As I’m sure you've noticed or your child has let you know, I have been sick and away from school since last Monday. I’ve been having an epic battle with strep throat. :( After days of antibiotics, I am just beginning to feel a bit better now. I am hoping to be back at school by this Tuesday. Ms. Jones and Mrs. Anderson (TTOCs while I was away) let me know the kids had a good week. Although, they both mentioned there were a lot of sickies in our classroom too. I hope everyone else is resting and getting better.
HIGHLIGHT FROM LAST WEEK:
WHAT’S HAPPENING THIS WEEK:
This week is Literacy week, which means there are events going on throughout the school and Kamloops. I am not 100% sure if “Unplug and Play” challenge booklets were prepared for our class while I was away. If they have, students are encouraged to use the booklets to record their reading and “screen-free” activities from Monday-Friday this week. If Parkcrest is using the booklets, then there will likely be a prize draw at the end of January, so remember to hand in your completed challenge booklets. Also be sure to check inside the "Unplug and Play" challenge handout for special events happening in the community. Our school will be collecting gently used and new children's books for this week’s “Heap the Honda” event. See our Week’s Schedule below to read about in-class Literacy week activities we can look forward to.
Our new Jolly Phonics letter this week is Uu - a special vowel letter! In phonics, we are working on identifying the first sound and letter we hear in words. We will also been segmenting (“stretching out” = c - a - t) and blending words with big letter cards and Ms. Gartrell’s “sound wand”. In Printing, we will continue “Starting Corner Capital” letters (V, W, X)) in our Handwriting Without Tears workbooks this week. We will also make a class book based on the story, “Snowmen at Night”.
In Math, we are continuing to work in our Math Journals on addition stories. We also will be having a visit from Zero the Hero for our 80th day of school! We will continue to learn more about opposites and prepositions (up, down, under, over, etc.). This week’s mini-book is about penguins and prepositions (please remember to have your child practice reading each mini-book that is sent home).
Star Student of the Week:
I had to postpone due to me being sick all last week, so I will finish modelling the activity THIS WEEK and a new student will bring home the Star Student Bag on Friday. If it is your child’s turn to be the Star Student, please carefully read the info. sheets in the bag and the class journal as soon as your child brings home the bag. The Star Student will have the weekend to fill in his/her Star Student memory book page and plan what he/she will bring to school to share with the class on Monday. The Star Student also gets to look after our class stuffed animal for the week and journal about what they did together. The class stuffie and journal can be brought back to school on Friday morning. In order for all children to have their special week before the end of the school year, we need to ensure the bag, journal, and stuffie are all returned to school and ready to go home with the next child every Friday.
THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE:
Monday – Mrs. Anderson will still be in for Ms. Gartrell
Tuesday – Read to a Stuffie (children can bring a stuffed animal that fits in their backpack). We will introduce and practice “EEKK Buddy Reading” ( sitting Elbow to Elbow Knee to Knee, book in the middle so we both can see)!
-80th Day of Kindergarten
- Roots of Empathy with Wayne
Wednesday - Wear a Word Day (Ms. Gartrell will provide the word name tags. We will read each other’s words and play a matching game)
- Buddy Reading with our Gr. 4/5 Buddies (working on EEK reading and fluency, Ks will be reading their own "ABC Jive" mini-book)
- Library with Ms. Bond
- P.E. with Mrs. Brkovic
Thursday - playing a new phonics game segmenting and blending sounds with Ms. Gartrell’s soundwand.
- P.E. with Mrs. Brkovic
Friday -Reading Rocks So Wear Funky Socks (Kindies are encouraged to wear fun socks
- P.E. with Mrs. Brkovic
- January Scholastic Book Orders due today
REMINDERS/HOW PARENTS CAN HELP:
I hope to see you all on Tuesday!
-Ms. Gartrell :)
HIGHLIGHT FROM LAST WEEK:
- Having a water purifier fountain/water bottle refill station installed in the front entrance hallway (THANKS PAC!!!)
