Our Elf is busy when we go home!

Shhh!  Elfie is sleeping!

Elfie likes to colour!

Riding on the train with some friends!

Cards, anyone?

     Welcome to the last week of school in 2017!  The children are busy with special activities for this wonderful time of year.  We completed our "This is Me in December" pictures this week.  Miss Santiago and I love watching the children's development as they continue to add more details to their pictures and write sentences using their sound knowledge, sight word vocabulary and environmental print in the classroom.  The Junior Kindergarten students completed a colourful book about reindeers and the Senior Kindergarten students wrote a book about a Christmas tree.  The books are included in your child's mailbag this week.  Please look carefully in their sound review books or poetry books for work.  The January calendar was also sent home on Friday.  Please keep it in a safe place for next month.  Enjoy the new poems and songs in your child's poetry book this weekend.  We also discussed Hanukkah this week and the children made menorahs.  On Tuesday, the class made ornaments with their Reading Buddies.  They are on display on the Christmas tree in the front hall.
     The children loved playing in the snow this week.  Thank you to everyone who sent in extra mittens with your child.  We play outside at lunch and then often have outdoor play first in the afternoon.  There is no time for mittens to dry, so an extra pair is a necessity.  Also neck warmers are much safer than scarves, since they have no loose ends to get caught on equipment.  Just a reminder to please label all clothing that your child brings to school.  With 27 children, we have many pairs of mittens, boots and snow pants etc in our classroom.  We want to get everything back to the correct owner and having names or initials helps Miss Santiago and I very much.  It also helps other teachers who find mittens etc outside or in the hall.
     Thursday morning we went to the gym to watch the teachers, including myself, play dodgeball with the Terry Foxers and winners of the Terry Fox trivia contest.  It was a fun school activity!  In the computer lab, Miss Santiago introduced the children to Bookflix.  You can access Bookflix through the virtual library on the LKS website.  The children explored fiction and non-fiction books.
     We are having our Holiday Party on Tuesday, December 19.  Thank you to our volunteers and those bringing food to our celebration.  Please check the December calendar for more details.  Children may wear their Santa hats, reindeer antlers etc to the party on Tuesday.
     Miss Santiago and I would like to thank you very much for our very generous Christmas gifts.  We will have fun shopping and buying something special.  Thanks again.  We love teaching your children and consider it a privilege to be a part of their learning.
     Mailbags will be sent home on Tuesday as usual.  Please return your mailbags and we will keep them over the holidays.  Mailbags will not be sent home on Friday.  Enjoy reading your favourite books at home and hopefully some new books will be presents!
     Check Mr. Currie's twitter account.  There is a tweet of our students using the Code-a-pillar.
     Wishing you all the best during the holidays.  Enjoy this time with your family and friends.

This Week:

Monday-Library (A), Computers (B)
Tuesday-Christmas Party 9:00-11:20 
               Snuggle Up books exchanged
Wednesday-Library (B), Computers (A)
Thursday-First Day of Winter
Friday-Music
            Last day of school before the holidays!

See you on Monday, January 8!
   

Hour of Code in Room 159

Coding with snowmen and astronauts

Watching the code-a-pillar follow the directions

Coding our code-a-pillar

Creating coding maps based on the Gingerbread Man

Coding with Miss Paska

Writing code to move the snowman to the mountains

We did it!

Playing Box Island on the iPads

     Welcome to the cold temperatures of December.  It is wonderful to see the children dressed so warmly.  Just a reminder that we are outside 2 or 3 times a day unless the weather is dangerously cold.  Please make sure your child has all of his/her winter gear so they can enjoy our outdoor time.  We had a busy week celebrating the Hour of Code in Room 159.  Enjoy the pictures above.  The children completed a variety of fun tasks involving coding.  On Monday, we borrowed the iPad cart and the children played Box Island, a fun coding app.  Box Island is available for free from the Apple App Store.  The children also had the opportunity to write code to move a snowman to the mountains avoiding dangers like fire and hot chocolate.  Later in the week, the students each created a Gingerbread Coding Map and then challenged a friend to move the gingerbread man to his/her house.  We sent this home on Friday, so you can play with your child.  The class is also enjoying using our new toy-the Code-a-Pillar.  The children sequence instructions and then the caterpillar follows the code you have created.  In the computer lab, the children used the Google coding activity and also explored germs and bacteria on Pebblego with Miss Santiago.

