Costumes and Halloween

Children are invited to BRING their halloween costumes to school on Thursday for a Halloween parade.  We will put them on after lunch - over the clothes.  Please do not send weapons, makeup, or any part of the costume that could become broken, lost, or otherwise damaged.  It would be great, if they haven't already practiced putting it on, to do so independently BEFORE Thursday.  

The change always goes very smoothly so no need for parent volunteers.

I will be bringing a small Halloween treat (cookie or cupcake) for each child on that day so no need to send anything sweet.

Photo orders

Just a reminder that photo orders are due tomorrow.  There is a late fee if handed in later.  I believe you can also order online.

Pumpkins!

I would like to use pumpkins for some math activities next week (sorting, measuring, comparing, weighing) - could everyone please send their child to school on Monday with a small-ish pumpkin.  I am hoping to get some good variety so stout, tall, teeny, bumpy, greenish, etc.  As long as your child can carry it by themselves without it being too cumbersome, it is small enough.  They will bring it home on Friday that week.

Thanks!

Mornings and touching base

I wanted to drop a note and encourage all parents who need to speak with me to do so at the end of the day, or via email if it is relevant for the morning.  I am finding that there is so little time between the bell and the announcements that if I start chatting with parents, I don't get a chance to say good morning to each child, individually (which is very important to me) and deal with their concerns before we start the day.  Also, if I am torn between children and parents I can't give adequate time and attention to your concerns or questions...also very important to me.

I realize that this won't always be possible but best efforts are appreciated.

Thanks for understanding!

Dental Screening

A Dental Hygienist from Vancouver Coastal Health came in today to do a dental screening on all Kindergarten children.  There is an envelope coming home with dental hygiene information inside for EACH child.  If the hygienist had any concerns for your child in particular, that information will be provided in the envelope as well.  That is confidential - I am not given any information about the results of the screening so if you  have any questions, please use the contact information provided by VCH.

Earthquake Drill

Just letting everyone know that we participated in the Shakeout Drill today at school.  Everyone seemed okay with the idea of preparing for an earthquake but this one can sometimes cause anxiety.  If you find that you child is feeling anxious after this, please let me know.

IB Information

Just in case you have not looked it up yet, there is information about the IB program and Units of Inquiry on the Capilano site.  You will also find a link to a PDF document (IB PYP Overview) there which provides a lot more detailed information.  You may want to familiarize yourself with these sources of information prior to receiving the progress report on Friday.

Thankful

Looking around at my wonderful class today as they played together so quietly, kindly, and happily made me smile and feel so thankful to have them.  Hope you all enjoy a fantastic holiday weekend!

Infinitus

We were lucky enough to enjoy a performance by Infinitus this morning.  The 3 person group played classical music using the viola, violin, and cello.

IB Progress Reports

IB Progress reports will be coming home on Friday, October 18th.  These are the details of our 1st Term IB Unit of Inquiry:

Theme - How we organize ourselves
Central Idea - Schools are organized so we can learn and play safely together
Learner Profile - Caring, Balance, Knowledgeable, Principled
Attitudes - Cooperation, Independence, Respect
Lines of Inquiry - How our school is organized, how we an learn and play safely together, and roles and responsibilities of the members of our school

The report you receive will tell you how your child is progressing in terms of the learner profiles and attitudes.  PLEASE NOTE - this report is different from and in addition to the Ministry report card that you will receive in November.

I will post more information about these terms and the IB program in general before the reports come home.

How cute!

This little one was thrilled to have stumbled upon the discovery that her design looked like a butterfly!  Also adding a little challenge was that she was building UP instead of laying the shapes flat.  She sees a butterfly and I see symmetry, balance, and spatial awareness too!

Computers

Today was our first time in the computer lab.  If you want to see my head spin off my shoulders, computer time is a GREAT time to visit!  Actually, they were quite good, thanks to an initial chat about how I am merely one mortal and patience is appreciated.  The gist of what they learned today was vocabulary based - keyboard, mouse, click, double-click, monitor.  We also logged in and checked out Kidspiration.  Generally, we will be using Kidspiration weekly and printing our work on Fridays.

On another note, if your child tells you that they were unceremoniously taken off of the computer today, it is true.  I did tell them that if they moved ahead or clicked on random programs without being asked and had me coming to help get them unstuck more than twice, they would have to get off.  It just takes up too much of my time when this keeps happening.  It NEVER happens again once they have this consequence.  Any questions, please email me.

Friday Learning Centres

Monday to Thursday we rotate through 4 different learning activities - typically paper and pencil type things that focus on our letter/sound study of the week, cut and paste, art, journal, etc.  On Fridays we do more hands on activities.  We have a great resource for that from Lakeshore - this week they practiced rhyming, counting, letter recognition, and patterning.  Check it out!

Information on Kindergarten Curriculum

Below is some basic information on the Kindergarten Curriculum that may be of interest.  Please email me with any questions.

Language Arts

Broken up into 3 strains

• Reading
• Writing
• Speaking and Listening

Reading curriculum 

•  reading occurs from front to back, left to right and top to bottom
• common/sight word recognition
• understanding of terms like, "title," and "author."
• using pictures to aid understanding
• retelling
• sequencing story events
• making predictions and inferences
• distinguishing between letters and words
• Alphabet recognition

Writing curriculum

• letter formation
• phonetic/sound-based "invented spelling"
• writing of some common/sight words
• producing detailed drawings that tell a story

Speaking and Listening

• Rhyming
• Compound words (butterfly, snowman, etc.)
• Phonemes (letter sounds)
• Syllables
• Speaking clearly and audibly
• Speaking in more complex sentences
• Using descriptive words to talk about objects
• incorporating new/learned language into everyday speaking

Math

• Counting
• patterns
• sorting
• properties of 3D objects (round, pointy, square)
• recognizing common arrangements up to 5 (dice)
• Measurement
• Number awareness

Science

• use the 5 senses (see, hear, touch, feel, smell)
• make and record observations
• life cycles
• experimentation
• curiosity
• Changes that occur in nature (seasons)
• recycling
• properties of objects

Social Studies

• Governance of classroom, school, and self
• exploring the idea of community
• technology
• culture

Health and Career

• making choices
• becoming independent
• what it means to have jobs and responsibilities
• showing thoughtful, caring, kind behavior
• developing positive friendships/relationships
• safety and injury prevention
• inappropriate touching
• terminology for male and female body parts

PE

• Safety
• Movement
• Fair play
• using equipment
• understanding why we need physical activity and how food and water contribute to a healthy body

Art

• Using art supplies and materials safely and effectively
• experimenting with new techniques and materials
• participating in drama activities
• using appropriate audience etiquette
• showing appreciation and respect for the work of others
• participating in dance
• using movement to convey an idea or emotion
• creating 2D and 3D images