Please follow along for updates!
Please follow along for updates!
Cycle 22/23 Easter, Professions and Transportation April 15- May 5
We are now studying letter Q and will move on the G and W after Easter. We continue to work on our decoding skills and review sight words. We have been building number sense and we are now on to decomposing numbers to 10. This is the more challenging outcome in the curriculum, the foundation for adding and subtracting. I really enjoy seeing the light bulbs flash when they realize how much they've learned as they use the strategies they've built.
Important Notes:
In April we are going to try a papier maché craft. I am still looking for many flyers and newspapers!
If you have any classroom mini gloves or mittens at home, please send them in, I am running low.
Please continue to send 2-3 extra pairs of socks, as well as splash or snow pants and boots :)
Thank you to those who have found and returned lost library books or sent payment.
Dates to remember:
April 17- Ice Cream! Already paid for by your generous donations.
April 18 - Good Friday - no classes
April 21- Easter Monday - no classes
April 23- Easter Seals Ambassador visit
May 2 - CUPE - no classes
May 19- Victoria Day - no classes
May 30- Kinder Orientation for incoming students (no classes for current K students only).
June 10- Fun in the park
June 12- tentative year-end field trip. Details to come
June 26 - LAST DAY of Kindergarten!
Class list/Chef du Jour
Starting Tuesday April 15, Day 1:
Day 1- Ethan
Day 2- Evie
Day 3- Ford
Day 4 - Jamie Lynn
Day 5- Griffin
Day 6- June
Day 1- Lucas
Day 2- Louisa
Day 3- Rowan
Day 4 - Nyla
Day 5- Sawyer
Day 6- Peyton
Day 1- Shea
Day 2 - Presley
Day 3- Zion
Day 4- Adalyn
Classroom picture slideshow
Cycle 20/21 Spring and Easter March 26- April 14
Due to the Monday closure, Tuesday will be day 4 of cycle 20. With about 29-30 cycles in the year depending on the number of weather closures, we are two thirds of the way through kindergarten! We are moving on to letter K, doing more independent reading, and working on high-frequency words and CV decoding. We are circling back to review early number sense.
Important Notes:
In April we are going to try a papier maché craft. If you have some flyers or newspapers, please send them along in your child's pochette.
If you have any classroom mini gloves or mittens at home, please send them in, I am running low.
Please continue to send 2-3 extra pairs of socks, as well as splash or snow pants and boots :)
Dates to remember: April 2/3 - Spring Photos- French classes are on the 3rd.
April 4th - I will be out. Mme Gloria Doiron is in!
April 9- 5:30 pm info session for new French K students (tell your friends starting next year!)
April 11- Professional Development - no classes
April 17- Ice Cream! Already paid for by your generous donations.
April 18 - Good Friday - no classes
April 21- Easter Monday - no classes
May 2 - CUPE - no classes
May 19- Victoria Day - no classes
May 30- Kinder Orientation for incoming students (no classes for current K students only).
June 26 - LAST DAY of Kindergarten!
Class list/Chef du Jour
Starting Tuesday April 1, Day 4:
Day 4- Louisa
Day 5- Rowan
Day 6 - Nyla
Day 1- Sawyer
Day 2- Peyton
Day 3- Shea
Day 4 - Presley
Day 5- Zion
Day 6- Adalyn
Day 1- Ethan
Day 2- Evie
Day 3- Ford
Day 4 - Jamie Lynn
Day 5- Griffin
Day 6- June
Day 1- Lucas
Classroom picture slideshow
And we are back!
I'm looking forward to seeing everyone:) Winter Carnival fun dominated our schedule before the break so we will now begin focusing on "Ma communauté" theme. This week we will be doing mostly review while we ease back in to our routines. We will soon be into what we like to call "Aprilmayjune", as the last 3 months of school pass by in a flash. We will be very busy!
Important Notes:
In April we are going to try a papier maché craft. If you have some flyers or newspapers, please send them along in your child's pochette.
Dates to remember: April 2/3 - Spring Photos- More info to come.
April 11- Professional Development - no classes
April 18 - Good Friday - no classes
April 21- Easter Monday - no classes
May 2 - CUPE - no classes
May 19- Victoria Day - no classes
May 30- Kinder Orientation for incoming students (no classes for current K students only).
