Terry Fox Walk Info

St. Gabriel Catholic School
400 Keyrock Drive, Kanata, Ontario, Canada K2T 0G6
Tel: (613) 271-6181
E-Mail: Gabriel@ocsb.ca

September, 2017

Dear Parents and Guardians,
Our school will be holding our annual Terry Fox Walk fundraiser to commemorate
Terry Fox’s inspirational Marathon of Hope on Thursday, September 28th, 2017.
Millions of students are expected to participate across Canada. Since Terry’s Marathon
of Hope began in 1980, annual Terry Fox Runs have contributed millions for cancer
research. Your generous contribution of donated funds total more than $13,000. Please
help us make this year another successful Terry Fox Walk!
Student in Grades 1 - 6 will be walking a loop to the Beaver Pond and then returning to
the school. Parent volunteers are needed to assist each class, please consider
volunteering your time.

The Terry Fox Walk for the kindergarten classes will be held in our school yard.
In order to show our support for cancer research, we are requesting that each student
make a donation of $1.00 or $2.00 for the Terry Fox Foundation. You can make this
donation is a number of ways:

1) You can donate through “School Cash Online”: https://ocsb.schoolcashonline.com/
2) You can have your child give his/her classroom (homeroom) teacher $1 or $2.
3) Families also have the option to make donations online at www.terryfox.org . You
can donate to our school fundraiser at:
https://secure.terryfox.ca/registrant/TeamFundraisingPage.aspx?LangPref=en-
CA&TeamID=749443#&panel1-1

In an event of rain, the Terry Fox Walk will be on Wednesday, October 4th.
Thank you in advance for your support.
Sincerely,
The Staff of St Gabriel

Week of September 25th

It was so nice to see and talk with you last week at Pizza Night.  The kids were so happy to show you their work and their classroom.

Today we had a great time learning all about sunflowers with our sunflower exploration.  The students painted and sculpted beautiful sunflowers on paper and using plasticine.  We have budding artists in Room 138! Some of our sk students added words to their pictures by sounded out their desired words.

We were hoping to get outside to observe the trees and collect multi-colored leaves in Griffin's Grove but the hot weather kept us indoors all day.  We will hopefully get outside on Wednesday to collect leaves.

The students enjoyed using mini letters to spell their names as well as simply looking at how the letters are formed.  We will start our letter and word of the week in the very near future but please continue to explore letters and sounds at home during your nightly reading.

Important Dates:

Thursday, September 28th-

The kinders will be walking around the schoolyard at 9:15 am in honour of Terry Fox.  Please ensure that your child is dressed appropriately for the weather. If you are sending in a donation, please put it in a ziplock with your child's name of it.

Friday, September 29th-

Picture Day!!! We will hopefully be getting our pictures taken in the morning to ensure that the kids stay clean!

Here are some pictures from today:

Week of Sept. 18th

Happy Monday! Today was a great day in the classroom.  We read a story about how wonderful and useful our hands are.  The children put their hands to work by making beautiful artwork and creations.  Our classroom has come become bright and vibrant thanks to the awesome art made by the students. 

The children are still are still exploring their classroom environment and learning the rules and routines.  This is what September is all about! We are very impressed with how quickly our jk students have adapted.  We are seeing less tears in the morning and more smiles!

Today we went to the library for the first time.  Mrs. Baker read a story to the children and talked about the Learning Commons.  We will visit the library on Mondays this year.  The students will not be bringing books home until the new year.  We will listen to books and learn how to find and care for books before we can sign them out.  We encourage you to make nightly reading to your child a priority.  It is so beneficial for them.

We have been lucky to have such beautiful weather over the past few weeks.  We are taking advantage of it by spending more time outside.   Please ensure that your child comes dressed appropriately for the warm weather and with sunscreen on.

Important Dates:

Wednesday, September 20th - Pizza Night 5-7 pm

This is an opportunity to enjoy pizza with your family in the gym and then come meet the educators of Room 138 (from 6-7 pm).  We will be giving 2 mini presentations regarding the routines of the classroom and details of the kinder program (6-6:30, 6:30-7).  

Friday, September 29th - Picture Day

Here are some pictures from today and last week:

Week of September 11th

What a wonderful first week we have had in Room 138! Mrs. T and I are so amazed at how well the students are settling in and learning the routines of the classroom.   Our Sk students are being so helpful to our Jk students.  It is so nice to see the collaboration and kindness they are showing towards the younger students.

