Thank you for taking the time to visit our website.
Mme. Kristine and Mme. Forster are thrilled to be a part of the team of educators that will help build our brand new school along with our students and parent community. We will be working collaboratively to create an engaging and inclusive learning environment that is founded on community and acceptance in our grade 1 classrooms. We invite you to visit our website regularly for important dates and announcements, as well as a glimpse of our classroom activities and how you can support us from home.
If ever you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us at the following e-mail addresses:
Mme. Kristine: kristine.gavrel-mckeague@ocdsb.ca
Mme. Forster: allison.forster@ocdsb.ca
Alternatively, should you wish to meet with us in person, please send us an e-mail so we can coordinate a date and time at your convenience.
We are very excited to work with our group of grade 1's and we look forward to getting to know you better!
Mme. Kristine & Mme. Forster
BE OPEN - BE CURIOUS - BE KIND
We are very excited to meet and get to know your children this week. Here is an overview of some basic information to help you and your child adjust to grade 1.
What to expect during the first weeks of school:
•Your child WILL be tired! They have to adapt to being at school all day in a new language, there may even be tears.
•Establishing routines and clear expectations will help your child in their transition.
What to bring to school:
Please provide:
- a lunch box with 2 snacks a water bottle and a healthy lunch. Most students eat their lunch at the first nutrition break. We suggest providing big snacks.
At KHPS we are doing boomerang lunches, this means all compost, garbage produced in a lunch box goes home. We encourage you to use reusable containers to make this easier. Thank you.
-a pair of indoor shoes (please no laces!)
-spare clothes in a labeled ziploc bag
How to prepare and help your child in grade 1:
•Encourage independence: opening containers, tying shoes, zipping coat etc.
•Letter and number recognition, reading syllables
•Print letters and numbers
•Work on listening skills; e.g., eye contact, following simple instructions
•Review SK material-days, months, colours, shapes
•Check your child’s pencil grip
Here are useful websites:
http://www1.tfo.org/mini/Accueil
http://literacycenter.net/play_learn/french-language-games.php
Here is what a typical day looks like:
8:30 to 10:30 – Learning Block
10:30 to 10:50 – Nutrition Break
10:50 to 11:15 – Recess
11:15 to 1:15 – Learning Block
1:15-1:35- Nutrition break
1:35-2:00- recess
2:00-3:00-Learning Block
3:00- bus or EDP
Please note that during the first week of school we accompany your child to the bus and the second week your child independently walks to his/her own bus.
This is a very exciting step in grade 1!
Extras:
We are very excited to help your child develop in their learning this year and believe in strong communication between the families and the school. Please email us if you are taking your child out of school for holidays or if you have any questions or concerns.
In our classes the students have flexible seating. This means every day they can chose where they would like to sit/stand/get comfy to complete their work. This creates an atmosphere of community and fun in our learning. For this reason all materials are shared and students are encouraged to share and care for classroom materials.
The subjects your child will be studying are French, Math, Science, Social Studies, Drama, Visual Arts, Music, Health and Physical Education. For further information please visit the Ministry of Ontario Curriculum http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/grade1.html
As well as these subjects the students will be learning during our Makerspace and Outdoor Education programs. We will be exploring and learning in the forest on a weekly basis (more details will come in the following weeks).
We encourage parent volunteers! Here are some ways you can help:
-reading with the students, making playdough at home, donating materials, accompanying us in the forest, sharing your knowledge (i.e. presenting your career, introducing us to a new technology))
Please don’t hesitate to contact us,
Kristine McKeague 1A and Allison Forster 1B
kristine.gavrel-mckeague@ocdsb.ca