June 26 - LAST DAY of Kindergarten
Class list/Chef du Jour
Starting Monday March 24th, Day 5:
Day 5- Ford
Day 6 - Jamie Lynn
Day 1- Griffin
Day 2- June
Day 3- Lucas
Day 4- Louisa
Day 5- Rowan
Day 6 - Nyla
Day 1- Sawyer
Day 2- Peyton
Day 3- Shea
Day 4 - Presley
Day 5- Zion
Day 6- Adalyn
Day 1- Ethan
Day 2- Evie
Classroom picture slideshow
Update for the last week before March Break!
This last week before the break we are working on measuring and comparing, letters D and H, more reading and writing strategies. We are still working on our home theme and moving on to community on Tuesday.
We are also celebrating "Winter Carnival" school-wide for the week.
Monday- Dress like you're going on vacation! Where to? The beach, the mountains, the moon...you decide!
Tuesday- Snowman Craft - we will be displaying for the viewing parade on Friday.
Wednesday- School-Wide Winter Bingo
Thursday- Dress in Green day! St. Patricks Day is during the break, we'll celebrate on the 13th.
Friday- Snowman Art parade in the morning. Extra recess (or indoor play-weather dependant), before dismissal. We will paint some snow if there's any left, but I have an alternate plan just in case!
Dates to remember March 10th - Dress like you're going on vacation
March 13th - Dress in Green
March Break - March 17-21
Class list/Chef du Jour
Starting Monday March 10th, Day 6:
Day 6 - Presley
Day 1- Zion
Day 2- Adalyn
Day 3- Ethan
Day 4- Evie
Day 5- Ford
Day 6 - Jamie Lynn
Day 1- Griffin
Day 2- June
Day 3- Lucas
Day 4- Louisa
Day 5- Rowan
Day 6 - Nyla
Day 1- Sawyer
Day 2- Peyton
Day 3- Shea
Important Notes: If you have clean squirt bottles or empty ketchup bottles etc, we need donations for something happening during Winter Carnival Week!
Playtime- In French K we are supposed to have an hour minimum of playtime. I used to have play centres mid-morning for 30 minutes and 30 minutes after lunch. I have recently moved Free Play first half hour to 8:30 when school starts, as we have students who were missing literacy lesson time too often. Those who miss that still get their recess of course, and a half hour play time in the afternoon.
Classroom picture slideshow
Cycle 18 February 28- March 10 "Chez Moi" (my home)
Cycle 19 March 11- 25 "Ma Communauté" - (my community)
Due to storm days, we are finishing our friendship theme a few days late, then we are on to home and community.
On top of the Valentine festivities, teachers were also treated by families and the home and school for Teacher Appreciation Week. Without exaggeration, your children are very sweet to me every day, and that's treat enough for me ;) Thank you all very much.
We have a busy few weeks leading to March Break. In math we will be reviewing patterning and measuring then begin reviewing prior units from the beginning. We are focusing letter T now, then will move on to P, D, and H. We continue to working more on decoding and some sight words.
On 100th day of school will be centered on counting and celebrating our achievements. The 100 day in kindergarten is the true 100th day of school.
For Winter Carnival, one of the activities requires squirting liquid. If you have a ketchup bottle or similar in your recycle bin, it would be great if you could clean and send it in.
Dates to remember Parent Teacher Interview Sign Up -February 24 (the school will send a link)
100th day of school!- February 25
Pink Shirt Day -February 26
Substitute Teacher! -February 27
Parent-Teacher Conferences March (6&7 I have times available on the 4th and 5th also)
We have regular classes March 6th and no classes March 7th.
Winter Carnival Week -March 10-14
March Break - March 17-21
Class list/Chef du Jour
Starting Monday February 24th, Day 3:
Day 3- Griffin
Day 4- June
Day 5- Lucas
Day 6- Louisa
Day 1- Rowan
Day 2 - Nyla
Day 3- Sawyer
Day 4- Peyton
Day 5- Shea
Day 6 - Presley
Day 1- Zion
Day 2- Adalyn
Day 3- Ethan
Day 4- Evie
Day 5- Ford
Day 6 - Jamie Lynn
Important Notes: If you have clean squirt bottles or empty ketchup bottles etc, we need donations for something happening during Winter Carnival Week!
