CRAFT DAY update

The craft has been changed recently, so blenders and candy are no longer needed.  Sorry for the confusion in the email labelled "DECEMBER NEWS".

Mme. Blahout

DECEMBER NEWS

As we begin the holy season of Advent, Christmas and Epiphany, we hope to make the Christmas story come alive in a meaningful way for our students.  In order to help them experience the gift of God coming amongst us, we will unite all classes for weekly Advent celebrations. Christmas discussions will focus on the birth of Jesus and how "acts of kindness" are the best birthday gifts for Jesus. Advent means a time of waiting... awaiting the birth of our Lord.

As an extension of the activities being done at school, we invite you to celebrate at home using your own Advent wreath;  

Week 1 - Nov. 27 - Dec. 3            one purple candle

Week 2 - December 4 - 10           two purple candles

Week 3 - December 11 - 17         two purple + pink candle

Week 4 - December 18 - 24         three purple + pink candle

What to expect regarding the CHRISTMAS CRAFT - Thursday, December 15 @ 9:30am

Parent volunteers are needed to assist our little elves on this special day and would be very much appreciated.  If you have not returned the RSVP form confirming whether or NOT* you will attend this event, please return it as soon as possible. (*even if you are not coming) *Please note –Volunteers will be in class to assist all students. Please do not bring younger siblings on this day. Thanks so much! A sing-a- long will follow (which is in lieu of participating in the Christmas Concert). *Since we are not participating in the school-wide concert, we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

In French are monthly vocabulary is:    Advent / Avent      Merry Christmas / Joyeux Noël
winter/ hiver             Christmas/ Noël               Santa Claus/Père Noël             reindeer/renne     star/ étoile            baby/ bébé            Jesus / Jésus          mother/ mère          father/ père    manger/ crèche          gift / cadeau         help / aider          share / partager         love / aimer
     
In Math, we will review basic shapes and introduce characteristics of 3-Dimensional shapes.  We are also composing* and decomposing numbers (*eg. two numbers that make up a larger number.) 

The most important gifts at Christmas are the "Acts of Kindness" that we show to one another.

To cherish the true meaning of Christmas...

Here is a wonderful family activity that helps prepare our hearts for the celebration of Jesus’ birth, and focuses more on “giving to others” rather than commercial gifts. Starting immediately or ASAP--- leading up to Christmas:

1. Find a small box and decorate it. (This will hold Jesus’ birthday gifts.)
2. Keep the box in a prominent place where you will see it on a daily basis.
3. Keep some small notepaper and a pencil next to the box to mark down any random act of kindness witnessed over the Advent season.
4. Each day (or as often as possible) family members put something in the box representing a "gift" for Jesus. ("Gifts" such as sharing, cleaning, helping, visiting, etc. --- an act of kindness they have witnessed or was given to them.) 
5. On Christmas Eve place the box under the tree so that in the morning, before you open your own gifts, you can give your special box to Jesus. Read aloud the many acts of kind 'giving' that were witnessed over the Advent season. Share together the good works that were done in preparation for the coming of Jesus, offer thanks to God for all these acts of kindness.

Kanata FOOD BANK DONATIONS will be collected over the next two weeks. Thank you for any support in this regard.

Homework over the holidays: -  Please remember to continue to read on a daily basis. Enrich this learning by discussing different aspects of the story, or demonstrate how to retell it by briefly sequencing the beginning, middle and end. Increasingly draw your child’s attention to letter sounds, particularly the beginning and ending sounds of any environmental text (such as: cereal boxes, signs, etc.).  Counting and identifying numerals are also necessary skills. Your assistance is greatly appreciated.

This month we will also identify Christmas colours and invite the children to wear red, green and white on December 23rd for our final school day of 2016.

Thank you for a wonderful first term! We hope that you have a very blessed and holy Christmas season.

               MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Sincerely,
The Holy Redeemer Kindergarten Teams

                  

NOVEMBER NEWS

Sorry for the delay in the delivery of this month's news due to technical problems. 

Nov. 18th - PD Day: No School.

