Thank you to our awesome grade parents for getting together the email group and getting out our first calendar! So helpful! You will receive a calendar each month with as much on it as we know about. There are always a few little things that come up along the way that may not be on there and we just roll with it. This was our first full week and a busy one with quite a few firsts!
Our Terry Fox assembly went well, the kids were very keen to see the raffle prizes! Tickets are $1 each or 3 for $2 and are being sold every day over the lunch hour. All proceeds go directly to the Terry Fox Foundation as the raffle prizes were donated so if you can help out please do! Remember to put your child's name and the purpose of the money on the baggie/envelope before sending it in. We will take the kids at lunch and help them fill out their ticket stubs. Thank you!
Curriculum night was as busy as ever, with many parents scrambling to hear several grade presentations. Our K curriculum has been changed once again and now reflects "the four frame" approach. You can always read curriculum information (for any grade) on the Ontario government site. A link is at the top of this blog. Basically, our aim is to develop independence and social skills, problem solving and character traits as well as literacy, numeracy and stem understanding. It's a busy place! We want to instill a love of learning and create a positive association with schooling that will carry the children through the grades. Your attitude and support is huge in this regard so we thank you in advance for everything you do!
Our Friday fire drill went well. Everyone was calm and quiet. Perfect! There will be another this week as well as lockdown practise and several more over the course of the year. When talking to your child about this we simply stress it's a practice exercise. In 25 years of teaching I've not had a real fire, nor was there ever one in most of our own school experiences so we are safe! The Toronto Fire Department encourages every home to have a safety plan and this is a great opportunity to talk about it with your child/ children.
Library books began going home this week. (Day 3 group only so far. Day 5 will get theirs Monday.) Your child will swap his/her book each library visit - one group is day 3, the other day 5, that remains the same for the entire year. As long as the green bag comes back with the old book inside, Ms.McGee will have the child take out a new one. You may find it helpful to highlite your child's days on the class calendar. If you look ON the actual green bag, you will see either a 3 or 5 to identify your child's day and books can remain at home until that day to allow you more than one opportunity for reading and enjoying!
Hot lunch/Lunch Lady is available on Wednesdays. Information is on the school website and orders are done online. Please be aware that students receiving hot lunch are required TO BRING THEIR OWN UTENSILS as plastic ones are no longer being provided.
We have been busy in class practising our names and cutting. Both of these are essential skills and we work on them every day. If your child has not had scissors before, it is time to get some for home. In class we use only childsafe scissors and have them for both right and left handed cutters. Chopping up grocery or store flyers is not only fun for the kids but works their hand muscles to develop fine motor skills which allow small, neat printing! Have pencils, crayons and paper available and be ready to model letters so your child can learn to print their name. Add family names - mom, dad, friends etc etc and pretty soon you have a bonafide writer on your hands! For children still switching the pencils/scissors from hand to hand try presenting the pencil at the centrepoint and noting which hand is used to reach for it, then encourage the continued use of that hand. Neither right or left is better than the other but determining one dominant hand is important. For Seniors getting back into routine, a little writing each night is a good thing! Drawing a picture of their favourite part of the day and adding the sentence using phonics/sounds is great. It could even become part of the evening routine as a journal entry!
The coming week looks like:
Monday - Day 5 Lib/IT AM
Tuesday- Music AM
Wednesday- Fire Drill
Thursday-Day 3 Lib/IT PM
Friday- Lockdown pracise
Next week is Photo Day. We do not have our scheduled time yet but please assume it is in the AM and send your child ready to go! I will send a reminder/info card from the photographer on Friday.
Next week is also our Terry Fox walk. Everyone is welcome to join us in the gym at 12:35 on Thursday. We walk rain or shine just as Terry did. If you are planning to come it will take about and hour of our afternoon and then you may leave. The children will go back to regular routines for the rest of the afternoon. If you think it will upset your child to see you and have you leave, this may not be the volunteer opportunity for you! There will be plenty more!
Cheers, have a great week!
Ms. I.
