This week we begin with the new mandatory mask mandate for children in Kindergarten to Grade 3 in BC.  Many children in our classrooms already wear a daily mask, and we are continuing to encourage a school culture of mask wearing at Ridgeview.  Kindergarten children are amazing!  They are keen to learn, flexible in their thinking, show kindness, care about others and love deeply.  We also had very high numbers of children wearing masks last year in school.  It’s important that we as teachers and parents continue to be positive role models, demonstrate patience and focus on the benefits. As Dr. Bonnie Henry said in her announcement on Friday,  the children are our “Super Heroes” and “they wear their mask to keep their community and the people they love safe and healthy.”   This is a message you could follow up with at home as we transition to mandatory mask wearing tomorrow morning.  

Everyday we talk about the importance of wearing a mask for each other’s safety.  As we mentioned previously, it’s our personal and social responsibility to safeguard the health of the people in our school building, and our families.  We always say, the teachers and students wear a mask to protect ourselves, our families and each other.  As we walk through the hallways to go to the Library, Music class and ELL, the children can pass individual students, classes of students and staff members.   Our prime directive is simply to protect our Kindergarten children in every way possible that we have available to us.

We have many children in our classes who want to wear a mask every day but do not bring any to school.  We’ve currently supplied over 100 masks between our two classes.  We’d like to encourage you to send along your children’s own masks, reusable or non-surgical, and keep a small supply in their backpacks. Please make sure they fit appropriately.  

We have noticed some children struggling with the fit of their mask, complaining that they are too big or the ear straps have become too loose.  An improper fit makes a mask difficult to wear all day.  Reusable masks should be washed daily. Non-surgical masks are single use only (eg., one school day unless it gets dirty), and should have the ear straps cut before disposing in the garbage.  The children have observed us cutting the straps when we throw away a soiled mask.  This is for the protection of animals who may be scavenging in the garbage and landfills.

The children go through a lot of masks because masks can become uncomfortable or dirty with food or wet from breathing, become lost or dropped a few too many times on the floor.  A few children change their masks twice a day which we support completely. 

One change we are making for our classes is that the children should have their mask on before they enter the school building.  This means that the children are putting their mask on while waiting in line to enter the classroom.  Then, they will enter the school in their usual manner to hang up their coats and hang up their backpacks before they wash their hands.

We will ask the children to put their masks in their pockets or leave their masks in their backpacks when eating and when they play outside during the morning and lunch recess and outdoor learning activities.  A few children prefer to keep their mask on the whole day and so long as they are comfortable, we’ve allowed them to continue wearing it but they know they are free at any time to change their mind.

If your child is unable to wear a mask due to medical reasons please email Mr. Zerbe, our school principal, (wzerbe@wvschools.ca) to let the school know so it can be added to their file. 

Here are some good resources for you if you’re looking for children’s books about mask wearing and a virtual classroom with links to SafeShare YouTube videos about masks.  

Upcoming Events and Reminders

Wednesday, October 6, 2021:  Early Dismissal for Kindergarten at 12:50 pm

Thursday, October 7, 2021:  Early Dismissal for Kindergarten at 12:50 pm

We were able to meet with most Kindergarten parents in September for our Intake Conferences.  During the Early Dismissal times for our parent-teacher conferences we have scheduled conferences with families that were unable to meet during the Intake Conference time.  We have also requested meetings with some families.  If you have any urgent or private concerns (new family changes, medical situations or allergies) please let us know and we will try to arrange a mutually agreeable time for a virtual meeting.  Otherwise, we are more than happy to have a casual chat with you outside, socially distanced wearing a mask, on the playground after school.   

We had a great first week of full and busy days.  We can see the changes in our students as they are learning about their self-regulation, and working on managing their energy throughout the school day.  You might have heard your child mention the “green zone” which is the optimal zone for learning.  When students are feeling peaceful, calm, relaxed and focused, they are more likely to feel happy and able to direct their attention to their learning.  We establish clear and consistent classroom expectations, rules and routines to make the classroom a safe and predictable space.  The children know not only what is expected of them, but of their classmates as well.   The children feel more secure in their understanding of expected classroom behaviour, and can now put their energy into learning and having fun with their classmates.

