Playdough Patrol

If there are any parents or grandparents who would like to help the class by making playdough, that would be great. I can provide recipes and suggestions of what would go well with our activities. You can sign up for playdough patrol in the comments section of this blog or email me at sarah.whitehead@ocdsb.ca. Thank you!!!

Pyjama Day Thursday, PA Day Friday

We are having another school spirit day on Thursday, a school-wide Pyjama Day. The children may wear their pjs to school for the day if they wish. Please remember that there is no school the next day as it is a Professional Activity Day. Thank you.

A Letter A Day

Our study of the Alphabet is going well and the children are doing alphabet puzzles, using stencils to practise their letter shapes and fine motor skills, writing in a special book with black board spaces on it, reading alphabet books and playing lots of alphabet games. They are looking for foods that start with the letter of the day in their lunches and playing with letter magnets. Each day we have a letter of the day and add another verse to one of our songs. Your child has probably sung it to you. It is to the tune of Frere Jacques and we sing it every day: A starts apple A starts apple Aaaa, Aaaaa, Aaaaa Aaaaa, Aaaaa, Aaaaa, B starts balloon B starts balloon Bbbbb, Bbbbbb, Bbbbb Bbbbbb, Bbbbbb, Bbbbbb. And so on through the letters. You will soon receive a sheet with all the letters and their sample words. You can post it somewhere visible and use it when you have time to review the sounds and letters. The children are great at using the alphabet posted on the wall to help them sing the song and think about the alphabet. They enjoy coming in to the classroom every day and predicting what the letter of the day will be. We will be continuing to have a new letter each day until we have covered them all. There will be a few pauses to celebrate Chinese New Year and Valentine's day and we should be done the unit by the middle of February. We are putting the letters together and reading some easy rhyming words like cat and mat. As you know, each child learns to read at his or her own speed and there is no pressure on them at this age, but whatever step they are at in the hundreds of steps to reading they can enjoy this unit and continue to progress.

Post-Party Thank You!!

Thank you all for coming to our party and joining our celebration of festivals of light. It was a lot of fun. A big thank you to all of you for coming and for bringing treats and decorations. Another, very BIG thank you to the children for singing and dancing so well for their audience. There was not a shy one in the whole chorus. Well done!!! Finally, thank you for all the gifts, cards and words of appreciation to the teachers. It has been a busy and challenging fall and we are glad of all your support and help. The children are all well established and our class is a settled and happy learning place. We are very proud of how far the children have come since the fall.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! I hope you had a wonderful holiday and a bit of a rest. We are beginning a new unit now on the Alphabet. Books and toys from home about ABCs are welcome for sharing time. Please remember to label them with your child's name. Also a reminder that Friday is Library Day and the children need their books and their book bags. Some children brought their indoor shoes, blankets and extra clothing home for the holidays and will need them as well. Thanks, and Happy 2014!!!