Coping With Stress

Talking to Children About COVID-19

Managing Anxiety and Stress

Parent Resources

Positive Mental Health Resources

Positive Mental Health Resources: Here are some suggested resources for students and their families as they navigate through these challenging times.

Many of the WHO resources are available in multiple languages. One of the attached resources, Talking to Children About COVID-19: A Parent Resource (National Association of School Psychologists and Nurses) is also available in many languages. Here is where you can find it in multiple languages. https://www.nasponline.org/resources-and-publications/resources-and-podcasts/school-climate-safety-and-crisis/health-crisis-resources/talking-to-children-about-covid-19-(coronavirus)-a-parent-resource

Parents received a system message about Interim K-9 resources and activities to engage children in, for the time prior to the scheduled spring break. You can access the resources here.

These activities are easy to do at home using common materials and are engaging for students and families. 

We also suggest home reading or home journal writing. For Kindergarten we recommend printing letters, practicing printing your name (first and last), drawing an item you can find in your kitchen (and sounding out and writing the word for the item). 

We also encourage practice with our sight words! 

In Kindergarten, we focus on the pre-primer and primer Dolch sight words which are listed below.  

Pre-K Dolch Sight Words
(40 words)

a, and, away, big, blue, can, come, down, find, for, funny, go, help, here, I, in, is, it, jump, little, look, make, me, my, not, one, play, red, run, said, see, the, three, to, two, up, we, where, yellow, you

Kindergarten Dolch Sight Words
(52 words)

all, am, are, at, ate, be, black, brown, but, came, did, do, eat, four, get, good, have, he, into, like, must, new, no, now, on, our, out, please, pretty, ran, ride, saw, say, she, so, soon, that, there, they, this, too, under, want, was, well, went, what, white, who, will, with, yes

New Artwork In Progress!

Here are some sneak previews of our latest creations...

March 13, 2020

Important – School Events Postponed

Dear Parents & Guardians,

Based on the changing provincial and local response to COVID-19, the CBE has given us direction to postpone our school council meeting scheduled for this evening, March 12, Fun Lunch scheduled for March 17 and Parent/Teacher conferences scheduled for March 19 & 20, 2020 .

All CBE schools have been given direction to postpone or cancel events that include populations from other schools and/or parents or other community members, such as Parent-Teacher Interviews, celebrations of learning, drama/musical performances, dances, athletic competitions, etc. This decision is effective from Mar. 12 until the end of March break. This decision will be revisited during March break to determine whether events should be rescheduled.

Events outside of school hours that include the regular student and staff population of the school (school clubs, practices, etc) and scheduled field trips may continue at this time.  

I know this may be disappointing news. Students and staff have spent a significant amount of time preparing for these events, but the health of our community is our priority.

For the most up to date information about the CBE’s approach to COVID-19 and the actions we are taking, please visit our website. Answers to frequently asked questions will continue to be posted as information becomes available.

Thank you,

Sandra Traquair

Principal, Thorncliffe School

Calgary Board of Education

t | 403-777-6670  ext 2123

I'm so sorry for the confusion! It is PM students only for tomorrow's kindergarten classes!

This Friday is AM students attending only.  Only 4-5 days of school until Spring Break and Parent Teacher Interviews Thursday Mar. 19th and Friday Mar. 20th.  Please dress your children for the upcoming shift with snow and colder weather.

Parents can shop the Scholastic Book Fair next Thursday during Parent Teacher Interviews for TLC students.  Feel free to drop into the library during that time.

If your child is sick please keep them at home.

If your child is missing a cardigan please let Mr. Larson or myself know during parent conferences or you can email us.  We have cardigans without names and would like to reunite kids with their cardigans!

Help us keep your children safe by not blocking traffic by stopping or parking in the bus zones.

Conference Booking

Parent Teacher online sign up begins this Thursday.  Parents can sign up online on Thursday May 12th!

Parent Teacher Conferences Coming Soon!