Playtime- In French K we are supposed to have an hour minimum of playtime. I used to have play centres mid-morning for 30 minutes and 30 minutes after lunch. I have recently moved Free Play first half hour to 8:30 when school starts, as we have students who were missing literacy lesson time too often. Those who miss that still get their recess of course, and a half hour play time in the afternoon.
Classroom picture slideshow
Cycle 16 February 7-14 "St Valentin"
Cycle 17 February 18- 25 "L'amitié" - Friendship
We survived the cold, and we were lucky to have been able to have one outdoor recess on Thursday and both Friday. We needed to get outside! We worked on letters B, S, and Z and are moving on to J and T. We continue to review, work on high frequency words, and consonant vowel sound blends. Some of the students are proud to tell me they are practicing their sound blend booklets at home :)
In math we have been focused on recognizing and writing the appropriate number symbols required, as well as identifying and sorting 3D shapes. We are moving on to comparing (more than, less than, equal etc.)
The Valentines Day and Friendship themes go hand in hand. We will enjoy celebrating both for the next couple of weeks. We will pass out Valentine cards on the 14th, and families are welcome to send nut-free treats. Don't feel obligated, I have some surprises for the students. Use our chef list for Valentine cards as well, if you like.
Class list/Chef du Jour
Starting Monday February 10th, Day 2:
Day 2 - Presley
Day 3- Zion
Day 4- Adalyn
Day 5- Ethan
Day 6- Evie
Day 1- Ford
Day 2 - Jamie Lynn
Day 3- Griffin
Day 4- June
Day 5- Lucas
Day 6- Louisa
Day 1- Rowan
Day 2 - Nyla
Day 3- Sawyer
Day 4- Peyton
Day 5- Shea
Important Notes: Here is a link to the lost and found video. If you see something familiar send me a detailed message :) Lost and found
Dates to remember Islander Day (February 17) - No classes
Winter Wellness (February 21) Possibly also the 100th day of school!
Chocolate Bar Bingo (February 21 at 6pm)
Pink Shirt Day (February 26)
Parent-Teacher Conferences March 6&7 (we will send link to sign up later)
Classroom picture slideshow
Cycle 14 January 17- 27 "Les Animaux Sauvages" - Wild Animals
Cycle 15 January 28- February 5 "Les Animaux domestiques" - Pets
Last week flew by and here we start this one with a storm day! We finished our big assessments and were able to work on the letter F. We are moving on to B tomorrow when we are back in class, then S and Z. I find those are the easiest letters and we may not do a full 5 days on each. One-on-one reading will be more tailored for each student going forward. We are spending more time reviewing high frequency words and decoding as well.
I posted videos with the letter sounds and a link to the word lists in our songs section. While I started teaching high-frequency words earlier in the year, most don't start really recognising them until January and later. Again, I don't expect homework other than reading. I'll send an email or materials direct to families where I see a need for some extra practice.
In math we have been focused on making sets up to 10. We will continue to work on that, and recognizing and writing the appropriate number symbols required. Reversals in writing numbers are fine for kindergarten.
Along with the animal themes in class the next couple of weeks, we will also celebrate the Lunar New Year and Groundhog Day.
Important Notes: If your child is expected to be out for an extended period of school time, please check out the extended absence page. Extended Absence and Extra Practice
Dates to remember February 3rd - Professional Development. No classes.
Classroom picture slideshow
Cycle 13 January 9- 16 "Les Activités d'Hiver" - Winter Activities
We are back! The children are having a great first week. I am hearing a lot of French spoken! :) We've done some New Year activities and we are working on letter E. I am doing assessments next week so I will decide then if we can also start on letter F or wait.
Each cycle I am now sending home little readers printed on colored paper that I would like the students to practice for the week. This week it's green, "Les vêtements d'hiver". All who were present today has one in their bag. The word "Je" should be decodable and familiar. The word "un/une" is familiar. "Porte" is new in reading but they hear it every day. (It means to wear, and it also means a door). The last word is usually the picture. Other little booklets they've colored themselves can still be saved for practice as well.
Please let me know if your child's pochette is officially lost. Some are often not brought in. I would like to see them every day so I can eventually send real books back and forth in those protective bags.
