Tuesday 27 October 2015

Look at what we have been up to!

We have had a fun week so far!  Our word of the week is "I".  We have been looking for "I" in poems and stories as well as using it in our writing. The children are very excited to find our special word and will probably point it out to you while reading a book!  Below is the poem we used to look for and "butter" the word "I".  They loved singing it in class.
 Today we had so much fun predicting which brain made of ice would melt first.  The students had great ideas and reasons for their predictions.  They were very engaged and kept a close eye on the brains throughout the day.  At the end of the day, we examined each brain and wrote down our observations.  They even came up with a very clever name for our science experiment "Brain Freeze"!!!  We have lots of future scientists in our class!



 The students have been exploring Math through play and having a great time!  Lots of students have been busy building and collaborating in the classroom.  Our pumpkins were turned into geoboards and the students loved using the pegs and elastics to create different shapes.  Math is everywhere!

Just a reminder that on Friday we will be having Black and Orange Day.  Your child is invited to wear black and orange (if they have it at home)  instead of a costume.  It is going to be a spooktacular day!  Please refrain from sending in treats for the class as we have many allergies in our room.

Grade 2 Bake Sale Thursday



Monday 26 October 2015

A Couple Reminders


  • Wednesday, October 28th is Picture Day for kindergartens!


  • Starting this week, we will have library time every Wednesday. Please send books back on Tuesdays. 

Social Justice Project

            October 2015


Dear Parents,

This year in kindergarten our social justice project involves ongoing visits to the Symphony Retirement Home.  Each kindergarten class will sign up for one visit every twelve weeks.The goal is for the students to have an opportunity to build relationships and to share real life experiences that bring happiness to the residents at Symphony Home.

The students will walk to and from the Symphony Home on Kanata Avenue. They will participate in shared reading, singing, games, art activities and chatting with residents.

In order to walk to and from Symphony Home, our class will need parent volunteers on Tuesday, February 9th and Tuesday, April 5th.

We look forward to having our kindergarten students have an opportunity to bring “light” to others and to gain insight and learning from our older generations.

For more information on the positive effects of children visiting retirement homes you can read the article link.

Thank You
The Kindergarten Teams at St Gabriel School

Electricity with Dr. D.

We had fun learning with Dr. D. We discovered that with static, styrofoam plates stick to our head!

6

Tuesday 20 October 2015

Updates and Reminders

It's hard to believe that it is already mid October! We are having a blast in the classroom and learning so much!  We are starting to explore popcorn words on a weekly basis.  A popcorn word is a high frequency word that "pops up" in many forms of literature that we look at (books, poems, songs etc).  Our word for this week is "a".  We read a pumpkin poem and looked for the word "a" in the poem.  The kids had a great time "buttering" our popcorn word in the poem!  We will continue to explore this word throughout the week.  You can help out at home by asking your child to point out the weekly words when you read with them.

In Math, we have been exploring patterns in the classroom and all around us.  We are focusing on AB patterns.  These are patterns with one changing attribute (colour, shape).  You can help at home by pointing out patterns and asking your child what would come next.  They are having fun creating and extending patterns.  We used beads to make up a pattern tree to decorate the classroom.  Before hanging their patterns, they had to explain what their pattern was.  They were so proud of their creations and the tree turned out really cute!
                                                                                                 
In Science, we have been exploring nature and have made some beautiful leaf art with the leaves collected from our nature hike in Griffin's Grove.  The kids used their imagination and made great masterpieces.  We will be learning about living and non-living things and deciding how to sort objects into these groupings.

We will also be learning about cats over the next little while. The children have sparked an interest in cats so we are starting an inquiry on these furry friends!  If you have any cat books or pictures of cats, we would love to see them!  We promise to take good care of them and send them back!

In Physical Education, we have been focusing on safety in the gym and learning the importance of following directions and personal space.  We have been playing games that require cooperation and listening to a series of directions.

Reminders...

With the cold weather creeping in, please label everything!  We are finding random gloves and hats but are not sure who they belong to.  If you could also ensure that your child has a spare pair of clothes (in case of an accident) that would be much appreciated.

On Friday, October 30th, we will be asking the children to wear orange and black instead of costumes.  We also ask to refrain from sending in treats due to the allergies in our classroom.

Thank you for your continued support!

Play For A Change

Friday 16 October 2015

Scholastic Book Order


Dear Parents,

We are starting up our Scholastic Book Club!  If you are interested in ordering from the book order, please ensure that you send a cheque made out to Scholastic Canada.  They do not accept cash.  You will find the correct amount for the books under the ON,NB,NL header on the back of the order form.  The October order will be placed on October 21st so please send in your cheques by this date if you are ordering.

Thank you!
 

Thursday 15 October 2015

Twitter

Some parents have been asking about our classroom Twitter account.  As a result of the labour dispute, Mrs. T. is unable to activate our Twitter account until this is resolved. We look forward to sharing our tweets and pictures in the future. Thank you for your patience and understanding regarding this matter.

Mrs. Rocco, Mrs. T. and Mme Anna

Thursday 8 October 2015

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing you and your family a very happy and restful Thanksgiving.  We have so much to be thankful for.  Enjoy your weekend with your new feathery friend!!!

Monday 5 October 2015

Eric Carle Inspired Art

Playdough Recipe

Playdough:


2 cups of flour
4 tsp. of cream of tartar
2 cups of water and food colouring
1 cup of salt
1/4 cup of oil

Bring liquid to a boil, add dry ingredients and stir until mixed. Remove from heat. Knead dough on the table until cool. Store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Stays fresh for ages.

Friday 2 October 2015

Playdough Club Schedule - Thank you!

Playdough Club

Thanks for your participation in our Playdough Club.  The children love creating with playdough and we really appreciate your help!  Please see below for the playdough schedule.

October 19th
Megan Kime
November 2nd
Trisha Greco
November 16th
Jennifer Parker
November 30th
Bonita Gagne
December 14th
Megan Kime
January 4th
Lindsay Kovacs
January 18th
Shawna Pecoskie
February 1st
Kim Moher
February 16th
Li Jie
February 29th
Maria Dimitrakopoulou
March 21st
Trisha Greco
April 4th
Jennifer Parker
April 18th
Bonita Gagne
May 2nd
Lindsay Kovacs
May 16th
Shawna Pecoskie
May 30th
Kim Moher
June 13th
Li Jie