Sunday 24 December 2017

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you and your family a very merry and restful Christmas.  We can't wait to see you in 2018!


Monday 11 December 2017

Week of December 11

We are so excited to perform for you on Friday.  The kids have been practicing and doing a great job remembering the words and actions to our songs.   Feel free to dress your child up in Christmas colours or anything festive for the concert.

Today we were busy measuring dinosaurs with cubes, learning about the nativity and experimenting with chalk on paper.  It was a very productive day!

We will not have a new letter or word of the week until the new year but please continue to practice letter recognition and letter sounds with your child.

As the snow and cold weather hits us, please send your child dressed in full winter gear (snowpants, hat, gloves, boots, coat) as well as pack spare gloves and socks.  Let's hope that Mother Nature is kind to us tomorrow!

Reminder:

Our Christmas concert will be held in Room 138 at 2 pm.  We would love for you to stay afterwards and do a craft with your child.  The more the merrier!

We sent home a hard copy of the Advent letter that was posted on the blog last week.  Our class is collecting child sized toothbrushes.  If you can help, it will be much appreciated.





Sunday 10 December 2017

French Concert Songs

The children are so excited about their Christmas concert this coming Friday!  Two of the French songs have been added under the link on this blog for French songs.  Please encourage your little one to practice at home!

Tuesday 5 December 2017

Blog Update Notifications

We finally resolved the issue of not sending notifications when a new blog post has been posted.  You will now find on the right-hand side a spot to enter your email address.  It will send you a notification to that email when the blog has been updated.

Here are some pictures from yesterday:







Week of December 4th

This week we will not have a word or letter of the week.  Instead, we are focusing on learning our songs for the Christmas concert. The children will be singing these songs in their sleep after the concert is done!!!  They are doing such a great job and it is going to be ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE!

If you plan on attending on December 15th (Friday), please send back your form indicating that you will be joining us.

Please see the note below regarding our Christmas Hamper collection:

  
December 4, 2017

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

The Advent season has arrived and Christmas is just around the corner. Each of the classes at St. Gabriel School will be involved in our Advent project to help those in need. Each class, from Kindergarten through grade six, will contribute to allow us to prepare a “hamper” for needy families from our adopted school, St. Elizabeth.

Each student is being asked to bring in a specific item for the food hamper. Additionally, a minimum donation of $2.00 for the family would also be most appreciated. Monies collected will go towards the purchase of a grocery store gift card for each family, so the family can purchase a turkey and fresh fruit and vegetables.

We encourage the students to complete a chore at home to earn their own money, so that they experience the gift of giving. Your child is invited to bring in 2 child sized toothbrushes. We will be collecting the hamper items and money from Monday,December 4th until Friday,December 15th.

** Please note we also welcome donations of hats and mittens to send to families in need in our school board.  


Thank you for your generosity and support during the Advent Season.

God Bless,

St. Gabriel Catholic School Staff



Tuesday 28 November 2017

Christmas Concert Date

We are so excited to announce our Christmas concert date! We hope you can join us on  Friday, December 15th at 2 pm.  This will take place in our classroom.  A note will be sent home this week with more details.  After our concert, we are hoping that you will stay and make a craft with your child.  Feel free to invite siblings, grandparents, etc.

Monday 27 November 2017

Week of November 27th

Today was a chilly one outside!  We noticed that some children had shorts and t-shirts as their "spare" set of clothing at school. We have sent them home but please send pants and a long sleeve shirt back.  We also noticed that many children are missing a spare pair of socks.  With the unpredictable weather, you never know when a soaker might occur!  An extra pair (or 2) of socks would be helpful.

Our letter of the week is "w" and our word of the week is "we".  The sk students are doing a great job thinking of the letter sounds and putting them together.  We will be working on this skill all year but feel free to practice at home as well.  

This afternoon we started practicing our songs for the Christmas concert.  We are still checking the calendar to see what day is best but we will get that information out ASAP.  It will be a little performance followed by a craft and gathering in the classroom.  You won't want to miss it!

Here are some pictures from the day:







Monday 20 November 2017

Week of November 20th

It was so nice to talk with you about your child's progress thus far during interview night.  We are so happy with all of our students and love watching them learn and grow.  If you did not sign up for an interview and would like to discuss your child's progress, please write a note in the communication book and we can schedule a phone interview.  We always like to talk to every parent and touch base at this time of the year.

