Outdoor Kindergarten

This week we will explore and learn in the same park all week, revisiting our favourite spots and venturing to some new areas. Hope for sun, prepare for April showers! A new routine will begin this week for the students: Special Helper will present ‘Animal News’ the next day. They can bring a picture or model of any animal they would like to present about. They will share some interesting facts about the animal. More details will follow in a handout this week.

• Monday – CVP
• Tuesday – CVP
• Wednesday – CVP – Metro Parks Pond Peek
• Thursday – Gym, Music, Earthquake Drill
• Friday – Library

Coming Up:

• Saturday, April 21 – Yorkson Fish Release 11AM on 98 Ave./205 St. Free event.
• Monday, April 23 – Celebrate Earth Day at the park
• Friday, April 27 – Math Games Day at 2:00

 

This term, in math, students will be learning to name, sort, describe and play with geometric shapes. Geometry activities help children become good at ‘spatial reasoning': building an understanding of the location and movement of objects in space.

We’ll also be measure things around us – including the students since they are all growing like our potato plants!

Purposeful play to grow spatial and number sense as well as many opportunities to practice letter-sound patterns and fine motor skills will be our focus in classroom time as the students prepare for Grade 1.

Outside, more of our learning will be around our Social Studies and Science themes of Community, Motion of objects, and Features of Animals and Plants. We begin this Monday with a walk through the great community of Fort Langley to the Historic Fort.

Home reading program continues with book exchanges on Thursday and Fridays.

Monday – Walk to Fort.

Tuesday & Wednesday – At the park. It’s Wildlife Week in Canada so we hope to see some bugs, birds and other critters out and about in the park. In particular, students will be learning about Mason Bees, important pollinators that are emerging from their cocoons now.

Thursday – Curling lesson (Organized by PAC!). Hot lunch with Boston Pizza. Music.

Friday – Early dismissal at 1:30 for Collaboration. Library.

This week, we’ll do some Easter activities since that holiday falls during Spring Break. I hope to see many of our families at Student-led conferences. Please sign up in the foyer. A reminder – if you are having trouble accessing your child’s report card through the MyEdBC Parent Portal, the school office can get you a printed copy.

Monday – At a new park.

Tuesday – Fern Gabriel, a teacher with the Aboriginal program, will lead a story-telling walk at Brae Island.

Wednesday – Egg dying activity. At FLE. Early dismissal at 1:45 and Student-led conferences.

Thursday – At FLE. Easter Egg Hunt for Kindergartens. Early dismissal at 1:45 and Student-led conferences.

Friday – At FLE. Assembly and Jump Rope for Heart. Last day before Spring Break.

Happy Spring Break! See you in April!

Last week we played in the slushy snow, and finished up learning about our families and ourselves – graphing our preferences, similarities and differences. Acceptance of diversity and kindness is something we continue to work on all our lives but with a special focus this last week of February and pink shirt day. We also voted for veggies to plant in the school garden and jogged for a new playground. We have a drier warmer week ahead for our outdoor days this week!!

Monday – Walking field trip to do some garden clean-up in preparation for spring planting.

Tuesday – I will be dissecting a salmon at the park to teach about how body systems are similar and different between fish and humans.

Wednesday – At the park.

Thursday – Music, Gym

Friday – Library

Monday morning we are walking to the Fort Langley Centennial Museum for a workshop with Dr. Recycle. He will show us some creative ways to use recycled materials to design toys and crafts.  It’s not too late to send along a small plastic container for our projects (but we do have a good number to share now). We’re walking and the road is going to be snowy so if any parents would like to assist with safety, please join us! Parents are also welcome at the workshop.

Please try to be on time, as we leave right after the bell for the museum. Our program is 9:30-11:00 and dismissal is at 11:38. No need to send lunch but please send a quick snack that is easy to eat on the go. If you are dropping off late, you can probably find us en route!

Tuesday and Wednesday – at the park. Wednesday is Pink Shirt Day against bullying. Return pledge forms for Jog-a-thon (money can be sent in later). Form attached: Jog A Thon Fundraiser Feb 2018 PAC F

Thursday, March 1 – Permission due for March. Form attached: March field trip permission form.

