Dear
Parents,
Well, March came in like a lion and
seems to be going out like a lion as well.
Officially, Spring has arrived.
Brrrr! There seems to be some
kind of delay in the warmth from the spring sunshine. I think someone forgot to tell Mother Nature
that Spring is here. On a brighter note,
though, the days are now longer! We
trust your March break went well. Some
of you opted to ‘migrate’ to warmer places.
Others stayed and ‘adapted’ to the cold weather.
In March, K1 was very busy with our
plant inquiry. We learned the parts of a
plant, its needs and what will happen when things are altered. We recorded our observations and made
predictions about what will happen. We discovered the effects can sometimes be
positive, but not always! Look for the
photos on our K1 blog! We transformed our house centre into a Flower shop. The students role played the different duties
involved, taking turns to run the cash and create the flower arrangements. We’d like to send a big thank you to those
whose donation of flowers made this possible.
K2 was busy discussing what our forest
animal friends will do now that the Spring has arrived. We transformed our house centre into an
animal rescue centre and with the use of nonfiction materials and You tube, we
learned about the ways in which this very important centre helps to care for
injured animals in the wild. We used
this information to role play in our own centre using our forest animal stuffies. We created areas where these creatures can
rest and heal – labelling who goes where and with whom so as to avoid any
unnecessary mishaps! We also reunited
with our snail friends to make some more observations at the Investigation
table. Look for the photos on our K2
blog!
In April, we will be discussing what
Easter truly means to us as Christians and praising God for the new life that
comes with Spring. The signs of Spring, after all, should be everywhere! We
will be observing the changes in weather and our environment. Ask your child to recite our Springtime
Prayer to you. Later in the month we’ll be seeing signs of new life first
hand! We’ll be planting seeds, making
predictions and observing their growth. Both classes have the opportunity for
an outer space provocation! The Canadian Space Agency sent us tomato seeds that
came back to Earth last May, 2013, with Chris Hadfield and had spent 22 months
in space, travelling more than 450 million kilometers! Who knows what inquiry
will result: a study of space, farming, or even perhaps of more seeds and
plants!
The month of April also brings with it
Earth Day! We take the time to assess our carbon footprint and adjust
accordingly – smaller is better. A big
‘Thank You’ to those who have been packing your child’s lunch kit using
reusable containers. Our Earth thanks
you! Remember, any small effort on your
part benefits all of us now and well into the future.
In March, our math discussions involved
data management and graphing. We learned
about each other by talking about things we like and dislike and putting this
information onto simple graphs. We looked at the information our graphs
revealed and used math language (more, less, the same as) to tell about the
results. In April, we will begin a unit on
measurement. We’ve experienced measurement activities at our learning centres
and science related activities throughout the year. Using nonstandard units of
measure, we will continue to explore the many ways we can describe and talk
about the world using the language of measurement (taller, longer, heavier,
etc.).
We would like to send a big thank
you to those of you who sent in playdough.
K2 still has a need for some. It is such a popular centre, with so much
sensory and fine motor development taking place. Some of you were asking what other things
would help the class. Check out our
blog. There is a list! Soon the rain and
thaw will come and wet socks will be a reality.
Please send an extra 1 or 2 pair to keep in your child’s extra clothing
bag. Some students have been keeping a
sweater at school for use during quiet time. It helps to keep them comfortable
while they rest.
Some skills to work on at home:
If
you haven’t logged into RAZ kids (www.raz-kids.com), please do so. It’s an excellent opportunity to practise
popcorn words and to use the picture clues in combination with letter sounds,
to predict words in the story. We can’t
emphasize this enough, especially those entering grade 1 in September. It is very important that they know the popcorn
words by sight. They are listed on our
blog or ask for another copy. Printing
letters and the numbers to 20 would also be helpful. Counting by 1s (JKs), 2s,
5s, and 10s (SKs) to 50 or more could be something to reinforce at home. If you
haven’t logged into Dreambox, (www.dreambox.com) please do so. It is another excellent site for your child
to practice his/her math skills in a fun and exciting game format. Please note that French songs and vocabulary
as well as English songs and poems have been posted on the K1 and K2 blogs.
If you have not already done so, please
sign, complete, and return page 3 of your child’s report card as well as the
envelope. We ‘reuse’ the envelope for the last report card.
Thank you for your continued support
at home! Keep up with the great reading,
printing, and counting! Should you have
any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us at the school
or send a message in your child’s notetote.
Mme
Dolgos Mrs. McAteer
Mrs.
Gratwohl Mrs. McDonell
