Saturday, 7 September 2013
OOPS!
Photo Day is not THIS Friday but NEXT Friday, September 20th. Make sure everyone brings their smile on that day:o) THANK YOU!
OUR FIRST FULL WEEK OF SCHOOL
I hope everyone has had a fun yet restful weekend. It is a big adjustment being at school (especially for me, having had two months off...haha!) and this upcoming week is usually the most challenging for transitions for our young students. But I am confident it will all go well as the students did SO well making it through our first week. We try to fill most of our day with play based activities but we will begin introducing some of our more common routines and even some 'work' times :o) Having a good night's sleep is often the greatest advantage for students this week as adjusting to the full day can be very tiring so pleasure ensure your child is getting as much sleep as possible. I will try to do the same :o)
Just a few reminders for our upcoming week:
Just a few reminders for our upcoming week:
- Our theme this week is APPLES. Your child will bring home a note on Monday, asking if they can bring an apple to school for Tuesday. We will be observing and comparing the different apples, discussing their life cycle and on Friday, we will be making apple sauce with our apples that they can then sample. Please send an apple to school on Tuesday if possible. Thank you!
- On Monday, your child will also bring home a form that reminds us that it is PHOTO DAY on Friday. It will ask you to select a background and a pose for your child so PLEASE indicate what you would like, write your child's name on the form and please return the following day. If we do not have your form, they will do a standard pose and background. Please note that they do their best to capture a great photo but if needed, there will be a re-take day (to be announced.) Students should be in complete uniform on Friday, including their red sweater. I will try to see if we can have our photos taken right after Mass, BEFORE recess, as to keep ourselves tidy:o) Thank you for returning the photo forms as soon as possible.
- On Tuesday, it is our traditional Meet the Staff Night but this year, we are trying to do something new with having a BBQ and making it more of a meet and greet with the entire school community. You are invited to come with your family, explore the school, visit with the staff, look through the classrooms (especially our own) and enjoy the company of our other school families. PLEASE ENSURE YOU VISIT OUR CLASSROOM TO PICK UP YOUR PARENT PACKAGE FROM YOUR CHILD'S TABLE. This package explains our routines and expectations for the year and includes a Scholastic Book Order form, as well as two magazine forms. There will also be a Phone/Email List for both Kindergarten classes attached so that you have contact information (and can set up those ever popular playdates:o) We also sent home a form seeing which families are attending so we have a better idea on how much food we need to please send back your response by Monday morning so we can order the Hot Dogs and chips. We are praying for good weather so we can enjoy some outside time but if we do have any rain, we will just bring our fun indoors. Thank you and see you on Tuesday night from 5:30 to 7:30pm.
- Scholastic Book Order Forms come home every month and will have the due date for the order written on the front page. Scholastic often has a great variety of books at a great price. (I think I have ordered something from Scholastic every month for the last 10 years!) PLEASE do not feel obliged to order anything but depending on how many orders we get, Scholastic will send free books and gifts to our classroom. Most of our classroom library are free books from Scholastic so for a teacher, it is a wonderful program and, of course, anything to promote reading:o) OUR FIRST SCHOLASTIC ORDER FORMS ARE DUE BACK ON FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13th. Thank you!
- Chirp & Highlights are two magazines for children who send order forms to schools to see if families are interested in purchasing a subscription for the year. As a perk for teachers, who pass out the forms, they offer to send free gifts, depending on how many forms are returned from families. You do not need to order anything but if you return the forms-even if they say no to the subscription-they will send us free gifts. As a teacher, anything free is exciting:o) So PLEASE SIGN AND RETURN BOTH MAGAZINE FORMS (even if you say NO to them) by Friday, September 13th so we can get some free things for the classroom. THANK YOU!
- We are also looking for a few families who may be interested in donating or making play dough for us. I have a good recipe that makes great dough... 2 cups of flour, 1 cup of salt, 1 cup of water (and feel free to add some food colouring as well) and then add a little cooking oil (NO PEANUT OIL). The oil is the thing to watch and is the ingredient that will prevent the dough from hardening. It will not need more than 1 Tbsp of oil but often, it needs much less so please check the texture as you knead it and add the oil as needed. Then place in an airtight container (an old yogurt or margarine container works well) and send to school. This is a great item to get in some time for work lieu hours and also a fun activity to do with your child. They often feel very proud when we use THEIR play dough during our centers. PLEASE do not feel like you MUST make play dough...this is only if you would like to at this point. We accept play dough throughout the year so anytime during the year that you would like to make or send any, please feel free. Thank you for your time and generousity.