The class completed their December calendar and explored different patterned paper to create a fancy Christmas tree.  Miss Paska discussed healthy meals with the students and they each created a healthy meal they would like to eat, following the guidelines of 2 fruits, 2 vegetables, meat, grains and a dairy product.  The children also played Silly Bananas, a tag game with Miss Paska in the gym.  This was Miss Paska's last week in Room 159.  We will miss her very much and wish her all the best as she completes her Early Childhood Education Studies at Ryerson and continues with her basketball career.

The class wrote their letters to Santa this week with their Reading Buddies.  We will mail our letters in Mrs. Stefanowicz's special mailbox and wait for a reply from Santa.  Thank you very much for all your generous donations for our Stonegate baskets.  Monday morning is your last opportunity to contribute.  Please contact the Grade Parents if you have any questions.  We have helped to make a family's Christmas a bit brighter.

We enjoyed a great presentation from author Kerri Lynn Winters on Friday.  She has written over 26 books and talked about making connections, visualizing and making predications when we are reading.  Keri Lynn read us French Toast, My Walk and Let's Play a Hockey Game ( a rhyming book).  Thank you to Parent Council for funding this wonderful opportunity to meet an author.

Students in Mrs. Heath's, Mrs. Gibson's and Mrs. Taylor's classes will be selling blinking red noses beginning Monday, December 11-15 (or while supplies last).  Proceeds go to the Toronto Foundation for Student Success, which supply TDSB students with food, warm clothes and other necessities.  The red noses will sell for 3.00 each during homeroom.  Students will come to our classroom to sell the noses.  If you are sending money to purchase a red nose, please place your $3.00 in a baggie or envelope labelled with your child's name.  Thanks in advance.  Additional information will be supplied in this week's LKS Bulletin.

There was a mistake on the December calendar.  There is no library on December 12.  Sorry for any confusion!

     A reminder that Friday, December 15 is our December Sharing Assembly.  Sharing Assemblies begin at 9:00 am in the gym.  The children are presenting a holiday song.  Children should wear red, green and or white clothing and wear a festive hat!  Award winners will be notified this weekend.  The character trait this month is Kindness.  See you there!

This Week:

Monday-Library (A), Computers (B)

               Red Noses on Sale-$3.00

               Last day for Stonegate donations

Tuesday-Snuggle Up books exchanged

Wednesday-Library (B), Computers (A)

Thursday-Return your Sound Review books

Friday-Pizza Day

            Sharing Assembly-wear red, green and/or white and a    

            festive hat

            Music

            Snuggle Up books exchanged
            70th Day of School-Zero the Hero visits!

  

     Happy December!  This time of year is always very busy at school and at home, so please continue to check the blog each weekend for up to date information.  With the assistance of our Reading Buddies on Monday, the children completed a Santa countdown activity.  Each day in December, have your child cut off 1 loop of Santa's beard.  When all the loops are gone, it will be Christmas Day.  Have fun counting the days until December 25.  We continued with graphing activities and the children have the opportunity to create their own graphing question, ask their friends and graph the results.  It is great to see all the learning happening around this activity.  Miss Paska also discussed healthy and unhealthy foods on Thursday.  The class enjoyed looking through the grocery store ads and creating their own list of healthy and unhealthy food choices.  We were excited to have Mr. Currie visit Thursday afternoon post some pictures of Room 159 on the Lambton Kingsway Twitter feed.  You can see Mr. Currie's tweets on the Lambton Kingsway website.  Follow the link to the right of the blog.
     Next week we will be participating in The Hour of Code.  The Hour of Code began as a one hour introduction to computer science to show that anyone can learn the basics and to broaden participation in the field of computer science.  It has become a world wide event to celebrate computer science.  Coding activities help to develop problem-solving, logic and creativity.  We will be participating in a variety of activities to teaching simple coding to the students.  Coding is a set of instructions (directions) that computers can understand, it is similar to a recipe.
     A reminder that we are collecting donations for our Stonegate basket.  Details of our family and suggested donations were emailed by our Grade Parents.  Please contact them if you have any questions.  Thank you in advance for your generosity.  We have been discussing how important it is to help others with the children.  Please include them in your shopping if you are able.  Friday, December 8 is the last day for donations.
     December calendars were sent home on Thursday.  Please look inside your child's Poetry book or Sound Review book.  I will be working on the January calendar before the holidays, so please let me know if you will be away in January.  Thanks so much.
     Our December Sharing Assembly is Friday, December 15 at 9:00 am.  We would like the children to wear a festive hat and wear red, green and or white to add to the celebration.  See you there!  Award winners will be notified later in the month.
   
