Friday, November, 8 2012

            Thanks to all the parents that came out for our Halloween party.  It was great to see everyone dressed up and in the Halloween spirit.  The trick and treating around the school was a big success and all of the students were able to receive a lot of candy.

            I want to give another big thank you to everyone who came to the parent teacher interviews this week.  I always like sitting down and going over all of the progress that the students have made.  

            Time just keeps passing and we are now already into November.  This month our unit is nursery rhymes and we will be covering Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs (maybe) and the Gingerbread Man.  In Math we are studying sequencing, basic shapes and representing whole numbers to 10. 

            This month I have started to implement English inside the classroom.  We are going to start very slowly and gradually build up our stamina. For some it will be very easy while others might have some difficulties.  Could you please talk to your son our daughter about speaking English during designated times.  Our first step is only speaking English during literacy centres.  At lunch and recess or anytime outside the classroom I will allow them to speak their native languages.  This is a very important step in learning English and it will benefit the students immensely. 

Reading Tips

Read Every Day

Children love routine, and reading is something that you and your child can look forward to every day. By taking the time to read with your child, you show him or her that reading is important and fun to do.

Try to read with your child as often as possible. It's the best thing you can do to help him or her learn at school! It also allows you to spend time together in an enjoyable way and to build a strong and healthy relationship.

·                       Start reading with your child when he or she is very young.

·                       Set aside a special time each day when you can give your full attention to reading with your child.

·                       Choose a comfortable spot to read, where you can be close to your child. Make it your "reading place"! Set aside a special shelf in that area for your child's books.

·                       Choose a variety of books.

·                       Vary the length of reading time according to your child's age and interests. For young children, several short sessions (of 10 minutes each) may be better than one long session (of 30 minutes).

·                       Read slowly so that your child can form a mental picture of what is happening in the story.

·                       Praise your child for his or her ideas and participation!

·                       When you and your child are away from home, take along books, magazines, and books-on-tape for your child to read and listen to.

·                       Keep reading to your child even after he or she has learned to read. By reading stories that will interest your child but that are above his or her reading level, you can stretch your child's understanding and keep alive the magic of shared reading.

·                        

What we did in our centres this week

Literacy Centres

1.      Computer story “Goldilocks and the Three Bears”

2.      Roll and say board game

3.      Phonics book Hh

4.      Making the alphabet from Lego

Math Centres

1.      Goldilocks and the Three Bears board game

2.      Making bowls, chairs and beds for the Three Bears (big, medium and small)

3.      Making block towers

4.      Goldilocks and the Three Bears cut and paste sizing activity

Word of the week:  this

Student of the week

The student of the week is Joshua.  Every week he is learning a lot of English and this week when we started speaking English all the time during literacy centres he did an amazing job.  Ms. Vicky and I are so proud of you.  Keep up the great work Joshua!

Reminders and Notices

1.      Mini books that get sent home (My Aa, Hh, etc.) need to be brought back to school

2.      November 14 Fun day

3.      November 22  American Thanksgiving lunch at school

4.      November 29^th Field trip to Story Paradise

5.      November 30^th Monthly assembly

6.      December 4-7 Literacy week

7.      December 4 School book sale

8.       December 6^th Caves book sale

9.      December 14^th Christmas concert

10. December Monthly assembly

11. December 18^th Half day and start of Christmas vacation

As always, if you have any questions or concern you can always write me an email at bsharp.his@gmail.com or come by and speak to me in person.

Cheers

Vicky and Braedon

“Nature was my Kindergarten”

William Handy