Friday, March 2 – Students participate in Jog-a-thon in the afternoon. Library – remember to send the book and bag!

Last week we really enjoyed learning about birds with the Langley Field Naturalists. We got to practice making bird tracks in the snow and saw quite a few different species, including woodpeckers, red-winged blackbirds, towhee, varied thrush and chickadees.

Back at school, we visited the salmon eggs in Ms. Debad’s class and found many of them had hatched! Now they are in the alevin stage – tiny fish with their yolk sacs still attached. They carry their food with them and are just learning how to swim like many of our kindergarteners!

We had a wonderful chance to play in the snow on Valentine’s Day – the children’s ideas were inspiring a lot of great teamwork like building a tower as high as the teachers!

Thank you to Mr. Cusick and Mrs. Palfreyman for their support making the day extra special with a fire and hot chocolate.

Monday – I am getting over a cold so there will be a Teacher-on-call replacing me today. We changed the day to stay at the school and will reschedule our visit to Fort Langley Historic Site for another day.

Tuesday – At the park. Langley Field Naturalists will lead a bird walk this morning.

Wednesday – At the park. Info meeting for Outdoor Program 2018/2019 at 6:30 pm at Chief Sepass Theatre.

Thursday – Music and Gym. Math games day – join us at 2:00

Friday – No school. Professional Development Day.

It’s a short week but a busy one!

Please print and sign and return the field trip permission form as soon as possible for The Feast Dish play at the Kwantlen Cultural Centre on Friday. This free opportunity came up suddenly so we hope to take advantage of it. But we rely on parents and grandparents to drive students there and back – please let me know how many you can take. Drivers are welcome to stay for the show. Permission form

Tuesday – at the park. Return permission forms.

Wednesday – Valentine’s Day ❤️ at the park. Bring any cards etc in a ziplock bag which they can decorate and use to bring the cards they receive home. Marshmallow roast and hot chocolate in the afternoon. ❤️

Thursday – Hearing tests at 9:00, music and gym. Please be on time.

Friday – Library and Field trip to see a play; leaving at 12:40 returning at 2:30.

Monday, February 6 we will visit the Scholastic Book Fair and then walk to the park. We will do some weeding and tidying in the garden.

Tuesday and Wednesday we are at the park. Early Dismissal Wednesday at 1:30 pm for Collaboration.

Thursday, February 8 is the day we will celebrate 100 days of school. This fun day helps us focus on what 100 looks like in a variety of ways. If your child would like to join the fun by dressing up like a 100-year-old, or by bringing in 100 of something, they are most welcome to!

Friday, February 9 is the assembly for Olympics and Hawk awards. We will be parading in with a class torch and learning about Olympic values like respect, friendship and excellence.

Looking ahead to next week:

Monday, Feb. 12 is Family Day. Enjoy the long weekend!

Wednesday, Feb. 14 is Valentine’s Day. We are at the park, so please send valentines in a large freezer ziploc bag. If your child wants to give out cards, please ensure there is one for each student in our class (16 total). For a sweet treat, we would like to have a campfire marshmallow roast in the afternoon. We’ll need a parent or two to help start and supervise the fire. Email me if you can help out!

This week we’ll be reflecting on all we learned in January and adding another page in their “What I learned in Kindergarten” booklets. Some highlights include:

• Setting a goal for 2018
• How to wash our hands carefully to remove germs
• What is a pattern and how can we make one?
• How can we sort different objects by their properties?
• How did pioneer children live, learn and play?
• Re-telling the story “The Mitten” by Jan Brett
• What changes do we see at Brae Island over the winter?

This week we will continue to explore self-identity and family as students dive into getting to know themselves and each other better. We will also play with, sort and describe different materials to learn about the states and properties of matter. Hope for sun so we can make shadows on groundhog day!

This week’s reminders:

• Monday, Jan. 29 – At FLE
• Tuesday, Jan. 30 – At the park
• Wednesday, Jan. 31 – At the park
• Thursday, Feb. 1 – Music, Gym, Hot lunch
• Friday, Feb. 2 – Library, Groundhog Day