Being in the “green zone” begins at the start of the day when the children are lining up to enter the classroom.  We encourage the children to wait quietly in line, no running around on the playground (this would be considered the “yellow zone” when energy is elevated), for when the teacher opens the door.  Even just this simple routine makes for a smoother transition to the classroom.

Being self-regulated in Kindergarten includes these expected behaviours

On my own, I can:

-pay attention to the teacher

-sit quietly at meeting time

-follow directions

-understand and follow rules

-follow safety commands such as “no,” and “stop”

-share with a friend

-talk and listen to others

-play by myself

-play cooperatively with others

-use strategies to stay calm when I’m feeling frustrated

(from “Welcome to Kindergarten” which occurs in the Spring prior to Kindergarten classes beginning)

We started work on our Alphabet this week.  We made an “a is an apple” craft, learned the correct letter formation for uppercase and lowercase A and practised our printing.  We are also learning correct printing posture while sitting at the tables:

-bottom on the chair seat

-pull the chair in towards the table

-feet on the floor

-printing hand holds a pencil

-helping hand holds the paper still for printing and drawing

We review this process once or twice a day, everyday, with the children whenever we are completing written activities.  

During Math this month we are working on exploring a variety of math manipulatives.  The children are learning to share and cooperate and follow a rotation of different activities in small groups.  Everyday we are practising counting, patterning colours, the days of the week and completing our weather graph as part of our Math Their Way calendar activities. The Special Helper leads us through these integrated math tasks.

Tuesday was an exciting day for our classes.  We planted about 80 succulents, strawberry and rose campion plants in the school garden.  The garden has been landscaped to include picnic tables and benches and we are replanting all of the garden beds.  We were thrilled that our children will be able to watch the garden grow over their next eight years at Ridgeview.

We had a fabulous weather day for our Terry Fox Run.  Thank you to everyone for your generous donations.  We ran laps around our gravel field with the Grade 1 students, and were supervised by Grade 7 students and staff.  The children showed their Canadian spirit in their red and white clothes.  It’s really wonderful to see the Kindergarten participating in our full school events.

Health and Safety:  We are working really hard on incorporating all of the health and safety protocols.  The children are washing their hands diligently before they enter the classroom, before they eat and after using the bathroom, and after we come in from morning and lunch recess.  They are using hand sanitizer when we change activities and after eating.  We’re encouraging all of our students to wear a mask inside their classrooms.  We have several children requesting a mask each day.  Please check with your children so they can bring their own to school.  Most children wear the same mask for the entire school day, but some like to change their mask mid-way.  We’ve noticed that many children have a ziploc bag of extra masks tucked away in their backpacks which we thought was a fantastic idea!

Mask Etiquette:  We’re expecting that masks are being replaced daily so the children have a clean, fresh mask to use each day.  Reusable masks should be washed each day.  Non-surgical masks should have the ear straps cut before disposing of them.

Upcoming Events and Reminders

Our weekly schedule has now been finalised.

Monday:  Library (for both classes)

Tuesday:  Music (Division 15, Mrs. Campbell)

Wednesday:  Music (for both classes)

Friday:  Music (Division 16, Mrs. Daudlin)

Wednesday, September 29, 2021:  Individual Photos

Thursday, September 30, 2021:  National Day of Truth and Reconciliation (school is not in session)

Spring is in the air and we’re loving these beautiful warm and sunny days.  The children are very much enjoying their increased privileges, including Forest Friday play and roaming Cherry Tree Hill, which is located at the most northern part of the school playground.  We’ve set up quite a few boundaries (no climbing the fence, no picking leaves from the trees) which everyone is following at this time.

We’ve finished our Alphabet!  Y and Z pages were sent home this week to add to your child’s Alphabet Books.  

We got caught with a rainy day mid-week on Wednesday.  We’d like to remind everyone that the children should keep a raincoat, rain pants and boots at school for when the weather turns.  As well, we’ve noticed quite a few children not wearing coats when they arrive at school.  When the children do not bring a coat to school, or have a raincoat in the cloakroom, this creates a challenge because all students are expected to go outside for morning and lunch recess even when it’s raining.  Our age group does not do so well in the rain without a coat, so please support us in ensuring your child has the correct outdoor clothing for living in the Pacific Northwest.

