We had a great first week!
Our awesome seniors were very helpful with our new JK's and excited to get going with "hard work" as they said. Way to go guys! The JK's are eager to learn and are getting the hang of things like line ups and carpet time (lessons) a little more each day. Next week we will work on keeping the noise level down a bit more...imagine your child at their most excited play voice level and add 24 others into the room...a work in progress!
If your child still seems shy or upset at separation times PLEASE don't worry or focus too much time and energy on it as this assures them that there must really be something to be nervous about! Be confident and happy at drop off times, always reassuring them that you will be back at home time. The anxiety will dissipate as they come to know and trust the routine of a school day and all the people they spend their days with. Remember - we go to other rooms in the school - the lunchroom, office, gym, library, computer lab - and we have other teachers for portions of the day - Ms. McGee, Mr. Ourique, Ms. Joy, other Kindie teachers and ECE's in the playground and lunchroom, bus drivers, Alejandra and the B&A staff. That is a lot to take in! Each of us has our comfort level in these situations and we respect that we all don't adjust in the same way. Be positive, reassuring and firm - they are safe, school is their job, you love them and you will be back!
Your child brought home their mailbag on Friday - we send it every Friday with notices, etc and their Poetry Book. Each week we learn poems and songs and on Friday send the book home for your child to read with you. Knowing the songs without attending to the print is still important pre-reading so that as you sing with your child and track the print with YOUR finger they start to notice and make those connections that build into sight words and great readers! Please send the books back to class on Mondays.
If you have filled out and returned all forms from the class and office many thanks, if you have not
yet returned them please do so. The contact information is shared with our grade parents Catherine Marcolin and Tara Fox - affectionately known as "Tabitha's mom" and "Paige's mom" - so that they can build an email group to contact you with calendars and class events/information. THESE ARE REALLY IMPORTANT to knowing what is going on in the class and when your child needs to be prepared for Library or Leader days. The first calendar will be coming to you this week once we have been through each of the 5 school days that make up our schedule. We DO NOT run on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday etc day of the week schedule but on a Day 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 cycle which will appear to repeat until we run into a holiday or PA day that will shift everything over.
The blog will give you a week by week snapshot of the class as well as a little more insight into what we are working on. Next week we will attend our first assembly - the whole school, in the gym, speakers at the front, sit on your bottom and listen kind of assembly. These are a work in progress! We also have the first of our mandated Fire Drills - a new experience any children who don't live in buildings and haven't attended daycare regularly.
Curriculum night is on Thursday. We begin the night in the gym from 5:30-6:00 for an overview of the K program at LKS. From 6:00-6:30 you may browse the classroom, talk with other parents and myself or Mrs.Mosun and from 6:30-7:00 we are back in the gym for Ms.Kaddel and Ms. Norton's address. You may have other commitments, especially in other grades for siblings so attend what you need to attend. We are a paperless school and do not send handouts home but you may access curriculum expectations from any grade level from the Ontario government web site education link.
Next week looks like this:
Monday - Terry Fox Assembly, LIB/IT AM
Tuesday - Music AM
Wednesday -
Thursday - LIB/IT PM, Curriculum Night 5:30 in the gym
Friday - Fire Drill
Have a great weekend, cheers!
Ms.I.