                                                          

Our November focus in both English and French is "My Body"/ “Mon Corps”.  The five senses act as a doorway to the world for young children and this unit emphasizes the discovery of God's gifts through these mediums.  Students will have several opportunities to use their senses to explore their surroundings and to reflect on their observations.  Children's natural curiosity about themselves and how their bodies work will be reinforced throughout this unit.           

                                                        

In both the English and French classes we will be using songs, poems, stories and finger plays to introduce our monthly vocabulary, such as:

body/ corps     head / tête      nose/ nez            ears/ oreilles         eyes/ yeux

mouth/ bouche    knees/ genoux      shoulders/ épaules      the senses/ les sens   

touch/ toucher     smell/ odorat      taste/ goût      sight/ vue       hearing/ ouïe

Math focus includes patterning, counting and numeral recognition.  Science activities include a study of the body and how our 5 senses work. As part of the Religion program (In God’s Image) we will be giving thanks for our wonderful bodies.  Language activities include a focus on letter recognition and continued work on *printing our names using one upper case letter followed by lower case letters. (Please model and reinforce this* habit also at home.)

                                                                         

Recent changes in weather have made it necessary for the children to wear heavier outer clothing.  Dressing and undressing can be very challenging and stressful for young children.  In order to make these tasks a little more enjoyable, we will be teaching and singing a 'pants-boots-jacket' sequence song. 

Please note that MITTENS are put on LAST because children need their hands to complete dressing independently! Also, to promote self-reliance, please encourage your child to dress themselves at home and continue to teach them how to zipper or button their jackets. We request that children wear mittens (in lieu of gloves) as they are easier to put on and warmer.  For safety reasons, we also request that neck warmers be worn instead of scarves.  (*Just a reminder to please label all your child's clothing and boots.)

                                                                    

We will be having a 'Christmas Craft Day' on Thursday December 15^th.  A request for volunteers will be sent home in a few weeks and we would love to have parents also join us on this day to sing a few Christmas songs after the craft (in lieu of performing in the Christmas concert). 

                                          

DENTAL CLINIC coming next week.

Dear Parents/Guardians:

A registered dental hygienist with 
Ottawa Public Health, 
will provide a dental screening 
using a tongue depressor on November16. 

Only children identified as having dental needs will bring home a form from the hygienist. Follow-up school visits by the dental hygienist for individual children may be done. 

THIS DOES NOT REPLACE REGULAR DENTAL VISITS WITH YOUR FAMILY DENTIST.  

This dental screening is offered in accordance with the Ontario Public Health Standards from Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care. Personal Health Information is collected in compliance with the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and the Personal Health Information Protection Act and will be used for the purpose of dental assessment, treatment and oral hygiene instruction, and for statistical purposes.  Questions concerning the collection and use of this information should be directed to the Supervisor of Dental Health Promotion, Ottawa Public Health, 400-1580 Merivale Rd., Ottawa, ON, tel.: 613-580-6744 ext 26376.

IT'S HALLOWEEN!

Please send your child to school already dressed in their costume.  (Dressing 110 children would be too crazy!) 

Also send a separate bag for all costume pieces to be placed into after the parade. (It may be helpful to include a list of the pieces.)  
The parade is a 2 minute walk around the school hallways while all the classes (Gr.1-6) cheer the Kindergarten classes! -- Usually shouting out: "Happy Halloween!"

Please note: Any sort of weapon-looking item is never permitted on school property!

Face masks are discouraged in favour of make-up.  Children have difficulty seeing through the mask and it gets very hot inside.

For the week of November 1-4:
We kindly request that Halloween candy not be sent to school beyond this week!

We are always trying to teach students about healthy life choices --- including both nutrition and dental care --- so we ask that you resume your regular healthy food choices for snacks and lunches no later than November 7.  {We would always encourage you to keep sweets, such as candy, soft drinks, etc.,  at home where parents can supervise quantity, frequency and dental care.}    

Thank you for your support in this regard.

OUR HALLOWEEN PARADE is coming!!

All Kindergarten students are invited to WEAR a HALLOWEEN COSTUME!

