Outdoor Kindergarten

Highlights of the week:

Our first week at Ponder Park was a success! I think we have worked out new boundaries and routines for eating, learning and play so next week should be even better. We also learned a lot about salmon, their life cycle and habitat. We will check the creek after the rains to see if any spawners have returned. That would be so exciting to see!

The students did so well reciting the poem in our Remembrance Day Assembly. I felt very proud of their effort and respectful behaviour in such an important assembly.

Please let me know if any of you have connections to military veterans in the local area. We completed our Postcards for Peace activity and I am now seeking some veterans to mail them to.

Next week at a glance:

Our theme for outdoor exploration this week is fungi. A sure sign of fall is when we can find a variety of mushrooms in the forest!

• Monday – no school, Remembrance Day
• Tuesday – at the park
• Wednesday – at the park
• Thursday – library
• Friday – Family Reading, Hot lunch

This week we begin our month at a new park! I’m very grateful for all the work done in advance by our families to make this a wonderful place to learn. Here is a plan for drop off and pick up. As you can see, the parking area is small and the driveway is one lane wide. Please respect the staff or volunteer who may be helping to direct traffic in and out. If you want to simply drop off or pick up your child quickly, come in to the parking lot (drive-thru style). If you prefer to walk your child in and out, park on the street. Thank you for your understanding and patience as we make this work. A bigger parking area is in the plans for next year.

 The week ahead:

• Monday – Explore a new park
• Tuesday – Learn about salmon with LEPS
• Wednesday – Peace in the park – Remembrance Day preparations
• Thursday – At FLE. Remembrance Day Assembly at 10:45. Our class is presenting a poem, ‘Poppy Poppy’. Parents are welcome to attend. Library book exchange.
• Friday – No school. Monday, Nov. 11 is also a holiday. Enjoy the long weekend!

Halloween Memories:

We had a great spooky week, but it is a bit of a blur because of all the activities and long days of parent conferences as well. Thank you all for making time to get an update on your child’s progress so far! Aldor Acres was awesome. We had a beautiful day! I will print some photos and make a class book you can share during Friday Family Reading.

Wow, it’s supposed to rain a lot tomorrow! Please pack an extra rain jacket or poncho. Retakes are also tomorrow. If you want your child to have retakes, please take them to school first, ask if they can have their photo taken as soon as possible, then find us at the shelter or playground area when you can.  A text or call to the outdoor cell phone is appreciated so I know who to expect.

Oct. 24 -31 is Bat Week https://batweek.org/

We will get involved with some batty activities at the park and school.

Here are some pictures of last week’s soup. It was delicious and inspired some creative ‘soup’ making at the beach.

 

We really enjoyed our pumpkin week activities. The mornings were frosty and cold but the afternoons were beautiful and sunny. (Well, except for that one downpour…) A big thanks for the donated pumpkins from the Borland family! Their pumpkin farm is open to the public the weekend after Thanksgiving.

The week ahead

• Monday – Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
• Tuesday & Wednesday – Our learning themes include apples, healthy eating and the moon cycle. (Hoping you get a chance to see the full moon on Sunday!) We’ll be making bean soup for a shared snack on Tuesday. Please send a chopped veggie and a cup for our soup. There will be SFU Students observing our program Wednesday morning.
• Thursday – Library book exchange, return permission forms for pumpkin patch. We will be making apple sauce to share.
• Friday – Family reading. Hot lunch.

 

   Highlights of the week:

• 

  We found many, many colours in different shades all around us, especially in all the falling leaves. We learned how to make a leaf rubbing.

• We discovered that freshwater clams live in the creeks!
• Learning about letters has also begun, starting with the ones in our names. Through building the letters out of natural materials, students are noticing that letters are made of straight and curvy lines.
• In school this week, students participated in the Terry Fox run on Friday. We learned why Terry Fox is a Canadian Hero. Did you know, parents, that you are a hero to your children? Read all about their heroes on our hallway bulletin board!
• We also created sunflowers and learned about Vincent VanGogh. Our sunflower art is up on display in the Fort Langley Post Office for the month of October. Check it out!
  

