I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone all the best over the holidays and in 2013.  The first part of the school year has flown by.  Thank you so much for all your help and support during the first 4 months of school.
A reminder of our Sharing Assembly on Monday, December 17 in the lunch room.   Children should wear a Santa hat to help with our celebration of the season.  Assemblies will begin at 9:00 am and 12:45pm.  Everyone is welcome!
Our craft day/holiday party has been moved to Wednesday, December 19.  Thank you to everyone who has volunteered their time and food.  It will be a fun, creative and gluey day!
Monday, December 17 will be the last day for Snuggle Up books this year.  I will collect all bags and books and keep them for January.  January leader calendars will sent home on Friday, please see me if you did not receive your calendar.  The morning volunteer calendar was also sent home on Friday.
Thank you to everyone who has donated to the LKS Food Drive.  Donations will be accepted until Wednesday, December 19.  You can bring the food to the classroom or drop it off in the bins at the front office.  We have been discussing the December character trait of Kindness and Caring through the donations for our Stonegate Family and the food drive.
The children have been enjoying "Pete the Cat" stories in the classroom.  You can hear the stories online by searching "Pete the Cat".  

Welcome to the second week of December.  Thank you so much for your generous donations to the Stonegate baskets.  Two families will have a wonderful start to 2013 with their gift baskets.  A reminder that donations will be accepted until Monday. December 10.  Thanks again for helping to support this wonderful project.
I have individually introduced the numerals from 1-10 this fall. All the formation rhymes are found on the right side of the blog.  When your child is making numbers at home, please encourage him/her to start at the top and follow the rhyme.  This makes the numerals easier to make and limits numeral reversals.  The monthly calendars will help to show where your child may need practise.  A fun way to practise numerals is using an old/unwanted calendar and practise the numerals in the boxes, following the example provided.
LKS is having a Food Drive.  Non-perishable food items will be collected in the front hall until Wednesday, December 19 for Second Harvest.  All the food collected will be provided to those less fortunate during the holiday season.  Thanks in advance for helping others.

A reminder of our Sharing Assembly on Monday, December 17.  The Kindergarten classes will be sharing songs of the season and the teachers will be handing out the monthly certificates.  The assemblies will be in the lunch room at 9:00 am and 12:40pm and everyone is invited.  To help us celebrate, each child should wear a Santa hat.
Also, our classroom holiday party is Tuesday, December 18.  Thank you to everyone who has volunteered.  Please check your child's monthly calendar from the Grade Parents to see if you are assisting at the party or sending food/drinks.  Thanks in advance to all our volunteers.  I couldn't do it without you.

Happy December!  This will be a short but busy month as we countdown to the holidays.  Our December Sharing Assembly is Monday, December 17 at 9:00 am and 12:40 pm in the lunch room.  Everyone is invited.  I will be slightly longer as the Kindergarten classes share some songs of the season and hand out our character certificates.  We would like each child to wear a Santa hat that day for the Sharing Assembly.  Looking forward to seeing you there.
Thank you to everyone who has sent in a donation for our Stonegate Basket.  Please contact your Grade Parent for additional information.  The baskets are filling up and two families will have a great start to the new year because of your generosity.  Donations will be collected until Monday, December 10.
Both classes have now met their Grade Four Learning Buddies.  The morning class meets with Ms. Zappi's class and the afternoon class meets with Mrs. Dias' class.  It is a wonderful way to make new friends and a fabulous learning experience for all the students.  The children will be making a countdown to Christmas craft with their buddies this week.  The Kindergarten students are already looking forward to their next visit.
We are continuing to complete graphing activities in math and I have introduced the numbers to 9.  We will be starting some activities celebrating the holiday seasons.  I am looking forward to the wonderful sharing from the leaders this month as they share some of their favourite seasonal objects.
Thank you to everyone who helped tie a tie for their child and sent a donation on Friday for our spirit day.  The children looked wonderful as we showed our LKS spirit and helped out the fight against men's cancer.
A reminder that Friday, December 7 is a PA Day and there is no school.

