This Week in Kindergarten

Hello Everyone!

What a great response to Orange Shirt Day.  The Kindergarten students worked to share their support by coloring and printing on a school in recognition of this day.  Our Orange T shirts are on display in the hallway outside our classrooms.

The letter this week is f.  Students are brainstorming lists of words that have the initial f letter and sound.  Parents can practice identifying words and sounds using f in their daily reading with their child!

PM students only attend school this upcoming Friday.

Students are dressing for the weather and further practice with doing up their zippers if needed would help in their being independent when they arrive and depart school.

Students have mail and will be bringing home a letter about our upcoming lockdown practice later this week.

Picture Day is coming soon (October 17th) and a notice and information is also coming home.

Ms. Phillips and Mr. Larson

Orange Shirt Day Monday September 30th

Tomorrow (Friday September 27th) is AM kindergarten. Friday dismissal is at 1:25 pm.

• Orange Shirt Day is an annual event that acknowledges and honours the healing journey of students of the residential school experience in Canada.  Every child matters, and we choose to participate in this special day to come together in the spirit of reconciliation.  
• We will participate on Monday, September 30th.  On this day students can wear an orange shirt or their favourite shirt. You can read more about the purpose of this day here:  http://www.orangeshirtday.org/ . It is a formal uniform day for students who choose not to participate.

Library

Please remember to return all library books on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If students have three books checked out they will not be able to check out more books until they are returned.

Weather

It's getting cold out! Make sure students are properly prepared for the weather!

First Music Classes with Ms. Weir

Today students had their first classes with Ms. Weir.

Mrs. Phillips' AM class will have music on Tuesday and her PM class will have music on Wednesday.

Mr. Larson's AM and PM classes will both have music on Wednesday.

Ms. Weir will also teach music to classes on Friday.

Today students took part in the Terry Fox run.
We watched a video about Terry Fox and why he is an important figure in Canadian history.

Here is the link to the video- https://youtu.be/f1QOtPDAAeY

A reminder that tomorrow is a library day.
Thank-you to everyone who returned the Old Dutch fundraising order forms.

The weather looks like it will be getting colder this week-
please ensure that your child is properly dressed for the cold and wet weather!

Terry Fox Run Rescheduled due to Weather

Hi Parents,

Due to some nasty weather coming our way later this week Thorncliffe School has decided to move our Terry Fox Run up one day to tomorrow, Wednesday September 24th. Times will remain the same:
AM students will run from 10-10:15am and PM students will be from 1:30-1:45pm.

Week Four News and Notes

Welcome to Autumn!

A huge thank-you to everyone who was able to attend our conferences. It was great to connect with you : )

A reminder that this Friday (September 27th) is AM Kindergarten.

Thorncliffe's Terry Fox Run will take place this Thursday September 26th. AM students will run from 10-10:15am and PM students will be from 1:30-1:45pm.

Curriculum Notes:

Now that we have worked on printing the letters A and C, we will be focussing on the letter B. In Math, we will be exploring the numbers 1-10 by matching quantities with the symbol for each number.

We have been discussing "Character" values in class through stories, discussion, and social skills stories. We have been paying special attention to treating others with kindness, using words when we becomes upset, and saying "please" and "thank-you".

This week we will be reading "The Colour of Us" by Karen Kratz, a book that celebrates the differences that make us all unique. We will also be creating self portraits in the style of the book's illustrations for art.

Conference Information

Information For Booking Parent Teacher Conferences

Kindergarten Teachers:

Please remember to book a conference to meet with me either on

               Thurs, Sept 19    9:00 am - 7:45 pm

               Fri, Sept 20         8:00 am – 12:45 pm

*No school for kindergarten on Thurs, Sept 19 or Fri, Sept 20

ALL teachers include:      

Follow these steps:

1. Click on the link:  www.cbe.ab.ca/mycbe  to access MyCBE / PowerSchool

               Or go to our school website at:  http://school.cbe.ab.ca/school/thorncliffe/Pages/default.aspx 

               At the bottom of the page you will see a link for MyCBE / PowerSchool icon

2. Log in with your user name & password or follow the directions to create a new username & password

(If you do not know your child’s CBE ID # please refer to your child’s June report card or email your child's teacher)

3. Select your child’s teacher and book a time

We look forward to seeing you at conferences!

Fletcher and the Falling Leaves by Julia Rawlinson Read Aloud Children's...

This Week

Dear Parents and Guardians,

This is a short week with parent teacher interviews happening on Thursday and Friday.  Please sign up for a conference time if you haven't already!  No school for Kindergarten students this Thursday or Friday.

The letter this week is c.  The video called Graphemes With Gestures posted on the right side of the blog is a great way to practice the alphabet and sounds with auditory and visual support.  Students are brainstorming lists of words that begin with c.

