Tomorrow is the last day to get your photo orders in. Retakes are Tuesday Oct. 29. Prior to retake day you need to know. . .

• Retakes are for students who were absent on original photo day or who are unsatisfied with their original photo
• To receive a retake, a student needs to KEEP the proof flyer from originals to bring to the camera with the word, “Retake” written across it (No money is needed).   This gives the photographer a visual as to why the student would like a retake.   If the student does not have the retake flyer, a retake photograph can still be done.
• Proof flyers for retakes will be printed for students and parents to view and order from (just like on original photo day).
• All retake orders sent in to the school before the retake important due date will be printed and sent back to the school prior to the Christmas break. 

Today we learned how to apply the slogan "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" to the lunch items we bring to school, with an emphasis on reducing our garbage output and reusing items. We will be participating in the Waste Free Lunch Challenge sponsored by the city of Kamloops next week and tracking our lunch refuse. Fingers crossed we win a prize!

On Friday one of the children noticed that a student in the other Kindergarten class had something behind his ear and wondered what it was. As it happens, the other child is hard of hearing and had hearing aids. This led to a discussion of hearing aids and why they are worn. Ms. Browett, a CEA, was in our class at the time and wears hearing aids herself. She volunteered to tell us about her hearing aids and why she wears them. We also discussed sign language and lip reading. The children were very intrigued by the idea that machines can help others do something we take for granted and had many questions.

As per the usual Friday format, just a few notes and reminders.

• This week Iszaac shared his boots, Beth showed two shells and Tayja brought some pictures of a Swallowtail butterfly and a caterpillar.
• The assembly slated for Oct. 18 has been cancelled. BEST is going to participate in a Guinness Records attempt for largest simultaneous science lesson and will be using the gym.
• There is a growing collection of metal spoons from lunches on the science table. Please check to see if any belong to you.
• Whenever possible I will try and switch days with another child if your child is absent on their VIP day. There have been a number of absences this week so the VIP schedule is not exactly as posted as some trading has occurred.
• The flu and cold season is upon us already and, let's face it, Kindergarten is a warm swampy breeding ground for germs no matter how often I remind them to wash their hands and not stick things in their mouths. If your child is ill or feeling under the weather, please keep them home until they are well.
• Oct. 28 is DEAR Day- Drop Everything And Read. From 11:00-11:20 all classes at BEST will be doing just that- dropping everything and reading- regardless of the activity they are engaged in.
• Parent/ Teacher interviews are next Thursday and Friday and dismissal time for students is 12:30, not our regular 2:30. Please make arrangements for early pick up.
• Picture orders are due Thursday Oct. 17.
• Unfortunately on the Jack And The Bean permission form there was an error and the fee for each student is $5.00, not the stated $2.00. Thank you for your understanding.
  

Happy Thanksgiving!

The science table has proven to be extremely popular and has led to many discussions about signs of fall and, lately, seeds. We started by observing some chestnuts with pincers and magnifying glasses then added other fall items such as leaves, cones, rose hips, maple 'helicopters' and today a sunflower. Of course we opened them all to see what was inside. I would be surprised if most of you haven't heard about our discussion around how seeds travel to new places via bird poop. We have also been using the words 'observation' and 'infer' often. Today we made hypotheses about how some chestnuts got squished and carried out a few simple experiments to test and ultimately disprove the hypotheses the children made. When I told them the clues I had observed around the squished chestnuts (tree by the driveway where a truck was parked) they immediately inferred the truck had run over the chestnuts. YAY! How awesome are they?!

There has been what seems to be copious amounts of papers going home and for that I apologize. Today I sent home the permission slip for our trip to see Jack And The Bean at the Pavilion Theatre on Oct. 24. It is not due back until Oct. 18. I like to send them out early so I can ask for them back early. That way I have a chance to send home a second one if needed. Permission slips for our Tranquille Farms visit Oct. 28 will come home later in the month.
Photo proofs also went home today and orders are due by Oct. 17. Please use the envelope provided in the package and return them to me. Retakes are Oct. 29.
Tomorrow the forms to schedule appointments for Parent/Teacher interviews will come home. Please fill out only one per family and return it to the office if you would like to see me. If I feel that I must talk to you about your child I will contact you but otherwise they are optional as we just had interviews in September. As always, I am available most days after school for any concerns you have or if you are unable to make the official interview times and want to make alternate arrangements.
Look for a package of Personal Information Consent forms on coloured paper as well tomorrow >whew< and return them to me when you have completed them.
On a different note, our Scholastic Book Fair begins tomorrow! Our class has a preview/ purchase time of 11:30 tomorrow. If your child has money they are welcome to purchase their books at that time and avoid the crowds and if they don't have money they are welcome to look at the books offered and go home to bother you to buy them some (be prepared). A portion of all books sold comes back to the school so we may purchase new books for the library. It's a win-win!