Our letter of the week is the letter "o" and our word of the week is "to".  The sk students did an amazing job writing a thought or a sentence using the word "to".  We are so proud of their writing so far and it is only November!  Please keep reviewing the letters and their associated sounds during your nightly reading.

We were busy making snow globe art today in light of our recent dump of snow.  They look adorable and the students had a blast making them.

Most kids were so excited to play in the snow today!  Please ensure that your child comes to school with mitts, a hat, snow-pants, a warm coat and spare clothing in case they get wet.

Reminder:
Friday is a PD Day so there is no school for the students.






Wednesday 15 November 2017

Missing Roots Hoodie

Hello Parents,

We are on the hunt for a missing Roots hoodie.  It is the same style as the picture below but in heathered grey instead of black.  If you have seen it or if your child brought it home by accident, could you please let us know.
Thank you!


Monday 13 November 2017

Week of November 13th

Today we had a very busy day.  We started off with a lockdown practice first thing in the morning.  The children did such an amazing job staying calm and quiet.  We were so proud of them.

Our letter of the week is "s".  We practiced printing this tricky letter with our magical finger! Our word of the week is "is".  We sounded it out by putting the letter sounds together.  This is a tricky task to say the sounds and try and put them together.  Please practice this with yout child if your child is in sk.  We will be working on this all year.  Some of the children are sounding words out on their own and are eager to attempt new words.

On Wednesday, your child will be receiving their Initial Observation.   Thursday is parent -teacher interviews.  If you have not signed up for a time, please do so soon. Mrs. T and I are very excited to discuss your child's progress thus far.

Today, we also worked on placing numbers in order.  The children worked together and were able to place numbers 1-40 in the correct order.  We often play a "what comes before/after" game in the morning.  This is a quick and fun game to play with your child and is really beneficial for them.  (What comes after 7? )  For our jk students, we go up to 5.  Try going past 10 if your child is in sk.

On Tuesday, November 21, 2017 from 7:00 pm-8:00 pm, St. Gabriel will be hosting an informative session on Social Emotional Learning (SEL).  This session will help parents understand the school wide focus on being calm, focussed and ready to learn.  If you are available to attend, please confirm your attendance by completing this form.
Register here


Here are some pictures from today:










Monday 6 November 2017

Week of November 6th

Our letter of the week is the letter "t" and our word of the week is "it".  Today we talked about words and how to make words by putting letters together.  Since last week's letter was "i", we practiced putting the sound of "i" and "t" together to make "it".  Please continue to practice letter recognition and letter sounds at home.

This week we will be talking about poppies, peace and Remembrance Day.  We have been learning a song about peace.  Ask your child to sing it to you.  Our focus will be on kindness and how lucky we are to live in such a wonderful country.  On Friday, we will be having a special visitor in to give a presentation.  He will be dressed in his uniform and will be answering any questions the children may have.  We are looking forward to having him come into the classroom.

Next Wednesday,  your child will be coming home with their first "report"called the Initial Observation.  Interviews will be held the following evening (Thursday, November 16th).  An email was sent out last week on how to book an interview online.  We hope to meet everyone that night.  It's always a great way to talk about your child's transition and progress so far.  If you did not get the email regarding booking interviews, please call the school or write a note in your child's communication book.  To ensure that we stay on time that night, please knock on the door when it's your time.  They are only 10 minute interviews.

With the cold weather moving in, please send your child to school dressed appropriately for the weather.  We are outdoors for 30 minutes in the morning, 20 minutes at lunch as well as 15 minutes at the end of the day.  Please send in extra socks and a spare set of clothing for your child if they do not have any in the classroom.

This Friday we will be sending the blankets home to be washed.  Please send them back on Monday.

Here are some pictures from today:






Monday 30 October 2017

Week of October 30th

Today we had a fun filled day on such a wet and gloomy Monday.  The children had a blast exploring the games that the Grade 6 students made.  Thank you for sending in donations.  This money will go to the Free the Children Foundation.

Our letter of the week is "i" / "I".  We practiced printing this letter with our magical finger and also buttered the "I" in our poem.  Our word of the week is also "I".  We spoke about the importance of using an uppercase and that when "I" is on it's own, it needs to be uppercase.  The sk writing is really coming along.  They are learning all the important concepts of print.

Please continue to read to/with your child. It's is so beneficial for them and they love listening to stories.

Tomorrow, we are having a visit from a motivational group called NED.  This is a program that centres around 3 important messages: Never give up + Encourage others + Do your best.  It is suppose to be a real engaging and fun show for the children.