Forest Friday has been a fun, social and successful afternoon outing for our classes to enjoy together.  The children are keen to wear their boots and stroll up and down the creek, look for rocks, fallen leaves and flowers and explore this hidden gem on our school grounds.  We’ve had a few cases of water overflowing into boots so extra socks are always a good idea.

We’re starting Fairy Tales in Language Arts.  This fascinating genre of stories is a perennial favourite for teachers and students alike.  This week we started with reading Once Upon a Golden Apple by Canadian author Phoebe Gilman.  It’s a wonderful story about a Dad reading a fairy tale to his children, but choosing different alternatives to completing each sentence; each alternative is based on another fairy tale or nursery rhyme.  The children recognised some of the stories and rhymes, and we looked up the ones we didn’t know.

You can support your child by reading fairy tales at home for bedtime stories, even if they’ve heard them all before.  Each time your child hears the story, they will bring more literary experiences to the story which deepens their comprehension and appreciation of this genre.  Fairy tales are frequently referenced in other stories and books, used as idioms and form an excellent foundation to the meaning of “what is a story?” and the story elements (plot, character, theme, setting).  So a thorough knowledge of fairy tales is essential in a child’s repertoire of familiar stories from childhood.

Our storytime reading for the next few days is Yummy, a fairy tale volume of stories by British author Lucy Cousins.  Delicious!

Upcoming Events and Reminders

MaxFruit Bars – you can order on Fridays for the following Thursdays.  We believe there are two more Thursdays to support this Grade 7 Fundraiser.

Library Books – Book Exchange is always on Friday so please return your books when you are finished reading them.

Friday, May 21 – Professional Development Day – students are not in session

Monday, May 24 – Victoria Day – statutory holiday, students are not in session

The weeks fly by so quickly and here it is time again for our absolutely-best-ever-most-favourite day of the school year, Student-Led Conferences!  We’re reblogging this post (with a twist) from April 2019 (the last time we held Student-Led Conferences in school) with our best suggestions for having a successful Student-Led Conference at Home with your Kindergarten child. 

First, some background information about Student-Led Conferences:

Christy and I have been holding Student-Led Conferences (SLC) for many years; in fact, my first Student-Led Conference as a teacher was here in West Vancouver at Chartwell Elementary School in 1990 when I was teaching Grade 3.  We’ve gradually refined our practises to make it perfect for Kindergarten but the core tenets of the Conferences has always stayed the same:  to provide an opportunity for students to communicate learning to their parents in a meaningful format; self-reflection for students to identify their personal accomplishments, strengths and areas for improvement; give parents an insight into how their children learn; and an inside look at student work, their classroom and school.

We’ve written extensively about Student-Led Conferences at theselfregulatedteacher.com.  You can use the search tool on our website to find our posts.  You can also read about Student Led Conferences in my Grade 3 classroom during my Chartwell days in Evaluating Literacy:  A Perspective for Change (1991) by Robert J. Anthony, Terry D. Johnson, Norma I. Mickelson and Alison Preece.

Our Kindergarten Student-Led Conferences are a twist on the traditional Student-Led Conference.  In the years we were teaching Grades 1-4, each student would welcome their parents to his or desk, where a curated selection of work would be waiting in a file.  A letter of welcome for parents, plus a class created agenda, provide structure for the Conference time.

In Kindergarten, however, we use a Centre approach, in much the same way we use Centres during the morning Activity Time, Math Centres, or our focus afternoon Centre Time.  Parents can expect to see an Alphabet Centre, Math Centre with tasks and participate in the daily Calendar activities as part of our Student-Led Conferences.  

Kindergarten is a special grade, the first formal schooling for most children, the first Student-Led Conference for most parents, and it’s important for us to set the tone and expectations for how the Conferences are conducted because you’ll be enjoying them for the next eight years while at Ridgeview.  As one of two informal Communicating Learning opportunities, we want this to be a positive and successful experience for you and your child.  The format will be different as you move through the grades, but its value is always the same:  priceless.  

This year, due to the restrictions of Covid-19, we’ve been planning and thinking over the past two months about how to bring the same energy and excitement to Student-Led Conferences at home.  Using the same Owl envelopes the children have been using to take home their special artwork once a month, we’re putting them to good use by packaging everything your child needs for their conference.  Inside your child’s envelope you will find an introductory letter from us, an agenda for the conference with some paperwork attached, and then the children’s schoolwork to be enjoyed at your leisure.  We’ve included some artwork in an Art Gallery folder.