Important Notes: Please pack extra socks. I don't have many extra on hand at times and nobody wants to wear wet socks in shoes :) Please also check all of the clothing in their bags at night to make sure they are dry before morning. Some students are coming in with damp snow pants and folded damp mittens in their bags. I do have extra mini gloves. Thanks to everyone returning my gloves and socks :)
Classroom picture slideshow
Cycle 11/12 December 10-20 Noël
We are working on letter "N" now and the last week before Christmas break we will review. It's a crazy week. so no new letter right before the holidays. What an amazing job the students did at the concert. Great memories :) They were also a very good audience to the other classes in rehearsals.
Important Notes: Please makes sure students are now wearing weatherproof boots to school, without laces. The playground will often be wet under the snow. Extra dry socks and mittens are a plus also, I only have so many to lend. That snow just gets everywhere. I am proud to report that every child can now zip their own coat!
Illness We are at the point where many in the class have sniffles. If your child has a very runny nose I suggest sending softer tissues for their own frequent use. The tissue provided by the school works but isn't very soft.
December 20th class party- Students could bring treats but it's not necessary. I'll have a few special treats here. It's also festive dress day school-wide :)
Dates to remember Dec. 13 Field Trip day - Magic Show (Also Jersey or team attire day)
Dec. 14th Pancake Breakfast with Santa (Saturday)
Dec. 16th Red and Green Day (school-wide)
Dec. 17th Admin Read Aloud (school-wide)
Dec. 18th PJ Day (school-wide)
Dec 19th Bingo (school-wide)
Dec 20th Festive Attire and class holiday party. Last day of classes 2024!
Jan 2&3 - PD days for teachers- No classes for students
Jan 6 - First Day classes for students in 2025
Classroom picture slideshow
Cycle 10 December 2-9 "Les cinq sens" et Noël
We are just finishing up Cycle 9, Cycle 10 starts Monday. We will also have library on Monday, as it is Day 1. We moved on to letter "R" rather than "N" this week. I got ahead of myself! We will do "N" later next week. I want to thank everyone for coming in for interviews. I so enjoyed getting to know you, and sharing about your students. I think whatever you told them about the visit gave them a renewed interest in trying their best. Participation and French speaking are very high this week.
Important Notes: We now need to be wearing weatherproof boots to school, without laces. The playground will often be wet under the snow. They are doing great dressing for outdoors with just a little help from me, and lots of praise of course.
Candy and Toys. Please don't send candy, small trinkets or any toys unless it's chef day. 5 year-olds always need to show these things off or take them in class. Friends then ask them politely if they can have the jewelry, ribbons, beads, or candies to which your very nice children will say yes! Then they will cry because they didn't really want to give it away, but cannot say no when asked. This happens with every group of 4/5 year-olds I've known. I can plead with friends not to ask, but they can't help it. It's hard to monitor how many beads or gummies or stickers everyone came in with :)
Illness and rashes If your child has a rash or spots and is coming to school, please reach out and let me know that you are already aware of what it is, and that is it not contagious. I can avoid googling skin conditions and awkwardly reaching out to you to make sure they aren't contagious :). Many kindergarteners do get skin irritations from being wet in cold weather, or allergies, which can resemble other contagious infections. Please be sure before sending them to school :)
Dates to remember- Dec 4 - Report Cards go home
Dec. 6- Hat Day
Dec 10- Kindergarten Christmas Concert (details to come)
Dec. 13 Field Trip day - Magic Show at École François-Buote (Also Jersey or team attire day)
Dec. 14th Pancake Breakfast with Santa (Saturday)
Dec. 16th Red and Green Day (school-wide)
Dec. 17th Admin Read Aloud (school-wide)
Dec. 18th PJ Day (school-wide)
Dec 19th Bingo (school-wide)
Dec 20th Festive Attire and class holiday party. Last day of classes 2024!
Jan 2&3 - PD days for teachers- No classes for students
Jan 6 - First Day classes for students in 2025
Cycle 8 November 13-20 "Aliments sains"
Cycle 9 November 21-29 "Habitudes d’hygiène"
Cycle 10 December 2-9 "Les cinq sens"
The next three cycles will focus on healthy habits and food, personal hygiene, and the five senses. We’ve been working on the letter "L" and will soon move on to "V" and then "N." Right now, we’re reviewing and reinforcing much of what we’ve learned since September, while also assessing and showing what we know. It’s so exciting to see the students' enthusiasm as they share what they remember, make connections, and build on their knowledge. I’m overhearing more and more French during playtime, which is wonderful! Sometimes, when things get a little loud, I’ll switch to English to get my point across more quickly. We’ve reached the point where some students now remind me of French words I could have used instead!