Welcome to the last week of November and the return of the cold weather.  I am so proud of the children and their independence with zipping their own zippers.  Thank you so much for encouraging this at home.  Everyday I have a new smiling face showing me that they have zipped the zipper all by themselves.  
We had a busy week with the presentation by author Ruhksana Khan (see the previous post) on Thursday and our Sharing Assembly on Friday.  We are in the process of choosing the date for the December Sharing Assembly, so continue to watch the blog.  The children will begin a short unit on bears and hibernation this week and are beginning to learn about and make graphs in math.  As we continue to make graphs, the children will be discussing "the most", "the least" and "equal" in regards what the graphs represent. Graphing is always a fun unit.  I have added the rhyme for number 8 on the right side of the blog.
Friday is "Dress Like a Man Day" in support of "Movember" and mens' cancers.  Children are encouraged to wear a tie and any other appropriate "male" clothing.  The Student Council will be collecting donations to contribute to this important cause.  Show your spirit and wear a tie on Friday.  All participating students will receive a moustache to wear.
The LKS Parent Council is once again joining with Stonegate Community Health Centre to help families in need during this time of year.  Your grade parents will be supplying information regarding the family that each class will be supporting.  I will be collecting the donations in the classroom.  When you are dropping off the donations, please ensure that your contribution is put into the correct box, as each family has different needs.  Thank you in advance for your generosity.  I will be discussing the importance of helping others less fortunate as we collect donations to help others enjoy this holiday season.

Both classes enjoyed the presentation from the author Ruhksana Khan today.  She shared three of her children's books. She read the classes "The Ruler of the Courtyard", "The Silly Chicken" and "The Big Red Lollipop."  Thank you to Parent Council for sponsoring this wonderful presentation.  The children did not exchange library books today due to the presentation.  They will choose new library books next Thursday as scheduled.

It is difficult to believe that there are only 2 weeks left in November.  This month has flown by.  Thank you to everyone for attending the parent teacher interviews.  It was a wonderful opportunity to share information about your child.  I hope that everyone enjoyed the new poems in your child's poetry book this weekend.
On Monday, I will be sending home the first set of completed phonics sounds and a set of cards to help your child practise his/her sounds and to make words.  I will continue to introduce new sounds as the months continue.
As we approach winter, I will be doing a short unit on bears and hibernation.  In math, I am continuing to introduce numbers to 10 and we are finishing up our unit of patterning.
On Thursday, both classes will be having a presentation from an author during their library periods.  Ruhksana Khan will be discussing her books with the children.  It is always exciting when authors come to visit.  There will be no book exchange that day.
A reminder of our Sharing Assembly on Friday, November 23 at 9:00 am and 12:40 pm in the lunch room.  The children are presenting a poem on "Manners".  

The children did a wonderful job discussing the mature topic of Remembrance Day this week.  The morning class displayed excellent behaviour at the assembly on Friday.  We are collecting poppy donations until Wednesday, November 14.  Thank you to everyone who has brought in a donation for the Legion.  
Through our daily messages and reading activities I am continuing to introduce high frequency words.  We have been discussing "to", "like", "my" and "no".  Students should be starting to recognize these words in their reading and be able to use them in their writing.  We completed our "This is Me in November" pictures this week and it is amazing to see the progress of all the students in their drawing and their writing.  I am so proud of their accomplishments.  The November pictures are on display in the classroom and you may have a look during your parent teacher interview.
Thank you so much for scheduling your interviews on-line.  A reminder that the interviews are 10 minutes long.  Please try your best to be prompt so that I can stay on schedule and give the next family their allotted time.  If your interview is scheduled for the evening, please use the front door of the school.  For safety reasons, I will not be opening the back classroom door.  I am looking forward to meeting with everyone.  If you are unable to make your interview, please let me know so that we can reschedule.  The interview site is now closed, so you will not be able to make your changes.
Senior Kindergarten students will receive their Progress Report on Monday, November 12.  The Junior Kindergarten Students will receive their reports in February.
A reminder that Friday, November 16 is a Professional Development Day and there is no school.  
I have 2 Scholastic Books that have become separated from their orders.  If you are missing: Strawberry Shortcake School Friends or                             a Samuri book please let me know.

A reminder of the Remembrance Day Assembly tomorrow, Friday, November 9 at 10:30 in the gym.   All families are invited to attend.  Both classes will receive their poppies tomorrow.  Children are invited to bring in a small donation for their poppy.  The money will be collected until Thursday, November 15.  The children have done wonderful writing about peace, which is displayed on our bulletin board in the hall and in our classroom.  Please have a look the next time you are in the school.

Welcome to the first full week of November.  As the days become cooler, especially the mornings, please dress your child warmly for school as we do play outside most days.  Thank you so much for sending shoes to school with your child.  Students may leave their shoes in their cubbies for the wet and cold upcoming days.
Parents will be able to book parent teacher interviews on-line beginning Monday, November 5.  Interviews will be held from Monday, November 12-Friday, November 16.  Times are available before school, after school and in the evening.  Please see the email from your grade parents for further information.  Please contact me if you are unable to book an interview, or the times are not convenient.  All interviews are 10 minutes long.  I am looking forward to meeting with everyone and discussing your child's progress.  The Senior Kindergarten students will receive their report cards on Monday, November 12.  Junior Kindergarten students will receive their first report card in February.
I am continuing to introduce the letter sounds to the class.  The Juniors are learning and consolidating their letter sounds while the Seniors are building their sight word vocabulary and reading skills through their letter sound activities.  A reminder that the vowel sounds I am introducing are the short vowel sounds.  The children have learned "s", "a", "t" and "i".
We will also be learning about Remembrance Day this week.  Discussion will revolve around being brave, peace and being thankful to the soldiers for keeping Canada a wonderful place to live.  All children will receive a poppy on Friday.  Our Remembrance Day Assembly will begin at 10:30 on Friday.  The morning class will be attending and the afternoon children are invited to attend with a caregiver.

Happy Halloween!  We will be celebrating Halloween on Wednesday, October 31.  It is always a fun day with everyone wearing their costumes and participating in Halloween activities.   Keep your fingers crossed that the weather co-operates for our outdoor parade.
The Grade Parents will be sending out the interview booking information in November.  Online booking will begin on November 5.  All interviews are booked online and are 10 minutes in length.  Please let me know if you have any difficulties or the times are not convenient for you.  I an offering times before school, after school and during three evenings.  A reminder that Friday, November 16 is a PA Day and there will be no school for the children.
Thank you for sending shoes with your child when he/she wears boots to school.  Children must have something on their feet at all times for safety reasons.  If you wish, the children can keep their indoor shoes at school in their cubbies.  As with many activities, I encourage and promote independence putting on shoes and boots.  Please send shoes to school that your child can put on independently.  I will tie shoes laces, but hope that the children can put on their shoes without assistance.
Thank you so much for assisting your child with his/her Fall sharing for October.  November's sharing theme is a family picture.  It can be a photograph or drawing.  This is a wonderful way for the children to share their family with their classmates.

It is difficult to believe that we are starting the last full week of October.  Time is flying by.  We have been discussing Responsibility in anticipation of the Sharing Assembly on Friday.  In Kindergarten, responsibility includes cleaning up toys and your table when you are finished, taking out your mailbags and library books and following classroom rules and routines.  As mentioned in the newsletter sent home on Friday, parent teacher interviews will be held in November.  The on-line booking will open for parents on November 5.  More details will follow from the Grade Parents as the date comes closer.  
The afternoon class enjoyed attending the Terry Fox Assembly on Friday to celebrate our fundraising.  The Mystery Pail dumping was a great success with marshmallows, jello, chicken soup and eggs being dumped on teachers' heads.  It was all for a great cause and thank you for all your assistance raising money for the Terry Fox Walk.
We are continuing to discuss patterning, numbers, sounds and sight words during our daily messages and through our classroom activities.  Thank you very much for reviewing classroom activities at home.
The September Scholastic order has been sent home with the children and the October order has been placed.  I have a Power Ranger Book-Samurai Strike from the September order which did not have a name on the order form.  Please see me if you are missing this book.  Thanks in advance.
Retake Picture Day is Wednesday, October 24.  The photographer is now staying until 1:00 pm in the afternoon.  Please return the forms sent home on Friday, if you wish sibling pictures or a retake for your child.