Monday is River's Day at BEST and all classes will be making their way down to the river to rotate through a number of presentations/ stations by local organizations. I am excited to participate as this will be my first River's Day. Extra supervision will be welcome.
For your information:

• We would like all classes sitting in front of the main tent at the river by 10:15.  When you walk down Windsor, cross Schubert, head slightly right, and go down the bank on the trail by the cement pylons.
• Each classroom should have some type of tarp or blanket that is designated as their class meeting area. Backpacks, etc. can be left on this tarp or blanket, and this will become the meeting place at lunch for your class.
• Parents are more than welcome to attend the day but if they are smokers, please ask them to go up to Schubert Drive.
• There will be a porta- potty on Schubert Drive for our use.  Send an adult with your little ones, or have them go with a buddy (a Gr.6 student with each primary class).
• Please encourage your students to bring a water bottle and take all garbage with them.
  
• If you have students who need epi- pens, inhalers,  etc. please be sure they/you have them with you. There will be a first aid kit at the tent.
• Encourage your students to dress for the day.  Hat, extra water, layers (hopefully sunscreen), and appropriate footwear are important as well as clothing that will allow participation in games and activities involving water.

Schedule of events:

10:00 Walk with students down to the river
10:15 Opening remarks & Welcome from First Nations
10:30 Session 1 Big Little Science Centre
11:15 Session 2 Fisheries & Oceans
12:00 Lunch
12:30 Session 3 Primary Explore
1:05 Session 4 River Stuff
1:50 Clean up / Return to School

It looks like fall is going to leave off a bit and give us a few all-too-brief rays of sunshine for the weekend. Yay!

• This week Ally shared some touchable bubbles and Kaden told us about a bear in his Nana's tree and showed us a picture. Jude was excited to share his fast shoes with silver on them and Tarynne sang 'Twinkle Twinkle' because she likes stars.
• Please send a snack with your child even if they are receiving lunch through the school lunch program. Recess snacks are not provided.
• Library books are due on or before Thursday, when we exchange them. Take Home Books through our classroom can be brought back when you are finished with them. TH Books will not be exchanged Thurs because we get new library books.
• There will be no library book exchange next week due to the Scholastic Book Fair being set up in the library. Come take a look!
  
• We had carrots for a snack Wednesday courtesy of the Fruits and Veggies Program.
• Sometimes unfinished (for many reasons) activities will come home. It is not necessary to have your child complete it and bring it back.
• 5 permission slips for River's Day have not been returned. They must be returned to enable your child to accompany the class on Monday.
• I forgot (!!!) to send home Buddy Bags today so will be sending them home on Oct. 24 with those children who should have had them this weekend.                                                                Have a good one and see you at River's Day on Monday!
  

During the month of September we have been focusing on learning to use the math manipulatives appropriately. Concepts such as sharing, cleaning up, working together and being creative have been stressed. Math manipulatives are a useful and beneficial tool for students to learn concrete concepts. Math has many areas--patterns, measurement, geometry, statistics, and more--and they're often unfamiliar, abstract, and confusing to students. Children need help to develop the ability and confidence to find their way around in each of these areas, see how they connect, and know what to do should they forget a fact or procedure. Here are five reasons manipulative materials do just that:

1. Manipulatives help make abstract ideas concrete. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but while children learn to identify animals from picture books, they still probably don't have a sense about the animals' sizes, skin textures, or sounds. Even videos fall short. There's no substitute for firsthand experience. Along the same lines, manipulatives give students ways to construct physical models of abstract mathematical ideas.
2. Manipulatives lift math off textbook pages. While we want children to become comfortable and proficient with the language of math--everything from the plus sign to the notations of algebra--words and symbols only represent ideas. Ideas exist in children's minds, and manipulatives help them construct an understanding of ideas that they can then connect to mathematical vocabulary and symbols.
3. Manipulatives build students' confidence by giving them a way to test and confirm their reasoning. One goal of the provincial learning outcomes is to build students' confidence with mathematics. If students have physical evidence of how their thinking works, their understanding is more robust.
4. Manipulatives are useful tools for solving problems. In searching for solutions, architects construct models of buildings, engineers build prototypes of equipment, and doctors use computers to predict the impact of medical procedures. In the same way, manipulative materials serve as concrete models for students to use to solve problems.
5. Manipulatives make learning math interesting and enjoyable. Give students the choice of working on a page of problems or solving a problem with colorful and interestingly shaped blocks, and there's no contest. Manipulatives intrigue and motivate while helping students learn.