rainy days

This is just a reminder of rainy day procedure.  If it is raining, feel free to enter the school at 8:30 and hang out with your child until 8:40 when classes begin.  Let's hope we don't have to do it too often.  The halls become a noisy nightmare on these days but that's the way life goes sometimes.

:)
Miss Mynes

end of day procedure

Now that Mr. Vlahos has created a Kiss and Ride for end of the day pickup, please be patient as we work out this new system.  If you indicated you want to pull your child from afternoon recess, your child will be waiting for you at the parking lot doors at 3:15.  It will take the door duty teacher a few days to learn your cars, I'm sure, so patience will be needed.  If JG Workman is your home school and therefore you walk to pick up your child, you can pick them up from the park as usual.  Please be sure you or your child tell a yard duty teacher or early childhood educator they are leaving to be sure all children are safely dismissed.

:)
Miss Mynes

our next unit

Next week, we begin a short unit based on Lois Elhert's Market Day.  We will be learning about markets, farms, buying and selling and folk art.  We will be making a class marketplace in social studies and math as well as making folk art in art.  Milk cartons, meat trays, bottle caps and the like will be helpful in our folk art creations.

Have a wonderful weekend,
Miss Mynes

Share Christmas

This is our December charitable drive.  Miss Henry is spearheading this great initiative to help people in our community.

http://www.bbnc.ca/share-christmas.php


WHO is the BBNC?

Birchmount Bluffs Neighbourhood Centre, (BBNC) is a non profit agency, Charitable Number 107842452RR0001. BBNC's Share Christmas - Sponsor-a-Family program was founded in 1992, operating out of the City-run facility at 93 Birchmount Rd. in southwest Scarborough, Ontario.

The foundation of the program is based on families in need being sponsored" by the community. The program receives no program funding as it is run entirely on donations. The number of families sponsored each year depends on the number of sponsors and donations. Each family applying for the program is interviewed and their needs are assessed. Even though the program is called "Share Christmas", it is open to people of all religious denominations.

WHO do they help with Share Christmas?

It has grown from assisting approximately 10 families at the onset, to 350 families in 2009.Their catchment area that runs from Lake Ontario to Eglinton, and from Victoria Park to McCowan, and includes many new immigrants and families living below the poverty line. Education is lacking and unemployment is very high. The area includes many working families who are having difficulty making ends meet, never mind having anything left over for something special during the holiday season.

DEADLINE FOR COLLECTION

Friday December 9th (This date may change)


WHAT ARE WE COLLECTING???

Food, Personal Hygiene Items and Household Cleansers

Basically any nonperishable food is perfect for the hampers. There can never be too much food. The number of boxes of food supplied depends on the size of the family. A basic rule of thumb is a minimum of 2 boxes, and an additional box for each person in the family. Therefore a family of 3 would have 4 boxes of food.

Hygiene products are very expensive for our families, and as a result, they quite often go without. Significant importance is placed on toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, tampons, sanitary napkins, shaving supplies and toilet paper. Other items include shampoo, creme rinse, body soap, hand soap, baby powder, shampoo and soap, mouthwash and Kleenex.

Household cleaning products would include items such as dish soap, laundry soap, fabric softener sheets, paper towels, glass cleaner, bathroom cleaner, bleach and all-purpose cleaner.


HOW CAN OUR KIDS HELP?!

Please ask them to bring in some donations of the Personal Hygenie and Household items, as well as canned goods. For the time being items can be dropped off at Room 8 until we can find some boxes to put at 4 corners for the donations.



Thanks so much.

tomorrow

Tomorrow morning, both Mr. Pate and I will be absent as we are required to attend a workshop.  I just wanted to warn you as things go less smoothly when one of us is away and even less smoothly when both of us are away.  Please be patient with the occasional teacher and early childhood educator as they try to navigate their morning.

See you tomorrow afternoon,
Miss Mynes

as the weather gets colder

We are deep into Autumn and the temperatures are dropping.  Please remember - germs make us sick, not cold weather.  We generally get sick more often in the winter as we spend more time indoors and therefore share our germs to all those around us.  If you want to reduce how often your child gets sick this Winter then bring them to school for 8:40 and let them stay until 3:30.  Dress them warm and let them play in the fresh air.  Their cheeks will be rosy, they will be smiling and happy children mean happy parents.