March 19th and 20th are the dates for the upcoming Parent Teacher Conferences.  Please go online and book a conference time if you haven't already.

The Scholastics Fair will be open and brochures/flyers went home yesterday.  Students will be given time to browse through the Fair prior to the conferences.

The letter this week is z.  Students brainstormed a list of words with the initial, middle and end letter z.

As part of our ongoing inquiry on animals the students are busy planning and building beaver lodges which will be on display during the conferences.

Students will be building bridges for bears as part of their math problem solving learning.
Pictures will be posted shortly!

Next Wednesday, May 18th, students can wear a team jersey to support this month's virtue of sportsmanship for Spirit Day. Students can wear any sports jersey.  If they choose to not participate it's uniforms as usual.

Scholastic Book Fair Coming Next Week

Scholastic Book Fair is coming to our school March 19 & 20, 2020. We invite your entire family to participate by purchasing the latest and greatest in children’s books. Your support helps us obtain new books and resources for our library and classrooms.

Visit the Scholastic Book Fairs website at www.scholastic.ca/bookfairs to read reviews of the Featured Books. You can also watch book trailers and author videos with your child on the BookTube page.

A Book Fair flyer that provides a preview of only a FEW of the many books available to purchase at our Fair will be going home.  The flyer also contains a special Family Draw ballot that students can deposit during their classroom preview visit. You could win $50.00 in books - $25.00 for your family PLUS $25.00 for your child’s classroom! The draw will be made Thursday afternoon, March 20, 2020 at 1:30 pm.

Please do NOT send money to school with your child. Purchases can only be made Thursday, March 19 from 4:00-7:45 pm and Friday, March 20, 2020 from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm.

Don’t forget to mark the Book Fair dates on your calendar! We thank you, in advance, for supporting this great literary event. Thank you for believing in books and the impact of reading on your child’s future.

Sandra Traquair

Principal, Thorncliffe School

Calgary Board of Education

t | 403-777-6670  ext 2123

Casual Dress For Trickster Performance

We are getting ready for our performance tomorrow night!

Dress Code for Students

Students are NOT required to wear their school uniforms for school tomorrow or Friday. School uniforms are also not required for the evening performance tomorrow night.

We are looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow night!

Trickster Tickets/The Week Ahead

Reminders

Please fill out and return the Trickster Theatre ticket requests on the peach paper/letter sent home last week.  Please send them back tomorrow if you haven't already.

We're looking forward to Thursday night's performance and hope to see you there!  We need the forms back as soon as possible to process the tickets and send them home to you with students.

Students worked with members of the Trickster team today and will be rehearsing for their performance in the coming days.  Ask them what they did in our work for the performance today!

The letter this week is y.

Please feel free to email or call if you have any questions about Trickster and our performance on Thursday evening.

Ms. Phillips

Coming Next Week

Reminders For Next Week

Please return the bottom portion of the Trickster Theatre Letter by Monday, March 2nd.

Save the date for performances on Thursday evening.  All the information is included in your letter.

Throughout next week we're looking forward to going out for gym and learning on the land.  Please dress students for the weather.

Take the opportunity when attending the performance to check out the kindergarten bear art in the hallways and outside the TLC classrooms.  Ask your child what they have learned about bears!

We've been learning about the symbolism of bears.  We had a Knowledge Keeper in the classrooms to work with the students on learning about and understanding the importance of the land and all of the animals that we share the land with.

Ms. Phillips and Mr. Larson

Time Sensitive Information

Dear Parents and Guardians,

The letter this week is x!

PM students attend school this Friday.

Students had their final lacrosse class today.  Look in backpacks for free admission into the Roughnecks game.  It's valid for free entry for two on Feb. 29th or March 13th!

SAVE THE DATE!

I Have Mail!  Also coming home today with the PM kindergarten classes ( tomorrow with the AM) the Artists in Residence ticket request and all the schedules and information.  The ticket information needs be filled out and returned by Monday, March 2nd.  We will be practicing our theatre performances in the days to come and are very excited to perform for you all.

