At this time of the year, there’s always plenty of reasons to give thanks and we can’t think of a better one than a great start to school!  Our Kindergarten children have worked extremely hard for the past five weeks.  They are settling in well to their classrooms, making new friends and learning the importance of looking at and listening to the teacher.

In Kindergarten, we spend a large part of each day reviewing and reinforcing classroom routines.  Establishing and following classroom routines is an essential part of understanding what it’s like to be a student at school.  In Kindergarten, the foundation for learning Christy and I build is preparation for the many years of schooling ahead.  In the past few weeks the children have learned:

-how to quietly enter the classroom and settle down with books

-stand to sing “O Canada” with the rest of the school respectfully, and with pride

-find their snack bags and water bottle, choose a seat at the tables and wash their hands

-ask to use the washrooms and use them independently

-set the tables with school supplies and tidy up after themselves

-borrow and return a school Library Book, and put them in the Library Book Bag

-line-up, hands to self, when we transition between activities

-locate where to print their name on a page

No wonder everybody is tired at the end of the day!  But this is a tiny fraction of all the children have learned to do.  You can read more about what your children know in a previous post, Our Kindergarten Classroom Routines.

We were really busy during Turkey week (but then again, when are we not?)  We applied our knowledge of simple math patterns (AB, ABC) to our turkey feathers.  

We read several Thanksgiving books as our inspiration for our “Leaves of Thanks.”  The children did a great job with their brainstorming about what they were thankful for.  We know that children are thankful for what is close to their hearts — their family and friends.  It’s all very special.

I am thankful for:

-my family

-kisses from my parents

-love and flowers and hearts

-dancing and listening to music

-walking across the street with my mom

-lights everywhere

-my sister

-my friends and cousins

-the clean air we breathe

-rainbows

-the world

-feeding

-winter and snowmen

-our Kindergarten classroom and teachers

-apples

-the kittens I’m am getting after my renovation is done

-my auntie

-being outside in nature

-my dog

-hugging my brother

-the white puppy my mom is going to buy me

-feeding the ducks

The District Physical Literacy teachers also completed their assessments this week.  The children ran “there and back,” hopped, threw overhand, kicked a ball and walked backwards so we could look at their balance.  This information is to create a baseline so we know the areas to focus on during PE instruction for our classes, not only for skills but for comprehension of the concepts and instructions.  We were thankful for a gorgeous sunny day that the children could be outside and participating in the physical tasks that were set out for them.

It’s the holiday weekend so we want to wish everyone a Happy Turkey Day.  We’re looking forward to catching up with our own children who are returning home from University for the next few days.  We can honestly say that time goes by very quickly when you have children; it feels like our kids were just in Kindergarten themselves and now they are young people starting their lives and creating individual paths for themselves.  The time when your children are young is very, very precious.  Take the opportunity to be present with them to enjoy the magical adventure of their childhood.  There’s so much that we all have to be thankful for.

Upcoming Events and Reminders

Please keep track of the calendar for Sharing and Special Helper so you know when it’s your child’s turn.  We do not allow children to bring in their Sharing on another day if they forget on their own Special Helper Day.

Monday, October 8 is Thanksgiving Monday and school is closed.  School re-opens on Tuesday, October 9.  Please return your Library Books for Tuesday.