Tomorrow, the children are welcome to wear orange and black clothing.  Please leave the costumes at home.  We don't want them getting dirty or damaged before trick or treating.

Here are some pictures from the day:







Thursday 26 October 2017

Play For Change -Monday, October 30th

On Monday, October 30th, we will be participating in the Grade 6 fundraiser called Play for Change.  The school will be filled with games that the Grade 6 students have made.  The money collected will be going to the Free the Children Foundation.  If you have any change to spare, please send it in a ziplock with your child on Monday.  All children will be able to participate in the games on Monday morning.  It is always so much fun for the children and they are looking forward to going!

Monday 23 October 2017

Week of October 23rd

Today we got our new letter and word of the week. Our letter this week is "m" and our word of the week is "am".  The children remembered the sound that "a" makes and were able to sound out our new word! We came up with a great list of words that have "m"s in them.

This morning we brought our learning outdoors.  The children had a BLAST exploring Griffin's Grove in search of colourful, not crunchy leaves! They examined the leaves and made the decision of which leaves were good enough to be put into the collection  bags.  In the afternoon, we read the story "Leaf Man" which inspired us to make beautiful creations out of our leaves. See the pictures below.

We are learning about our emotions and being about to recognize and communicate how we feel.  This is a school- wide focus this year.  We are teaching the children strategies on how to recognize and manage their emotions.  This is a very important element of the kindergarten program.

On Friday, St. Gabriel will be hosting it's annual Halloween dance.  It is always a great night for the children. If you plan on attending, please bring a donation for the Kanata Food Bank (gently used clothing).  Our class will be decorating a pumpkin so make sure you check it out!

Here are some pictures from today:






Thursday 19 October 2017

Quick Announcements

A quick post to let families know that tomorrow, Friday, October 20th is Walk to School Day.  If it is possible to have your child walk to school, that is fantastic.  In order to allow all students this benefit, we will be walking around the schoolyard tomorrow morning from 9:00 to 9:30 instead of our usual outdoor play.

Tomorrow is also Hat Day in support of our United Way campaign.  While we usually discourage wearing hats indoors, tomorrow will be an exception.  With the donation of a toonie (or more if you wish), your child can wear their hat or cap inside all day.  Feel free to send them with their usual hat or a crazy one if they wish!

Monday 16 October 2017

Week of October 16 - Letter and Word of the Week

Each week, we will be looking at a letter and a word of the week.  The intent is that the letter of the week is for the jk students and the word of the week is for the sk students.  The word of the week is a high frequency word that we call a "popcorn" word.  These popcorn words are words that are found in simple books which are easy to sound out for the children.  We will get a new letter and word every Monday.  Our activities on Monday will involve this letter/word at some of our tabletops.  I would encourage you to check the blog at the beginning of the week so that you can ask your child to point the word out during nightly reading (sk's), practise printing the letter/word with their magic finger, think of words that have the letter sound in them, etc.  Make it fun! 

Our letter of the week is the letter "a".  We learned that this letter makes 2 sounds ("ahh' and it says it's own name "a").  We had lots of fun with the letter a.  All the children with an "a" in their name stood up.  We noticed that most of the kids in the class have an "a" in their name so it must be an important letter!  We also came up with a list of words that have an "a" in them.  

Our word of the week is "a".  We read a poem about pumpkins and the children had fun "buttering" the popcorn word!  We will do this every Monday.  We will read a poem together and keep an eye out for the word of the week.  The children will take turns "buttering" the word of the week.  This means they will colour the word in yellow. See the pictures below from today.

The sk students then went on to write a sentence or a thought using the word "a".  Mrs. T and I were so proud of their work.  See pictures of their work below.

The students also took great interest in our pumpkin exploration.  They enjoyed writing and drawing about the different pumpkins that we had on the table.  Some of the things they wrote about was the pumpkin's size, colour and the difference between the variety of pumpkins.

We also used pumpkins for Math today.  We turned pumpkins into geoboards and explored shapes using the elastics on the pegs.  This was a big hit in the classroom this afternoon!

Last week, we had a lovely day learning outside.  It was a brisk morning and the kids were happy to be outside! They came in refreshed and hungry!  It was so nice to be able to take advantage of the outdoor classroom and learn in a different environment.  We will definitely be using the outdoor classroom again soon!

On Friday, we came together as a kinder group and celebrated a lovely Thanksgiving mass.  The children were engaged and did a great job sitting and participating.

Here are some picture from today and the later part of last week: