LAST WEEEK BEFORE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS!

Happy 3rd Week of Advent!  As we light our third candle, may we feel the joy of the season but also remember the reason for this special time.  It is so easy to get caught up in the 'busy-ness' of this time of year but I hope we are all able to focus on what is really important and that we continue to grow closer to God.  I have to admit that I started to cry in Mass on Friday morning, looking at all the students, both in our class and in the other grades, as they are such blessings and gifts from God.  As I anticipate having our own child, I can't help but be in awe what God is able to do.  We have so much but we sometimes forget to thank God for it so I hope that as we approach Christmas, we can all find ways to count our blessings as well as find ways to be blessings to others. 

NEW TEACHER: You should have all received a note announcing our new teacher-Melissa Lemire-who will be officially starting on January 6th.  She is planning on coming Tuesday morning and possibly Thursday morning but due to the disruptions to our normal routines with the "fun-nes" of this week, it makes most sense for me to teach the first week of January back so she can see our routines and really get to know the students.  After that, I will come in as needed and if the students need me there for this transition but I am quite sure the students will have an easy time as most of our routines will all remain the same and, of course, we still have Mrs. Lewis.  Mrs. Lemire has been teaching a Grade One class at another Catholic School up until now so it is important for her to spend those last few days with her current students as they will greatly miss her.  But Mrs. Lemire is so excited to come to CCS and get to know all of you and we look forward to getting to know her too!  She will be sending a personal note to you as well to introduce herself but I have already told her how welcoming our families are so thank you in advance for helping her feel at home.  Please feel free to email me if you have any other questions or concerns and I will also let you know when we have Mrs' Lemire's school email address working, which will be mlemire@ccsunited.ca  THANK YOU!

MONDAY:  On Monday, we are having a dress rehearsal.  PLEASE SEND YOUR CHILD IN THEIR REGULAR UNIFORM!  While most of the school will be putting on their costumes, it is much easier for our Kindergarten students to just wear their outfit on Tuesday as something ALWAYS happens and I don't want everyone washing their outfits the night before the concert:o)  We will do our practice in our uniform and just wear our halos.

TUESDAY:  It's our BIG CONCERT!  Please send your child to school in their angel costume.  They will wear it all day so that they are ready for our 1:00pm performance.  (Please note that we do indoor recess on this day as white clothes and our grassy field do not mix).  You can pick up your child after the show or at our regular dismissal time of 3:00pm from our classroom.  We do need the students back between 6:30 to 6:45pm in the Parish Center.  The rest of the school will meet in their classrooms but it is very challenging to have our young students going back and forth in the dark so it is best that we meet in the Parish Center (probably the Cenacle Room).  Students will meet and dismiss from this location.  It tends to be crowded and busy so we ask for your patience as safety is our main concern.  Please come to the door so we can dismiss your child to you but please do not come in as too many people make it hard to keep track of who has left and who is still there.  Again, thank you for your understanding.  And just a reminder that admission is by donation to the Food Bank...thank you in advance for your generousity!!!

WEDNESDAY:  It's PAJAMA DAY and MOVIE DAY!  We will be getting together with the other primary classes (and probably watching the Polar Express) so leave the uniform at home as we often ALL need a relaxing day after our late night at the Christmas Concert.  The students will have a popcorn and candy cane treat during the movie but they are also selling Hot Chocolate for 50 cents at the first recess.  If your child would like to buy Hot Chocolate, please send 50 cents to school on this day.  Please note that there is no Hot Lunch on this day so please send your child with their own lunch.

THURSDAY: We are also having an Advent Retreat on Thursday afternoon.  Primary students and Intermediate students will visit different stations in order to help them focus on the true meaning of this season.  We are hoping to help students prepare for the coming of Jesus at Christmas with this activity and it should be fun for them to visit the different classrooms. 

FRIDAY: We will have a School Mass as well as a Buddy Visit on this day but please note that WE DISMISS AT NOON ON THIS DAY!  (And just a reminder that we come back on Monday, January 6th).  Students will need a snack on this day but do not need a lunch.  Thank you!

HOLY CHILDHOOD ASSOCIATION BOXES (HCA): Your child brought home a box as well as some information about HCA.  We are encouraging all students to try to fill their box over the holidays and return it in January when they come back to school.  HCA is a special organization where it is KIDS HELPING KIDS...all money donated goes directly to kids in other countries and we try to support them as much as we can throughout the year.  Thank you in advance as these boxes are often their biggest fundraiser.  And what a wonderful lesson for students to find ways to give when we receive so much during this time of year.  Thank you for helping your child with finding ways to fill their boxes.

GIFT CARDS:  Just a reminder that this is a GREAT time of year to purchase Gift Cards from the parish as this is an excellent fundraiser for our community and in such a simple act, you can help a great deal.  The Knights of Columbus has offered to buy lunch for the class with the most gift card purchases and right now, our class is in the top three, so please keep buying those gift cards and thank you for helping Precious Blood Parish!!!

NEW HOT LUNCH PROGRAM:  If you have not done so, please visit www.mavaliciouskidseat.com to place your January Hot Lunch order.  Please note that Hot Lunch will just be every two weeks from now on and that all ordering and payment is done online.  Thank you.

STAR OF THE WEEK:  Congratulations to Gabrielle for being our most recent star of the week...here are a few things her friends had to say about her...

She plays nicely with everyone.

She is awesome!

She is a nice friend.

She loves everyone.

She sings 'O Canada' nicely. 

 

Way to shine, Gabrielle!  In January, we will celebrate our first star of the new year...Kai!  But congratulations to all our bright lights who continue to shine everyone day in our classroom! 

 

Have a wonderful last week before holidays and God bless you all!!!

HOT LUNCH CHANGES

Our hot lunch program is undergoing a makeover. Beginning in January

our hot lunches will be provided by Mavaliscious. Mavaliscious is a hot

lunch provider for schools throughout the lower mainland. Their diverse

ordering and payment system is all done online. This will assist in making

our hot lunch program more efficient and accurate for all.

An information package will be coming home soon. In the meantime, feel

free to explore their website at www.mavaliciouskidseat.com

 

 

HAPPY ADVENT!!!

As we begin our first week of Advent, I would like to wish you all a joyful season of preparing.  It is so easy to become busy with decorating, shopping and trying to find that perfect gift but we hope to focus and make time for the true reason for the season-Jesus.  I pray we all continue to grow in His love and that this Advent season, we remember what is really important and that we pass on this message to the children.  HAPPY ADVENT, EVERYONE!

ADVENT: We will spend a great deal of time talking about Christmas and the purpose of Advent over the next few weeks.  During our morning prayer routine, we are introducing 'Secret Santa's' to the students and I thought I would explain it so you know what we do in the classroom.  Each day, a child will pick a random name of a classmate and they are their "Secret Santa" for the day.  They can pray for them, send them little messages, do good deeds for them ,etc with the goal being to find little things each day to do something nice for someone else. Each day, they choose a different name and again, try to do good deeds.  During Advent, we really try to encourage the students to give rather than focus on the things they are hoping to receive at Christmas and they students usually are excited to be able to do this for their classmates.

SAINT NICHOLAS: On Friday, we will be celebrating the Feast of St. Nicholas and we will be talking about the connection between Santa Claus and St. Nicholas.  We also will be putting one shoe in our hallway after recess-an annual CCS tradition-to see if St. Nicholas will come for a visit and put a treat in our shoe but we will make sure to hid in our classroom as we ALL know, St. Nicholas never likes to be seen.  Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of children so it is a wonderful day to celebrate him and the joy of children.

FOOD BANK MASS:  This Friday is a Food Bank Mass and we really encourage the spirit of giving so thank you in advance for any items you are able to donate as the Food Bank is always in need, especially over the holidays.  THANK YOU!

CANDYGRAMS:  Each year, our Christian Servers sell candycanes for 50 cents and then the students can send them to anyone they want in the school.  Students often buy candygrams for classmates, buddies or even siblings and they are sold every day at lunch from December 4th until December 18th.  Candygrams themselves are delivered to students on the last day of school, December 20th.  If you would like your child to buy candygrams, it is much easier if you write the names of who they would like to send a candygram to on a piece of paper and attach it with their money so I am able to help them fill out their candygram notes.  All money raised helps to go support our school's sponsor child in South America.  Thank you!

CHRISTMAS CONCERT:  Just a reminder that our Christmas Concert is on Tuesday, December 17th.  It seems our students will be on the risers on the RIGHT side of the stage (not on the main stage or apron) so if you are hoping to have a better view of your child, I would strongly encourage you to find seating on the far right side when you walk into the gym so that you will be able to see them better.  Our class will be angels so we ask students to wear white clothing (or as close to white as you can get). THANK YOU AGAIN!

VISION/HEARING CHECK: Fraser Health will be coming in on Thursday to do their annual vision and hearing check of our Kindergarten students.  You should have received a note about this last week and if there are any concerns, they will also mail you information directly.

STAR OF THE WEEK:  Congratulations to Tyson for being a wonderful Star of the Week.  Here are a few things his classmates had to say about him...

He is nice to everyone in our class.

He is awesome! 

("Awesome" is our first 'juicy' word to be used this year...juicy words are a little more interesting that words such as 'good' or 'nice.')

He plays nicely.

He is a great friend.

He never punches.

Our new Star of the Week will be Gabrielle so we look forward to celebrating her but we congratulate all of our class for continuing to shine.

Have a great week and may you continue to feel God's love throughout this Advent season!

THE FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING

On Sunday, we celebrated the Feast of Christ the King, which marks the end of the liturgical church year for us.  This upcoming Sunday, we begin Advent!!!  We will spend a great deal of time talking about how we can prepare for this special season and how Christmas is MUCH MUCH more than Santa and presents.  Your child will also be bringing home an Advent Chain this week.  This is to help them keep track of the days during Advent and inside each link is a message that should help them prepare for the coming of Christmas.  Please put it in a special place and help your child take a link off each day, starting this Sunday, December 1st.  I would also encourage all families to create an Advent wreath in your home as this also really helps the children to focus more on prayer and the true meaning of this season.  I will be sending home information about Advent later this week but thank you in advance in helping your child prepare for the coming of our Saviour and to know that Christmas really is about Jesus.  Happy Advent everyone!

Your child also brought home their Report Card on Friday and we hope you were able to take some time to read it with you child to celebrate their successes as well as to talk about things we can continue to work on in our next few months in Kindergarten.  All of our students continue to make wonderful progress and report cards are meant to help each child grow in different ways as individuals.  We will be having our conferences this Thursday and Friday and you should have already received a note indicating what times you are asked to attend with your child.  (Your child will also bring home a reminder of their time this week, just in case :o)  Students are asked to wear their uniforms and our conferences will take 10 minutes. Unfortunately, we are unable to go over that time but if you would like to meet for longer or if you have other questions or concerns you wish to talk about further with me, please let me know and we can set up another meeting time.  These conferences are really to celebrate the good work your child has done so far and to discuss their progress.  We hope this is a very positive experience for your child and it is helpful to meet all together to talk about successes and goals.  Please note that there is NO SCHOOL on Friday:o)

This Saturday is our Parish Bazaar and we hope everyone will be able to attend.  Each student made a craft that can be purchased at the Bazaar (although you could have also pre-purchased them as well) and there will be lots of fun and games so we hope you all will be there (and maybe some of your friends and family too...all are welcome!!!).  We are also asking families if they can donate a jar filled with fun items for the Jar Game at the Bazaar.  In the past, we have had jars filled with candy, small toys, a stuffie, a puzzle, socks or mittens, just to name a few.  Families often decorate the jars as well to make them extra exciting and then children try to win them at the Bazaar.  It is a great thing to do with your child as they often have great ideas for the jars and we ask that all jars are brought to the classroom by Thursday at 3:00pm.  Thank you in advance for your help and for supporting our parish. See you at the Bazaar!!!

And just a reminder that our Christmas Concert is on Tuesday, December 17th.  I think I said the 27th in my last blog...I'm just getting ahead of myself :o)  Please save the date and keep in mind our students will be dressing as angels so white clothes are needed.  Thank you!!!

Congratulations to Adie for being our wonderful Star of the Week.  Here are a few things her classmates had to say about her...

Adie plays nicely with everyone.

She does not say bad words.

She is a good friend.

She is nice to everyone.

She draws nice pictures.

Keep shining, Adie!  This week, we celebrate Tyson and look forward to learning more about him.  What a class of stars!!!

 

Have a great week everyone and I pray that this Advent is a special one for you and your family, one filled with faith and love.  God bless!

50 DAYS OF SCHOOL!

How exciting to reach 50 days of Kindergarten!!!  On Monday, we will celebrate this day with the other Kindergarten class and Grade 1s.  Students are asked to dress in 1950s style of clothing and we will spend the afternoon doing stations in each other's classrooms and then ending the day with a sock hop (complete with Ice Cream Floats).  What fun!  One of our stations is trying to blow bubbles with bubble gum...if you do not wish for your child to chew gum, please send me a message. If you would like to take photos of the kids, please feel free to pop in first thing in the morning or at the end of the day as it is a fun time and the students always look adorable.  Happy 50s Day!

On Tuesday, our Baptism Worksheets are due and the students will be presenting them so please ensure they are sent to school on Tuesday morning.  Thank you for your help with this and many students have already been very excited to show their Baptism photos!

TYPHOON TOONIE TUESDAY: On Tuesday, we are also raising money in support of our friends in the Philippines who are struggling after Typhoon Haiyan hit the province of Leyte.  All students are asked to send in a Toonie as the government will match every dollar that we raise.  This will also be a non-uniform day in order to thank the students for their generousity so send in a Tuesday and thank you in advance for your help!!!  Please keep the people of the Philippines in your prayers!!!

On Friday, students will be bringing home their first term Report Card.  If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me to set up an appointment so we can discuss things in person.  If I have specific concerns for your child, I would have already contacted you by now and would continue to do so in the future but I welcome anyone who would like to discuss their child's progress at greater length at any time.  We also will be having Three Way Conferences on Thursday, November 28th and Friday, November 29th.  Your family should have received a note on Friday asking you to choose a time when you are able to come in with your child and we ask that you return this form to school by Tuesday, November 19th.  This is a time to celebrate your child's progress and to look at goals for our next term together.  These conferences are more geared towards a conversation with the student and our time is limited to 10 minutes but you have more specific items you would like to discuss, again, please make a separate appointment.  Thank you!