Please have your child wear their costume to school 
on Monday, October 31st for a Costume Parade.  
Please include a bag for all the pieces of the costume.   If your child does not want to wear his/her costume then please encourage them to wear Orange and/or Black to mark the occasion.


What is the "Costume Parade"? 
We line up dressed in our costumes and march around the main hallways of the school & all the other students cheer us on. (Only Kindergarten students are permitted to wear a costume, other grades can wear orange or black to mark the occasion. Your child can wear orange or black if they do not wish to wear their costume. 

POPCORN DAYS
The monthly Popcorn Days start in November; this is an optional School Council fundraiser project.   Please return your order form, even if your child does not  want any popcorn. This option should be posted online shortly.


FYI: Most students do order.  Each Popcorn Day those children who don't receive any often become upset when their classmates get the treat bag and they do not; to avoid tears, please explain this situation to your child so they are prepared.

Many classes are still awaiting a (4x6) FAMILY PHOTO from each child. Please send it in as soon as possible! 

WALK-ATHON this TUESDAY, OCT. 18.

The walk-a-thon is this Tuesday, October 18th.  It is an annual fund-raiser, where School Council and parent volunteers run the event... so thank you to all those who volunteer!

Grades 1-6 will be walking between 9 - 10:30 and the Kindergarten classes will begin walking at 10:30 am.
 (Rain or shine)  
You are welcome to join in the fun, if you are able.

_____________________________________________
    
(Also) For Your Information:


We will also be practicing a school lockdown in the next month.

We do not offer any kind of detailed explanation about why we practice this. 
If asked, we say something vague like, "In case a dog came into school and we didn't know whether it was a friendly dog or not, we will hide so the dog will just go away."  We don't want small children becoming afraid, so please play it down.

OCTOBER NEWS

Dear Parents,

October is the best time of the year to explore and inquire about Fall and naturally discover the changes that this exciting, colourful season brings. Thanksgiving, colours, the cooler weather, and Halloween will be highlighted in our discussions.

French vocabulary will focus on these basic words:
autumn/ L’automne             Thanksgiving/ L’action de Grâce     turkey/ dindon           leaves/ les feuilles        red/ rouge            yellow/ jaune              brown/ brun            orange/ orange
      season/ saison                pumpkin/ la citrouille 
     ghost/ le fantôme              witch/ la sorcière

Please reinforce the connection between letters and sounds by reading with your child on a daily basis. Reading can include stories and any environmental print (i.e. cereal boxes).
In math, we often focus on patterning, counting and numeral recognition, which is reinforced via games. We will be introducing and experimenting with simple surveys and graphs, which means discussions on collecting and tracking information. Science activities will include a fall nature ‘expedition’ and leaf collecting. In religion, we reflect on the effects of God’s magnificent seasonal changes.  This month's gospel value focuses on good "citizenship".

Each month we will be introducing high frequency words (also known as "popcorn" words because they frequently ‘pop up’ in text). Some "popcorn" words could include: I, a, me, see and bus. Look for them in books, magazines and newspapers etc. at home. A magnifying glass can turn this activity into a wonderful hunting adventure!

A Halloween celebration will be held at school on Monday, October 31 st . On that day, the children are invited to wear a simple costume to school for our annual Halloween Costume Parade.  If your child does not wish to wear a costume, he or she could wear black or orange instead. Please avoid masks and remember that any and all weapons (even toys) are forbidden at school. Reinforcing healthy eating habits are ongoing, so we kindly ask that you avoid sending candy for your child’s snack beyond the initial few days following the excitement of Halloween.

We have requested each family make some ‘playdough’ to help replenish our supply on a rotating basis. The schedule and recipe was sent home in September and we thank those who have already sent in their contribution. Thank you so much for your participation.

School Council will be offering an opportunity for each child to receive a monthly treat - POPCORN (starting in November). We encourage every child to participate in this school fundraiser.

Please do not send your child to school if he/she is ill with flu, fever, or a very bad cold and always notify the office if your child ever contracts anything contagious. 

Thank you for a terrific start to our school year!  We wish all our families a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!

Sincerely,

The Kindergarten Teams

Please take care --- NO NUTS!