Next week, weather permitting, we're going outside for gym.   We're looking forward to doing some learning on the land for Math, Science and Social Studies as well.  Please make sure that your child is dressed for the weather and has winter boots.

Constable Tony will be coming in to talk to all the kindergarten students about road and sidewalk safety, and staying safe in our community.  We'll update you on the times for this when we confirm.
One of the themes for our theatre presentation in keeping safe in our community and taking care of and respecting all people, animals and our environment.

We're looking forward to seeing you all next Thursday evening,

Ms. Phillips

Pink Shirt Day is Wednesday!

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Hole on to your hats!  The next two weeks with Lacrosse for gym, Trickster and Pink Shirt Day will be very busy.

Students had their first lesson in Lacrosse today.  Ask your child (children) what they learned and now what they can do!

Students Have Mail

Tomorrow the PM students will be part of our lockdown practice.  The information was sent home with PM students in their back packs.

Students took home a brochure on our Lacrosse Team that is teaching this week and information about lessons for students outside of school is included.

Wednesday is Pink Shirt Day

Students can wear a pink shirt in support of Pink Shirt Day this Wednesday.  The simple but powerful message for this year's Pink Shirt Day is, "Lift Each Other Up."  This month we are learning about and showing ways of caring at home and at school.  By caring and lifting each other up we are helping others in a caring and inclusive way.  Students wear informal uniforms if not taking part in Pink Shirt Day.

Learning on the Land

The next two weeks will present lots of opportunities for the kindergarten students to go out to learn on the school yard.  Please make sure your child is dressed and has winter boots on so that they can participate.  We are going out to do a math lesson!  And gym classes when not in lacrosse.

We're learning about beavers in anticipation of building our beaver lodges.  You may have been asked to show them a nickel as we learned about the symbolism of beavers.

Ms. Phillips

Friday is AM Kindergarten

Just a reminder that tomorrow is AM kindergarten.

This week and last students have been enjoying a "Mission Impossible" obstacle course in the gym. Special thanks to Mrs. Lisk and the grade 5/6 volunteers for setting up this challenge!

Also this week our class photos arrived and have been sent home.

Trickster Theatre

This week we are welcoming representatives from Trickster Theatre in our classrooms to begin planning a school wide performance. The performance will take place in the evening on Thursday March 5th. Times and details to follow.

This week students will learn about the topic of their performance. The week long Trickster residency will begin on Monday March 2nd, culminating in the evening performance on the 5th.

To learn more about Trickster Theatre please visit the website- http://www.trickstertheatre.com/

In other news, our letter this week is "w".

A Short But Busy Week in Kindergarten

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Please check backpacks for class names for the Valentine's Day card exchange on Wednesday.  Lists for classes were sent home today.  Please remember no food or candy sent to school.  Also, if students are bringing cards they are bringing for all students in the class and not just their friends.

We're working on extending our patterning learning to include more objects such as animals, shapes and combining a variety of materials to create more complex patterns.  Students can identify patterns around home and in their neighborhood and discus their patterning rule with you.  

There is no school for all students Thursday Feb. 13th and Friday Feb. 14th due to Teacher's Convention.  Monday, February 17th is Family Day and a no school day as well.  A five day weekend for all of the students!

Enjoy time together on Family Day,

Ms. Phillips and Mr. Larson

Outdoor Learning- Animal Evidence!

This week we went outside to look for evidence of animal habitats in our school community.
Who left these tracks?

Friday is PM kindergarten

Apologies!

This Friday is PM kindergarten, not AM as previously stated- thank-you to our eagle-eyed parents : )

Class Picture Day Tomorrow

Just a reminder that tomorrow we will be taking our class picture - please ensure your son or daughter is wearing their formal uniform.

Thanks!