CHRISTMAS: We are already starting to turn our attention towards Advent and the Christmas Season.  Students have started to prepare for our Christmas Concert, taking place on Tuesday, December 27th at 1:00pm and 7:00pm.  More information will be coming home soon but just a heads up that our students are being asked to dress up as angels.  Students will be asked to wear white robes or white clothing (although beige or very light coloured pants can be worn as I understand white pants are not usually in a Kindergarten's wardrobe:o)  We will be supplying 'halos' but please start thinking about white angel-ish clothing for your child and save the date.  Our Parish Bazaar is also coming up on Saturday, November 30th and our class made a craft to be sold on this day.  You may pre-purchase your child's craft in advance but make sure you get your orders in ASAP.  Also, I will be sending home information about Advent and I would encourage all of you to talk to your child about this wonderful season of preparation.  A wonderful activity to do together is to create an Advent wreath to display somewhere in your house.  I usually wait until we have some big wind and then pick up evergreen branches around my home and voila...my wreath is prepared (with my dollar store pink and 3 purple candles)!  Your child will also be bringing home an Advent Chain next week to help count down the days so I would also encourage you to help your child take a chain off each day and follow the message inside.  We often become very busy thinking about decorating, shopping and presents...it would be wonderful to take time thinking about the true reason for the season and spending our time in prayer and finding ways to give gifts to Jesus...both in our words and actions. 

STAR OF THE WEEK:  Congratulations to Orlagh for being our Star of the Week!!! Here are a few things her friends had to say about her...

Orlagh plays nicely.

She is a good friend.

She is nice to people.

She is good at soccer.

She is nice.

 

Keep shining, Orlagh!  You are a star!  This week, we will be learning more about Adie and finding ways to celebrate her!  We have a class of shining stars!

 

Enjoy the week and God bless!

LEST WE FORGET

I hope everyone enjoyed the extra long weekend and that we were all able to take time to think of our fallen soldiers on November 11th.  It is so important to remember and such a valuable lesson for the children so I thank you for taking the time to talk to your child and for everyone who wore a poppy.  LEST WE FORGET!

Just a few reminders...

• Thank you to everyone who sent in Food Bank items and candy for Agape...we had a TON of donations and it was so nice to see so many students participating in these activities.  We took the food to the Cloverdale Fire Hall as they will transport it to the Surrey Food Bank for us but they were AMAZED at how much we brought in!  THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!
• Scholastic Book Orders are due this Wednesday.  If you are purchasing Christmas gifts and you would like it to be a surprise for your child, please write "SECRET" at the top and I will make sure I get the books to you directly (rather than in your child's backpack where they tend to look what is inside :o)
• 50s Day is Monday, November 18ths and students are asked to dress in 1950s style clothing.  If you need any ideas or have any questions, please let me know.  It should be lots of fun!!!
• I sent home a worksheet asking your child to find out more about their Baptism.  This worksheet is due back on Tuesday, November 19th.  If you attach a photo, please be assured that it will be returned:o)
• Report Cards will be coming home on Friday, November 22nd and a note should be coming home this week about Three Way Conferences.  On Thursday, November 28th and on Friday, November 29th, we set up conference times to have a meeting with parents, the teacher and the student to discuss their progress so far.  The conference usually takes about 10 minutes and it gives all of us a chance to discuss our first term together.  Please note that there is no school on November 29th due to morning conferences.  Thank you!
• STAR OF THE WEEK:  Nemo, our class fish, enjoyed being our recent Star of the Week but before that, we were able to celebrate Derek!  Here are a few things his friends had to say about him...

Derek is a great friend

He plays nicely.

He prints neatly.

He is polite.

He is a nice friend.

 

Keep shining, Derek!  You are a star!

 

Enjoy the week, everyone and God bless you!

WE REMEMBER

Welcome to November!  It was wonderful to start this month off with All Saints Day and while I am very sad I was not able to be there on Friday (although I did have my saint costume on already before I realized that I was not going to make it in!), I heard from Mrs. Lewis that the children looked lovely and I am looking forward to all the photos.  What a great way to start our year remembering our Holy Heroes.  We also take time to remember all those who have passed away, not only with All Souls Day but also with Remembrance Day.  We will be spend most of this upcoming week talking about Remembrance Day but our focus is on the aspect of peace (rather than war).  I tell our students that we do hear sad things and see sad pictures during this time and while we may feel a little sad too, we need to remember that we can bring peace to the world, even with the little things in our daily lives.  We will also talk about our soldiers, again, focusing how their job is to also try to bring peace to the world.  Please take time to talk about Remembrance Day with your child as this really is a special opportunity to remember all of those who went before us to keep us safe and at peace.

• POPPIES: We will be having poppies sold at lunchtime each day this week so please send a donation with your child if you wish for them to purchase one.  We are hoping that every student will wear a poppy for our Remembrance Day Assembly on Wednesday.  I exchange the pins for safety pins so that they stay on longer and no one gets poked :o)  Thank you in advance.
• REMEMBRANCE DAY POSTERS: Each year, there is a poster competition sponsored by the Legion and our class will be participating.  We will be making our posters at school but there is a parent permission form that will need to be filled out in order for us to submit the entry to the Legion.  We often have a veteran come to our school to share with the us who the winners are and who might be going to the national competition, as winning posters are printed in their annual calendar that they sale so it is an exciting event.  We need to submit our posters by Thursday so please sign and return the form as soon as possible so we can ensure all posters are sent.  Thank you!
• NO SCHOOL: Just a reminder that there is no school on Friday as it is a Professional Development Day and then there is no school on Monday as it is Remembrance Day.  Please take time to remember and enjoy the long weekend.
• 'WE SCARE HUNGER' FOOD BANK & AGAPE CANDY: We will collect Food Bank Items as well as Halloween Candy until Thursday so please send in any donations this week.  Thank you again for your generousity.
• 50 DAYS OF SCHOOL: It's hard to imagine that we are almost at 50 days of school but in order to celebrate, the Kindergartens and Grade Ones will be celebrating in 1950s style.  Our students are invited to dress in clothes like the 1950s and we will do different activities around the number 50 as well as talk about what happened in the 1950s.  Our day will include ice cream floats and a sock hop so it should be a fun day for all.  If you need any simple costume ideas, let me know (a bow tie and a scarf can do wonders) or if you have any other questions, please see me.  Please note that only our classes will be dressing up for this day as this is not a school-wide event...just a perk of being in Kindergarten and Grade One :o)
• BAPTISM PROJECT: For the month of November, I will be also talking about Baptism in our classroom so I am sending home a worksheet that asks your child to learn a little bit more about their own Baptism.  It includes a space where you can either draw a picture or include a photo of your child's Baptism.  Please know that all photos will be returned.  This project will be due on Tuesday, November 19th.  If you have any questions about this, please let me know.  Thank you in advance for your help with this and I would also encourage you to talk to your child about their godparents, what they were wearing for their Baptism, their candle and anything else that may have happened on their special day. 
• PARISH BAZAAR CRAFT: On Tuesday, our class will be making their craft for our annual Parish Bazaar but we have a message for our Student Craft Coordinator, Lily Sebellin...

November 5^th is coming up soon and we could use a few more volunteers to help with the student crafts between 1-2pm.  We ask that Volunteers bring their own glue gun(if they have one) in order to expedite things. Volunteers can contact me directly by email at lilysebellin@shaw.ca  Thanks in advance.

 If you are able to help, please let Lily know and come to our classroom from 1-2pm on Tuesday. Thank you for your help and I hope you enjoy your week.  God bless you all!

 

 

ALL SAINTS DAY

This promises to be an exciting week for our students and it is hard to believe that we start November on Friday!!!  Here are a few reminders...

• PUMPKIN PATCH: First, a big THANK YOU to everyone who was able to drive and help with our fieldtrip. We could not have asked for a better day and I was so proud of how well behaved our students were at the farm.  But I do have to say an even bigger THANK YOU to the Tamis family for inviting us and for being so generous.  It was my first time to their farm and not only was I impressed with how prepared and organized they were for our students, I had no idea that I was able to purchase their own grown vegetables and eggs.  I would sooner have these farm fresh items any day over a large grocery store where produce has sat for days and then I know exactly how they have been grown.  Plus, we are able to support a school family as well as our own community of Cloverdale so I know where I will be shopping in the future and I would encourage you to do the same.  Thank you, Tamis Family!  And thank you to everyone who sent in food items that we will donate in their name to the Surrey Food Bank...what a great lesson for students to see how the generousity of one can become the generousity of many. Truly, thank you!!!
• SAINT PROJECT AND PARENT JOB PROJECT: Please note that these two worksheets are due on Monday.  We will be sharing this information this week in our classroom so please ensure your child has brought theirs in so they have something to share (and do not feel left out :o)  Thank you for doing this work at home :o)
• SCHOLASTIC: Our Scholastic Book Order for November will be due on Wednesday, October 30th.  If you are buying items as Christmas gifts and would like them to be a surprise, please write 'SECRET' at the top of your order and I will keep your order in the classroom until you are able to directly pick it up, rather than sending it with your child.  Thank you!
• HALLOWEEN: While we try to focus on the importance of All Saints Day and that the word 'Halloween' really comes from 'All Hallow's (Holy) Eve,' meaning the night before All Saints Day, we know that Halloween is still exciting for many children.  I will be sending home a prayer that can be used when you carve a pumpkin as we encourage students to think about a Jack O Lantern as being a reminder that we too are like pumpkins.  Sometimes we have yucky things inside us (I tell the students the 'guts' of a pumpkin that we take out are like our sins) but God can clean us out (forgive us our sins) and then His light will shine out of us to others.  I also send home a paper that asks them to count all the Halloween treats they receive (why not make use of all that candy and create a math lesson :o) but please note this is optional.  They can count their candy either on Thursday or over the weekend and then return their paper by Monday and I have a little treat for them if they do so but please don't feel you have to as I'm sure we will have many tired trick or treaters.  Another reminder that we will be collecting non-perishable food and Halloween Candy from Nov. 4th to Nov. 7th.  Information about Food Bank Items with our "WE SCARE HUNGER" campaign will come home on Monday but we have been doing this for 3 years, where we invite students to say, "Trick or Treat or Food to Eat" and they can collect some Food Bank items while they collect candy.  Again, an optional activity or they can bring items from home.  We also collect Halloween Candy (either leftover or from your child's collection) for the Agape Street Ministry so please send any you can spare as they use this candy to supply much of their ministry for the year.  Please note that this Friday is a Food Bank Mass, so please do not send items you collected from Halloween on Friday.  We are trying to keep the two collections separate as the class with the most items from Halloween will win a Popcorn Party.  We hope we are not asking too much and please only send in items you can spare but there is such a great need with our Food Banks, every item helps and we really encourage students to see how important it is to give, especially as we often have so much.  Thank you for your help with this!
• ALL SAINTS DAY: This Friday, we invite all of our students to dress up as our Holy Heroes (no need for uniforms, including gym strips, although they might want to wear their PE strip underneath if their costume makes them too warm...which often happens).  It is a fun day where we dress up, go to Mass, talk about our special saints, visit with our buddies and then spend the afternoon at a Primary All Saints Day Party.  For our party, I am in need of a family who would like to make 2 dozen cupcakes for our "Angel Food Cupcake Walk."  This can count towards service hours but please email me if you would like to do this for our class so we don't end up with too many or too few cupcakes.  THANK YOU!
• ALL SOULS DAY: I will also send home a little note with a paper cross attached...as Saturday is All Soul's Day, we would invite you the write down the names of anyone in your family that has past away and as a class, we will pray for them and put them up on our wall to remember them.  Please write your child's name on the back of the cross we we know who's cross is who's but it is important for us to think about all those souls so we can pray for them, that they are enjoying eternal life in Heaven.  Thank you!
• REMEMBRANCE DAY: As we begin November, we will be talking more about Remembrance Day.  While we try to focus more on the importance of peace, rather than war, with our young students, we encourage them to take time to think about those people who gave their lives to help make sure we live in a safe place.  Poppies will be sold from Nov.4th to 7th at our school so send in a donation and your child can buy one.  We would love to see all of our students wear their poppies for our Remembrance Day Assembly on Wednesday, November 6th.  There is also a poster contest that our class will do in-class but I will send home a note about it as we need a parent signature to say if we can mail in their posters to the Legion for judging.  If chosen, their poster can compete at the provincial level and then even at the national level.  If chosen then, they publish the poster in their annual calendar that is sold all over Canada.  This is a contest for students from K to 7 but it is a good opportunity for our young students to have the experience of making a poster while thinking about Remembrance Day.  Thank you!
• STAR OF THE WEEK: Congratulations to James who was our recent star!  Here are a few things his classmates had to say about him...

James loves us all.

He is a good friend.

He likes everyone.

He plays nicely.

He is good at colouring.

What a star, James!  We now look forward to celebrating our new star, Derek, this week. 

Keep shining, all you Kindergarten stars!

 

Have a wonderful week and may God bless you all!

NON UNIFORM DAY!

Since our school has reached and surpassed our Walkathon goal (YAHOO!!!), tomorrow, Wednesday, October 23rd will be a NON-UNIFORM DAY!  Students can wear what they want but there will be some prizes awarded to any student who comes dressed with a LEGO theme.  We will also have a Walkathon Assembly in the afternoon to award all of our Walkathon prizes.  Thank you again for your help and support...we are building a bigger and better CCS one brick at a time.

OCTOBER REMINDERS

I hope you all have enjoyed the weekend (and the fog).  Here are a few reminders for this week...