Welcome to the third week of October!  The children have been busy practising their patterning skills individually and through group activities.  I have introduced the concept of the "core" of the pattern, which is the part that repeats.  You can't have a pattern without a core.  The children also had the opportunity to create and reproduce their patterns on Thursday.  They did a wonderful job of transferring their pattern onto a strip of paper and describing it.
We began the "Jolly Phonics" program on Friday.  Through this program we introduce and review letter sounds which are important for reading and writing.  Each Friday, your child will bring home a sound review sheet to practise the sound learned that week.
This week we will discuss some changes during the Fall season.  I will also introduce the number 5.  The number 4 formation poem is on the right side of the blog.  We will also continue patterning activities.
Thanks so much for your patience with the September Scholastic book order.  This delay is truly a mystery. The orders usually arrive within a week of placing the order.  It was being brought to the attention of the supervisor when I phoned last week.  I will investigate again this week and once again I am very sorry for the delay.  I know that everyone is looking forward to their new books.
On Friday, October 19, there will be a Terry Fox Assembly to celebrate our fundraising.  There will also be Mystery Pails dumped on 4 teachers including myself.  The afternoon class will be attending as part of our day.  Morning children are invited to attend with their caregivers. The assembly will begin at 2:10 pm in the gym.  I will post any time changes on the blog.  Cross your fingers for a non-sticky and non-messy pail!!

Thank you to everyone who ordered books from the Scholastic Book Club in September.  The order has been placed, but appears to have been delayed in shipping.  It does not normally take this long for the books to arrive.  I will investigate our missing order with the company this week.  Thanks again for ordering books.

Happy Thanksgiving!  Enjoy this wonderful long weekend with your friends and family.  The children were excited to bring home their poetry books on the weekend to share their Thanksgiving poems.  We discussed being thankful this week and made turkeys to help celebrate Thanksgiving.  
Through our daily charts we are continuing to discuss letters, sounds and learning sight word vocabulary.  We have been focussing on "I", "is" and "the".  Through our charts and reading I will continue to introduce high frequency words to help with reading and writing.  Please continue to reinforce these words at home through the Snuggle Up books. This week Snuggle Up books will go home on Tuesday and Friday due to the short week.  Thank to everyone who has volunteered to help exchange the Snuggle Up books.  Your help is greatly appreciated.

The students in the afternoon class were checked for head lice today and everyone was clear.  A note was sent home outlining how to look for lice in your child's hair and treatment. It is recommended that you continue to check your child's hair for the next 7-10 days.  If you discover lice in your child's hair, they must be checked by the office before returning back to school.  You may want to keep long hair in a ponytail for the next few weeks to discourage lice from travelling.  Thanks in advance.

It has been a wonderful week in Room 159.  The children and I discussed Terry Fox and all of his accomplishments in preparation for our Terry Fox Walk.  We brainstormed the classes' ideas and they included: Terry got sick, he went to the doctor, he ran very far, he collected money for the doctors, he loved to play sports, especially basketball, he had a fake leg, he has a statue, police officers followed him and he has his picture on a loonie.  A  big thank you to everyone who walked with us on Thursday.  I appreciated all your help as we walked to support this great cause.  Thank you to all the families who have donated to the Terry Fox Charity.  We will be collecting pledges at school and online until after Thanksgiving weekend.  Please see me if you need additional pledge sheets.
We practised making the number 3 this week and also introduced patterning activities.  On Monday, we will begin our Snuggle Up and Read program.  Small books will be sent home in your child's mailbag on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.  Please enjoy sharing these books with your child.  Your child must return the book and his/her mailbag in order to receive a new book.  Please provide your child the opportunity to put his/her mailbag into his/her backpack as independently as possible as this is an important Kindergarten skill.
We will be discussing being thankful this week in anticipation of Thanksgiving.  Thursday, October 4 is pajama day.  We have earned this special day by raising over 10,000 for the Terry Fox Charity.  There is no school, Monday, October 8.  Enjoy this long weekend with your friends and family.