It’s not all serious, though—there are plenty of laughs. I’m not sure who started the class "sneak hug attacks," but they sure love surprising me. They "hide" and sing Happy Birthday to me several times a week, so I must be close to turning 100 by now! The way they’re cooperating and caring for each other is so heartwarming.
Important Notes: Tis the season for lost mittens and hats. A few weeks ago, during a cold spell, I found many lost items in the hall. We even took a class trip to the lost and found to retrieve three items that students had assured me weren’t theirs just days before! ;) This is typical in kindergarten. I do my best to keep clothes with their owners, but some things are bound to get lost. I lend out mittens from time to time, so if your child brings some home, please be return them. We go outside for recess even if there’s a light sprinkle of rain, so please send your child with a weatherproof jacket.
The parent-teacher conference days are listed below, but if you’ve checked the sign-up, you’ll see I’ve also opened up times earlier in the week. Almost everyone has signed up—if you haven’t already, please do so! I’ll have coloring or blocks set up in the hall for any children who are coming along. :)
https://gsp.parentteacherconferences.net/ Email me with any questions.
Dates to remember- Nov. 14 Picture retake day
Nov. 20th Teddy Bear Clinic with Nursing Students (sheets to come home)
Nov. 21 Parent teacher conferences - Evening (School is open that day as usual)
Nov. 22 Parent teacher conferences - Day (No Classes)
Cycle 6 October 22-29 "L'Halloween"
Cycle 7 October 30- November 12 "Jour du Souvenir" et "Vêtements"
Even if I told them our theme was something different in this cycle, the students would still bring almost every conversation back to Halloween, so we continue :)
In cycle 7 we will move on to Remembrance Day and clothing themes.
We have been working on the letter "A" and will move on to "M" on Monday and "L" the following week . As we read together in small and large groups, I am seeing a lot of reading readiness. I know a few already read some and I love how they are helping other students by reminding them to start at the top left or by pointing out the letters we have already studied so they can make the sounds. We have been practicing isolating and tapping out the sounds in words on our fingertips. We were able to tap out and spell "ami" (friend) and "tu" (you) on our whiteboards this week. We make sure to work left to right and to use our reading finger, (next to our thumb), to follow along under the words.
We continue counting, making and recognizing patterns, naming and creating shapes and colours.
Important Notes: Students are planning their costumes and may wear them on the 31st. We will do some celebrating! The school does not allow masks or weapons. I suggest leaving costume accessories that could get lost at home. Full face makeup may get wiped off onto costume sleeves and necklines, but a little something around the temples will usually make it through the day in kindergarten :)
Dates to remember- Nov. 1 PD Day (No Classes)
Nov. 7 and 8- Convention (No Classes)
Nov. 11 Remembrance Day (No Classes)
Nov. 14 Picture retake day
Nov. 21 Parent teacher conferences - Evening (School is open that day as usual)
Nov. 22 Parent teacher conferences - Day (No Classes)
Cycle 5 October 11-21 "Automne et L'Halloween"
Our themes for cycle 5 vocabulary and math will be mostly review of cycle 4, due to high level of absence. I hope everyone is starting to feel better!
We will continue the letter U through this cycle and start adding some representing of numbers, building on those counting skills.
Chef du Jour continues to be fun for all, I 'll email the dates as we are almost finished our first run through :)
Important Notes: It is getting chilly! Please send windbreakers or jackets and long pants. Our playground gets so much wind! Some children were happy to have mittens and gloves Tuesday and Wednesday as well. I've had a few students arrive with laces on either indoors our outdoor shoes the last week. Please use the springy laces that need not be tied or velcro etc. unless they are really good at tying. Please practice zippering coats and putting on gloves at home. It takes a lot of time to get 12-16 children ready to enter and exit the school :)
Dates to remember- Oct. 17 I'm out, Mme Bahafa is in!