We have practised with the children how to conduct their conference; remember, this is a student led conference, so your child is in charge of leading the conference which is the same as we would have done at school.  Your role is to provide support, encouragement, praise and notice improvements in their schoolwork, skills and confidence over the past year.

Please note:  At the end of the conference, your child may keep all of their schoolwork at home.

-we will send home the Y and Z alphabet sheets when they are completed and marked for you to add to the Alphabet Book.  Then the Alphabet Book is complete, from A-Z.

-we need you and your child to fill out the Two Stars and a Wish Self-Reflection sheet and return it and the Owl envelope to school

Here’s our Top 10 tips for a successful Student-Led Conference at Home:

1. Please schedule your child’s Student-Led Conference into your day.  Set aside 20-25 minutes to be with your child.
2. This goes without saying, but our cell phones are a distraction so please put all electronic devices away for the duration of your special time together. Your children are very, very excited to be the centre of your attention and share their learning with you.
3. Keep your child’s Owl envelope with the Student-Led Conference work in a safe place until you sit down with your child.  We will be sending them home on Wednesday.
4. Arrange for care for your other children, particularly toddlers and preschoolers, so you can focus on your Kindergarten child.
5. Give praise and specific, positive comments to your child eg., “I like how you used a variety of colours in your drawing;” recognise that your child might find some tasks difficult so encourage them to keep trying their best.
6. Be mindful of your Conference duration.  If your child wants to review every page and activity with you, please feel free to divide the conference package over the two afternoons (there are 24 pages in the Alphabet Book alone).
7.  Let your child be the leader.  They can choose the order in which they wish to share their work.  You do not need to follow the order of the activities, just ensure you have completed each one by the end of the conference.
8. After each activity is completed, please have your child place a sticker beside it on the line.
9. You may notice some work is incomplete due to absence.  Your child is free to finish any missed activities at home.  There is no need to return them to school.  
10.  Please return your child’s Owl envelope and the purple Two Stars and a Wish Self-Reflection sheet, completed.

We’ve been enjoying the most amazing sunshine this past week!  It’s really helped to lift our spirits as we progress through these unusual pandemic times.

As always, the children’s safety is uppermost in our minds.  We’re pleased to note that many of the children continue to wear masks as part of our school culture.  We talk a lot about the importance of masks as a way to protect ourselves and each other, and all of our families and loved ones.  Our hand-washing protocols are second to none – the children are doing a great job of handwashing before eating, and hand sanitizing or handwashing between activities.  As much as we can, the children are working in smaller groups for Centre Time and work activities.

We’ve been working hard on our Alphabet Activities – can you believe we are working on letter X this week?  We’ve read the most wonderful book, Alphabet Mystery by Audrey and Bruce Wood, a whodunit about the letter X.  This was a terrific way to introduce the genre of mystery books to the children.  Last week we read The Wildlife ABC by Jan Thornhill, a beautifully illustrated book of animals.  We try to take advantage of every opportunity to read amazing literature to our children to present them with the best in words and illustrations.

We had some very fun excitement last Friday with our first Forest Friday.  Forest Fridays is a special day for the Kindergarten when we can enter the magical forested space on our playground.  It is a beautiful area for our children to play, with a low running creek, a variety of trees and shrubbery, with large tree roots, rocks and embankments to climb over.  We had our first exploration, and reviewed our expectations for safe behaviour.  The children will be allowed to wear their boots and walk through the creek while under our supervision.  We do not allow the children to go to the Forest during morning recess and lunch playtimes.   Instead, we visit once a week with close supervision from the teachers and educational assistants.  We look forward to more adventures in the weeks ahead!

Last week we sent home a parent letter and information on “Let’s Talk About Touching,” the Kindergarten personal safety program.  This is part of our Physical and Health Education curriculum and we will be teaching weekly lessons on healthy living, kind and helpful touches and scientific names for the private parts of the body.

Please watch a Remind that goes over our expectations for Student-Led Conferences at Home, to be held next week.  Student-Led Conferences are one of favourite days of the school year where typically, the children would welcome you into their classrooms and complete a series of activities and Centres to show you what they’ve been learning about.  It’s a joyous time to celebrate the children’s learning, admire the progress they’ve made over the year and to think about further goals for the remainder of Kindergarten.  This year, due to Covid-19, we’ve had to make some adaptations to our Conferences.  But the children’s enthusiasm and excitement is still the same, and their joy in sharing with you their learning will make you so proud as you notice the pride they have in their school accomplishments.  

