Thank you as always to our valued volunteers! Our "Little Reader" program is up and running once again, many thanks to those who are able to volunteer to swap the books into the mailbags on Tuesdays and Fridays. Mystery Readers started back up this week in a big way - we had Everett's grandpa with a very cool Australian accent who captivated the kids by teaching them a few funny Aussie words and putting into their heads the idea of "jingle bells, jingle bells...on a steaming hot summer's day!" Followed by Gray's grandma on Thursday who donated the two books to the classroom after reading them - the kids were so excited and the "Stanley Goes to School" book has seen much use! What a nice way to start back!
On the down side - we seem to have started back with the germs still zipping through the class. Please remember your child should not be at school with a fever or even up to 12 hours after the fever has broken. We blow our noses regularly to keep goo under control and then wash our hands after to help with contamination. Just think of all the places those little hands touch on themselves...and then in the classroom...eek! Coughs go into our elbows, the kids can show you how and if Ms.I. or Ms.Mosun catch those hands in your mouth or up your nose...off the the washroom with you! (Some of our friends have been washing their hands A LOT this week!!). It is never too soon to start these habits for health, personal hygiene and just plain good manners. We have 27 of our own children using the class all day and a variety of other students in the room for the Before and After school program so we need to be mindful. If you are the parent of a JK and your child seems to get EVERYTHING going around, unfortunately that's quite common - particularly for children who haven't been in a group setting outside of family before. It will get better and they will build up immunity as the years go by - they get older, stronger, rooms get less crowded and hopefully habits improve!
For those of you with our "next crop" of Kindergarteners at home - little siblings who will be 4 years old by December 31, 2017...we are having Kindergarten Registration in the office on February 7 and
8. You can pick up the registration package from the office and fill it in at home (much easier) then make an appointment with Mrs. Shakespeare (at the front desk in the office) to go over the forms, have an intake meeting and actually register your child for the upcoming year so they can be placed
on a class list. If you have friends or neighbors who have eligible children feel free to pass the info on! It makes September so much easier and helps keep our classes fairly even for boys, girls, juniors and seniors when we can see ahead of time who is coming. Several of you have asked about making teacher requests based on who your child knows (kids or teachers) for their Kindergarten class and while you are welcome to give us this information and we do try to accomodate, we can never give you an absolute guarantee as there are so many unforeseen factors that can affect placements. The same is true for SK parents who are already looking ahead to grade one classrooms...we don't yet know who will be teaching grade one next year!!
Also - JK parents - you do NOT need to re-register your child for SK or any other years going
forward. Once the kids are admitted, we roll them forward and place them forward automatically
unless you tell us otherwise ie. moving, changing schools etc. JK students will STAY in my class for their SK year as well. We have a 2 year program and keep the students in the same room over the 2 years to maintain consistency and give them some leadership opportunities in their SK year - after all they would know the routines, expectations and teachers and could be "experts" in so many areas as
well as wonderful role models for the incoming JK's!
This week we will enjoy a visit from the Mobile Planetarium! Wednesday morning we are scheduled to go up to the library and check it out, many thanks to Ms. McGee for organizing that. I have taken grade 5's as part of their ancient civilizations learning (think the greeks and their constellations!) and they were fascinated, so I think our kindies will have a great time! Be sure to ask your child about it
on Wednesday! A heads up if your child is noise sensitive, it is a little noisy (low vaccuum kind of noise) and we do sit close together - think Parklawn ice bubble on a smaller scale...I do go in with the kids, we all go together and once inside they quickly adjust and see the "cool" factor of it but if your child is sensitive you may want to have a talk about it at home and we will talk in class as well.
Next week, Jan. 23-27, will be Chinese New Year celebrations to ready for January 28 New Year's Eve. Look for songs and poems to reflect our learning!
Looking ahead to February again...
- JK students will have a report card this term, coming home Mon. Feb. 13.
- an interview schedule will be set up online again and you will be sent the access code in a parent email, everyone may have an interview if they wish but SK students do not receive a written report
-the 100th day of school will be Mon. Feb. 13. - a party day naturally! Keep an eye out for 100 day collection ideas (or google it - it's a thing!) I will send more info next week...
-Valentine cards and or treats can be sent Tuesday, Feb. 14. and only need a "from _______" name on them, if sending treats please be sure they are not free.
This week looks like:
Monday - Music AM
Tuesday - Mailbags, Mystery Reader AM
Wednesday - Mobile Planetarium visit, NOT a book change day for PM LIB
Thursday - Mailbags, Reading Buddies AM, Mystery Reader PM
Friday - PA Day
Have a great week!
Ms.I.