• INTERIMS: Your child brought home their Interim Report on Thursday...we ask that you sign it and return it to school as soon as you can so we know you have seen it.  If you would like to keep the report, please let me know and I will then return it back to you but it would be great if we could have all the signed reports in on Monday.  If you have any questions about the interim or would like to talk in more detail about your child's progress so far, please come and see me at your convenience.  So much changes in just a few weeks and I am amazed at how well our students have transitioned since the first few days of school.  We are now following our regular school routines, including having recess with the rest of the school.  Mrs. Lewis always is outside with the children so they have a familiar face and we always tell the students to find her first if they need anything but so far, everyone has done very well.  Keep up the fantastic work, Kindergarten!!!  And thank you to all our families for all the hard work you do at home with your child!  I appreciate all of your efforts!
• SCHOOL PHOTOS: Order forms for individual photos were due last week and re-takes are on Thursday, October 24th.  I only know of two students who need re-takes...if you would like your child to have another photo taken, please let me know so I know who to send on Thursday.  Thank you!  Our class photos will come home on Monday.
• SAINT PROJECT: As we approach All Saints Day on Friday, November 1st, we have been talking more about the saints and focusing on the Holy Heroes, rather than Halloween.  I sent home a worksheet, asking you and your family to choose a particular saint for your child and fill out the worksheet so that they can share some information about their special saint.  We also encourage the students to dress as a saint on All Saints Day.  So much of the focus at this time of year is on candy and spooky things but we are trying to talk about how one day of candy compares to an eternity with God in Heaven.  I hope to excite the students about All Saints Day and I'm hoping that by learning more about the saints, we can see what really is important.  The Saint Project is due back on Monday, October 28th but thank you to those of you who have already returned their worksheet.  Also, I will be sending home a little note on Monday about who your child might be dressing up as on All Saints Day so I can talk about these saints prior to the day so we become more familiar with them.  This little note will be due on Thursday, October 24th.  Thank you for your help in teaching your child more about our saints!
• PARENT JOB PROJECT: Not to overwhelm you with more homework (aka homeFUN) but I am also sending home a paper that asks your child to identify their parent's jobs.  We are beginning to talk about Communities and different places and jobs and while we all know what we do at school all day, children often can be unsure what their parents are doing at their jobs all day.  So this quick little activity lets us learn about what different parents do and then we discuss what these jobs entail.  Your child will have a chance to talk about what their parents do in the class and if you have objects from your job that you want to send with your child for that day, please do and we will take a closer look.  For example, we have had an accountant send in a calculator for all the math work they do, a homemaker send in measuring cups for all the meals she prepares and a nurse send in gloves to remind us about germs.  This project is also due on Monday, October 28th.  Students are encouraged to draw pictures of their parents at their different jobs or you can also attach photos if you would like.  If you have any questions or you are finding it difficult to get this done at home, please let me know.  Thank you for your help and support and thank you for letting us know what you do all day.
• BULBS: I sent a little note asking for any spare bulbs you might have as we have a small garden in our front year where we like to plant things.  PLEASE do not feel like you need to go out and purchase any bulbs for us...this is just in case you have any that we can add to our garden but we are fine if you do not have any to send.  Thanks!
• PUMPKIN PATCH: This Thursday, we will be going to the Pumpkin Patch.  If you are driving, please come to our classroom at noon and we will organize ourselves there.  I sent a note home saying who is going with who so please ensure arrangements have been made in regards to safety seats so we all are able to go as planned.  I did send extra copies of the Drivers Form to families, in case you wanted to fill one out so it is one record with our school for the year but again, thank you to everyone who is able to come, drive and supervise for the afternoon.  We could not go without you!  Please also note, as a thank you, we are collecting non-perishable food items to donate to the Surrey Food Bank in the Tamis' name since they are letting us come to their farm free of charge.  PLEASE SEND ALL FOOD ITEMS IN ON THURSDAY MORNING.  Thank you for your generousity...it is nice for the students to see that one good deed deserves another and that they are able to do this.  Please pray for sun on Thursday too :o)
• SWEATERS: We have a missing sweater.  Please check all labels as this sweater is marked and probably just ended up in the wrong backpack after gym a few days ago.  Some labels have also began to fade so please make sure all sweaters (and belongs) still have your child's name in it so we can identify who belongs to who and thank you for checking sweaters.  If you find the missing sweater, please return it on Monday.
• NO SCHOOL ON FRIDAY: Just a reminder that we have no school on Friday as it is a Professional Development Day for the staff.  We hope you enjoy the short week and the longer weekend.  Mrs. Lewis and I are off to the Kindergarten Conference in Langley so we are hoping to learn about new things that we can bring to the students.  It should be fun (afterall, it's an entire building full of Kindergarten Teachers!  HAHA!)!
• STAR OF THE WEEK:  Congratulations to Rosa for being a wonderful star of the week.  We enjoyed learning more about her and here are a few things her classmates had to say about her...

Rosa likes us.

She loves us.

She is a good friend.

She plays nicely.

She has good manners.

 

 

 

What a star, Rosa!  We now look forward to celebrating James next week and finding out more about him.  Keep shining all our stars!!!

 

Have a great week, everyone!  God bless you and your family!

PARISH BAZAAR INFORMATION

Each year, our preschool and CCS students prepare crafts which will be sold at Precious Blood's Parish Bazaar. This year, the bazaar will be on Saturday, November 30th from 9 am - 2 pm.

There is a crafting bee coming up this Thursday, October 17th at parish centre from 9 am - 12 noon in the columbus/cenacle rooms. This crafting bee is to prepare the CCS student crafts. Our coordinators are looking for volunteers to assist in this preparation. Snacks and refreshments will be served and little ones are welcome to come as well. All volunteers are asked to bring a pair of scissors and paint brush. NOTE: all of these volunteer hours will count towards the CCS family service hours. For further information, please contact the student craft coordinator, Lily Sebellin at lilysebellin@shaw.ca.

PS

Please also check your child's uniform to ensure that you have the right items.  We have a school shirt with no name on it in our classroom but Tyler is now missing his shirt...it has his name in it and probably was mixed up when we changed for PE so please take a moment to check all uniform pieces.  Please also ensure that labels are on each piece of clothing as some labels may have faded by now.  Thank you for checking and if you find Tyler's shirt, please return it to school.  THANK YOU!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I hope everyone has enjoyed the long weekend and has taken time to thank God for the many, many blessings we have, especially the gift of the children :o)  Just a few reminders for our upcoming week...

