Week of October 13 - October 16

Hi There!

I hope everyone had a great long weekend, and you were able to enjoy plenty of yummy food with the people closest to you!

With Thanksgiving behind us, we will be moving our attention to activities with a fall and Halloween"ish"-look to them.  We have been attempting a couple of drawing activities using Art Hub on Youtube.  If you haven't already heard of it, check it out. Typically, children really enjoy following along to these simple videos, and there are lots to choose from. 

Literacy

This week, we are working on the letters "c" and "o", and our trick word is "the". We are continuing to work on recognizing how many words are in a spoken sentence and then following it up with a few cut and paste activities to show a physical representation of what a sentence looks like. 

Numeracy

We are continuing on with our number sense skills. We are looking at various ways to make the number three using the various toys and manipulatives in the classroom. The children are doing a great job at creating and recording numbers up to five in different formations. 

At the present time, it is ok to represent numbers in other ways. For example, if the answer is 5, and they are unsure of how to make the numeral 5, they can make five lines or five dots. 

School Pictures

If you haven't done so already,  you can access the pictuers via the QR code sent home with your child or enter the link provided on the same paper directly into your browser.  If you have any questions, please contact info@everestsolutionsgroup.ca.

We will be having Picture Re-takes at a later date  for any student who may have missed or for anyone who may want an alternate option. 

Message from our Occupational Therapist

Dear kindergarten parents!

My name is Katherine McKee-Blanche and I am the occupational therapist (OT) for your child’s school. My job as an OT is to work with students in the schools on their motor skills, self-care skills, self-regulation skills and getting ready for different classroom activities!  

This year your child’s kindergarten teacher will be sharing some short write up from me with a link to a video. These videos were created by our school OT team and focus on the important skills needed for kindergarten! Kindergarten is a BIG year and a very important year for your children as they develop their motor skills, language skills, play skills, and social skills which prepare them for their school career!

Please watch the videos – each video includes information about each skill and provides some activities or strategies to work on at home! It is VERY important to work on these skills at home with your children.

This week’s video is on Hand Strengthening! These activities will help strengthen your child’s hands so they can grasp their pencil correctly, hold and cut with scissors, zipper coats and colour!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04igYLGNc40

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Katherine McKee-Blanche, OT Reg.(PEI)

Occupational Therapist, School Therapy OT Program

kmckeeblanche@ihis.org

Dates to Remember

Friday, October 30 - Halloween Party

Thursday & Friday, November 5 & 6 - PEITF Convention (no school)

Wednesday, November 11 - Remembrance Day (no school)

Monday, November 16 - Report Card Day (no classes)

Week of October 5 - October 9

We had so much fun at the Teddy Bear Clinic. The nursing students did an amazing job hosting this. The children were fantastic in telling the nursing students all about their teddies. When they were asked if their teddy had any allergies, one of my kiddos was quick to say "Yes, Ms.Murray"!!!!  lol  Too cute!  I have attached a few pictures for you to have a little peek at our fun!

Over the past couple of weeks, we have been looking at our drawings, and how we can make them better. This week, we will are talking about how to add a setting to our pictures.  

We have a lot happening in KA in the next few days. 

This week, we will be incorporating some fall and Thanksgiving activities into our numeracy and literacy outcomes. 

Literacy

This week in Fundations, we are focusing on the letters "i" and "u", and we begining our list of trick words with the word  "see".  We are continuing to work on building sentences, and knowing the difference between a letter and a word.

Numeracy

The focus will be on the number 3, but we are also using fall leaves, pumpkins and turkeys to build a greater awareness of the numbers up to five. 

Picture Day

Our turn for pictures will be on Thursday, October 8th. 

Dates to Remember

Wednesday, October 7th - Walk to School Day (Starting at the Stratford Town Hall)

Thursday, October 8th - Picture Day

Monday, October 12th - Thanksgiving Day (no school)

Have a great week, and I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving,

Week of September 28 - October 2

Hi There,

We had a great chat about Terry Fox and his legacy last week, and this week, we are talking about why we have Orange Shirt Day. These are both very heavy topics for little people to comprehend, but hopefully, they will come away with a greater awareness of both. 

We have been learning about adding detail when drawing pictures of people. We looked at and described different hairstyles and facial expressions. Check out the pictures below and see if you can spot your kiddo. :)  They did a fantastic job with these. Next, we are learning how to use shapes to build objects like a house, car, etc.  

Literacy

This week in Fundations, we are focusing on the letters "m" and "n".  We are continuing to work on recognizing the difference between a letter and a word and how many words are in a spoken sentence. 

We started our unit off with a little craft. We made "Baby Echo".  Baby Echo is a prop we use to help with letter and sound recognition, and pointing to the words in a sentence. 

Numeracy

We are working on the different ways to represent the number two.

Teddy Bear Clinic

Our school has had several nursing students visiting a few Kindergarten classes throughout the last couple weeks, and they will be hosting a teddy bear clinic for all the Kindergarten children. Our turn will be on Thursday, October 1st, and the children are being asked to bring in a teddy bear to take to the clinic.  

Bus Evacuation Drill 

At the beginning of every school year, we have a practice bus evacuation drill. This will be done on Tuesday afternoon (September 29th). It is great to see the "big kids" from Stratford Elementary helping our littles. Children who do not typically take the school bus to and/or from school are also asked to participate in the drill. Just in case, we are ever on a field trip and need to know what to do if there was ever an emergency. 