We have seen tears in the morning from some of our Jk students as they say goodbye to their parents.  Once they are busy in the classroom, these tears quickly turn to smiles and inquiring minds.  As a parent, it's hard not to worry about our little ones but please don't worry!  They are in good hands! We promise to love and nurture all of them as if they are our own

Over the next few weeks, we will be exploring letters and numbers in the classroom as well as outside in our new outdoor classroom.  Because the weather is chilly in the morning and warm in the afternoon, please dress your child appropriately.  Layers are always a good idea for this kind of weather.  The children stay outside until 9:30 am for outdoor learning and also have 2 outdoor recesses.

Reminders:

Please ensure your child has a spare set of clothes in case of accidents or spills.  If you could send in extra pants, socks, a shirt and underwear, it would be much appreciated.  If you child comes home with soiled clothing, please send spare clothing the following day.

The children have done a great job self regulating at snack time.   When they hear their tummy rumbling, they have done a fabulous job eating a healthy snack in the morning.   No one has eaten their sandwich at snacktime...yet!!!  Please ensure all food coming to school is nut-free.  We have a life threatening allergy in the classroom.

If you have not filled out the form for our classroom Twitter account and you would like to, please send the form back indicating your Twitter handle as well as who your child is.  This way we can ensure that only the parents from Room 138 see our photos.

Wednesday, September 20th will be our Family Pizza Night.  We welcome all of you to come say "hi" and visit the classroom!

Here are pictures from last week and today:

Welcome to Kindergarten!

Welcome to Kindergarten at St. Gabriel Catholic School! We are eager to begin an exciting year full of many wonderful learning opportunities. As your child’s teachers, we aim to create an environment that is both supportive and challenging in order to facilitate learning and ignite the imagination.

1. Communication Book: Your child has been given a mailbag with their name on it. We will use this bag to send home any notes/communication. Please write notes for us in this book provided. For your child’s safety, always send written instructions about changes in your child’s routine (e.g. a different caregiver, or if you will be picking up your child etc.) in the Communication Book. Please check the Mailbag daily for information from school. If you leave a note, have the Communication Book open to that page so that it doesn’t get missed. 

2. Quiet time: Please send a small blanket/beach towel that can be left at school for quiet time. We ask that no stuffed animals or pillows be sent in.  Blankets/towels will be sent home to be washed on a regular basis.

3. Shoes and Clothing: A pair of no-slip, non-marking easy to get on sneakers (velcro or elastic closure) are requested to wear in the classroom and gym.  These shoes will remain at school as their“indoor shoes”.  It is also important that your child comes to school in clothes in which he or she can play.  Our classroom will be a busy one where paint, markers, sand, water and outdoor play is encouraged.  Please ensure that all articles of clothing and shoes are labeled.

4. Snacks: Your child will have two snack times as well as a lunch break.  Please send in 2 nutritious snacks as well as a lunchtime meal in labelled reusable containers. Our classroom is nut-free due to severe allergies so please do not send any nut products in your child's lunch. If you send a snack with WOW butter, ensure that it is labeled with a note so we don't mistake it for peanut butter. 

5. Oops! Accidents!: Please send a change of clothes (including socks and underwear) to be kept on hand in case of spills or accidents. Label and place them in a plastic bag for storage. If an accident does occur, we will send home the dirty clothes in a ziplock. Please send back more clothing the next day.

6. Birthdays: We recognize birthdays in our classroom and celebrate each child’s special day. We ask that no treats are brought in. This is to avoid interaction with students that may have allergies. We have a tradition that has started where your child can bring in a birthday book to share with the class that day, which can be added to our classroom library. 

7. Family Photos: Our classroom has a family tree that students can look at to remind them of home. If possible, please send a family photo with your child. Write your child's name on the back of the photo. These will be returned to you at the end of the school year.

8. Donations: We are always in need of Kleenex and ziplock bags (large size) in the classroom. If you would like to donate any of these items, we would greatly appreciate it. 

9. The Blog: Please remember to check in often to get classroom updates and news. Sign up for notifications on the home page. ( roccokinder.blogspot.ca)

We look forward to speaking with you over the next few weeks. We know that the year ahead will be an exciting one with plenty of learning, laughter and growth. 

 

Sincerely,

Mrs. Rocco and Mrs. Talebi