• WALKATHON:  Congratulations to all the students for doing SO WELL on our walk and for all of our families who worked so hard in getting pledges.  And a special thank you to all of our Parent Helpers who supervised and assisted in making our walkathon such a safe and great success.  Please note that pledges are due by Friday, October 18th in order to be considered for our various prize draws.  You can send in your money and pledge forms in the blue folders and we will get it to the office where they will calculate our class total as well as who is eligible for the different prize draws we have for the students.  Again, thank you for your support...we could not do this without YOU!
• PHOTO ORDERS:  Order forms for photos were due on Friday, October 11th but you can also send them first thing on Tuesday morning.  If you wish for your child to have a re-take, please either send back the proof indicating a re-take needed or send me a note (please write it down, rather than just telling me as I will likely forget if it's not in writing:o).  Retakes will take place on October 24th. 
• PUMPKIN PATCH: Permission forms are due by Wednesday, October 16th.  I am also sending home the driver note to families who have not completed one so that you can fill it out and return it so that we will have it for any future fieldtrips :o)  Please also note that we encourage parents who wish to supervise at fieldtrips to also complete a Criminal Record Check as we require these documents for safety reasons for our students.  Thank you again for your willingness to help and to spend time with us...again, we could not have fieldtrips without you!
• ALPHABET FLASHCARDS: I will be sending home an envelope with alphabet flashcards that come from the back of our class Phonic's Books.  These cards can be kept at home but I would encourage you to use them with your child to review the different letters and their sounds, particularly the ones we have covered in class so far (Aa to Ee).  We continue to work on becoming confident with all our letters so any additional support from home is always appreciated.  Thank you!
• SUNDAY GOSPEL: As we returned a little later than I thought on Friday from our Walkathon, I didn't have a chance to send home our Sunday Gospel book so I will send it home on Tuesday but please return back to school before Friday.  It is a wonderful Gospel for Thanksgiving as we hear the story of the 10 lepers, who are healed by Jesus.  But only one returns to praise God so it is an excellent remind to all of us to also take time to say thank you to God, for all the blessings we have in our life. 
• SAINT PROJECT:  Your child should have brought home a note and a worksheet that asks them to pick a favourite saint to write about.  If you have any questions or have trouble locating information about a particular saint, please let me know.  I will also be sending a note home asking you to indicate who your child might dress up on for All Saints Day (Friday, November 1st).  I do this so I can talk about these saints prior to the day so that we are all a little more familiar with them.  Some popular choices in the past are St. Francis, St. Anthony, St. Nicholas, Angel Gabriel, Mother Mary, St. Therese the Little Flower and St. Joan of Arc.  Bathrobes and pillow cases can make easy costumes for all our Little Saints :o)  Please see me if you need any costume ideas as well but we really encourage all of our students to dress up for All Saints Day. So much of the focus is on Halloween but we try to build up as much excitement as we can around our Holy Heroes as we hope to all be Holy Heroes in Heaven one day as well. Thank you!
• STAR OF THE WEEK: CONGRATULATIONS to Mark for being our first Kindergarten Star of the Week.  Here are a few things his classmates had to say about him as we celebrated him this past week...

Mark plays baseball.

We like him.

He plays nicely.

He has a medal.

He is a good friend.

Keep shining, Mark!  You are a star!  We look forward this week to celebrating our second class star, Rosa and learning about why she is so very special. 

 

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEK, EVERYONE AND GOD BLESS YOU ALL!!!

October is the Month of the Rosary

October 7th is the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary and our entire month is dedicated to this wonderful prayer.  We have introduced rosaries to the students and we have been discussing the different mysteries that we can think about as we pray.  Please take some time to talk to your child about the rosary, perhaps show them any rosaries you might have at home and maybe pray a decade or more together.  This powerful prayer is so special and what a wonderful think to share with your child.  On a side note, Pope Francis will consecrate the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on October 13th as we end our Year of Faith so it would be extra special to focus on Mary, our Heavenly Mother, and the rosary can help us with our efforts.

On Friday, we also celebrated the Feast of St. Francis.  We spent time during the week talking about Francis and watching a movie about him on Friday.  I was blessed to be able to backpack through Italy during the summer and I visited Assisi for a few days.  What a beautiful, inspiring place...so while I was there, I picked up prayer cards for our class.  You may have noticed them in their blue folders (complete with the Prayer of St. Francis in Italian on the back).  I was excited to be able to share my experience in Assisi with our students and I hope they find a special place to put their card...perhaps if they have a prayer table in their room or even by some of their animal stuffies (since St. Francis loved animals).  So often, we are bombarded with photos of famous people who may not be the best role model...how wonderful to have pictures around of people who really are holy heroes.  St. Francis, pray for us.

WALKATHON NEWS:  Our class has raised over $900 so far which is AWESOME!!!  Thank you so much for your help and support and please know that we appreciate all of your efforts.  Our class goal is $1200 and we will be having our final Tally Day on Wednesday, October 9th.  We are trying to excite the students for our walk on Friday and we are hoping that each student can try to bring in a few more dollars so we can reach our goal.  Please return the Tally Day note on Thursday.  The big walk will be on Friday.  We will start with Mass and then get ready for the walk. Thank you to everyone who has offered to walk with us as the more the merrier.  Students should wear their uniforms but I would encourage all students to have rainjackets with hoods and boots (as long as they are comfortable for walking).  Please no umbrellas for our students as they tend just to poke people :o)  We will walk together and then return to our classroom for Hot Lunch, followed by our NOON DISMISSAL!  Students will be dismissed directly from our classroom as it usually takes us a little longer to eat Hot Lunch so please come directly to our classroom to pick up your child.  Again, thank you for your help and support in building CCS into a bigger and better place.  We could not do this without your support and every single dollar makes a difference. 

FIELDTRIP NEWS: We are still hoping to go to the Pumpkin Patch on October 24th but unfortunately, while we have many families offering to drive and supervise, we have very few families who have completed their Criminal Record Check and/or our School Drivers Form. (Right now, we only have two of our drivers who have completed both of these requirements).  This means that while you may supervise and drive your own child, you would not be able to do so for another child in our class.  I would ask if you are planning on supervising or driving, that you complete these forms as soon as you can and let me know so that I can ensure we have enough people for this fieldtrip.  I am only able to send home our permission slip once I know we have followed our safety guidelines so the sooner we have those forms in, the better.  Also, while siblings are welcome to attend, please note that you will be unable to supervise a group as attention needs to be directed primarily to our school students.  There is also a cost if siblings wish to pick pumpkins as well.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed and thank you to everyone who has offered to help and to drive.  We greatly appreciate you taking the time to spend the afternoon with us and, hopefully, we will be able to go.

FIRE SAFETY WEEK:  This week is Fire Prevention Week so I will be sending home a Fire Safety Handout for you to do at home with your child.  While we have been practicing at school, we have also been talking about how important it is to have a plan at home.  Please talk to your child about Fire Safety at home and make a plan to be safe.  Thank you!

INTERIMS: You will receive an Interim Report on Thursday, October 17th to give you a very brief idea on how your child is doing so far.  If you would like to discuss their progress further or have questions based on the interim, please let me know and we can meet.  If I have concerns, now or at any point during the year, please know that I will contact you personally to set up a meeting.  I often find the students really settle into the school routine over the next few weeks in October (if not already:o) but if you notice your child is continuing to have trouble adjusting, please let me know so we can discuss different strategies to assist your child.  But Mrs. Lewis and I often comment on how well this class has transitioned to our routines and the full day and we are both very proud of their ongoing growth and progress. They are all doing well!

SAINT PROJECT:  Just for a heads up as we start to get closer to All Saints Day on Friday, November 1st, I will be sending home a worksheet this week for each student to complete that asks them to pick a saint (either one they are named after or one that is particularly meaningful to them or your family) so they can tell the class a little bit about them.  This might be the saint they dress up as on All Saints Day as this is a CCS tradition (We do not dress up for Halloween and we try to keep our focus on our Holy Heroes who we celebrate on All Saints Day).  I send the worksheet home early so that you have time to talk to your child about which saint they would like to pick and if you need any help finding information about the saint, I can help you.  My hopes is that our students become familiar with the stories of some of our amazing saints so that they realize that they too can one day be saints.  I often find myself reminding students that saints were not perfect...they sinned like everyone else but they worked hard to love God and make him the most important thing in their lives, something we hope to do too.  Thank you for your help with this project and again, let me know if you need any help.