   The week ahead:

• This week we will be acknowledging Orange Shirt Day (for Residential School Survivors). At the K level, this means teaching about our rights and responsibilities, kindness and that “Every Child Matters”.  Students are welcome to wear orange shirts on Thursday, our first indoor day.Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday – at the park. Looking forward to visiting with our Forest School friends this week.  A focus on fall changes and the cycle of decomposition.
• Thursday – Library book exchange
• Friday – Family Reading, Recycling workshop with LEPS (Langley Environmental Partners Society)
• School Cash Online now has school supply fees available to pay.
• I am noticing children are extra tired on Fridays. As they adjust to new levels of stimulation and activity, children may need extra sleep, snacks, and snuggles at home. Thank you for all you do to help them be ready to learn and play at school.

Highlights of the week

Students enjoyed the imaginative world of Mouse House, created by the Grade 3 and 4 students. They collected natural items to use as currency to buy ‘ice cream’ and ‘pizza’, climb trees and play ‘video games’. All powered by imagination!

Inside the classroom, students got to pick their first library book! I hope you get a chance to spend a cozy moment reading with your child this week.

The week ahead

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday – Outside days. It looks like a wet start to the week. Please consider adding a re-useable hand towel or rag to the backpack. It is ‘handy’ to wipe wet hands and faces.

Thursday – please consider donating a ‘toonie’ ($2) to our school’s Terry Fox day fundraiser. Everyone who donates gets a picture of Terry’s running shoe to colour and put up around the hallways. Library book exchange – send back the book in the library bag.

Friday – Terry Fox assembly and run. Students run or walk laps around the school field for about 20 minutes. We will be learning about Terry Fox and what makes him a hero. Who is your child’s hero?

We’ve finally made it through to full day Kindergarten! Regular hours from now on are 8:51-2:45. Please try to be on time…if the door is closed and it is after 9 AM, students enter at the front office and sign in.

We got outside to meet our LEAP buddies in Ms Harder and Ms Taleon’s classes last week. Ms Harder read “Look what I did with a leaf!”

Then the students worked with a big buddy to create something. What did your child make out of leaves?

It’s a horse and a tiger!

 

 

* Please reply if you received an email from me (mastpierre@sd35.bc.ca) on Thursday night. I am testing if the Outlook Email List I created has all the correct email addresses. Thanks if you replied already!

 

This is our class website. I hope you can bookmark it and check it weekly for updates and reminders for the week ahead.

Schedule and Contact Email is available on the menu bar. My goal is always to communicate regularly with families as kindergarten days are filled with growth and moments to be shared and remembered. It is my privilege to be your child’s first teacher!

All About Me in a Paper Bag

This is our first ‘special helper’ assignment. Each day, starting later this week, one student will present 4-5 objects from a paper bag that tell us about themselves. Some suggestions: family photo, favourite book, food or toy, something from an activity or sport they like, a memento from summer vacation. This week, Ms Young and I will model our own paper bag presentations, then we will draw a name. That person will bring home the paper bag (feel free to send a larger bag if needed) and fill it up that night with your help. They will present their items the next day (or as soon as they remember to bring it back). Practicing at home to a family member (or pet) will help their presentation go smoothly. Nothing has to be memorized, as I will prompt and ask them questions to get them talking if they get nervous. I hope you have fun helping them choose things that represent their life, their personality and interests!

Friday Family Reading

Friday mornings at Fort Elem are a fun, busy time. We invite all parents/guardians or care givers to come by and read with your child for 15 minutes. The whole school is open to you – hallways, library and classrooms. Just pick a book, get comfy and read with your child and maybe a buddy or two! We take attendance after parents have left at about 9:15. This is a great way to celebrate literacy and share in making our school a welcoming, friendly community.