Reminders

Tuesday and Thursday are library days for both TLC Kindergarten classes.  Those days students can send in any books that they have finished and are ready to replace with a new book.  Once students have 3 books signed out they need to return books in order to check out more books.  The students did an art project inspired by Fletcher and the Falling Leaves.

Thank you for not sending juice boxes to school!  Students are being encouraged to keep hydrated by drinking lots of water during their time at school.

Please make sure that your child can tie their own laces for their shoes and boots.  Practicing at home with mom and dad or an older sibling is a big help as they work on being independent in managing classroom routines.

We're looking forward to seeing you all at parent teacher interviews and having the opportunity to discuss your child's first days of Kindergarten and with all of you and share our plans for the upcoming term.

See you soon,

Ms. Phillips and Mr. Larson

Week Two Update

Hello parents and guardians,

Our classes are now in full swing!

Our letter this week is "a". Students have been practicing printing the letter "a" as well as identifying words and names that begin with or include the letter "a". You can help support your son or daughter's learning at home by reading books and pointing out the letter "a" as well as identifying things around the house that start with the letter "a".

Our social stories this week have focussed on positive peer relationships, taking turns and sharing, and following the routines of our classrooms.

You might have already seen our beautiful leaf art in the windows of our classrooms.
The weather is starting to turn a bit colder, so please ensure your son or daughter is dressed for the weather. We already have some cardigans and jackets with no names written inside that have been left on coat hooks.

This Friday is PM Kindergarten only! 

Our library days are Tuesdays and Thursdays, and students may take out two books at a time if they have returned their books.

The booking for our Parent conferences open tomorrow. Please select a time for either Thursday the 19th or Friday the 20th.

All students require indoor shoes. Students can only wear lace up shoes if they can tie them independently. Unlaced shoes are a safety issue in the hallways and in the gym. Thank-you for helping support us in the teaching and learning in our classrooms!

Mrs. Phillips and Mr. Larson

This Week in Kindergarten

The first week of school went so fast and now the students are old pros when it comes to classroom routines!

Reminders

Library days for both classes are Tuesday and Thursday and students bring back their books on those mornings for exchange.  They can keep them if they aren't finished with them but they then have to wait for the return to take out a new book.  

PM class only attends this Friday, September 13th.

Any forms not handed in already could parents send them as soon as possible please!

Students drink water at school and any drink boxes or fruit juices will be sent back home in their backpacks.

We'll keep you posted on upcoming dates as there is a lot happening this month.

Ms. Phillips and Mr. Larson

Important Information

Only AM Kindergarten students attend school this Friday, September 6th.  Departure time is 1:25 and a lunch or two snacks is needed on later dismissal Fridays.

Forms came home with students today!  Please check your child's backpack for these important documents and letters.

Thank you all for you continuing support with transportation and bussing!  Please inform the office or your teacher if there are any changes as soon as possible.  The school policy is to use the bussing information supplied by parents and if a child tells us he or she is taking a different bus or is being picked up we defer to the information from parents and guardians.

Students who wear shoes with laces need to be able to tie their own shoes and could parents please support their children with learning this skill.  Shoes with velcro are an option for students as well.  Besides a tripping hazard, it is also time consuming for both students and teachers.

Library

Tomorrow is our first library day and students will learn the expectations and responsibilities when taking out books and while visiting the library.  

We're well on our way with learning classroom routines and students are enjoying their time at the centers.  Today students worked on figure drawing, coloring skills and printing their name.

Ask your child (children) about their first gym class!

Ms. Phillips and Mr. Larson

First Day of Kindergarten

It was a wonderful day in Kindergarten!  I'm sure you'll be asking all of your new students what they learned or did at school today!  I hope it included some of their favorite things.  Thank you all for your timely responses to our bussing and transportation queries!

If your child did not bring home a yellow letter and a Tell Me About Your Child form please just let us know and we'll send it tomorrow.  Forms and information will be sent home on an ongoing basis as we prepare for this year of teaching and learning.  If your child has a medical concern please contact the office and a form will be made available to you asap or stop in and pick a form up.

This Friday is AM students attending only.  The students arrive at the same time but depart at 1:25.  Please pack an extra snack or a lunch for late dismissal on every other Friday.  A reminder that juice boxes and drinks other than water should be avoided as per our school nurse and her nutritional snacks and lunches policy.  

Library will start next week and students will have opportunities to take out a book twice a week.  Further information about dates and library policies and expectations will follow.

Please email myself or Mr. Larson if you have any questions or if we can help you or your child with this transition into Kindergarten.

We look forward to a great year of learning and getting to know your children. We will keep you updated as we work together to make this a wonderful first year of school for all students.

Ms. Phillips and Mr. Larson