Thank you as always to our valued volunteers! We had a great time at the Science Center on Thursday and we couldn't have done it without our awesome volunteers. The kids had tons of fun and have great memories. Thank you, thank you! Going forward, please remember that having a police check will be an imperative part of volunteering on trips, in the class and around the school. Picking up your paperwork now and having it ready for September is a great idea! ( Reminder that they do expire each year and that you need to initiate the renewal procedure, they don't prompt or remind you.).
This coming week we will have volunteers in for our scientist adventure, woohoo!
Our space investigation is finished - and the kids loved seeing all the space exhibits on Thursday. They knew so much about it they blew away some of the other adults visiting with other groups! Right now we are delving into insects, spiders and plants...all the things we see in the spring. Our "investigations" or themes or units as we used to call them, are usually seasonally related and a result of the kids questions and interests. When you see other classes investigating different topics that's ok! Also, remember that the Kindergarten program is spaced out over two years so we can use a two year rotation of topics and ideas meaning that the children aren't doing the same things both years they are with me! We all have our own interests outside of class and that's where you can extend and enrich your child's learning with visits, using the library and having them read and write/draw about their interests and findings. A simple dollar store journal - decorated and fancied up - to become an "I wonder..." Journal is a fun tool to keep track of interests and findings. They make great reading later when those same kids are older too!
Next week Ms. McGee has arranged for us to meet and hear a presentation from Canadian author Lorna Schultz Nicholson. She has books in a variety of age ranges and on varying topics, fiction and
non-fiction but for our age group there is a series about "Puckster" the hockey playing bear that may
resonate with your child. You can look at her website for further information, we will see her Friday
afternoon!
Next week looks like this:
Monday - Music AM
Tuesday - Mystery Reader AM
Wednesday - Day 3 LIB/IT PM
Thursday - Reading Buddies AM, Mystery Reader PM
Friday - Scientist visit AM (No Day 5 LIB/IT), Author visit PM
Lastly but never least, a happy Mother's Day to all of you! As hard as the job is, there are no better rewards than the love, trust, admiration and respect that we instill in our children and receive back from them in tenfold as their mothers. I am moved and humbled by the love, care and kindness that your children show each other, Ms. Mosun and myself every day. They are awesome, which means
you are awesome! I hope you enjoy your day and the special treasures that they have created for you.
For those of you who also have an amazing mother to thank for so much...you might like to check out two of my favorite charities for moms helping moms - theshoeboxproject.com and nannyangelnetwork.com both do amazing things for moms in need and can always use more supporters!
My mom is receiving the "joy" bracelet from the shoebox project, meaning a $50 donation goes to building a shoebox of necessities for a woman in a shelter, including a matching bracelet to my mom's. Their motto is "there's no better joy, than shared joy".
The Nanny Angel Network (Toronto based, run by the amazing Audrey Guth) provides qualified nannies to moms diagnosed with cancer, trying to manage children - maybe with no family support, or as new Canadians, do meals, laundry, shopping, homework, soccer, recitals etcetcetc as well as the work of chemotherapy and resting to heal. (As a child who lived through this, I have a real soft spot here and my 23 year old son proudly wears the pink breast cancer ribbon tattoed on his chest for his Nanna.) Both organizations would love any amount of support!
Cheers, Ms. I.
