next week

Next week, our anchor text is the book Can I Keep Him? by Steven Kellogg.  It is about a young boy who brings home a series of outrageous pets but him mom doesn't let him keep them.  We will work on our comprehension, print awareness, oral language and so much more.  If possible, visit a pet store with your child.  Before leaving, make a list of the pets the children expect to see.  Take the list and check off the animals the children actually see.  Your linguistic and naturalist learners will love it.

If you have any pet materials (animal collars, pretend bones, dog bowls and accessories, a fish bowl etc, feel free to donate them to the class.

Have a great weekend,
Miss Mynes

Cinderella

Today, the primary division will head to the Young Peoples Theater to see Cinderella.  If you have the book Cinderella at home, read it to your child tonight and talk about how the play was the same or different.

:)
Miss Mynes

tomorrow

Tomorrow, the primary division will all go to the Young Peoples Theater to see Cinderella.  Thank you to those of you who have volunteered to help supervise the trip.  If you are yet to return your child's permission form, please do as soon as possible as I cannot allow your child on the trip without the permission form.  If you are not allowing your child to go on the trip, please return the "NO" portion of the permission form.

Thank you,
Miss Mynes

a little about today

Today, the children see Miss McGregor for physical education.  In class, we will focus on the alliteration in Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, discuss how to predict what's coming next in the book, turn the book into a song, and act it out.  In Mathematics, we will work on our estimation skills, comparing quantities of different sized items.  Also, I will be reading with seniors and we will all write in our writing folders.

Looking for another after school activity?  Try this:

Record Achievement

You will need: newspaper, inexpensive 20x25cm picture frame and cardboard liner, discarded CD, acrylic gold paint, paintbrush, small games pieces or metal charms, clear gel glue, white paper, pencil, low-plush velvet fabric remnant, gold glitter marker, rubber cement

Spread out newspaper, and lay CD and picture frame on it (you don't need the glass from the frame).  Set cardboard liner from the picture frame aside.  Paint 1 side on CD and the frame gold.  When frame is dry, use clear gel glue to attach metal trinkets to the outside of the frame.  While trinkets dry, trace around the cardboard liner on the white paper.  Cut it out and use it as a pattern to cut out the velvet.

Practice writing on velvet scraps with the gold glitter marker.  Plan what to write, be brief.  Write the name of the person receiving the award first the then kind of award.  Brush back of velvet and the front of the cardboard liner with rubber cement.  Then put them together and let dry.  Next use rubber cement to glue the CD to the top center of the velvet.  Be sure there is enough room around the edges to put the piece into the frame.  Write information on the velvet with the marker.  Let the words dry, and put it in the frame.  Surprise your achieving friend!!

Happy crafting.

:)
Miss Mynes

a little about today

Today we began our focus on the book Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr.  We read the book.  We stregnthened our oral language skills while learning the american sign language signs for the animals in the book.  We worked on our segmentation skills by clapping to the words of the story.  We made a class book of the story.  And finally we used magnet letters to make some of the words from the book.  The children see Mr. Baron (Miss McGregor is away) for music and physical education.

:)
Miss Mynes

Friday

Today is the day we are in the classroom all day.  In the morning I will read with the seniors and we will all write in our writing folders.  In the afternoon, we are going to make patterns with feathers.

Are you looking for an after school project to do with your child?  Try this idea!

A Green Valentine

You will need a table covering, small or medium size pot, potting soil, spoon or small trowel, ivy plant, ruler, a roll of florist wire, scissors and red ribbon.

Cover the table you will be working on.  Pot the ivy according to the plant directions.  Measure and cut three 100 centimetre long pieces of florist wire,  Match up the ends and twist the three pieces together into 1 strand.  Bend the twisted strand of florist wire into a heart shape, with the loose ends forming the V at the bottom of the heart.  At the bottom of the V, twist the ends together, leaving about a 12 centimetre stem to stick into the potting soil.  Stick the heart into the pot near the base of the plant.  Tie a red bow at the top of the heart.  Loosely wrap strands of the ivy around the heart.

Have fun!

:)
Miss Mynes

a little about today

Today, the students will see Miss McGregor for music and then again for physical education.  In class we will read Bob and talk about the book, we will use farm animals and props to retell the story.  We will able "walk the line", moving like the animals in the story.  It will be a great day for the linguistic, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic and naturalist learners.

Try to remember, or help your child to remember, to return their zipper folder every day.  This is how I distribute paperwork to the students and if your child isn't returning their bag regularly it may be taking a long time for you to receive important forms.

Thanks for your support,
Miss Mynes

a little about today

Today, we will sing Old MacDonald Had a Farm using all the animals from the book Bob.  We will make an abstract art piece to represent the character Bob and also finger paint the names of the characters from the book.

Mrs. McGrath will be off all week mourning the loss of her mother in law.  We anticipate her return next week.

:)
Miss Mynes

a little about today

Today, the children see Miss McGregor for drama and dance and then again for physical education.  With me, the children will begin our unit based on the book Bob.  We will learn Bob's Song, move like the animals in the book, discuss onomatopoeic words and discuss the story to deepen our comprehension.  I will read with the seniors and everyone will write in their writing folders.  In the afternoon, we will continue working on our numeracy skills by learning to recognize familiar patterns to speed up counting (an example is the way numbers are arranged on dice, you don't need to count because you recognize the patterns).

