SAFETY CONCERN!!

Please remember that we must receive WRITTEN notification of any change from the regular person who picks up your child, whether at the school or off the bus. 

The bus drivers are NOT permitted to release a Kindergarten child to anyone but an authorized person.

 If you need to have a different person pick up your child we need a dated note with the person's name and your contact information.  We will then copy this note and give it to the bus driver. [*Or you could make a second note for the bus driver yourself but please note that your pick up driver might be a different person at drop off time.]

Thank you for your efforts in this regard. We are only concerned about your child's safety.

In need of supplies for Science!

We will be trying to complete two engineering projects by mid-April. Hints: March means windy spring weather AND April showers bring May flowers.

Please do not feel that these items need to be purchased. These items can be brought in before and after March break so that I can do a quick inventory. We will be starting these projects immediately after the break.

Tissue Paper
Waxed Paper
Aluminum Foil
Trash Bags
Paper Bags
Craft Sticks
Wood Dowels
Straws
BBQ Skewers
Foam Trays
Paper Towel Tubes
Paper plates
shopping bags
Felt

Thank-you to all the families who donated supplies for our boats! The students and I greatly appreciate it!

Hat Day, Picture Stories, and Boats

As one of our school-wide projects for Lent, we will be participating in Hat Day! Students are encouraged to wear a crazy  hat tomorrow and bring in $1 or $2. The money will be going to Shepherds of Good Hope.

As well, the students worked on their first picture story today! The students draw a picture and then try to sounds out a few words. Afterwards, we look at them as a group and offer praise and suggestions to improve their work! Some of the students will be working on adding more details and colours to their picture, sounding out the beginning and ending consonant sound, leaving spaces between their words, printing legibly with a pencil, and adding a period after their written work.

We have finished our first experiment: what materials float/sink? The students have a better idea of what materials they should use to build the haul of their ship. Tomorrow, the students will be experimenting with tissue paper, construction paper, regular paper, plastic bags and felt to determine what materials will be better suited for building their sails.

The next week I see the green group, we will be building the boats!! The students will be placed in groups of three and will work as a team to design and build their boat. It will be an exciting week! The students must build boats that:

1. Float
2. Can hold 1-2 little people toys
3. Move in the water when there is wind

We will test them out at the water centre!

Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy the last bit (hopefully) of snow!

Mrs Zulpo

Twitter

We have started tweeting today in Kindergarten! Every day, during snack, the students will be deciding as a group what news or ideas they would like to share with their parents. I will be tweeting the exact words they dictate to me! This is a great opportunity to use social media to summarize our day, sound out words, and share ideas in a large group discussion. Today, they decided to tell you about the restaurant they created in the dramatic play area. They decided to name the restaurant, "The Good Restaurant." We discussed the roles of the server, chef, and guest. Next time, we will also discuss the importance of hiring a busboy to clear the tables....

https://twitter.com/MrsTarahZulpo

Lent

Today, we talked about Lent as a time to prepare for Easter. We created a short list as a class of four things we will try to do throughout this special and holy season.

1. We are going to take care of our class and clean-up.
2. We will be a good friend.
3. We are going to pray more.
4. We will be polite during snack time.

Have a wonderful and relaxing weekend and Family Day! I look forward to seeing your children on Tuesday!

Science/Engineering with Kids!

Over the next few months, the students will be working in groups on some "engineering projects". You may be thinking, "Engineering with young children? They can barely tie their shoes!" However, young children are natural builders. They take things apart, put them together, and they are curious and enjoy investigating things on their own. Simple engineering projects are perfect and tailor-made for inquiry-based learning. It is also an ideal way to teach science to young children. It's hands-on learning at its best!

We will be learning about the engineering process through simple activities. The students will investigate, brainstorm, plan, build, test and present their projects in groups. While it may be messy, it is sure to be fun.

We will be looking at boats (particularly sailboats) over the next few weeks as we investigate what materials float and sink, features and shapes of boats, and how different materials act in the wind. After spring break, the students will work on designing and building their own sailboat in small groups. Afterwards, we will be testing our boats at the water centre. 

To help your child, you can search for images of boats on the internet, read books about boats and point out different features of sailboats. 

I will be assembling materials to help the students and ask for parents to contribute.

Materials

Foam trays (meat trays that are washed are great!)
aluminum foil
waxed paper
sheets of felt
paper lunch bags
tissue paper (used is fine!)
coffee stirrers
craft sticks
paper plates
paper/plastic drink cups
plastic shopping bags
wine corks
photos of sailboats


Thanks!! Mrs Zulpo 

CHORES for KIDS

Click here for age appropriate CHORES for KIDS

Report Cards

A reminder that reports cards will be sent home on Monday, February 11th. Please ensure that you return the third page of the report card (signed) and the report card envelope.

Dramatic Play and Journals

The students are beginning to use "play plans" to plan what they will build at the building centre. It's a great opportunity for students to practise their drawing skills, taking turns in a discussion, and expressing their ideas in a small group. Many students have built restaurants and so, as a class, we decided to turn the play centre ("the house") into a restaurant. We created a list today of materials we will need for their restaurant. We are looking for donations - if you have any of these items and you would like to donate them to the class, that would be wonderful!

-an apron, trays, menus, a cook book, pads of paper for taking orders, play money..and anything else that you think might be helpful. (No hats please!)

We also began writing in our journals this week. Students will have a few opportunities throughout the week to participate by writing and drawing during writing time. It is an open-ended activity and appropriate for all levels of writing. Students may draw a picture of whatever they like and are encourage to try to sound out the word. 

Have a wonderful weekend! 

Mcdonald's Night and Sweater Day Reminders

Tomorrow, Wednesday February 6th, is Mcdonald's Night. A note went home in the mailbags on Monday.

As well, the kindergarten students will be participating in National Sweater Day on Thursday, February 7th. This is an energy conservation initiative where we will be lowering the heat by 2 degrees and compensating by wearing a cozy sweater! 

Today, the students read a book called "Building a House". We discussed the importance of creating plans before building begins and deciding what props and materials need to be used for construction. The students will be learning about developing "play plans" where they will decide what they would like to build, what materials they will need, and what the structure will look like after construction.

As well, I will be creating a twitter account that will be used by the students at the end of the day. The students will decide what we will tweet and I will post it for parents to view. It's a fresh way to get students involved in shared writing and it will help to summarize our big events and news in kindergarten! I hope to have that up and running in the next couple of weeks.

A recap of January (English)

It has been a wonderful first few weeks back at school and the Junior Kindergarten students have been busy! Thank-you to all parents for filling out the student information questionnaires  I'd like to update you on what we have been working on in language arts and mathematics.

January Language

The students are working on developing their phonological awareness- the understanding that language is made up of words, syllables, rhymes, and sounds. Research tells us that that second best predictor of reading success is phonological awareness! We have started with learning about rhymes and the students are enjoying reading books with rhymes, singing songs using their own rhymes, and playing a variety of different games. Students will be learning to recognize rhymes and be able to generate their own rhymes. 

We have also begun working on learning letter sounds using a variety of songs, actions, and writing activities. 

Mathematics

The students are exploring addition through problem-solving. We are learning to use a variety of math manipulatives, such as five-frames and cubes, to solve simple word problems. Students are also learning to represent their solutions through drawings and numbers.

FEBRUARY NEWSLETTERS

Click here for the JUNIOR KINDERGARTEN NEWSLETTER.
Click here for the SENIOR KINDERGARTEN NEWSLETTER.