I hope that everyone is enjoying sharing your child's poetry book this weekend.   The children were very excited to take them home.  Please return the poetry books on Monday, so that I can add new poems and  I will send them home again over the Thanksgiving weekend.  Also the children borrowed library books this week.  Please return your child's library book inside his/her "Bee" bag on or before Tuesday, so your child can borrow a new book.  Ms. McGee accidently put the incorrect sheet in the bags regarding library day.  Our library is is Day 1 for the morning and afternoon classes.  It will always be labelled on your class calendar.
I have introduced the numbers 1 and 2 to date.  The Juniors and Seniors are practising their recognition, formation skills and the ability to create sets.  I will post the rhymes we are using to help remember the correction formation along the side of the blog.  Please give your child the opportunity to practise making numbers using pencils, crayons, markers etc.  
We will begin to discuss Terry Fox this week as our Terry Fox Walk is Thursday.  Please continue to collect pledges and bring them in to school or donate online.  All donations help to support Terry's dream.  Fun Fact-While Terry ran on his Marathon on Hope, his team collected money in Kentucky Fried Chicken Buckets.  Thank you to everyone who has donated.
The September Scholastic book order should be in soon.
Enjoy the first week of Fall!

We have finished a busy week in Room 159.  Thank you to everyone who attended Curriculum night and thanks for signing up for classroom volunteer activities.  Both classes enjoyed their first Mystery Reader on Friday.
Both classes participated in Fire Drills this week and the morning class had a lock down practise Friday morning.  All of the procedures went very well.  Practises will continue throughout the school year.  
We have been reading "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom in class and the children have created art projects related to the story.  The Seniors have constructed coconut trees with their names added and the Juniors have sequenced the letters in their names.  Please have a look on our bulletin board the next time you are in the school.  We also opened the snack table this week.  This gives the children the opportunity to eat snack during activity time when their work is finished.   It is a great time to socialize with friends and the children are responsible for washing their hands, reading the snack sign, taking the correct quantity and cleaning up.  We are quickly building independent skills in Kindergarten.
Upcoming Events:
Monday, Sept. 17-Scholastic Book orders are due
Monday, Sept. 17-10th day of school and we will have a special visitor
Wednesday, Sept. 19-Picture Day  :) SMILE!  Individual and Class pictures will be taken

Our picture day is Wednesday, September 19.  We are scheduled to have individual pictures and a class photo taken at this time.  Remember to bring your smiles!  Please be on time for school as we are scheduled to be the first class after announcements in the morning and the first class after entry in the afternoon.

What a great first week!  Thank you to everyone for helping your child have a successful first day at school. The Seniors have settled back into the classroom routines and the Juniors are quickly learning the school expectations.
Tuesday, September 11 is Curriculum Night at LKS.  The Kindergarten teachers will be doing a presentation in the gym at 5:30 pm.  The classroom will be open until 6:30 pm for the opportunity to sign up to volunteer in the classroom (e.g. helping in the computer lab, being a mystery reader and exchanging Snuggle up books).  A big thank you to the grade parents for organizing the sign up sheets.  If you are unable to attend Curriculum night, you may contact the grade parents for opportunities.
** Picture Day has been moved**  LKS Picture Days are now scheduled for Wednesday, September 19 and 20.  I will let you know our specific date when I receive the schedule.  
If you have any school forms not yet returned, please return them on Monday.
Next week will be busy with fire drills for the morning and afternoon classes and a lock down practise for the morning class.  I am looking forward to our first full week of school.

The back to school countdown has begun!!  I hope that everyone is having a great summer and is excited for the new school year.  I am looking forward to a wonderful year with all my Kindergarten students.  A reminder of the Kindergarten Open House on Tuesday, September 4.  The Morning class is invited to drop in from 10:00 am to 11:00 am and the Afternoon class may visit from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm.  The Open house is an opportunity for the children to visit the classroom with their families, meet their classmates and myself.  The students can also find their cubbies, their hooks, see old friends and meet new classmates.  All the Seniors will be attending school on Wednesday, September 5.  The Juniors will begin on the date noted on their placement letter.
The only item that students need to begin school is a backpack.  Please ensure that the backpack is large enough to hold a library book, school work which will be sent home and perhaps a water bottle.  Backpacks should be labelled with your child's name.  Provide opportunities for your child to practise opening, closing, and putting materials in and out of his/her backpack.  Independence is an extremely important part of Kindergarten.  
Please enjoy the last two weeks of summer vacation and I am looking forward to seeing everyone soon.