Upcoming Events and Reminders

Friday, April 23:  Library Book Exchange

Wednesday, April 28:  Student Led Conferences at Home – early dismissal for Kindergarten at 1:20 pm

Thursday, April 29:  Student Led Conferences at Home – early dismissal for Kindergarten at 1:20 pm

It’s been a bit of an odd couple of weeks with just a few days in each of the past two weeks but nonetheless…we are working very hard in Kindergarten!  

It’s been a strange time for all of us.  The children have been such troopers in managing all of health and safety protocols (endless hand washing and hand sanitizing to the point where we are worried now about the dry skin on their hands), social distancing as best they can and mask wearing for those who are comfortable wearing one.  We’ve been trying hard to provide as much of our regular Kindergarten program as possible, and tweaking things gently to make activities safe for the children.  This is primarily during Centre Time, where we have reduced from 4 to 2 children at a Centre (since September), spacing when seated and using all sinks available to us so the children are not gathering too much during hand washing.  We are really proud of the children and their resilience in coping with change.  

We’ve been busy making lots of Easter Art.

And we’re continuing to forge ahead in the Alphabet and our work in Numeracy.

Our next big event coming up is our Student-Led Conferences which the children will be completing at home with you due to Covid-19 restrictions.  From us, you can expect your child to bring home their big Owl envelope with the contents of the Student-Led Conferences, an agenda and an opportunity to reflect and talk about their schoolwork.  The agenda and reflection should be returned to school following your conference.  We will have a lot more information for you in the coming weeks.  Please note on your calendar that Student-Led Conferences are Wednesday, April 28 and Thursday, April 29.  Dismissal is at 1:20 pm for Kindergarten both days.  If your child is attending Camp Ridgeview, please make your arrangements for early pick-up.

Upcoming Events and Reminders

Friday, April 16 – Library Book Exchange

Wednesday, April 28 – Student Led Conferences and Early Dismissal at 1:20 pm

Thursday, April 29 – Student Led Conferences and Early Dismissal at 1:20 pm

We’re settling down into our groove this second term, which is typically a busy one with much growth shown by our Kindergarten children.

The children’s printing is beginning to grow by leaps and bounds.  They are trying very hard to be mindful of correct letter formation.  It’s not easy and they really have to think and concentrate.  Sometimes we can hear their self-talk as they are repeating the sequence of printing strokes to themselves.  But in doing so, the children are also recognising the letters, practising their letter sounds, the sequence of letter sounds to spell words, and we can begin showing them spelling patterns through rhyming words. 

Allergy Awareness

We decided to elaborate a little more here for your interest and information about our Allergy Awareness.  

At Ridgeview School, classrooms with students who have nut allergies are designated “nut awareness zones” evident by the placement of this sign outside the classroom door.  This is done individually by classroom, on a classroom specific basis.  

In Division 16 (Mrs. Daudlin’s class), we have a student with very severe dairy and nut allergies which can result in an anaphylactic reaction. You were originally informed during the Welcome to Kindergarten slideshow to refrain from sending nut-based products to school and we remind the children frequently to be aware of allergens when eating.  

However, with new students to our Kindergarten over the past few months, we thought it would be a good idea to review our expectations for both Kindergarten classrooms, although this applies primarily to Division 16 this year.

-the children are able to eat dairy based products in the classroom (milk, cheese, yogurt).  Children always remain seated while eating.  They have learned to eat carefully in their personal space and to clean up after themselves.  We’ve been very successful with hand-washing/sanitizing and wiping down tables in the event of spills.

-please do not send any nuts or nut-based products to school.  This includes peanut butter, foods containing nuts eg., Nutella, trail mix, cookies with nuts, and please also be aware of granola bars containing nuts.  Read the label everytime.

-we remind the children regularly not to share food in the classroom.  They should only eat the food their parents have prepared for them, or food that was ordered from the Hot Lunch Program.  Due to Covid-19 this year, there is no food brought into the classrooms to share, and there is no eating of food on the playground during school hours.

