a couple of things....

Allergies!  Please never send the following foods into the class as we have children with allergies: soy products, eggs and seafood - the seafood allergy is very severe so please be diligent.

We are running short of school clothes.  School clothes are the clothing the children use when they get wet at school.  If you have any clothes your child has grown out of that you would like to donate, we will add them to our school clothes collection.

Thanks,
Miss Mynes

Wednesday

Today we will be working on jumping and landing on two feet in physical education.  We will also be learning to plan our writing by choosing the right kind of paper for our plan.  In Math, we are continuing our work on breaking down numbers with the game Shake and Spill.  The children have library.  Tomorrow is book exchange.

A request.  Please remember the kindergarten class hours: 9:00 to 11:30 and 12:45 to 3:15.  Almost every day, after school especially, the kindergarten team is waiting for children to be picked up.  I realize it is difficult as school hours differ from kindergarten hours but, none the less, it is expected that the children be picked up on time.

Thanks for your support,
Miss Mynes

a little about our day

I'm happy to be back after being at a Report Card Administrator workshop yesterday.  Sitting in front of a computer all day drives me crazy.

Today, we will be reading our poem of the week Ball-batting Baboons.  We will be reading A Bedtime Story and sharing special reading memories and drawing a picture of them.  I will also be reading with the seniors.  In the afternoon, we are playing Boxcar Mystery which is a math game reinforcing operation sense.  The children also have library.  Library book exchange is Thursday.

Have a good day,
Miss Mynes

Monday again!?!?!?

Today Miss Mynes is away from the school. In her place we have Mr. Belamie. We welcomed, Isata and Arnab, two new students, to room 10 today. We had some time in the gym and this afternoon we will have music with Mr. Choto. We have a new poem this week, "Ball-Batting Baboons".

In your child's backpack you will find a reminder of the AGM on Thursday September 30, 2010.

Cheers.
Mr. Pate

Terry Fox Run

This afternoon the children took part in the Terry Fox Run. The children were matched up with grade 8 students from Mr. Webster’s class. Mr. Choto and myself walked along with the group. The children, and their partner, chose if they wanted to run or walk around the perimeter of the school. Most children were able to get around the school 3-4 times before stopping for a juice break.

Cheers.

Mr. Pate

It's Friday!

It was wonderful to see so many families at the BBQ last night.  I hope seeing the classroom gives you more of an understanding of what we do each day.

Today, we are talking about reading preferences, seniors are reading with me.  We are talking about the writing prompts "I wonder, I remember, I observe, I imagine" and then writing a piece for our folders using one of the prompts.  In Math we are using the 5 frame to investigate the number 5.

Today is the Terry Fox run and Mr. Choto will be bringing the children outside to run with the school. 

Have a wonderful weekend,
Miss Mynes

Community BBQ

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone who can make it to the community BBQ tonight.  It is a great opportunity for you to see the classroom and have your child show you their favourite things about school.  Please be sure to pick up the information sheet from myself and Mr. Choto.  It will provide you some information about the program this year.  Remember, this is not an opportunity for the children to play in the classroom.  It is a visit.  The children use the materials in the classroom everyday, tonight is just for looking.

Hope to see you tonight,
Miss Mynes

Picture Day

Today is picture day at school. We will do our best to be sure your child has a cute picture. If your child's picture doesn't turn out to your liking, not to worry, there is always a retake day later in the autumn.

Because of picture day, gym is cancelled as the pictures are taken in the gym.

Today, we continue learning about the letter A with our poem Amazing Active Astronauts. We are reading a story which will teach us about speech bubbles. I will read with the seniors. For writing, we are taking about what our writing folders are for (work in progress and finished pieces), listing topics to write about and working on printing our names. In Math, we continue to work on counting. We will be counting our days in school by putting pennies in a jar. Everyday we will count until we get to 100 days in school and then we will have a celebration.

We have library today.

:)
Miss Mynes

Thank you Miss Mynes.

I just want to thank Miss Mynes for letting me contribute to her blog. I have had the opportunity to meet most of the parents over the last few weeks and look forward in meeting those who I have missed.

This afternoon I took the Senior Kindergarten’s on a walk to the Sun Valley grocery store. We went looking for foods that start with the letter “A”. We bought avocados, asparagus, apples and Alpha-Bits cereal. All the children will be exploring these items further in the classroom. We also picked up some ingredients that we needed to make more playdough. The children are very good at making it now. Here is the recipe we use:

2 cups flour

1 cup salt

2 tbsps oil

2 tbsps cream of tartar

2 cups boiling water

1 package of drink mix (optional)

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl with a spoon. Once cooled down mix by hand. Store in a sealed bag or container.

Cheers.

Mr. Pate

a little about our day

Today we read a book about respect - this months character trait that will be honoured at the Great Golden Bear assembly at the end of the month. We found A's in our poem "Amazing Active Astronauts". We read a book together called The Dress I'll Wear to the Party. I read with all the seniors and everybody wrote a piece for their writing folders. In Math, we continued to work with the hundreds chart, putting the numbers in the chart in order. Right now, the children are in library.

