Family pics

We are about to look at families and it would be most helpful if everyone could please send in a family pic by Monday!  Printed pics are typical but digital copies emailed to me would be ok as we could display on the TV.

Thanks!

Firefighter visit for Kindergarten

The Kindergarten children had a visit from some local Firefighters today.  Possibly my favorite day of the year! :-)

They learned about 911, sleeping with their door closed at night, smoke alarms, crawling under smoke, stop, drop and roll, having a meeting spot outside, and got to see ME dressed as a firefighter so they know to not be afraid if they ever need to be rescued by one.

Working Together

We have started working more and more together in partnerships or small groups.  This is where we see leadership qualities, teamwork, turn-taking, and many other social characteristics develop.

The first set of pics are of Grade 1's acting as leaders for their Kindergarten buddy(ies) as they complete a project for health and nutrition.  Their job was to describe to their helper what job they were assigning them, and to offer words of praise and thanks for a job well done.  The Grade 1s felt and acted incredibly responsible for their little buddy (lowering their voices and speaking softly…so unnecessary but sweet!) during this activity.  It was very heartwarming.

Today, we also partnered up to look at non-fiction books about penguins.  They scanned the books together, talked about what they saw, and shared an observation about penguins with the class.  We recorded our findings onto a class chart.  Ask your child what a non-fiction book is and if they can tell you some facts about penguins!

Late arrivals

Please remember to sign your child in at the office if they arrive late.  I do attendance at 8:51…right after the second bell.

Home Reading Grade 1

Grade 1 students are bringing home a leveled book for home reading today.  Typically, this will be a Thursday routine but I realized a bit late that the other classes have already started so I want to get into it right away.

What does this look like?

Each Thursday (Thursday being the only day that they do NOT go to guided reading and thus have no reading homework) children will independently choose a book from our selection to bring home.  I will ask them to start low and adjust as they need to.  If you get the sense that your child is not leveling up when you feel they should, just let me know as I will not be monitoring their choices very closely.  You can record their reading on the same sheet you have been recording guided reading homework in their folder.  Please return the book when you are ready but by the following Thursday at the latest.

So, how do you know if they need a higher level?

They breeze through the book, self correct if needed, recognize all sight words, quickly read unknown words (probably without sounding out), can retell the story accurately, and easily infer meaning.

The level is probably too high if they struggle, get frustrated, and don't want to read anymore.  If your child is miserable through this process, please let me know.  That is the LAST thing we want.

Kindergarten home reading starts later in the year :-)

Independence

Brooksbank has set a school-wide goal of increasing independence in school (other classes may or may not be starting to talk about this yet).  This means different things at different ages.

For Kindergarten right now, these pushes towards independence happen all throughout our school day.  At some point in the year we ask for parent's to let children walk to class on their own (much like the information below for Grade 1s).  If you and your child are ready for this now, feel free to give it a try!

For Grade 1s, we are asking that parents say goodbye at the front doors of the school and allow their child to walk to class, organize their belongings and remember their routines on their own.  This isn't a huge stretch because they already navigate the halls on their own to go to guided reading and choosing in the open area, and organize their belongings throughout the day…it would really only be a change for the mornings.

If your child is in daycare, please speak to their care providers about this.  

Feel free to do some reconnaissance at the window!

Any anxious children?  No problem.  Just let me know. I often station myself in view of the front door (until no longer needed) as a beacon of sorts and that helps a lot.

Loutet Farm

Surprise!  We are going to Loutet farm tomorrow, Friday, after recess.   I believe there was a cancellation by another class and the timing worked out nicely for us so we took the spot.  The forecast is for rain, so please ensure that your child has boots and a jacket tomorrow.

Thanks!

Pedestrian Safety

Elmer the Safety Elephant visited with his friend, Ruff today!  They taught us about pedestrian safety - topics included, crossing the street, traffic lights, walking without sidewalks, seat belts, safety around parked AND moving cars, playground safety, and safety equipment.  Your child has a sticker and handout detailing the basics.

I also learned that if you put a puppet on your hand, you can get children to sit impossibly still and attend to your every word!

Jingle Mingle Volunteers

Please see the volunteer opportunity below.  If you would like to help but don't get a chance to come into the school, please let me know and I will sign you up.

Kindergarten Reading

Kindergarten students will be bringing him books today and tomorrow that they can read to you!  Reading in Kindergarten is not the same as it is in higher grades.  Our focus at this time of year (earlier than in previous years as this group is just plain ready!) is on two things - memorizing a repetitive story, and tracking with their finger.  As they read their book to you this week and in weeks to come please consider the following:

• Tracking by syllables and compound words is common - this means that instead of considering a word like "hedgehog" one word and pointing to it once, they hear it as two words and consider the word following to be part of hedgehog.  They might also do the same thing with "rabbit" hearing it as two syllables.  Please remind them to slow down at these points.
• Sliding their finger to track instead of hopping is common and should be discouraged.  The idea is to point to each word as it is spoken.  This helps them to distinguish between each word.
• Self correcting is advanced at this point!  It is great if they are stopping themselves when things don't seem right.  Please give them a chance to do this on their own.

To challenge your child when they are ready, ask the following:

• Where is the word, mole (for example)?
• Can you find this word (point to word) on the next page too?
• Show me a lower case letter
• Show me an upper case letter
• What sound does this letter make?
• Recall/Sequencing questions like, what animal came after the fox?
• Can you tell me the story without reading the book? 

Let me know if you have any questions.  I will write notes on these little books as things change and update you on events as we progress.

Happy Reading!

Scholastic

If anyone is ordering Scholastic for December, please be sure to have the forms in by Friday of this week to ensure that the orders get delivered before the break.  Scholastic says this is a busy time for them and they expect orders to ship a bit slower as a result.

If the orders are for Christmas gifts, please let me know ahead of time and I can be sure to get them to you undercover!

Grouse Mountain pics

It was such an amazing day to be on Grouse last Friday!  Could not have asked for better weather.  So many smiles and amazing experiences with friends.  Here are some pics of our adventures.