Grade 5/6 Learning Museum

Last week our classes took part in the grade 5/6 learning museum showcasing their work on the universe. Here are some examples of the great work they did. Our students really enjoyed the chance to see the museum!

Weekly Notes

Our printing and letter study continues this week with the letter "u".

This month's virtue at Thorncliffe School is "caring". Throughout the month we will discussing ways to show we care about one another at school and at home.

This Friday February 7th is AM kindergarten. Another reminder that Wednesday February 5th is class photo day. Students will be expected to wear formal uniforms on this day.

We are excited to welcome our Literacy strategist, Stephanie Pratt, into our classrooms this week to collaborate with us. Teachers have been working with the literacy team to incorporate "close" reading into our practice. Close reading is the technique of using short passages to reinforce key concepts of text. We chose the book "Animal Homes" to support our inquiry into habitats of local animals. 

In Math we are continuing to use tens frames to match up numbers that add up to ten.

Class Photos This Wednesday

Reminder

Our class photos will be taken Wednesday, Feb. 5th.  Students wear their formal uniforms for the class photos.

Ms. Phillips and Mr. Larson

Learning on the Land

Dear Parents and Guardians,

No school tomorrow!  Friday, January 31st is a PD day.

Hopefully this great weather will continue into next week.  We hope to take the classes out to do some games, gathering materials for building animal shelters and learning on the land.  I
When we get some fresh snow we'll be going out to look for and draw animal tracks.  Please make sure your child (children) have winter boots on and are dressed for some activities and learning outside.

Ask what your child has learned about animal homes.  Our inquiry work on animals in our community is ongoing.  Students are doing building challenges during center times and designing and building animal homes and shelters.

Have a good weekend,

Ms. Phillips and Mr. Larson

A PLACE FOR PLUTO by Stef Wade

Mid Week News in Kindergarten

Reminders

No school for all students this Friday.  It's a Professional Day for teachers.

Tomorrow is library day.  Please have students return all books to the library.

Ask your student about today's Grades 5/6 Science Fair.  There was a lot to see and learn and ask them about their new learning about the planers and solar system.

Report cards come home today and please look in your child's backpack!

Ms. Phillips and Mr. Larson

Safety First!

Dear Parents and Guardians,

There is a safety concern about icy conditions on the corner of the sidewalk along and near the fence and entrance into the school from the drop off area and buss zone.  We are working with students to remember to stay on the sidewalk and walk when coming to and leaving school. Please remind your child to stay on the sidewalk and to walk, not run into the school or along this area.  As the weather warms up the icy conditions are making for some slips and falls!

Thank you!

Ms. Phillips and Mr. Larson

In Kindergarten This Week

Dear Parents and Guardians,

The letter this week is "t".

No school for all students this Friday as it's a school wide Professional Development Day.

An exciting day for students coming up tomorrow.  It's Fancy Dress Day and they get to dress up in their best clothes.  We're asking parents not to go and buy for this event but students have great ideas after our discussions.  If your child (children) aren't dressing fancy then the informal uniform is worn to school.  We read the book Fancy Nancy and brainstormed ideas!

Tomorrow their first report card comes home!  Please check backpacks as students will be asked to put them in their backpack and not take them out until you do so they arrive safely home.

Yellow self-assessment sheets have gone home or will shortly.  These are part of our continuing work on solving problems and awareness of how students are doing with the different aspects of character learning at school.  This work is part of learning and reporting and you will see the same statements in the report cards.  Daily work and discussions about big and small problems and how to solve them will continue throughout our year.

Now that the days are warmer we'll be going outside for some learning on the land and exercise times.  Please make sure that your child is dressed for the weather and has boots.

Students are enjoying our new gymnastics classes in the gym!  Especially the bear walk!

Students are working on learning their math addition facts to 10.  We'll be working on this in the coming weeks.

Work on sorting animals into the different habitats is ongoing.  Students are looking forward to getting out for our next snowy day to look for animal and bird tracks in our schoolyard.