Mr. Pate is doing lots of wonderful things with the children and as soon as I figure out how to add him as a contributor to the blog, he will keep you updated, I'm sure.

:)
Miss Mynes

Room 10 class list

Hadia
Sadia
Maiya
Bandon
Alaina
Eghosa
Isata
Taslimah
Kyle
Darla
Kai
Wahaj
Alessandra
Phisone
Aimee
Eric
Keean
Nikolas
Ariel
Ivan

Chrip and Highlights

I have sent home two papers, each from a different magazine publisher. Feel free to subscribe. If you choose not to subscribe, please check the no box, sign the paper and send it back to school. I can get free things like stickers, pencils, a classroom magazine subscription etc just for sending in your response - be it yes or no.

Thanks for your support,
Miss Mynes

Rainy Day procedures

Rainy days always create havoc in an elementary school. The kids are restless as they do not get outside to play. We try very hard to keep routines the same on all days. It's what is the best for the children. On rainy days, ideally, parents and children should wait under the overhang by the primary/junior recess doors until 9am or 1245pm. There you can be dry if you arrive at school early. It can be very disruptive when the hallways are filled with parents, caregivers and children.

We appreciate your cooperation.
:)
Miss Mynes

today in kindergarten

Today, I have a request. It's mostly for the parents of the boys. I notice that in the kindergarten washroom, we have a problem with the boys peeing on the seat as well as the floor. It's really gross for the girls or the boys who have to sit down on the toilet seat and for all the children when they walk into the bathroom. Please review with your child toileting etiquette. Lifting up the seat when boys pee and wiping up any mess you may make by accident. At school, toileting is totally independent other than occasionally kids need help with buttons, belts or zippers. For all parents, please remind you child that it is embarrassing and inappropriate to peak at others in the bathroom, that the bathroom is private.

Thanks, for your support.

:)
Miss Mynes

another day....

Today has been a wonderful day so far. We ready a story and finished decorating our writing folders. This afternoon is library.

Tomorrow, we have physical education. Please be sure your child is wearing running shoes so they can participate safely. They also have library again tomorrow. I am not sure when the children will begin to bring library books home but will let you know when I find out.

This afternoon we are going to continue to count the days in school and when we get to 100 days in school we will have a 100s day celebration. We will also be plating the counting game.

:)
Miss Mynes

Our Second Week

Today we will read a story, the seniors will read to me, have free play in the gym, decorate our writing folders, have a fire drill, and have music. We are taking things slow as we still have a very full class and it will take time to settle in so many students.

Have a good day,
Miss Mynes

WOW!

Well, we did it! We survived the first week. With 36 students and only 2 children who cries, I think it was a super successful week. Today, we decorated our writing folders with pictures of things we like. That helps us express our preferences, practice cutting and gluing. We will continue with the counting game. We also have music today.

Have a wonderful weekend!

:)
Miss Mynes

We did it!!

I am so proud of all the children and Mr Pate and myself for surviving the day. The kids are in the library with Miss Parton and Mr Pate right now and they were really tired before they left. Today we read stories, played the counting game, sang some songs and did some dancing, went to the gym and the library - all day learning is a super busy day...no wonder the kids are tired.

At sundown tonight, Rosh Hashanah begins. I wish the Jewish families at the school health and happiness. Enjoy your celebrations.

Tomorrow, we have library again.

:)
Miss Mynes

Our First Day

Mr. Pate and I agree that we had a great first day. All the seniors and the few juniors that started today were very well behaved and excited to be at school. I read with almost all the seniors and I'm pleased with their reading. We played the counting game and some kids got to take a version of the game home with them. The rest will get theirs as the week goes on. A lot of papers went home today for you to read and some of them need to be sent back to school as soon as possible. Tomorrow we have library. Miss Parton is the librarian this year. We also have gym so please ensure your child is in appropriate foot wear.

Have a great evening and I look forward to the exciting day we have tomorrow.

:)
Miss Mynes

and so it begins....

I am in the classroom and it looks great. Mr. Pate and I have been hard at work getting ready for this new challenge ahead of us - all day learning! I hope you are excited about being part of this new initiative because I know I am.

A little about our first day

Our first reading unit has 3 goals.

1. Students will understand and follow the routines of reading time.
2. Students will make book choices that match their interests and purposes.
3. Students will share books and their thinking about books with a partner.

I will also be sending home book bags to the seniors. Everyone will be starting at level A but I try to read wit the seniors daily and will adjust the book bag level as I learn more about the students as readers.



Our first writing unit has 4 goals.

1. Students will understand and follow the routines of writing time.
2. Students will generate writing ideas.
3. Students will understand how to use writing materials and resources.
4. Students will represent their ideas through drawings and/or words.

I will start the year with a writing assessment. This will determine if the students are ready to print letters or need more fine motor practice.

In Math, we are starting with number sense and numeration. That involves counting, operational sense, quantity and relationships between numbers. Each child will be bringing home The Counting Game. It is for you to keep. It is not home work, just a fun way to practice counting with your children.

Please feel free to ask question by commenting on my posts. If you have a question, chances are other parents do to.

I'm looking forward to Tuesday and I hope your children are, too.

:)
Miss Mynes