WORK LIEU HOURS: Usually once a month, I ask if there are any families who would like to take home one of our play bins over the weekend to wash the toys.  This counts as work lieu hours and you are welcome to take more than one bin if you wish.  I try to leave the bins on the blue bench on a Friday so families can help themselves but since it is our walkathon this Friday, if you would like to wash some toys for us, please just come to our classroom and take a bin.  We just ask that it is returned on Tuesday so we have it for Centers.  THANK YOU!!!  We are also looking for anyone who wants to make play dough for our class...I posted a recipe a few blogs ago but this also can count towards hours.  Just send the play dough to school in a container when you are done and we will use it as needed.  THANK YOU AGAIN!

This week, we will spend a great deal of time talking about being thankful and appreciating all the things that God has given us.  I am especially appreciative of all of you as you do so much to support your child and our school.  I am thankful for you all and the gift of letting me teach your child.  I wish you all a most HAPPY THANKSGIVING in advance and I hope this upcoming long weekend is full of fun, laughter and love.  God bless!

The Important Book

We recently read 'The Important Book' by Margaret Wise Brown and it inspired us to talk about what makes us so important.  Enjoy!!!

THE IMPORTANT BOOK

Created By KINDERGARTEN

Cloverdale Catholic School 2013-2014

 

The important thing about Kindergarten is that we go to school all day.

The important thing about Adie is that she always remembers to clean up toys.

The important thing about Cate is that she is in her family.

The important thing about Christian is that he has a loving heart.

The important thing about Derek is that he likes his friends.

The important thing about Ethan is that he is good at listening.

The important thing about Gabrielle is that she is a good friend.

The important thing about James is that he loves his brothers.

The important thing about Jonas is that he is good at playing soccer.

The important thing about Kai is that he is a good friend.

The important thing about Keith is that he is a fast runner.

The important thing about Mark is that he is a part of his family

The important thing about Mia is that she prays for people.

The important thing about Micah is that he is good at cleaning up.

The important thing about Mrs. Lewis is that she is always optimistic.

The important thing about Mrs. Saharchuk is that she loves teaching about God.

The important thing about Myles is that he is good.

The important thing about Orlagh is that she loves her family and God.

The important thing about Rosa is that she is a good friend.

The important thing about Shady is that he helps his mom and dad.

The important thing about Tyler is that he is himself.

The important thing about Tyson is that he is an important part of his family.

The important thing about William is that he is good at baseball.

But the important thing about Kindergarten is that we go to school all day.

Welcome to October...

It sure feels like Autumn is here...just a few reminders for a few things coming up in Kindergarten...

• Scholastic Order Forms for October are due on Tuesday, October 1st.  Thank you for your orders!
• Pumpkin Patch Driver Forms are also due back on Tuesday, October 1st so we can see if we have enough drivers for our fieldtrip.  Thank you to everyone who has already returned their form.  If we have enough drivers, your child will receive a permission form later this week :o)
• On Friday, October 4th, we will once again ask for you to send in the amount your child has in walkathon pledges so far...there will be a little note in their blue folder that should be returned on Friday.  As of Thursday, September 26th, our class had $410 which is a GREAT start!  THANK YOU TO EVERYONE!!!  For every $20 your child brings in, their name is entered into our prize draw (For example, $60 means 3 entries) and students reaching $40 receive a Lego Figure.  We are really hoping that each child can try to reach the goal of $60 each but please note that any amount is greatly appreciated and our walkathon would not be a success without all of you.  Thank you for all your hard work and for supporting CCS!
• I sent home our October Calendar...I attached some little cards that could be used as Math Flashcards at home if you are interested.  We are beginning to focus on number names, 10 frames and using our fingers to show numbers so I thought you may want to review with your child at home as well.  Even calling our a number and having your child raise that many fingers is a good skill so that it becomes more automatic.  If you have any questions, please let me know but Mrs. Lewis and myself have been quite pleased with how well our students know their numbers from 1 to 10 already.  Thank you!
• Our Letter of the Week is 'Cc.'  Thank you to everyone who has been sending in pictures or photos of items that start with our Letter of the Week as the students love to see their work on the wall.  I will also be sending home a review sheet of how I teach letters and sounds in our classroom, just so you know how I do it.  I try to teach all the sounds that each letter makes and often parents want to be able to review these sounds at home so I thought it would be helpful for you to see my approach.  Again, any questions, please let me know:o)
• We had our first 'real' Fire Drill last week (with the real fire bell) and the students did great!  We have been talking about Fire Safety at school but I would also encourage you to discuss Fire Safety at home.  October 6-12th is Fire Safety Week so I will be sending home some information for you to do at home with your child so please take some time to discuss this important safety topic with your child.  Thank you!  We have also started to practice Earthquake drills at school too so you may also want to address this with your child for home.

I think that is it!  Please keep in mind if our weather is not so great this week, to send rain jackets and rain boots if possible as we need to go outside when we go to the gym and on Fridays, we always go outside, rain or shine.  We have had a few students not have jackets on rainy days so please help them to remember.  And, of course, PLEASE remember to label all items that come to school.  Have a wonderful week and God bless you!

HAPPY AUTUMN!

Can you believe that we are entering our FOURTH WEEK already?  Last week, we started some of our regular class routines that will go on for most of our year together.  There were lots of new things to do and learn and the students did SO WELL!  Mrs. Lewis and I were commenting on how well the children are adapting to all the things being asked of them and we can't believe how smooth the transition has been so far.  Wow!  Way to go, Kindergarten!  All that being said, it was very clear by the end of the week that we had many TIRED students (we had a few silent times during the days where no one talked and that is NOT typical...haha!  They were even too tired to talk!)  I would HIGHLY recommend students going to be early and trying to get as much sleep as they can for this next little while.  It certainly does get easier as they adjust but there are a lot of demands being made on them and while they are doing EVERYTHING we are asking them to do, I am sure it is taking a toil on them.  I encourage families to try to keep things very simple at home, after school and in the evening.  I know many students are involved in other activities, such as soccer, swimming or ballet but it is a good idea to limit activities until they adjust to being at school for our full days.  If you notice your child is having a more difficult time adjusting to being at school all day, please let me know and if I see any challenges at school, I will contact you.  But truly, Mrs. Lewis and I are very impressed with this group and are thrilled to see them doing so well with our full days already...it really does get easier as we go along:o)

A BIG thank you to everyone who sent in money for our Terry Fox Walk last week...our school raised over $1200, which is more than we have done EVER!  What a great lesson for our students!  Also, a BIG thank you to our Kindergarten students who helped sort ALL the coins on Thursday morning:o)  We spent a big chunk of our morning sorting the coins into different bins and talking about money so a great teachable moment plus a wonderful service to our school.  Way to go, Kindergarten!

Just a few reminders for next week...

