Team Awesome was so so cute! I have learned not to sweat the small stuff when it comes to the Christmas Concert as it really doesn't matter what the children do onstage because Kindergarteners totally rock the 'Cuteness Factor'. This is the first year I was not able to video Team Awesome onstage singing as I was up front directing them, rather than the music teacher who took a leave the last week before holidays to have a baby. Knowing that, I took as many photos as I could to be able to share with you. Unfortunately the lighting made the pictures of the children at either end of the stage too dark and of poor quality so I was unable to use them for this little video. I hope you were able to get plenty of your own. Enjoy!

We made it!! The holidays are here, with all that they entail. Team Awesome has been so over-the-top excited for all of the activities at school this week that we had count downs for many many events. And now that school is over they will be counting down the sleeps until the Big Guy in a red suit leaves them gifts. I am surprised every year that Christmas isn't a bigger event on their radar but Pajama Day always trumps it. I'll be counting down the days until Dec. 26 and all the craziness is over so I can spend a few days sleeping and reading on the couch so I am able to begin the new year with energy. However you spend the holidays, enjoy the time with your families and I will see you on January 8, 2018 (!!!).

• I will post our last few videos and photos of 2017 next week. Don't forget you can download and save your favourites to your computer.
• We will be taking out library new books upon our return to school.
• Your child is coming home with a Christmas card from me. Inside there is a Scholastic certificate for them to choose a book (please disregard the "It's your birthday!" slogan). There are instructions on the certificate and they are valid until June 30, 2018.
• ​Team Awesome will also be coming home with an Xmas package for you today. One of the items inside is glass so please handle the package carefully.
• The children have a class photo in their packs today.
  
• BEST PAC is sponsoring a pasta lunch in January. If you are interested in ordering a pasta lunch for your child, the forms are due into the office by Monday, Jan. 8 with lunch delivered on Friday, Jan. 12.
• January Family Projects came home and are due Friday, Jan. 12.
• Please keep your child's report card and sign and return the envelope to be used for our next reporting period if you haven't already.
• December sight words are: but, friend, give, good, in, look, up, see, want. 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.

Go forth and Celebrate the Holidays!!

Mathematics is the science and language of patterns. Thinking about sorting and patterns helps children make sense of mathematics and young children are naturally interested in them. They enjoy patterns in rhymes, chants, songs, poems, and stories, and they experiment with creating patterns using play materials. They examine patterns in wallpaper, fabric, and geometric designs, and recognize patterns in their lives (e.g., the sequence of daily routines) and in nature (e.g., the cycle of the seasons). When students enter school, they continue to explore patterns in mathematics and in other subject areas. Developing an understanding of patterns and relationships is central to learning mathematics. In the primary grades, students identify, extend, and create a variety of patterns, using objects, actions, sounds, pictures, letters, and numbers. Through experiences in exploring and discussing patterns, young students begin to make conjectures and generalizations about mathematical relationships. Team Awesome has been using a variety of materials while exploring sorting and patterning activities and having a great time doing it.

Sooooo.... how do you feel about a green Christmas? I know Bing Crosby waxes eloquently about how lovely a white one is but there is a very high probability that we will be missing out on a white Christmas this year (although the weatherman is often known to be wrong). And turns out, I'm very OK with that. I am not missing the snow and ice and wind and cold and frost and bundling up one teeny tiny bit. (In my heart of hearts though I know it is coming and it's going to be a doozy when it does!) In fact, as far as I am concerned, it could stay like this then begin warming up about the end of February.  If you are of the opposite persuasion, and love the snow and cold and all that implies, I am told there is wonderful snow at Sun Peaks- a very short drive away. So really, it is the best of both worlds.

• Library books are due before the holidays on Monday, Dec. 18. We will not be taking out new books until our return to school as they will be inventoried.
• BEST will have a dress rehearsal of our Concert Tuesday, Dec. 19. We will be performing on stage in front of the school and then staying in the gym to watch the other classes perform.
• Fresh Is Best orders will be ready for pick up at 8:30 am Wednesday, Dec. 20.​
• We will host 2 performances of the BEST Winter Concert on Wednesday, Dec. 20. One at 1:00 pm and one at 6:00 pm. Please have your child in our classroom no sooner than 5:45 pm and no later than 5:55 Wednesday evening (the classroom door will be closed before 5:45). The children will stay in our classroom during the evening performance until you come to pick them up. If your child will not be attending the evening event, please let me know so I can make changes as needed.
• January lunch order forms are due into the office by Thursday, Dec. 21.
• Friday Dec. 22 will be Pajama Day at BEST and the primary classes will be participating in mixed grade activities with a Christmas focus between recess and lunch. There is a rumour about a special activity in the gym in the afternoon.
• Next Friday your child will be coming home with a Christmas card from me. Inside there is a Scholastic certificate for them to choose a book (please disregard the "It's your birthday!" slogan). There are instructions on the certificate and they are valid until June 30, 2018.
  
• ​Team Awesome will also be coming home with an Xmas package for you next Friday. One of the items inside is glass so please handle the package carefully.
  
• BEST PAC sent home a notice this week with two items on it. They are looking for donations of baked goods to be sold the night of the Concert and they are raffling off the VIP Couch and Parking Spot for this year's concert. Raffle tickets (at the bottom of the notice) are $2.00 each and must be sent into the office by Dec. 19.
• Thank you for the donations for our class raffle basket. All the baskets will be raffled off the evening of Wednesday, Dec. 20.
• We are downsizing the Christmas Concert this year and Team Awesome will be singing 'Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer'. There will be no costume requirements.
• BEST PAC is sponsoring a pasta lunch in January. If you are interested in ordering a pasta lunch for your child, the forms are due into the office by Monday, Jan. 8 with lunch delivered on Friday, Jan. 12.
• January Family Projects came home this week and are due Friday, Jan. 12.
• Please keep your child's report card and sign and return the envelope to be used for our next reporting period if you haven't already.
• A pair of new, dark grey snow pants went missing from our classroom. Please return them if you find them at home.
• December sight words are: but, friend, give, good, in, look, up, see, want. 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.

Go forth and Be Excited!​

If you haven't seen it yet, the CP Holiday Train is a great family event and it will once again roll into the River City to spread cheer, while collecting donations for the Kamloops Food Bank.
The annual tradition returns to Sandman Centre on Lorne Street on Friday at 4:45 p.m., with a performance by Alan Doyle and the Beautiful Band from 5:15 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.
The train will arrive emblazed in Christmas lights and the jolly man in red is sure to make an appearance. 
The program launched in 1999 and has raised more than $13 million and four-million pounds of food for communities along CP routes in Canada and the United States.
“The holiday train program is all about local food banks and food shelves and the critical role they play in our community, said CP president and CEO Keith Creel on CP’s website. “People come for the beautifully lit train and stay for the incredible show — all in the name of community.”