Author Visit

Today S. Bear Bergman visited our school. He read a story titled Tulip Birthday Wish Fairy. We did some dance activities and discussed that everyone can dance anyway they wish. We discussed that it is important to be true to ourselves and do what feels best for us. He introduced a new hand sign and as he pointed his thumb to his body he said, “I’m the expert on me.” Then his smallest finger pointed out and he said, “you are the expert on you.” We discussed how we know ourselves best and we know what we like.

Blue Spruce Nominees

This week we started reading titles from the Blue Spruce Nominees. Today’s creative book response was based on the story titled Sloth at Zoom. The children could use any materials this wished to make a sloth. We discussed speech bubbles and they wrote a brief statement.

Healthy Bodies

We are discussing ways to keep our bodies healthy. The first and most important way is washing our hands to fight germs. We have learned songs about hand washing and we watch videos on how to properly wash our hands. Hand washing video

We are also learning about healthy teeth and the importance of brushing our teeth at least twice a day. We are reading short texts and watching video clips about visits to the dentist office. It is great to hear how many students have already had regular visits to the dentist. Thank you for taking time to talk to your child about ways to keep their bodies healthy.

Lunar New Year

On Friday we began discussions about Lunar New Year. Today one of students displayed photos of their celebrations this past weekend. She showed us three different red envelopes and how money is placed in the envelope as a gift for the New Year. We learned the coloured brings good luck. This week we will continue to read fiction and non fiction texts about Lunar New Year. You may wish to talk to your children and learn about The Year of the Rat together.

Kindness Elves

We have had a wonderful month of learning about kindness. Our kindness elves visited us each day and left kindness challenges for the students. The children wrote letters, drew pictures and made crafts for the elves. The students were delighted to receive responses to their letters. We also had a kindness tree and children wrote names of people who were kind to them and hung the names on the tree. Today we had a magical surprise. The Kindness Elves grew from all of the kind things that happened in our room. The children were thrilled to see the elves this morning. We wish all of you a happy and kind holiday.

Bus Safety

Today our class went to the gym for a bus safety presentation. The children were delighted to be a part of this interactive session. They were impressed with the way the remote bus moved around. One student said, “The bus is looking at me!” The presentation focused on how to safely get on and off the bus. The students learned the importance of being safe on the bus as well. Evacuations off the bus were also addressed. Here are a few photos of the presentation.

Kindness

This month we are continuing our focus on kindness. On Monday the Kindness Elves arrived. Each day the elves write a letter to our students and provide a kindness challenge. The students look forward to coming into the room to see the notes and the elves. We have a kindness tree and students write the names of children who have been kind to them. The ornaments are hung on the tree. A family gave our class a Kindness countdown calendar. Each day we turn the ornament and receive a challenge. The students are very happy to talk about ways to be kind to others. We encourage families to also think about ways to show kindness at home.

Poppies

This week our students have been involved in many poppy activities. We have read stories and painted pictures of poppies. Today the children wrote thank you postcards for our local veterans. The postcards and some special artwork will be delivered to Cedarvale Lodge Retirement and Care Community. The postcards and artwork will be put on display for their Remembrance Day assembly.

Hand Washing

The students are doing a very good job washing theirs hands. We have sang songs, watched videos, demonstrated, guided as students have learned how to wash their hands. The children wash their hands upon arrival to the classroom. They also wash hands prior to eating times and after using the washroom. We are also encouraging students to wash their hands when they sneeze or touch their noses. Some students have demonstrated how they cough in their sleeves instead of spreading germs. We are all working hard to wash hands and stop the spread of germs.

Here is a link to one of the videos we have watched in class. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NoxdS4eXy18

Meet the Staff Evening

It was nice to meet some new families and visit with some familiar families last night. The children did a fabulous job leading families around the room. Families were engaged in building together, playing math games and talking about their favourite area in the room. At home you might consider playing dice games with your child. Roll and build games with LEGO pieces or wooden blocks help students quickly identify the numbers on a dice. The towers can lead to discussions on math words such as more, less, same, taller, and shorter. Grab some dice and play together as a family.