Blog Archives

Friday Housekeeping (on Thursday)

19/10/2017

Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to visit Team Awesome in our classroom this week. They were so excited to have you come and see what we have been up to in Kindergarten. And I was happy to hear that they all enjoy being here. Although they seem content and adjusted while they are in class and engaged in whatever we are learning, sometimes the stories told at home can be slightly different. You are more than welcome to ask your child to show you the 'latest and greatest' projects we are working on any time you pick them up at the end of the day and pull me aside for a quick chat without waiting for an interview if you have questions or concerns. Enjoy your extra day at home with the children- they are going to need plenty of rest for our next few busy weeks.

Don't forget to send the library books back next week and your child will put it in the Library Box on their way in.
Permission slips for our pumpkin patch field trip are due Monday, Oct. 23. The cost is $9.00- $7.00 for the pumpkin patch and $2.00 for the bus. If you haven't sent it in yet please do so as soon as possible or your child will be unable to attend. Someone sent $10 but I am not sure who so I have some change for you.
The Blazers will be visiting classes the morning of Monday, Oct. 23 and BEST will participate in a school-wide DEAR (Drop Everything And Read) time that afternoon.
Photo retakes are Tuesday, Oct. 24. We will also be having a whole class photo at that time.
We have a fire drill Wednesday, Oct. 25.
Thursday, Oct. 26, we will spend the morning at Sunset Farms. Please dress warmly!
Friday, Oct. 27 is a Fresh Air Friday. Please dress your child appropriately.
Our BEST PAC popular cookie dough fundraiser forms went home this week. Order forms are due to the office by Wednesday, Nov. 1 please.
November lunch orders went home today and are due back to the office by Wednesday, Oct. 25 please.
The PAC is hosting a Mexican lunch on Friday, Nov. 3. If you would like to make an order they are due to the office by Monday, Oct. 30 please.
We have scheduled skating sessions November 30 and December 7 with Mrs. Weber's class. If your child does not have skates they are welcome to borrow them from the school but the sizes might be off and they are a kijillion years old so not terribly warm or comfortable. This is a good time to start looking in secondhand shops for something suitable as the school books skating time for all classes every year.
November Family Projects were sent home this week as they involve a timeline poster and I wanted to be sure to give lots of time for them. They are due back Friday, Nov. 10 or whenever they are completed.
October sight words are: am, to, my, for, was, is. If a word comes up repeatedly in our studies we will sometimes add it to our words for the month. Please feel free to practice them at home.
Please have your child read any little paper books that come home multiple times for practice. Thank you.
Thank you to Brookie and her family and Taylor and her family for the donation of Scholastic books to our classroom.

Go forth and Be Awesome!

Meet Mrs. Leonard

18/10/2017

Mrs. Leonard is our Aboriginal Education Worker and joins our class for a bit on Thursdays to help us with whatever we happen to be working on. Last week she shared her favourite book on feelings with us while we ate our snack. We look forward to Mrs. Leonard joining us every Thursday and sharing her knowledge.

River's Day

17/10/2017

Lock Down Practice

16/10/2017

The school is required to conduct two lock down practices during the year and our first one will be Thursday of this week. During the procedure an announcement will be made over the PA system that just says, "Lock down." Because we are required to keep our classroom doors locked at all times in case this procedure needs to happen for real, all that needs to be done is shutting the blinds, closing the doors and keeping the children as quiet as possible (I usually whisper-read a book). I will be explaining to the children that we need to practice in case there is an emergency in the school that requires us to stay inside our classrooms. Because they are four and five year olds who have active imaginations they will inevitably come up with all sorts of situations in which this procedure might happen. Please rest assured that at no time will I be elaborating on reasons for which we might have to activate the lock down procedure. Mostly the children see it as an adventure but sometimes they become anxious or scared, especially when the door is rattled from the outside to see if it is locked. I try to answer any questions and relieve their fears before/during/after the activity but some extra hugs and explanations might be needed at home. If you have any questions please contact Mr. Law at the school.

FAF 6/10/17

13/10/2017

Friday Housekeeping

13/10/2017

When I walk to school in the mornings, and more and more often during the return walk home in the afternoons as well, there is a decided nip to the air. I have begun donning gloves and wishing for a hat on my morning journeys. A sign that summer has definitely left and fall is here to stay. We took a 'Signs of Fall' walk with Mrs. Farber's Friends this week and the various shades of yellow, brown and red leaves were beautiful and had the children chattering excitedly and collecting handfuls to take home. Remember that fall feeling of it not being summer any more and not yet quite winter? Of being on the cusp of all the exciting things that happen during the colder season? The feeling of anticipation? It's the time of year children begin jumping into leaf pile after leaf pile while adults look on wistfully. Although it may seem less socially acceptable to jump in leaves as an adult, I fully support the notion. Step aside kids. Step aside.