:)
Miss Mynes

tomorrow

This is just a reminder that tomorrow is a professional activity (PA) day and classes will be cancelled to give teachers and parents an opportunity to meet and discuss their child's progress.  Have a wonderful weekend and I will see you all on Monday.

:)
Miss Mynes

our next unit

Our next unit, starting next week, is based on two books by Lois Ehlert, Colour Zoo and Colour Farm.  We will be talking about zoo animals, farm animals, colours and shapes.  Here are some things we could use to help us with some activities: a shoe box, coloured cellophane (red, orange, yellow, blue, green, purple - only a small sheet of each), nature magazines we can cut up, for a cooking activity - bread cheese slices, wowbutter, raisins, thin pretzel sticks, carrots. 

Thanks for your continued support,
Miss Mynes

tomorrows activity

Tomorrow, we are doing a social studies about city nature.  Even though we all live in the city, there is nature all around us.  Trees, flowers in window boxes, birds and of course squirrels.  Tonight, draw your child's attention to the nature you see so they have some great ideas for our mural tomorrow.

:)
Miss Mynes

parent interviews

Parent interviews are a time for you and I to check in and discuss your child's progress.  Scheduling interviews is a requirement and does not mean I have any concerns about your child.  Due to circumstances beyond my control, I am now available for interviews Wednesday from 3:30 until 6pm, as well as Thursday from 3:30 until 9pm and Friday from 8am until 12pm.

As a parent you have many options:
1.  You are comfortable with your child's progress and have no questions - feel free to cancel the interview.  I can meet with you anytime you have a concern, even outside of parent interview dates.
2.  Call to reschedule if the interview time assigned to you does not work for you and your family.
3.  Request a telephone interview.  I can call you at a time mutually agreed upon and answer any questions you have.
4.  I am also comfortable discussing any questions you have over email.  Some of you have my email address.  If you don't, just write me a note and I will provide it for you.

Hope to see you all at the Eid celebration tonight.
Miss Mynes

school photos

I put a class picture in every child's backpack and if you ordered photos or took retakes, those envelopes where there too.  Unfortunately, by the end of indoor recess, there as a school photo left on the ground.  If you did not receive a class photo, let me know, I have extras.

:)
Miss Mynes

our squirrel unit

For our squirrel unit, I would love to have your help.  We hope to make squirrel treats to attract squirrels to the space outside out classroom window.  Cheerios and dried corn (cow corn) would be awesome!  Unshelled nuts ( for matching not eating) - acorns, walnuts, pecans, Brazil nuts and pistachios would be great.  Graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar, butter, chopped nuts (not peanuts) and any kind of frozen juice concentrate will help us make Nutty Squirrel Treats for us to eat.  Also, collecting a large amount of acorns with your child would help us with an art activity.

As always thank you for your support.  if you are unable to help us, don't worry - we always have a ton of fun activities we can do with the materials our classroom already has.

:)
Miss Mynes

a little about today

Today in social studies, we are going to make Cat Coupons.  We have learned that sharing can be fun.  To further this lesson we are each making a coupon for a friends.  It may be to share a toy, read a book together or play a game.  Today, ask your child who they made a coupon for and tomorrow ask them who made a coupon for them.

:)
Miss Mynes

Rememberance Day

On Friday, we will be having a Remembrance Day assembly with the whole school.  Today Mr. Pate read them a story about Remembrance Day and they made postcards for soldiers.  Talk to your child about Remembrance Day and it's significance to your family.  It will make the assembly on Friday more meaningful and also help the children better understand their heritage.

:)
Miss Mynes

a bit about Monday

On Monday, we continue our unit about pets.  We will be making a graph about the pets we have at home.  We will be reading a book called My Cats Nick and Nora.  It's about a hilarious day in the life of two pet cats and the children who love them.  The children will also have music/drama/dance with Ms. Piazza.

Have a wonderful weekend,
Miss Mynes

a little about today

Today, we have Health with Mr. Kirsi and Music/Drama/Dance with Ms. Piazza.  We will be continuing our unit about pets by creating a Venn diagram about what people and pets need.  We will also be reading a book called Charlie Anderson, about a cat that lives with more than one family.

Have a great day!

Miss Mynes

Albert Campbell Library

Due to the Great Golden Bear assembly today, we rescheduled our visit to the public library to Friday.  The children's librarian will read us stories, do some finger plays and sngs and give us packages about the library.

:)
Miss Mynes