Enjoy these brighter, warmer days,

Ms. Phillips and Mr. Larson

How BIG is my Problem?

We have been focusing on problem solving in social situations this week. We started with a book called "Talk and Work it Out", which focusses on finding solutions when minor peer conflicts arise.

Next we talked about the concept of "How Big is My Problem?"
Using a traffic light as a visual, our classes talked about small (green), medium (yellow), and big (red) problems. By putting problems into these categories we are encouraging students to independently solve smaller problems as well as recognize when a problem is too big to solve on their own.

Over and Under the Snow Art

As we continue our study of animal habitats we are learning about local animals in winter. We see some animals in the winter, like rabbits, but some animals hibernate or live under the snow, like mice, bears, and even queen bees!

Using the book "Over and Under the Snow" as inspiration, we created the art you see below. We think it turned out great and we hope you do too!

Over and Under the Snow Art

Kindergarten News and Notes

Another busy week in TLC Kindergarten!

This Friday AM students only attend school.  Dismissal is at 1:25.

This week's letter is "r".  

We are continuing to study local animal habitats. This week we are working on art that relates back to the story "Over and Under the Snow" that was posted last week. Ask your son or daughter what animals they might see over the snow this winter and what animals are staying safe and warm under the snow! 

Ms. Phillips and Mr. Larson

Over and Under the Snow

Kindergarten News and Reminders

Dear Parents and Guardians,

This week has challenged us in many ways but better weather is on the way!  Thank you for your support and patience as we all navigated safely through this extreme cold.

A reminder that PM students only attend school tomorrow.

You may notice that students are choosing books from the library on animals.  They're excited to learn more about animals in our community.  Coming up we'll be exploring habitats and ask your child (children) what they've learned so far!  In the next few days we'll be doing an art project based on the book Over and Under the Snow.

We're continuing our work on ten frames and will be doing addition facts to ten using the frames and counters.  Students worked on matching numbers to quantities in their math journals, writing their number words to represent the number, number word and amount.

Safe travels,

Ms. Phillips and Mr. Larson

Same, Same But Different

What's Coming Up in Kindergarten

This Friday PM students only attend school.  A reminder that no juice boxes please, and lunch as well as snack is needed for Fridays.  Dismissal is at 1:25.

This week's letters "p".  Students had fun brainstorming words with the initial and last letter p.  Students printing their name should do so using a capital for the initial letter and all lower case letters for the rest.  We are beginning our work on writing short sentences and teaching correct capitalization.  Starting with their name is a first step in understanding capitalization.

New centers were ready for the students and ask your child (children) about what they experienced with the new centers today!

Winter is truly here and it's nice to see that the students are ready for it!  They're ready with everything they need in case of time spent waiting on the bus or traveling between the school and the car or bus.  

Report cards will be sent home on Wednesday, January 29th.

Ms. Phillips and Mr. Larson

Tens Frame Math

This week we are introducing the concept of a "tens frame". A tens frame helps students to visualize amounts using ten as a benchmark. We will be using tens frames to support counting up and down as well as "more than" and "less than". Yesterday we began with blank tens frames in each student's book. Students then began filling in amounts similar to the picture above. Students are also practicing writing out the corresponding number (one, two, three, etc).

As mentioned earlier, there is NO SCHOOL this Friday (January 10th) as it is a Professional Development for teachers.

Happy New Year!

We are excited to welcome students back to school for 2020!

Thank-you to everyone for attending our parent teacher conferences. We hope your holidays were relaxing and fun filled.

This week we will be working on the letter "n".

There is no school this Friday (January 10th) as it is a professional development day for teachers.

As we continue our inquiry into the animals in our community we will be focussing on habitat and shelter this week. Students will be exploring the similarities and differences in the needs of local animals.

The virtue of the month for January is empathy. Throughout the month we will discuss the importance of seeing the world through the eyes of others and ask students what they can do to be a positive and supporting influence at school and in the community.