please stress the importance of the need for these safety drills with your child. We will not be informed when the next fire drill occurs. We will be having a lockdown drill soon, as well, and I will be preparing the children for that. The children practiced printing the letter Bb and identifying words beginning with the "Bb" sound. The word of the week was "be". The children played "Go Fish" to practice number recognition to 10. (I removed the aces and face cards). This is a fun way to have your child practice recognizing numbers and turn taking skills. The children had fun practicing their running, dodging, stopping and cooperation skills playing "mosquito tag" in gym on Wednesday. Thank you for supporting your child with the home reading program. The children have been really excited to exchange their books each morning. It brings me so much joy to see children love reading!! Mrs. Lane, our library resource teacher, read the children a story called "Les and Ronnie", which was a story of two boys that wore very different shoes. The message of the story was that we are all unique and we need to accept and celebrate our differences. Mrs. Lane also explained the process for checking out a library book each week. Library book exchange was going to be on Tuesdays, but it turned out to be a very busy time in the learning commons so library book exchange has been changed to Thursdays. Please ensure your child returns his/her library book on or before Thursday each week in order to sign out a new book. I started teaching the children a self-regulation program this week called "Zones of Regulation". We use this program throughout our elementary classes, to teach children to recognize and monitor their feelings and to demonstrate behavior that is "expected" at our school. Ask your child if he/she can remember the four zones of regulation and what they mean. (green - calm, ready to learn. yellow- excited, silly. blue - tired, bored, sad red - angry, not in control) Next week, we'll discuss coping strategies the children can use when they are in the blue or red zone. I read the children several stories this week with the theme of kindness and "treating others the way you want to be treated". Providing a safe and caring learning environment is of upmost importance at Rideau Park School! Next Thursday, September 27 is our Terry Fox Run and Meet the Teacher event. You can bring your child to the classroom at 2:00 and I will take the students to the gym. Classes will be called down to the gym for a short assembly prior to the run. Parents are most welcome and encouraged to participate in the assembly and the run and of course, the food trucks which will be located in the staff parking lot following the run. We will be talking about Terry Fox next week in class. This is sometimes a sensitive issue for some children, so please also talk to your child about who Terry was and why we have the Terry Fox run every year. Our school goal is to raise $2000. You may send a cash donation with your child or donate online @ http://www.terryfox.ca/RideauParkSchoolCalgary. Thank you very much in advance for your contribution. If you have not already done so, please return the permission form for your child to participate in field trips that are within walking distance. Next Friday the Kindergarten students will be walking to Christ Church to go on a leaf hunt and for outdoor play. Thank you for providing your child with appropriate outdoor clothing, particularly this past chilly week! Your child received a student demographic form today. Could you please verify that we have your correct information and return the form to school as soon as possible. Below are some pictures of the childrens' creations during Maker Space this morning. A reminder that there is no school tomorrow. Have a fantastic weekend! It was a very exciting week in Kindergarten! The children are experiencing and learning many new things! Each week the children will practice printing and identifying words/objects beginning with a particular letter. This week we focused on the letter Aa. Each week I will add a sight word (words that we expect children to read at a glance) to your child's word ring. The word of the week was "a". Have your child practice the words on the word ring frequently. As the year progresses, the children can begin to use the words to create sentences. Please have your child keep his/her word ring in the folder, so that it is always at school.
This week the children enjoyed exploring different building and creative activities such as lego, kinetic sand and kapla building blocks in the Maker Space. They had a great deal of fun playing "Toilet Tag" in gym. Today, the children met their Grade 4 Buddies. Each child was paired with one or two grade 4 students. We will do activities with the Grade 4's every second week. Today they completed an "All About Me" activity to get to know each other. Mrs. Lane, our library technician, came in to meet the children and read them a story. The children will have library book exchange every Tuesday, beginning next week. They will be able to sign out one book a week. Please ensure your child has returned his/her library book on or before the following Tuesday in order to choose a new book. The Home Reading Program will begin on Monday. I'll enclose information and a reading log sheet in your child's folder. Please return the Health Information sheet that was sent home in your child's folder. Although it indicated to complete and return only if your child has a medical alert, we'd appreciate it if the form was completed, signed and returned indicating that your child does/does not have any medical concerns at this time. Your child also received a Scholastic book order form this week. Payment instructions are enclosed on the order form. (online or cheques only) The deadline for orders is Sept. 20. The Terry Fox Run is being held on Thursday, Sept. 27 beginning at 2:30 followed by a school wide "Meet and Greet". Food trucks will be on site for food purchases. Kindergarten students are welcome to participate in the run and attend the meet and greet with their families. More information about the event will follow. A reminder that there is no school tomorrow. Have a fabulous weekend and stay warm! The Kindergarten students are settling into school routines very quickly and very well! They explored many of the learning centers in the classroom and are making many new friends! I hope that your child is enjoying Kindergarten. The children begin each morning by hanging up their outdoor clothing, changing their shoes and organizing their materials for class. Thank you for allowing your child do this independently, as this is an important goal for him/her. When the children enter the classroom they print their name on an attendance sheet to practice printing their names, using the proper letter case. (only the first letter capitalized) The children then change their home reading books and read quietly on the carpet. We then have carpet time in which we sing songs, talk about the activities for the day and fill in the calendar. One student is chosen to be the special helper each day. The special helper leads the reading of the day’s morning message and completes the calendar. After calendar we have a “body break”, moving to music or playing a movement game. The children then have Centre time. The children have a “must do” job with me every day and then have choice time at centres. There are many centres for the students to explore such as building, painting, playdoh, crafts, drawing/coloring, science activities, math and literacy games, playhouse, dress-up, sandbox, puppets, computers and ipads. The children are able to eat their snacks when they wish during centre time. After centre time the children go outside for physical activity. Please ensure that your child is dressed appropriately for the weather and is wearing suitable footwear for outdoor activities. After outdoor activities, the children have story time. This week I read the children stories about starting school and showing courage by leaving their parents and trying new things. Today the children created name cards by placing stickers on the outline of their names. They are displayed on the bulletin board above the children’s coat hooks. Please have a look at them when you are in the school. The children worked hard on them and they look really great! Communication between home and school is crucial for your child’s success. I use several means of communication. If you have questions or concerns, email is the best way to contact me. If needed, we can schedule a phone or face-to-face meeting. Your child received a plastic folder that is to be used for sending and receiving notices and home reading books. Please check it daily and have your child bring it to school every day. All information will be on the school website and I post my blog on Fridays. Please be sure to check the website frequently for updates. After reading the blog, please talk to your child about what he/she is learning at school. Amy Goos has graciously offered to be our Kindergarten Class Rep. Please email your contact information to her @ [email protected] to be included on the classroom distribution list and/or to receive information about special classroom activities. I openly welcome and require parent volunteers. There are multiple ways in which parents can help with the classroom such as assisting the children in learning tasks, material preparation, organizing snacks for special days and supervising on field trips. It is not possible for me to take the children on off-site field trips without at least 4 or 5 parent volunteers. If you are able to volunteer, you must complete a security clearance form. (Dads are greatly needed for our swimming program in the spring!) Please see Linda Halford in the office and she will help you with the necessary documentation. Next week the children will be exploring our Maker Space which is in the Learning Commons and is a space for children to build, explore and create. They will also have their first gym class on Wednesday. The library is undergoing some reorganizing. As soon as it is up and running the children will be able to sign out a library book each week. Next week the children will begin a home reading program. Information and home reading books will be sent home in your child's folder. Have a great weekend and I look forward to another exciting week ahead! |