January 15th Newsletter

Dear Families,
We have been discussing our families with a focus on learning similarities and differences. The children have been very interested in meaningful experiences that many of them share like birthdays or naming days and what they look like in  different cultures. We have read many books including A Family, A Family, A Family by Sara O'Leary, as well as structured conversations like turn and talk and Think Pair Share. We will continue with the children completing Family math graphs and family sketches. If you have not yet sent in a family photo please send one in to add to our family wall.
Our rhyming activities have been very successful and many of the children are able to both identify and produce a rhyme. Some of our games have been Rhyming I Have Who Has, Rhyming show and Tell and noticing rhyme in read alouds. We also have a Rhyming Go Fish and Rhyming Object Sort as two of our literacy play activities.
In math, we have increased the quantities in the counting jars using loose parts and dice. During Counting Collections the children are making a paper record of their counting independently with just a few needing my support. You may have noticed that your child is using skip counting. We have been practicing counting by 2's, 5's and 10's orally to support their understanding and encourage using this strategy with the larger numbers. 
We have  added some new math challenges to our math exploration such as domino addition with SumBlox and Race to Twenty.
We are also revisiting the question What is a pattern?  Recently the children have begun to make pattern sticks to take home as a work sample to accompany the Ongoing Communication of Student Learning that went home this week. A photo will be uploaded to your child's FreshGrade Portfolio as they complete the task. 
You may have noticed a difference in your child's writing work samples coming home this month. We have increased the seat work time and asked the children to colour most of the picture instead of one or two key parts ie.: sun.  Next we will add word boxes beginning in February for the children to add words to their picture story now that they are all using the Kindergarten writing criterial independently.
Our offsite mornings will be Tuesday and Thursdays.
In Art the children have begun to explore Spin Art using a salad spinner and acrylic paints. I have also added oil pastel crayons to our water colour collection for the children to explore resist art. 
In PE Mrs. Hilland will be introducing equipment beginning with ball work.
Thank you,
Mrs McCaw and Mrs. Hilland