A big thank you to all of you for the generous supply of kleenex boxes, ziploc bags, glue sticks, etc that you have donated to our classroom(s).  It is very much appreciated.


Thank you for providing information about your child on the forms that were sent home and for returning other paper work required by the office. 

PLEASE BE AWARE:  Allergies:

We have several serious nut allergies in our classroom.We ask that you please ensure that no items containing nut products are sent in. Cross-contamination is also a concern, so if peanut butter is regularly used in your kitchen, please be extra cautious about sanitizing preparation surfaces.

Thank you in advance for helping to keep our classroom safe!

THANKSGIVING FEAST this THURSDAY!

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We will be celebrating Thanksgiving in our classrooms on THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6th.

For this event we are asking each child to contribute a small container of CUT-UP fruit*.  Everything must be "bite-size" and ready to eat - please make the pieces an appropriate size for 3, 4 & 5 year old children to eat.

*Due to some fruit allergies, Red, Purple and Green Groups can not accept kiwi or mango this year. Blue Group does not have these allergies, so these fruits are acceptable for them only.

We mix all the fruit contributions in a large bowl, then say a prayer of thanks and finally enjoy the fruit salad feast!

Thank you for your donations in this regard and have a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!

Sincerely,

Your Kindergarten Teams

LUNCH OPTIONS???

Pizza - Wednesdays

Sept 21- Jan 25 (17 weeks)

Cheese or Pepperoni - $2.25 slice 

(total for 17 weeks $38.25)

Gluten free Cheese - $2.50 slice 

(total for 17 weeks $42.50)

Orders are due by this Friday, Sept 16.

________________________________________________

Milk - Oct 3-Dec 23 (57 days)

White or Chocolate - $0.75 each 

(total for 57 days $42.75)

You must order for all days and can only have either white or chocolate. (No switching from day to day.) Sealtest is the provider.

MEET THE TEACHER

SEE YOU TONIGHT!

6-7 PM

"POPCORN WORDS" TO KNOW

The English teachers will be covering numerous aspects of language development but the following list is a brief version of essential words that will be targeted over the two year  Kindergarten program.

HIGH-FREQUENCY WORDS FOR KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS are referred to as..

I     mom       dad       cat      dog      you 

(These are some other words your child should learn to "read on sight" before Grade 1.)

do    a      to     we        me       he      she       see

on     my      in      it      is       love     the       said

that    this      go       out       have     they     little

FRENCH VOCABULARY FOCUS

Every few weeks, collaboratively the French teachers, Mme. Holland, Mme. Gibney, and Mme. Blahout will post a monthly French vocabulary list, which will be covered in class.  Any inquiry-based French words will be introduced on an individual group basis according to the inquiries that are going on in each classroom. Specific inquiry words may be tweeted on individual Twitter accounts. Otherwise there will be a general focus each month to build vocabulary and language skills.

Please encourage your child to "teach you" French - - - as this is an effective strategy to motivate new learners.


Don't worry about their pronunciation or even if the words are correct; the first 'hurdle' is to simply attempt to speak a second language! (This, in itself, is important risk-taking.)  It is also very gratifying for little ones to be the teacher, for a change!  

Here are some words & phrases we have already introduced (or are review for SK's) and some we will be focusing on over the next few weeks.  

September and October
- Bonjour   / Aurevoir  / Salut
- Comment ça va?  
- Ça va bien, merci.  / Merci
- Comment t'appelle-tu? 
- Je m'appelle ____.
-  la fille  / le garçon / ami(e)

- l'école / la classe / le crayon / madame / monsieur 
-  Les Verbes:
arrêter / regarder / écouter  / marcher  / sauter / courir 
- Le Temps:
Il fait soleil. / Il fait beau. / Il fait froid. / Il fait chaud. / Il pleut.
- Les Couleurs: 
jaune, rouge, vert, bleu, violet, rose, orange, blanc, brun, noir
- L'Automne: 
la (les) feuille(s)  /  tomber / changer / l'arbre 
- L'Hallowe'en: (*not until the end of October)
le squelette / le fantôme / le monstre / la citrouille / la sorcière
Thank you, in advance, for any support offered at home in this regard.