Nov. 1 PD Day (No Classes)
Nov. 7 and 8- Convention (No classes)
Nov. 14 Picture retake day
Nov. 22 Parent teacher conferences (No Classes)
Cycle 4 October 3-10 "Ma famille et mes amis"
Our themes for cycle 4 vocabulary are family and friends, and continued colours and shapes. There is alot going on, and I've already heard them discussing costumes!
We will be moving on to the letter O and then begin U toward the end of the cycle. O is basically the same in French and English. U is different, as you can hear in the French alphabet song. It's not "oo", and we will work on making the distinction. We learn uppercase and lowercase, but the real focus right now is the lowercase aside from the first letter of their names.
Chef du Jour and Montre et Raconte have been going great! We have some brave public speakers who are using their knowledge of colours to help describe their toys. It's a special privilege to be the only student to take their toy from home. The others have been telling me the order of students before their turn, and are patiently waiting :)
We started a new class reward system with points earned for quiet participation during short lessons. You can ask your children about the Bluey puzzle for details :)
Important Notes: I loved seeing all the cute rain boots and coats and suits on Friday! I don't allow the children to open umbrellas at school. Even outdoors, they are always surrounded by many other children who don't look where they are going, and those metal points are at eye level.
Dates to remember- October 7th to 11th is book fair week. Librarian Amy is offering a family night on the 9th from 6pm to 7pm if parents want to come in to look or purchase. If you purchase through the Scholastic website, you can help the class earn points for new books by entering the class Book CLub code RC430919 Flyers are going home with the children. Do not feel pressured to buy. The students will visit the book fair on the 11th during our Library time. I prefer they do not bring in money to purchase in person, I record their favorites and send that information to parents. Email me if you have questions :)
October 9th - Picture Day for French students.
Cycle 3 September 24- October 2 "Je suis ici."
I am having a grand time with your children every day. The things they say keep me in stitches. We were laughing so hard in the bus line Friday that we could hardly walk:). We have a busy 4-day school week ahead.
The theme this cycle is "Je suis ici." or "I am here". Activities will include vocabulary focusing on locations and simple adjectives like colour, size and feelings. As every week, we will count and represent numbers, and write names with the first letter upper case and the rest lower case. We will explore more types of patterns.
We will begin our literacy program and targeted phonemic awareness with the letter I. You may know that "i" is called "e" and makes the long "e" sound in French. Part of the lessons include deciding whether we hear the sound in our vocabulary words, and whether it's at the beginning, middle or end.
Chef du Jour and Montre et Raconte (show and tell) will start mid-week. I will email the schedule for the chefs.
Parents may want to participate or donate to our Terry Fox Run on Friday. We will be doing our part at 10:00am. Mr. Meuse sent this link if you wish to donate.
As there are no classes on the 30th to observe Truth and Reconciliation, orange shirt day will be on Friday the 27th.
Important Note: If you are dropping your child off at school when there are no longer staff supervising morning arrivals, you must park and take your child inside and check them in at the office.
Dates to remember- September 23rd Professional Learning Day (School Goals) (no classes)
September 27th Orange Shirt Day, Terry Fox Run and Bus Evacuation Practice
September 30th National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (no classes)
Cycle 2 September 13-20 "Je suis unique"
The theme this cycle is "Je suis unique" or "I am unique". We will be focused on expressing needs, wants, likes and dislikes. Many of our games and activities will include vocabulary for body parts and prepositions. We will continue counting and representing numbers and learning about colours. We are practicing writing names with the first letter upper case and the rest lower case.
There have been a lot of moments when children thought they couldn't do something but were successful with a little help. Their confidence is rising, and they are so helpful to one another.
Dates to remember- September 18th is meet the teacher night :)
September 23rd Professional Learning Day (School Goals) (no classes)
September 30th National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (no classes)
Cycle 1 September 5-12 "La Rentrée"
Welcome to Maternelle! The theme this cycle is "Back to School" or "La Rentrée". We have been focused on making friends and learning our school routines. We have been learning through play about our supplies and toys, and how to use them. We are practicing sharing, cooperating, and taking turns. We are getting to know our way around the school.
It's been lovely building our little class community with silly things, enthusiasm, and even a little hard work!
Dates to remember- September 18th is meet the teacher night :)
September 23rd Professional Learning Day (School Goals) (no classes)
September 30th National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (no classes)