- We also are looking for donations of any lego figures as well as dress up costumes, particularly community helper costumes. We do not need any animal costumes and we have limited space to store our costumes but if you have an old firefighter rainjacket that you no longer want, a Cinderella costume that needs a new home or a cape that needs a superhero, please feel free to send it to school for us to use in our classroom. We also accept pieces of fabric that students may use their imagination with to create a costume. Again, PLEASE do not feel you need to send anything but as we get ready for the costume season (or even after Halloween when no one needs their costumes anymore), please know that we also enjoy new additions to our dress up center. THANK YOU!
Thursday, 5 September 2013
OUR FIRST WEEK
WOW! What an amazing week we have been having in Kindergarten! I am so impressed with how well the students are adjusting to being at school...so many new routines but they are ALL doing do well! THANK YOU! We are getting prepared for next week as we being our FULL DAYS! I know a few students have been feeling a little tired by the end of our day so it will be a challenge for the first little while to adjust to all day but I know they can do it. Please ensure your child is getting plenty of sleep, especially for our first few weeks of full day classes. If you have concerns or questions as we go along, please know that you can always contact me.
Tomorrow we will be going to Mass for the first time with our class and we will be sitting with our Grade 5 (Mrs. Tyrrell) Buddies. We were able to meet our buddies today at recess, which was pretty exciting. Please note that tomorrow is also a Food Bank Mass (the first Friday of every month is a Food Bank Mass) so we put a reminder in their blue folders and we hoping that students can bring in a non-perishable food item. No worries if you are unable but we always tell the students that every item helps and we keep track each month, trying to beat our tally from the month before. Thank you in advance for your generousity.
Another reminder for bringing in the following items to our classroom: a family photo, gym shoes, blanket/towel, stuffie, extra socks, shorts and underwear, water bottle and phone list. If you have already sent in all your items, THANK YOU and if you have labelled everything, an even BIGGER THANK YOU! Please send the items by tomorrow if you can:o) We do have PE and Quiet Time on Monday so it would be nice if everyone had the things that the need.
Your child also brought home a Hot Lunch form as well as a notice about our CCS BBQ on Tuesday, September 10th. Hot Lunch forms are due by Friday but since it came late this week for our students, you can also submit it Monday morning. Please also let us know if you are able to attend so we know how much food we need to order. Thank you!
Looking forward to our first Friday together and wishing you all a Happy Weekend in advance. Thank you for all the work you have done with your child...they are doing so well and Mrs. Lewis and I are having a great time. God bless!
Tomorrow we will be going to Mass for the first time with our class and we will be sitting with our Grade 5 (Mrs. Tyrrell) Buddies. We were able to meet our buddies today at recess, which was pretty exciting. Please note that tomorrow is also a Food Bank Mass (the first Friday of every month is a Food Bank Mass) so we put a reminder in their blue folders and we hoping that students can bring in a non-perishable food item. No worries if you are unable but we always tell the students that every item helps and we keep track each month, trying to beat our tally from the month before. Thank you in advance for your generousity.
Another reminder for bringing in the following items to our classroom: a family photo, gym shoes, blanket/towel, stuffie, extra socks, shorts and underwear, water bottle and phone list. If you have already sent in all your items, THANK YOU and if you have labelled everything, an even BIGGER THANK YOU! Please send the items by tomorrow if you can:o) We do have PE and Quiet Time on Monday so it would be nice if everyone had the things that the need.
Your child also brought home a Hot Lunch form as well as a notice about our CCS BBQ on Tuesday, September 10th. Hot Lunch forms are due by Friday but since it came late this week for our students, you can also submit it Monday morning. Please also let us know if you are able to attend so we know how much food we need to order. Thank you!
Looking forward to our first Friday together and wishing you all a Happy Weekend in advance. Thank you for all the work you have done with your child...they are doing so well and Mrs. Lewis and I are having a great time. God bless!