Dates to Remember

Tuesday, September 29th - Orange Shirt Day

• Bus Evacuation

Wednesday, September 30 - National Day of Truth and Reconciliation (no school)

Thursday, October 1st - Teddy Bear Clinic

Wednesday, October 7th - Walk to School Day (Starting at the Stratford Town Hall)

Thursday, October 8th - Picture Day

Monday, October 12th - Thanksgiving Day (no school)

Week of September 21 - 25

Hi Everyone,

We had a wonderful first full week of kindergarten. The children know all of the transitions and seem to have a good understanding of the layout of the school.  Hopefully, you are hearing all about it.  We are making friends, learning new songs, starting our literacy program, doing lots of counting, playing on the playground, and having a great time throughout the day! 

Helper Days are in full swing! I sent home a September calendar with your child's helper name listed. If you happened to have misplace it, there is a calendar tab at the top of this post. On your child's helper day, they may take one item to school for show and tell. These are pretty BIG days in Kindergarten. The power of being the line leader is like no other! lol

A big THANK YOU to everyone who was able to come to our Meet the Teacher last week. It is always nice to make that connection. 

Nursing Students

You may have heard that we had nursing students spend the day with us in our classroom last week, and they are coming back to spend a few more with us. Their role is to;

1. Become familiar with routines, the children, and observe the growth and development (G&D) of k-students.

2. Engage with the children through play and activities in the classroom.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. 

Literacy

This week, we will be starting an illustration unit to begin our early stages of writing and  discussing how a picture can tell a story. 

Our Fundations program is up and running. I will be sending home another information sheet tomorrow. We are starting with the letters t, b, and f. With this program, we actually begin with the lowercase letters, and then move into uppercase later on. We will also be starting a list of trick (high frequency) words soon. 

Numeracy

Last week, we explored the many different ways to represent the number one. We'll be continuing to explore the numbers up to five for a while as we build our number sense and understanding. 

Here is the video we watched to helped solidify our learning.

I Can Show the Number 1 

Terry Fox Run

Our run at the school is this upcoming Friday. If you would like to make a donation, you can either send it in with your child or you can do so online following the link below.  THANK YOU!

Terry Fox Donations 

Just a friendly reminder to send a fork or spoon with your child on the days they order from the provincial lunch program.  The province does not supply them, so please remember to pack one from home. 

Dates to Remember

Friday, September 25 - Terry Fox Run

Tuesday, September 29 - Orange Shirt Day

Wednesday, September 30 - No school (National Day of Truth and Reconciliation) 

Week of September 14 - 18

Hi Everyone!

"Wow" is all I can really say. We have completed our first four days in the big school and  these kiddos are amazing!  They are doing so well. They are quickly settling into our daily routine and making new friends. We are going to have a fantastic year! 

With that said, it is a BIG transition for these little ones.  There will be lots of excitement, but there will also be some tears.  Do not be surprised if in a week or two when the excitement begins wears off that you may find your child isn't as enthusiastic about coming to school.  We all would like to have a day off here and there.  They are the same.  It is a busy pace, and it takes a while for them to get use to the countless transitions and the long day.  BUT I do encourage you to keep them to a regular routine as much as possible. It all works itself out in the end, and we have a FABULOUS time!  

This upcoming week, we are going to continue to practice all those "in-school" procedures.  Last week, we practiced our fire drill procedure with the rest of the school, and it went really well for it being our first time. The alarm can be loud for those with sensitivity concerns, but the good news is we are the class closest to the exit, and we are outside before you know it.  

Literacy

We will be starting our literacy program, Fundations, later in the week.  I will be sending a handout home for you to have a quick overview of the program. 

Numeracy

Our first numeracy block focuses on the numbers 0-5.  We will be meeting these outcomes in various ways. This week, we will start with the number 1. 

Social Studies

We are starting to work on our first unit, "All About Me".  We will be talking about what makes us special and unique and how we are similar to our peers in the classroom.  

End of the Day

We are extending our day a little this week.  Dismissal for Kindergarten classes will now be 2:15. 

If for some reason you need to drop your child off late or pick him/her up early, please notify the school (902-569-0550) and /or send me an email the day prior. 

Breakfast Program

Our breakfast program will start on Monday and run each morning from 8 until 8:25. Students are able to access toast, fruit and cheese. Thank you to our parent and community volunteers!

Lunch Programs

 We have two lunch programs.  Please have a look at both programs and feel free to use these if you wish.  Always great to have options. :)

Healthy School Lunch Program 

Glen Stewart Hot Lunch Program

We’re excited to inform you that Dairy Farmers of PEI and ADL will be offering complimentary white milk to our kindergarten students during the weeks of September 14 through until October 2, 2026. 

This program is designed to encourage healthy eating habits and to support our young learners in their growth and learning journey.  Each child is eligible to receive a serving of white milk during lunch time!  (Sorry, chocolate milk is not available for this program.)

When ordering for our Hot Lunch Program, we would ask that if your child is interested in free milk to please order (you will not be charged). You will notice there is a Kindergarten specific September section on the online program.  

Meet The Teacher

I am looking forward to our Meet the Teacher night that is coming up on Wednesday, September 16th at 6:00.  If for some reason you can not make it on Wednesday, please contact me, and I will be more than happy to send out a paper copy of what has been discussed. 

Sorry for the information overload!!  I promise (well hopefully) not to be so long-winded the next time. :)

Thanks and take care.  Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Norma Lea

Below, I have included a few pics of our KA staff just so you can put a friendly face to the names your children will be talking about when they come home at the end of each day. :)

Welcome to KA! I am so excited to begin the year with your child and your family, and I look forward to getting to know each of you. I will be updating this site weekly with classroom news, learning experiences, and some exciting things happening in our classroom. 

Thank you for sharing your child with me. I am looking forward to a wonderful year together. 

Stay tuned - there are lots of fun ahead! :)