-we discuss allergies frequently and have learned that other students and some parents in our class not only have food allergies, but many are allergic to animals.  The children are definitely familiar with allergy, possibly symptoms and prevention strategies.

-we have discussed learning to live with allergies in a classroom setting.  It is rare that we do not have one to two students a year in Kindergarten with allergies.  Because we are teaching our children about empathy, acceptance and inclusion, we can also teach them how to support their friends with allergies and consider how we are all able to enjoy eating and socialising safely together.

If you have any questions regarding food allergies in the classroom setting, please do not hesitate to contact your classroom teacher.

Emergency Preparedness

Thank you to everyone for your kind understanding regarding the recent power outage and school closure.  These do not happen very often (just the second time in about 20 years at Ridgeview) but it certainly is unsettling as everyone tries to figure out what is going to happen next.  Please continue to check your emails from our school office, and you can always visit Ridgeview’s school website.

We had a fire drill practise last week and we were very pleased with the children’s behaviour.  It is expected behaviour that the children will not talk in line and follow all teacher instructions immediately.  The children cannot hear us if they are talking among themselves.  All the practise we do waiting and walking in line quietly pays off when we quickly issue directions in emergency situations.  We work quickly as a school to bring all students outside in a calm and orderly manner and line up by division on the grade field.  Once the fire drill is declared to be over, we return to our classrooms in the same self-regulated manner.

Upcoming Events and Reminders

Mask Etiquette:  please remember the reusable masks should be worn only once before washing.  The children sometimes get food on the inside of the masks and they must be washed. We are very appreciative of the high number of students who diligently wear their masks to school every day.

Disposable masks should be changed daily.

The children took home their new Library Books last Friday.  Books will be due on Friday, February 5.

We’ve had a very fun first week back at school.  We were so happy to see all of our children return happy and healthy from the Christmas Break.  

We have spent our first few days of school reviewing the health and safety protocols to keep everyone safe.  Diligent handwashing, hand sanitising, two to three children at a Centre and social distancing to the best of our ability are essential to maintaining a healthy classroom for students and school staff.  We are favouring hand-washing over hand sanitising in the classroom, and taking the time to review constantly and consistently how this skill is to be completed.  It’s important that the children understand that hand-washing is a school expectation and are compliant when following the school rules.

The children settled in well to our regular classroom routines, focusing on the teacher and listening carefully to instructions.  We’re continuing our work on self-regulation, and taking the time to practise our breathing and reflect while listening to quiet music.  These strategies leave us feeling calm, relaxed and refreshed before we begin our learning activities.

This week a third Hot Lunch meal (pizza) is being offered for Friday.  Please note that if your child orders pizza, he or she must bring the pizza box home to recycle.  If your child orders sushi, chicken strips or hot dogs on Wednesday and Thursday, please remember to send a large ziploc bag to bring home the packaging.

The children brought home three Library Books this week so please keep track as it will be a big return day in two weeks.

We were busy this week with our Alphabet work on the letter k.  We made some cute K kites and drew patterns and symbols for decoration.

As we begin every month, the children drew their January self-portraits.  We continue to be amazed at how well they have progressed in their directed line drawing and use of five colours or more to make a beautiful presentation.

We made the most wonderful multi-media snowglobes at the end of the week.  The children have become accustomed to using a variety of art materials.  They enjoy learning about the differences between crayons, felt pens and pastels and their specific functions; using their scissors for cutting shapes; and observing how special tools (snowflake hole punch) and finishes (Sparkle Mod Podge) can create interesting effects.

This term we are working on Numeracy and counting.  We’ve spent some already working on subitizing (recognizing how many in a set eg., dice formations) and now we are learning about Part-Whole relationships and Number Conservation.  Ours is a play-based, manipulative math program so the use of a variety of manipulative items for counting, sorting, patterning, and creating sets is essential.  We spend several days before beginning each new unit of instruction in free exploration so the children are familiar with the manipulatives and ready to receive our instructions for their learning tasks.

Upcoming Events and Reminders

Sharing and Special Helper:  The next round of Sharing and Special Helper begins in a couple more weeks.  Our theme will be “Family.”  We’d like each child to bring in 1-3 photos of their family and be ready to talk about their family’s three favourite activities to do together.  We will send home an example through Remind in the next couple of days so you can help your child to prepare.