Thursday, 29 August 2013
PS Mabel's Labels
THIS IS FROM THE SCHOOL WEBSITE...
And as a teacher, I have seen these labels last the entire year without fail, including the inside of gym shoes (which is a REAL accomplishment). They really are GREAT labels! Thanks again!
Just in time for next school year we will be restarting our Mabel's
Labels fundraiser. Mabel's Labels are durable labels that stay on even
when put in the dishwasher, washer and dryer.
Please order from this special website dedicated to our school fundraising
efforts, www.cce.mabelslabels.com Thank you!
And as a teacher, I have seen these labels last the entire year without fail, including the inside of gym shoes (which is a REAL accomplishment). They really are GREAT labels! Thanks again!
WELCOME TO KINDERGARTEN!
IT'S BACK TO SCHOOL TIME!!! (Or for
some, FIRST TIME TO SCHOOL!) It is hard to believe that our summer holidays are
over and that school is ready to begin. I hope everyone had a restful and happy
summer. I also hope that everyone is excited about the start of our new school
year. For those of you who had children in my class last year but are still
receiving my blog updates... HELLO!!! I'm sure everyone is THRILLED about
starting Grade One (and having their OWN desk) but please do tell your child
that I missed them! They truly were an amazing bunch and they set the bar high
in the fun department (I'm sure our new Kindergarteners are up for the
challenge!). As for these blog updates, I'm quite sure there is a way to
'unsubscribe' and then 'subscribe' to Miss Da Cruz's blog-I just don't know
how...haha! For all our new Kindergarten families who are reading this, WELCOME
WELCOME WELCOME! I hope for it to be a happy and educational year together and
I look forward to getting to know everyone better in the next few weeks.
As for the next few weeks, you should have received a note in the mail, explaining a few things. If not, the office may have the wrong address so we should double check that with them. But as mentioned in the note and at our orientation meeting, our first day of school is unlike the other grades as it is more like an Open House. You should come into the classroom with your child (anytime between 8:50am until 11:00am for approximately 30 minutes) and there will be a list of things to do so that you all can become a little more familiar with the classroom. This does help to ease the children into the idea of coming to school and last year, every child was able to walk into the classroom without any support the following morning. I ask for parents and families to say good-bye to their child in the Kindergarten line-up (which will be marked on the cement outside the primary doors). Mrs. Lewis and myself will always help all the students if they need it with their jackets, backpacks or any other items and we do not start our day until every child is seated on our carpet together. If you do need to come into the school, please note that you do need to have a visitor's tag from the office. That being said, I do LOVE for families to come and visit or help in the classroom throughout the day. There is a sign-up sheet by our Kindergarten door if you are interested...please just note your name and what time you plan on coming so I can have things ready for you if you wish to help. If you want to just come and watch, pop on by anytime (although I will probably try to make you do something for me...hahaha!) Oh yes-students should be in full uniform the first day as well as for the rest of the year. (If you are waiting for something from the uniform company that has not yet arrived, please send your child in something as close to the uniform as possible). Please send their red sweaters to school each day also-they do not need to wear them if they are hot but we need to have them for Assemblies, Masses and other occasions so it is a good routine to always have it with them (or in their backpack).
As for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, please note that students should be in the line-up at 8:50am and then we will dismiss at noon. Students are ONLY dismissed if there is a person who is there to directly pick them up. This is our routine for the entire year so please tell anyone who you may ask to pick up your child to come directly to me to identify themselves and who they are picking up. Please help me as the beginning of the year is always a little crazy and some parents will come to pick up their child and I will simply look blankly at them. You may need to tell me which child is yours to jog my memory but I promise I will try my best to get to know your faces quickly. Even parents who have known me for years, I tend to have 'Back to School Brain' the first few weeks so it is slow...very slow! Again, please be patient with me :o)
I have asked for a few items to be brought to school by Friday, September 6th although it would be great to have them in sooner than later. Students should bring their gym shoes the first day to put in their shoe cubby. I also asked if students could bring in a family photo, a favourite stuffie that can be left at school and a blanket or a towel to lie on the floor during quiet time. It is also REALLY HELPFUL to have a ziploc bag with a pair of socks, underwear and red shorts in case of any accidents that often happen in Kindergarten. Sometimes the line-up to the bathroom is too long or someone slips in the mud at recess - having emergency clothes at school really helps us deal with the situation easily in the classroom (and helps avoid any embarassment). And we would love it if every child had a water bottle that stays at school in our classroom. Again, please remember to label all items (including those extra socks, underwear and shorts...they tend to get mixed up over the year otherwise). Thank you!!!
