November 26th Newsletter

Good morning
I hope that your family finds some time today to enjoy a walk outdoors or family play. I am hanging out with our younger daughter doing some wedding planning and enjoying time together with lunch at the Rusty Rake in Nanoose and a nature walk.
Our food grant has arrived and we have been busy in the kitchen. On Wednesday we baked cinnamon and raisin bread. The children enjoyed a couple of slices with either WOW butter or regular butter. We decided that next time we would add extra raisins. This week we will plan to bake cheese bread. Milk and oranges were added to our morning snacks as well as "ants on a log" using up some of our wow butter, celery and raisins.
In math the children have begun to explore the question What Is a pattern? i have invited them to use loose parts in the classroom to build patterns and notice what other children are doing. Last week we began to name their patterns during math exploration for their learning partner. We are fortunate to have a lot of loose parts in our counting collection and these materials are doing double duty during pattern play. We already begun to see patterns  emerge in some of their play during block building and story play as they use loose parts. 

To build numeracy I have introduced Ten Frames during carpet time. We have played two games. Flash It! and Face Off. During Flash It! I hold up a large ten frame for a few seconds and the children finger flash the number they see represented. We discussed which numbers were easier and which ones were difficult. Then I introduced a partner game, and the children each had their own deck of cards. They turned over their cards at the same time and said the number that they saw, the child with the largest number got to take both cards. Once a player has all the cards the game is over. They sort the cards and play another round.
I have also brought a second board game into the classroom to provide opportunities for partner play. This month we have Chutes and Ladders and Pengoloo (a memory game). If you have games at home pull them out and play with your child. They are busy learning game rules, social language and math talk playing board games. Last week our big buddies joined us for board game play and it was great fun, very engaging and lots of laughter. It makes me wonder if we should introduce a family board game afternoon in December. What do you think? Parents and extended family would come at 1:45 and join into games with the children. Children can bring a favourite family game to school for the afternoon. Let me know what you think?
I have finished two Ongoing Student Communication of Learning and this week have begun to meet with students for a third one to discuss one of our language goals; listening, thinking and sharing.
In the afternoon I have been playing literacy or rhyming word games 1:1 with students to practice either letter names, letter sounds or sight words. Almost all of the students who needed to name the letters in their name have been working with personal name kits which include a name card, name puzzle and magnetic letters to build their name. This activity has been very successful and we just have one child who needs his name card to print his name on his work but is naming the letters and assembling the puzzle with ease. While our student teachers  were with us I continued with a  blitz every day in small groups of 2 with letter names and sounds through literacy play to balance the letter knowledge in the class.
To support learners who know letter names and sounds I have introduced a rhyming game also 1:1 in the afternoon.
We continued with our WITS Program and the children have enjoyed discussing recess conflicts some success stories and a beginning understanding of why the conflicts occur.
The Look Closely Observation and Drawing Program is coming along and the children completed observational drawings of local leaves and then painted them using water colours. They then were invited to do a second observational drawing of new leaves and paint again using water colours with the grade two buddies. We added a few to our bulletin board in the hall and sent the rest home. We are always looking for interesting things to draw. So far the children have worked with flowers, feathers and leaves.
Calendar Updates:
On Monday November 28th we will have a PJ and stuffy day.
On Tuesday November 29th Departure Bay Eco Preschool will join us for a morning to enjoy story time, play and snack with the Kindergarten children.
A new show and tell schedule for December will come home this week.
On Thursday December 1st we will have our first family potluck.in the classroom. Plan to arrive around 12:10 We will have chairs set up around the room and tables set up in the covered patio ready for your dish. Siblings are invited to join us for lunch and then return to their classroom. It is wonderful to be able to resume this tradition after a two year break due to COVID.
Family Pot Luck Sign UP

Friday December 2nd Grade 7 hotdog lunch
Sincerely,  Liz McCaw