a sample of journal writing

Here are a few examples of the things the children who are writing in their journal are writing.

"This is my mom wretle" (This is my mom's work)
"Yesterday I was dizzy when i played too much wii"
"One time I went to see a rainbow"
"at the wii I was almost went to world 8"

I encourage to students to write independently. If they ask me to spell a word, I ensure the word is on the word wall and tell them the beginning letter. Then it is up to them to use their reading skills to find the word. This is an exciting time where the kids learn so much about reading, writing, independence and perseverance.

:)
Miss Mynes

Sharing

Each day, 3 children have an opportunity to share news with the class. Then one of their friends can ask them a question about what they shared. Here is a sample of the news I hear.

"When I get home, I'm going to play with my Dora doll."
"One day, I'm going to go to the Science Center."
"In Spring, I'm going to China."
"Tomorrow is Saturday and I'm going to play Lego Batman."
"On the holiday, I'm going to go to a friends house and I'm going to stay."
"On the holidays, I'm going to go to the park."
"One day, on my next birthday, I'm going to a new place."
"One day, my dad went shopping for a Spiderman CD."
"I was playing skating on the computer."
"I'm going to Jamaica."

I love to hear what is going on in the children's life outside of school. Life experience is essential in the development of academic skills. It creates a knowledge base for the children to draw on, increases vocabulary and makes them more interesting people. Think about what your child would say if it was their turn for sharing. Try to provide your child with interesting experiences on a regular basis. You might even have fun, too. ;)

Miss Mynes

a request

As some of you know, I have a bunch of clothes in the class that kids can use if they get wet, dirty or are too hot or too cold. If your child wears a piece of this clothing home, just wash it at your leisure and send it back. That being said, my clothing collection is lacking. If you have any old clothes that you plan to get rid of, I would be happy to put them to good use.

I will be out of the classroom this morning, planning our next Teaching-Learning Critical Pathway. I will be back in the class this afternoon and tomorrow will be a regular day.

:)
Miss Mynes

Skating Day

Today is the schools last skating day at Birchmount Arena. Please feel free to bring your child down to join the school for an afternoon of skating (from 12:45ish to 3:30ish). I will not be bringing my class as it is too difficult to include all kindergarten students in a meaningful way. If you are pulling your child out of school this afternoon to go skating, just call Mrs. McLaughlin at 416-396-6365 and let her know.

It is a fun afternoon that I wish I could participate in. I hope you and your child share in this opportunity together.

:)
Miss Mynes

a little about our day

Depending on how long the concerned kids presentation is, we may begin our 2D shapes unit. We will be investigating rectangles, circles, squares and triangles. I will be sending home some suggestions on ways you can support this unit at home.

Have fun,
Miss Mynes

Our First Day Back

So far, so good on our first day back. The morning class wrote in their writing folders and journals. They also did cooperative games in physical education. The afternoon class has library/health and will also be working in their writing folders.

Tomorrow, the morning class has a Concerned Kids presentation. I believe we have had this group here before. It is a puppet show that teaches kids students with medical conditions - for example epilepsy.

Have a good day. I'm happy to be back into my routine.

:)
Miss Mynes

more march break ideas

The Toronto Public Library is a wonderful resource for all parents in Toronto. Check out their March Break ideas.

www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/pro_march_break.jsp

Have a wonderful break!

:)
Miss Mynes

March Break Fun

With March Break just one more sleep away, I thought I would share a link with fun ideas.

http://www.toronto.com/guide/marchbreak

I hope all the children have a wonderful, restful break. It's a time for the children to relax and enjoy themselves so they come back to school ready for the final stretch of school.

:)
Miss Mynes

supporting your childs literacy learning

First, I want to thank Maira's family for the yummy birthday cupcakes yesterday.

I wanted to share a few ideas of ways you can support your child's literacy learning at home.

- reading and discussing storybooks frequently
- teaching letters and sounds, both spontaneously and intentionally
- teaching "sight words," both high-frequency words and words of personal significance (e.g., one's name)
- providing help based on the child's questions and requests for assistance
- making rhymes with words
- participating in reading-related activities (e.g., magnetic letters on fridge, writing a letter, baking, etc.)
- listening to the child reading
- enjoying family literacy activities "on the run" (e.g., reading signs)
- providing direct instruction (information and explanations)



Parents belong at the center of a young child's education. The single best way to improve elementary education is to strengthen parents' role in it, both by reinforcing their relationship with the school and by helping and encouraging them in their own critical job of teaching the young. Not all teachers are parents, but all parents are teachers.

:)
Miss Mynes

a bit about our day

Today we continue or theme of "On the Farm". We are also doing a math activity to end our unit on area. We will be drawing a blob and covering the area with plastic chips and comparing whose blob is the largest, smallest and the same. The morning class has library and the afternoon class will be in the gym playing cooperatively with hoops.

:)
Miss Mynes

Character Matters

This months character trait is honesty. The kids and I are talking about telling the truth every day. At the end of the month, one student, as chosen by their peers, will earn an Great Golden Bear for being the most honest student in kindergarten. Talk about the importance of honesty at home. I know it's something we all encourage in our children.

:)
Miss Mynes

a bit about next week

Our theme next week is "On the Farm".

In gym, we are focusing on cooperative games.

Monday is writing day. I'm sure some of you have heard that many of our kids have moved onto journal writing - even a couple of juniors. I'm so proud of how hard the kids work in writing. The amazing me every time we take the folders/journals out.

Wednesday is skating day for the kids in grade 1 to 8. If you want to bring your child to Birchmount stadium on Wednesday afternoon to skate with the school, please feel free. Just let me or Mrs. McLaughlin know for the Safe Arrival program. You will have to skate with your child but it is a super fun way to be part of the Workman family.

Enjoy the weekend, the warmth and sunshine and I will see you all on Monday.

:)
Miss Mynes

our day today

Well, we are at the beginning of a long day. For the kids, we will be having a math lesson on area, continuing our theme of animal senses and the afternoon class will be doing parachute games in gym.

I am required to book interviews for all senior kindergarten students. For those of you who have questions about your child's progress, I will see you tonight or tomorrow.

Have a great day. The temperatures are rising and the sun is out!

:)
Miss Mynes

What a day!

It has been quite a morning and is shaping up for a nice afternoon. We had our riddle about one of the 5 senses as well as a lesson on waiting your turn. I read with some seniors as well. It is so nice when the big kids go skating as the school is quiet and calm. I loved taking my kids skating when I taught grade 2. Although kindergarten doesn't go skating, you are welcome to pull your child from school and bring them there yourself. You must be with them at all times but it is a nice way for the kindergartners to be part of a fun school activity. The morning class also had gym where we did parachute games and the afternoon class is at library right now.

Hope your day is as nice as the sunshine,
:)
Miss Mynes