Our First Full Day!

Today was a great day.  The kids are learning the school routines very quickly and are already working so well with one another.  

In the morning, when they arrive, the kids do their morning jobs and then play with the toys that are put out on the carpet for them.  This is a chance for them to reconnect with their friends, to talk to a teacher (if they want to) and to adjust to the classroom environment.  I am so impressed with this group's ability and willingness to share and work together.  Here are some of the things we worked on this morning...

Sorting is one of our Kindergarten math goals.  This was not prompted in any way.  This student was playing with some new manipulatives and decided to sort them independently.  We were able to draw attention to it and then other students were inspired to sort other objects.  This is the beauty of a play based learning environment.  Learning is all around us!

 Then, we had part one of our special sharing time.  The kids brought in such interesting items…everything from stuffies to an atlas!  All the kids were able to speak in front of the group and the classmates were encouraged to give a compliment or a connection to the shared item.  We practiced receiving compliments by saying "thank you".  (If you don't happen to see a photo of your child's sharing, it's because I am still waiting for forms to be returned).

After a few sharing turns, we went to our first Music class as a group.  Ask your child what kinds of things they did with Mrs. Schwarzbach (not Miss Dunkley as my introduction letter stated…she got married this summer!)

Then it was time for outside recess play.  We started at the pink playground and then moved to the red one.  We were VERY excited to play at the red playground!  

Then, we shared a little more!  One student brought her favorite book in and we read it for story time.  

And finally, this was a photo taken at Centre Time.  This student wanted her Dad to see her whiteboard creation.  

Tomorrow is our first 3:00 dismissal day.  Some of the kids were tired this afternoon.  They may need a little extra down time at home during these first few weeks!  

I am going to post a checklist by the classroom door indicating which forms have been returned to date.  Please check this list to see if there is anything outstanding (I know they are not due until September 23rd, but the sooner they are in, the better, especially the emergency forms).  Thank you!

Our First Almost Full Day

What a busy day we had today!  Having two outside play times and a snack and lunch at school meant that we spent much of the day putting on/taking off coats and boots and getting ready to eat, eating and cleaning up after eating!  At the beginning of the year, these things take us a bit more time.  In between all the eating and dressing, we did manage to play and have some fun.  (You'll notice that I've taken pictures that don't show many of the kids' faces…once I have all of the forms in, I'll be able to include more faces!)  Here's a peek into our day together...

there was lots of working together this morning

some of the kids chose to colour 

building some pretty elaborate structures

Some of us started working on our first art project.  If your child didn't get a chance to paint today, please reassure him/her that his/her turn is coming up soon!

Reminder that tomorrow is "special sharing" day.  Please help your child find an item from home that they can show the class tomorrow, something that will help us get to know him/her better.

The Whole Class Together

Today was an exciting day in Kindergarten.  Group A and Group B joined together to make our class.  Several of the kids wondered why there were so many children today and why the carpet was so full!

The kids did a great job of remembering their morning jobs today (finding their names and putting them in the lady bug and putting their home envelopes in their home boxes).

Thanks for returning your forms.  I'd love to start posting pictures of the kids on this blog, but I can't do so until I've received the "personal information" form.  Here are a couple of pictures to show you some of the things that we were doing this morning.  I hope to be able to post more soon!

Tomorrow we are in school from 9:00 until 1:15.  Please send a snack and a lunch with your child tomorrow.

Welcome to Kindergarten!

First of all I'd like to welcome all of our new Kindergarten families to school.  I can already tell that it's going to be a fantastic year.  The kids have all adjusted so well to these first few days.  It's also been great to sit down and chat with many of you parents.  Thank you for coming in.  I know this time of year is busy and our schedule is a bit crazy.  I appreciate the time you've taken to come in and share information about your children.  We are going to be partners for the next ten months….I thank you for all of your input.

For this first blog post, I thought I would post some pictures of some important parts of our classroom.  Right outside our door, I post a calendar that tells of the month's events.  I usually take a photo of it and put it here on the blog too, so you can check it for classroom events and reminders.  Please also check our school website for the Brooksbank calendar.

this is where you can find the calendar

On the window of the door, you will find our "morning routines".  Please help your child prepare for the day by reviewing the routine and then encouraging him/her to carry out the routine as independently as possible.  We are not quite starting the "print your name" part of the morning routine yet.  And I have already explained to the kids that they only need to change their shoes when they are wet/muddy or when they are wearing boots.

Inside our classroom, we have a board that shows the "shape of the day".  I encourage the kids to take a look at this when they arrive at school.  It shows them what we are going to do that day.  

Finally, I thought I would share our Centre Time choosing board.  This is where the kids choose what they would like to play with during Centre Time.  For some kids, it is difficult to understand that there is a limit to the number of children who can play at a given Centre (the yellow numbers indicate how many children can play at each Centre at a time).  I let them know that sometimes we have to wait to have a turn where we really want to play.  Maybe over the weekend, share this picture with your child and ask them what the numbers mean.  Have a conversation about what to do if the Centre they want to play at is already full.  

Thanks for checking out the blog.  I'd love to start adding pictures of the kids in action.  Please let me know if you do not want your child's picture to be posted here.  I will try to blog most days.  

Please have a look at the package of forms that came home this week and return them to me as soon as possible. 

The ziplock bag that was sent home with the forms inside (it has a label with your child's name on it) is to be returned with comfort kit items inside.  Let me know if you have any questions.

Have a great weekend.  On Monday, all of the Kindergarten students will come from 9-11. 

A New Year!

It was so great to see all the kids today.  I can't get over how much they have grown and changed in 2 short months.  They look so ready for Grade 1!  It was great to hear all about the fun and exciting summers that everyone had.

I know this can be an uncertain could of days for students and families.  I thought I'd fill you in a bit on what to expect tomorrow.  The kids will start the day with me.

They should bring all of their school supplies to school with them tomorrow.  I had some questions about whether or not to label the supplies.  All teachers have a different system for organizing supplies.  Some may be used communally, some may be kept with each child.  Just to be safe, I recommend labeling the supplies.  I don't think it's necessary to label each individual pencil, but I would be inclined to put the child's name on the pencil box.

When they arrive at school, they will bring all of their belongings into the classroom.  I have told them not to hang anything on the hooks in the coat area.  Once we know for sure that are enrollment numbers are correct, we will begin moving students to their new classes.  If all goes as planned, this should happen sometime before recess.

At the end of the day (remember that Wednesday is 2:00 dismissal), your children will leave the school from the main entrance doors.  Before school starts, I recommend arranging a meeting place somewhere outside the front of the school so that your child can find you easily.

Another thing the kids are wondering about is snack time.  In Kindergarten we ate snack sitting at our tables.  In Grade 1, the kids will eat their snack outside at recess time.  Please consider sending a snack that is easy to eat "on the move" and that your child can open themselves.  Snacks requiring spoons/forks are difficult to eat outside.

I hope this helps you prepare for tomorrow.  It has been such a pleasure teaching your children.  They are so special and I will miss them all!