• Our theme next week will be LEAVES so I am asking for students to start bringing in different types of leaves.  We are hoping for a variety so it would be great if they could bring in a few leaves of different shapes, colours and sizes.  We will also be talking about signs of Autumn, including leaves that change colour and fall so be on the lookout for falling leaves :o)
• Our students took home their first Library Book on Thursday.  Please ensure they bring back their book AND book on either Wednesday or Thursday morning at the latest.  If they do not return their book, they do not get a new one, which is always disappointing for our students so please help them to remember to return their book.  Thank you!
• Students also brought home their Walkathon Pledge forms on Friday.  Our walkathon will be on October 11th and we are asking each of our Kindergarten students to aim for raising $60 in pledges.  Our class goal is $1200.  The walkathon is one of our schools biggest fundraisers for the year so we really ask that everyone helps in any way possible for this event.  We are in need of finding more space for our school so the money we raise will be a huge help in making CCS a bigger and better place.  We will also need parent helpers to walk with us on the day of our walkathon.  We encourage our students to talk to family and friends about getting pledges and our school sincerely appreciates all efforts made in supporting our school.  Students also were invited to participate in a contest that fits into our Lego Theme for this year's walkathon as we are trying to "BUILD OUR SCHOOL ONE BRICK AT A TIME."  Each child was asked to design a Lego Figure and submit their entries by Thursday, September 26th.  If you child is participating, please ensure their write their name and grade on their paper so Mr. Borkowski will know who created the figure and then return it to school in our blue folder.  Thank you and good luck with those pledges!
• Thank you also to everyone who has been making sure to send in their absentee notes if their child has been away from school.  Perhaps the easiest thing to do is to email the school office (or if you email me, you can send a copy to the office or I can forward it) so they will have it on record.  Any time your child is away, we need a written note explaining their absence and the sooner your note is in, the better it is for our office staff so please consider emailing or sending a note on the day your child returns.  Thank you for your help with this.
• There is NO SCHOOL this Friday, September 27th and our staff will be attending a Faith Development Day at Holy Cross.  It should be a nice break for our Kindergarten students to have a longer weekend, and hopefully, for all of you as well.  Enjoy the long weekend!

Thank you for your continued support and help...our year so far is going so smoothly and I know that is due to all of our families!  If you have any questions or concerns at anytime, please let me know but our students have been happy, polite and hard working in our classroom and I am thrilled with their progress so far.  You all are making my job very easy!  Enjoy the week and may God bless you all.

WEEK 3

Can you believe we are already starting our third week of school?  Our Kindergarten class did SO WELL adjusting to our full day of school last week...Mrs. Lewis and I were amazed!  Even in the heat, the students really started to get into our routines and were able to last ALL DAY:o)  It does get easier as we go along so hopefully, the children will find this week a little more relaxing and comfortable. 

But we are starting our Letter of the Week routine on Monday...this routine will go on for the next 26 weeks so it can be a little challenging at first, but I think the students are ready!  This week, we will focus on the letter 'Aa' and I would invite everyone to send in photos of anything that starts with the letter 'Aa.'  We keep a picture wall for our Letter of the Week so we welcome pictures that are drawn, cut out from newspapers or fliers, printed from the internet or even the words written down by any of our Kindergarten students who feel like printing:o)  We do this every week so please feel free to send in pictures every Monday and your child can present their picture to the class.  They are usually pretty excited to show their picture and the class is usually excited to guess the word so it's fun for all. Thank you in advance! 

Thank you also to everyone who sent in Scholastic Book Orders-we had a great response and it is nice to see so many readers out there.  Also, thank you to everyone who returned the Highlights and Chirp Order Forms as well.  Please note that if you forgot, you can still send in Scholastic or the magazine order forms (even if you say NO as we still get free gifts for our classroom).  Please send these in by Monday afternoon at the latest.

On Wednesday, our school will be having our annual TERRY FOX WALK!  Terry Fox is such an inspiration on what one individual can accomplish, despite challenges as we want to celebrate him as well as carry on his dream.  All students are asked to send in as many coins as they can by Wednesday as we will be collecting the money in ice-cream buckets, just as they used to do while Terry ran and his helpers (usually his brother) would go along side to the people to collect donations.  It really is exciting for students to be able to put some coins in our bucket because we remind them that every coin helps to find a cure for cancer.  We want the students to get excited about this event and to realize that they too can make a difference and that they can help others.  Thank you in advance for any money you are able to send in...no donation is too small and we thank you for your support.  For our walk, we usually walk around our school track but they are predicting rain so please keep this in mind so that students have appropriate jackets for this day. 

And just a reminder that Friday is Photo Day so please ensure your child is in full uniform, including their red sweater. And thank you to everyone who returned the photo form, selecting your pose and background colour...that makes it much easier for me and the photographer :o)

Oops...I forgot to mention that every Friday, your child will be bringing home their yellow Mass/Gospel Duotang.  Every Friday, we talk about the Sunday Gospel and then we colour a picture that goes with it so we have some idea of what we will hear at Mass on Sunday.  By colouring a picture and discussing the story prior to Mass, it is amazing to see the students recognize some of the story or names when the priest is talking on Sunday.  My hope with this activity is that the Mass becomes a little more meaningful to our students and that they become just a little bit more involved with what is happening.  I always tell them to try to listen for the Gospel and then look for the Consecration of the Bread and Wine and just reminding them to do those two things can really help.  I do ask parents to also look at their duotang and to initial each week, just so I know you have seen it too.  It is funny but I find myself talking to my husband about the Gospel on the way to Mass every Sunday and he also asks me how I know these things...I tell him it is all because of the Kindergarten students :o)  They help me learn too!  Please make sure your child brings back their yellow duotang every Monday and thank you for your help and support with this...it is GREATLY appreciated!!!

And I believe I mentioned this SOMEWHERE in my writing but every Friday afternoon, we go outside for 'Outdoor Education.'  Sometimes we have a Science focus or an Art focus but we always try to be physical and active during this time. Because we are outside, we do want to ensure that our students are dressed appropriately.  Last week, we were lucky with the good weather but please note that we do go outside rain or shine (or snow if we are so lucky.)  Please keep this in mind when you send your child to school on Fridays and feel free to leave boots in our classroom if you would like.  Last year, I had quite a few students leave boots at school as our field can get quite soggy during the year.  So far, our students have been staying on the woodchips but next week, we will be playing on the field and track if we have outdoor recesses.  We are hoping  to join the rest of the school at recess by the end of October if things go as planned :o)

Thank you for all your are doing with your child to make our transition to the full day of school go so well.  I hope when the students go home, they are not too tried and that they are still happy.  It is a BIG CHANGE and it can be challenging.  They are asked to do many new things, sometimes things they like but sometimes things they do not like but we try to balance our days and we try to find things that everyone will enjoy.  As they become more familiar with our routines and expectations, it usually does get a LOT easier but I applaud all of our students on doing so well last week and I look forward to the week ahead and starting some of our regular routines.  Enjoy the week, everyone and God bless you all!

A MESSAGE FROM THE PFG

The Walkathon is on October 11th this year, and the PFG will be looking for a number of volunteers for different jobs on the day of the event.  A sign up sheet with more information will be coming home soon!

The next PFG meeting will be held on Monday, September 16th, at 7pm, in the Cenacle Room in the Parish Centre.  They are still looking for volunteers to complete their executive committee:

• The Co-Chair is responsible for arranging PEC meetings, and carries out the Chair's duties in their absence.
• The Volunteer Coordinator communicates with Parent Reps and the Family Service Coordinator to find and organise volunteers for PFG events.

They are also looking for two Parent Representatives from each class.  Parent Reps liaise with the teacher and class parents regarding fundraising efforts, and help the Volunteer Coordinator recruit volunteers for PFG events.

Joining the PFG is a great way to fulfil your family service commitment (not including the mandatory maintenance hours) for the year.  For more information, please attend the meeting, or email: fundraising@ccsunited.ca