- Baby Maisie’s visit (Ms. Gartrell is sad she had to miss it)
- Learning about opposites with Smartboard interactive games, books, photo matching games, and making a class book
- Learning a new dice game called, “Dice Baseball” (rolling 2 dice, adding the sum, and locating the numeral on the board)
- Doing a great job matching our first AND last names in our attendance chart each morning
WHAT’S HAPPENING THIS WEEK:
This week is Literacy week, which means there are events going on throughout the school and Kamloops. I am not 100% sure if “Unplug and Play” challenge booklets were prepared for our class while I was away. If they have, students are encouraged to use the booklets to record their reading and “screen-free” activities from Monday-Friday this week. If Parkcrest is using the booklets, then there will likely be a prize draw at the end of January, so remember to hand in your completed challenge booklets. Also be sure to check inside the "Unplug and Play" challenge handout for special events happening in the community. Our school will be collecting gently used and new children's books for this week’s “Heap the Honda” event. See our Week’s Schedule below to read about in-class Literacy week activities we can look forward to.
Our new Jolly Phonics letter this week is Uu - a special vowel letter! In phonics, we are working on identifying the first sound and letter we hear in words. We will also been segmenting (“stretching out” = c - a - t) and blending words with big letter cards and Ms. Gartrell’s “sound wand”. In Printing, we will continue “Starting Corner Capital” letters (V, W, X)) in our Handwriting Without Tears workbooks this week. We will also make a class book based on the story, “Snowmen at Night”.
In Math, we are continuing to work in our Math Journals on addition stories. We also will be having a visit from Zero the Hero for our 80th day of school! We will continue to learn more about opposites and prepositions (up, down, under, over, etc.). This week’s mini-book is about penguins and prepositions (please remember to have your child practice reading each mini-book that is sent home).
Star Student of the Week:
I had to postpone due to me being sick all last week, so I will finish modelling the activity THIS WEEK and a new student will bring home the Star Student Bag on Friday. If it is your child’s turn to be the Star Student, please carefully read the info. sheets in the bag and the class journal as soon as your child brings home the bag. The Star Student will have the weekend to fill in his/her Star Student memory book page and plan what he/she will bring to school to share with the class on Monday. The Star Student also gets to look after our class stuffed animal for the week and journal about what they did together. The class stuffie and journal can be brought back to school on Friday morning. In order for all children to have their special week before the end of the school year, we need to ensure the bag, journal, and stuffie are all returned to school and ready to go home with the next child every Friday.
THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE:
Monday – Mrs. Anderson will still be in for Ms. Gartrell
Tuesday – Read to a Stuffie (children can bring a stuffed animal that fits in their backpack). We will introduce and practice “EEKK Buddy Reading” ( sitting Elbow to Elbow Knee to Knee, book in the middle so we both can see)!
-80th Day of Kindergarten
- Roots of Empathy with Wayne
Wednesday - Wear a Word Day (Ms. Gartrell will provide the word name tags. We will read each other’s words and play a matching game)
- Buddy Reading with our Gr. 4/5 Buddies (working on EEK reading and fluency, Ks will be reading their own "ABC Jive" mini-book)
- Library with Ms. Bond
- P.E. with Mrs. Brkovic
Thursday - playing a new phonics game segmenting and blending sounds with Ms. Gartrell’s soundwand.
- P.E. with Mrs. Brkovic
Friday -Reading Rocks So Wear Funky Socks (Kindies are encouraged to wear fun socks
- P.E. with Mrs. Brkovic
- January Scholastic Book Orders due today
REMINDERS/HOW PARENTS CAN HELP:
- Send/leave a water bottle at school so students can refill it from our new water purifier!
- Dress appropriate for the cold/wet weather -bringing/leaving extra clothing and socks at school is also encouraged
- Sign and return your child’s report card envelope (Yes, I am still waiting for envelopes to be returned so I can reuse them for Term 2’s report card :S)
- Return completed Winter Break Reading Bear charts for a prize (no time restriction on this, just return whenever they are full :D)
I hope to see you all on Tuesday!
-Ms. Gartrell :)