I think that is it for now (although I'm sure there are a million other things...so much happening the first few weeks of school). I hope to use this blog throughout the year as a means to communicate, especially to send out messages and reminders as they come up. Some weeks I am better at updating the blog than others so please be patient with me and if you do ever have any questions, please email me at anytime. I do check my school address lsaharchuk@ccsunited.ca but I am more likely to see your message sooner if you use lvanderk@hotmail.com . Thanks again and wishing everyone a most wonderful year at C.C.S! We are so blessed to have such an amazing school! God bless!
As for the next few weeks, you should have received a note in the mail, explaining a few things. If not, the office may have the wrong address so we should double check that with them. But as mentioned in the note and at our orientation meeting, our first day of school is unlike the other grades as it is more like an Open House. You should come into the classroom with your child (anytime between 8:50am until 11:00am for approximately 30 minutes) and there will be a list of things to do so that you all can become a little more familiar with the classroom. This does help to ease the children into the idea of coming to school and last year, every child was able to walk into the classroom without any support the following morning. I ask for parents and families to say good-bye to their child in the Kindergarten line-up (which will be marked on the cement outside the primary doors). Mrs. Lewis and myself will always help all the students if they need it with their jackets, backpacks or any other items and we do not start our day until every child is seated on our carpet together. If you do need to come into the school, please note that you do need to have a visitor's tag from the office. That being said, I do LOVE for families to come and visit or help in the classroom throughout the day. There is a sign-up sheet by our Kindergarten door if you are interested...please just note your name and what time you plan on coming so I can have things ready for you if you wish to help. If you want to just come and watch, pop on by anytime (although I will probably try to make you do something for me...hahaha!) Oh yes-students should be in full uniform the first day as well as for the rest of the year. (If you are waiting for something from the uniform company that has not yet arrived, please send your child in something as close to the uniform as possible). Please send their red sweaters to school each day also-they do not need to wear them if they are hot but we need to have them for Assemblies, Masses and other occasions so it is a good routine to always have it with them (or in their backpack).
As for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, please note that students should be in the line-up at 8:50am and then we will dismiss at noon. Students are ONLY dismissed if there is a person who is there to directly pick them up. This is our routine for the entire year so please tell anyone who you may ask to pick up your child to come directly to me to identify themselves and who they are picking up. Please help me as the beginning of the year is always a little crazy and some parents will come to pick up their child and I will simply look blankly at them. You may need to tell me which child is yours to jog my memory but I promise I will try my best to get to know your faces quickly. Even parents who have known me for years, I tend to have 'Back to School Brain' the first few weeks so it is slow...very slow! Again, please be patient with me :o)
I have asked for a few items to be brought to school by Friday, September 6th although it would be great to have them in sooner than later. Students should bring their gym shoes the first day to put in their shoe cubby. I also asked if students could bring in a family photo, a favourite stuffie that can be left at school and a blanket or a towel to lie on the floor during quiet time. It is also REALLY HELPFUL to have a ziploc bag with a pair of socks, underwear and red shorts in case of any accidents that often happen in Kindergarten. Sometimes the line-up to the bathroom is too long or someone slips in the mud at recess - having emergency clothes at school really helps us deal with the situation easily in the classroom (and helps avoid any embarassment). And we would love it if every child had a water bottle that stays at school in our classroom. Again, please remember to label all items (including those extra socks, underwear and shorts...they tend to get mixed up over the year otherwise). Thank you!!!
I think that is it for now (although I'm sure there are a million other things...so much happening the first few weeks of school). I hope to use this blog throughout the year as a means to communicate, especially to send out messages and reminders as they come up. Some weeks I am better at updating the blog than others so please be patient with me and if you do ever have any questions, please email me at anytime. I do check my school address lsaharchuk@ccsunited.ca but I am more likely to see your message sooner if you use lvanderk@hotmail.com . Thanks again and wishing everyone a most wonderful year at C.C.S! We are so blessed to have such an amazing school! God bless!
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