Don't forget to send library books back for exchange on Thursday. Just take them out of the special library book bag and drop them (with the bag) into the labelled container inside our classroom door.
Because we were at the river all day Thursday, our usual library day, I managed to arrange a quick book exchange at the last minute on Wednesday as Mrs. LeFlufy is not here on Fridays. Unfortunately, many of the children had not returned their books and missed out. I apologize for the inconvenience. We should have our regular exchange next week.
Monday, Oct. 16 our Family Projects are due. Please send them whenever they are finished. Have fun!
Wednesday, Oct. 18 is an early dismissal time of 12:30 due to parent/teacher interviews. We will have an Open House in kindergarten. More information has been posted..
Thursday, Oct. 19 is our first lock down drill.
Friday, Oct. 20 is a non-instructional day and Team Awesome will stay home.
We started our Take Home Book program this week after struggling to find a good time during the day to exchange books. As your child finishes with the book, drop the whole bag in the clear bin beside the door to exchange for a new one. We will try and trade books most days but sometimes things pop up and we are not able to.
Please have Team Awesome read any little paper books that come home (approximately 1 per week) multiple times for fluency practice. Thank you.
October sight words are: am, to, my, for, was, is. Please feel free to practice them at home. We will practice them regularly in class.
BEST monthly newsletter can be found HERE.
Please do not send toys or Pokemon cards from home to school.
BEST PAC would like to host a Christmas Craft Fair on Sunday, Nov. 12 and is looking for parents who would like to rent a table. Register at bestpac@ymail.com or call Amanda at 778-220-0113 for more information.
It is quickly becoming 'zipped up coat' season and a large number of the children need help. Please practice with them at home.
In case you missed it, here is CFJC-TVs article on our River's Day yesterday.

Go forth and Be Awesome!

Parent/ Teacher Interviews

12/10/2017

As you know, we have a 12:30 dismissal on Wednesday, Oct. 19 due to parent/teacher interviews. We will have been in school for six weeks and I met with you all before school started. I also see many of you once or twice a day. We have mainly been working on routines and social responsibility and getting settled in since the beginning of September. The children have been great and at this time I have no serious concerns. If that changes I will certainly contact you and set up a meeting. And of course you can set up a meeting with me any time you have a concern as well.
If you would still like to meet with me next week I would be happy to see you, just confirm with me sometime before Tuesday. But I propose that we have a bit of an 'Open House' on Wednesday. When you pick your child up at 12:30 have them show you around our classroom and explain some of the things that are up on the walls and some of our routines. They will be thrilled to play tour guide and excited to have you at school. If you have any specific questions for me about your child at that time, please ask.
I look forward to seeing you!

Build It Bin

10/10/2017

Has Team Awesome by any chance mentioned the Build It Bin at home yet? The Bin has been a project Mrs. Farber and myself have been working on for the last three years. We are big proponents of small loose parts in our classrooms. Loose parts are any items that can be moved, carried, combined, redesigned, lined up, and taken apart and put back together in multiple ways. Loose parts can be used alone or combined with other materials. There is no set of specific directions for materials that are considered loose parts. You have probably seen photos of Team Awesome members fiddling with loose parts on tables in our classroom.
Mrs. Farber and I were dissatisfied with the play opportunities for our students outside and while searching for better ones three years ago, we saw a video that used large loose parts outside and we were thrilled- "How come we didn't think of that?!" We started scheming how we could bring loose parts to all the children at BEST out on the playground. We wrote a proposal and submitted it to the school board, where it was stalled for the better part of a year. In the meantime, we made presentations to the other staff and the PAC selling them on the idea of loose parts outside. While waiting for our proposal to get the nod to go ahead, we wrote another proposal for a Creativity and Innovation grant through the school district to get some funding for a storage unit and it was accepted. YAY! And the loose parts proposal was as well- double YAY!
I would like to say that after that it was as easy as buying a bin and throwing some junk into it but, unfortunately, there are always bumps in the road. No matter. The Bin has been here for more than a year, it has loose parts in it, the children are being trained how to use it appropriately, and we have a timeline to re-open the Bin at lunch hours in the next few weeks. And this year there will be some Grade 6 leadership students to help supervise. Will all go smoothly? Probably not. But the learning opportunities for the children are rich and engaging and exciting and we can't wait!!