Have a great day,
Miss Mynes 

our song on the week

Next week, we will learn Bob's Song.  It is to the tune of Five Little Ducks.

Bob's Song

Twenty-two hens were sitting in a coop.
A hungry brown fox came around to snoop.
A hen for dinner sounded so good to him,
So he snuck right up through moonlight dim.

One brave rooster couldn't go to sleep,
So he saw the fox was about to leap,
"Cock-a-doodle-do" he shouted out,
But the fox didn't even turn about.

The brave little rooster tried again,
Using the language of his friends.
"Meow," "woof," "ribbit," "moo, moo, moo,"
and the terrified fox: back home he flew.

next week

Next weeks anchor text is a book called Bob by Pearson.  It is about a rooster who leaves the coop to find his voice.  If possible, visit a farm and list all the animals you see on your trip.  Ask your child "Do any of the roosters look like Bob?"  Your linguistic and naturalist learners will love this.

:)
Miss Mynes

blueberries for us

In continuation of our unit based on the book Blueberries for Sal, we are making and painting with dye made from blueberries.  In math, we will continue our numeracy work by reading the book Ten Black Dots and then making our own pictures with dots and turning it into a classroom book.  The children will see Miss McGregor twice, once for drama,  dance and music and once for physical education.

:)
Miss Mynes

much ado about nothing

Well, this reporting period has been stressful but after a clarifying conversation with Mr. Vlahos, I handed out the report card envelopes.  Every child received and put in their backpacks or communication folders their report card and/or interview time.  Please call the office 416-396-6365, if you need to change your interview time.

:)
Miss Mynes

report card day

Today, all my senior kindergarten students should receive a report card and an interview time.  Junior kindergarten students should receive an interview time.  My Vlahos, with the assistance of Mrs. Wray, has taken charge of this process.  If your interview time doesn't work for you, please contact the school office to reschedule.  Beyond that, direct questions to Mr. Vlahos.  If you are unable to find an interview time that works for you, let me know and I will find a time that works for both of us.

:)
Miss Mynes

a little about today

Today, we read Blueberries for Sal and we talked about the vocabulary in the book, the similarities and differences between our kitchen and Little Sal's kitchen, we drew pictures of Little Sal and baby Bear on opposite sides of the mountain and this afternoon we will graph our favourite ways to eat blueberries. 

The children will have physical education but Miss McGregor is at home with her sick child so an occasional teacher will be teaching them today.

:)
Miss Mynes

report cards

On Tuesday, senior kindergarten students will be receiving their report cards.  Although briefer than usual, Mr. Vlahos found them acceptable and signed them.  He has since taken them back and I believe he intends to distribute them to the students himself.  I'm not sure why.  If you do not receive your senior kindergarten child's report on Tuesday, let me know and I will send you a copy home.  I will also have copies available at the parent teacher interview if you choose to attend the scheduled interview.  I am required to schedule an interview for every kindergarten student this term.

Have a great day!  The radio says sunny and 16 degrees on Sunday so it should also be a great weekend.
:)
Miss Mynes

next weeks unit

Next week, we will be doing a unit based on the book Blueberries for Sal.  we will be doing many fun activities like painting "blueberries" with soap and paint bubbles, making and painting with dye made from blueberries, graphing our favourite ways to eat blueberries and so much more.

:)
Miss Mynes

Miss McGregor

In case you haven't heard yet, Miss McGregor is back from maternity leave and is teaching all the primary students drama, dance, music, health and physical education.  She is a very talented teacher and although I was sad her staffing assignment was changed from kindergarten to a specialist role, I am happy that she sees my students almost every day.

Welcome back Miss McGregor!!

:)
Miss Mynes

a little about tomorrow

Tomorrow, we continue our Be Brown! unit.  We will pretend to be dogs and do tricks.  We will also explore the number 5 by making paw prints.

:)
Miss Mynes

our Olympic visitors

I forgot to let you all know the names of the Olympians who visited us on Friday. 

martin Reader - beach volleyball
Rosie MacLennan - gold medal in trampoline
Tyler Miller - gold medal in wheelchair basketball

a little about the week

Tomorrow, we will have a visit from the community police officer.  On Wednesday, we will be visiting Albert Campbell Library at 9:15 - feel free to join us.  On Friday, we will be having a Remembrance Day assembly at 10:35, feel free to join us for that too.

:)
Miss Mynes

in support of our unit....

Next week, we will be talking about dogs.  If possible, visit a veterinarian's office or a pet store.  Ask the veterinarian or the pet store employee to talk to your child about dogs.  Your linguistic, naturalist or interpersonal learner will love it!!

A little about next week

Next week, our unit will be based on a wonderful book called Be Brown! by Barbara Bottner.  It is about a bossy little boy who meets a rambunctious puppy that simply will not obey the boy's commands.  We will paint dogs, write about our feelings, pretend to train dogs, pretend to be dogs and paint paw prints just to name a few activities in support of this unit.  If you know the song My Dog Rags, we will be learning that song as well.

Let's hope the Halloween hangover isn't do bad today,
:)
Miss Mynes