This Week:

Monday-Library (A), Computers (B)
Tuesday-Snuggle Up books exchanged
Wednesday-Library (B), Computers (A)
Thursday-Bring your Stonegate donations
                 Return your Sound Review Books
Friday-Snuggle Up books exchanged
            Last day for Stonegate donations
            Author visit (Keri Lynn Winters) in the 
             library

Welcome to the end of November and the beginning of December.  We started discussing germs this week, how they spread and how to stay healthy.  The children had fun completing a book about germs.  To show how germs spread, Ms. Santiago and I put hand sanitizer and glitter on our hands to represent germs and then shook hands and high fived the children.  They could easily see how germs pass from one person to another.  We also started an experiment with 2 slices of bread.  I placed 1 slice of bread into a ziplock bag wearing gloves.  We then passed the second slice of bread around the circle and had each student touch the bread.  It was then placed into a ziplock bag.  We will be watching the bread this week to see if the germs are growing on either slice of bread.
     The children are enjoying shopping in our grocery store.  Thank you so much for all your donations.  Our shelves are now full and we do not require any more food packages.   Thank you to everyone who attended our November Sharing assembly.  Just a reminder, please do not post any videos or pictures of the Sharing Assembly which contain other children on social media.  
     Once again this year LKS is helping those less fortunate through our Stonegate Baskets.  The Grade Parents have emailed information regarding our adopted family.  Please contact Candace, Linda or Artie if you have any questions.  Donations may be brought to the classroom beginning Monday, November 27 until Friday December 8.  Thanks in advance for your generosity.  It is a great way to give back during the holiday season.  If possible, have your child  help pick out your donation.  It is a wonderful way to teach empathy and the importance of helping others.
     The Kindergarten students now have time in the gym each week.  We are currently taking the children to the gym in 2 groups for 20 minutes each, on Day 1 and Day 5.  This week the children played Sharks and Minnows, which is a game of tag.  They also played Night at the Museum, where they have to be a statue and change poses without the caretaker noticing.  If the caretaker sees you moving you become a caretaker.  Please ensure that your child has running shoes in their cubby for our time in the gym.  Thanks to everyone who has sent in running shoes for your child's indoor shoes.  On occasion we will miss our gym time for other events in the gym.
     In the computer lab this week, the students explored www.pebblego.com.   They explored natural happenings in the Fall.  You can access pebble through the Lambton-Kingsway website.  Scroll down to the bottom of the list of teacher websites to the virtual library.  Click on the virtual library, proceed to quick finds and you will see pebblego.  The children went to science, earth/space and then fall.
     On Tuesday afternoon, we will have a Terry Fox assembly to celebrate reaching $20,000 in donations.  Thanks again for your generous donations.  I will be participating in the Mystery Pail Dump.  There will be a number of pails to choose from, with a variety of materials inside.  Fingers crossed for a safe pail with something not sticky or gooey to be dumped on my head!  I am sure you will hear all about the assembly after school.
     You received a brochure from the Parent Council regarding the Annual Giving Campaign in your child's mailbag on Friday.  You will be receiving additional information via email this week.  The brochures were to be sent home on Monday, but since mailbags do not go home on Monday, we sent them home a day early.
     A reminder that Friday is a PA Day and there is no school!   Please return Snuggle Up books Tuesday and Thursday to be exchanged.

This Week:
Monday-Happy Monday!
Tuesday-Computers (A), Library (B)
               Terry Fox Assembly at 12:30
               Snuggle Up books exchanged
Wednesday-Return Sound Review Books
Thursday-Snuggle Up books exchanged
                Music
                60th Day of School-Zero the Hero visits
                 December calendars will be sent home
                 Scholastic Book Orders Due
Friday-PA Day-No School
            Happy December!
  
   

     It has been a short, but busy week in Room 159.  Miss Santiago and I enjoyed meeting you and discussing your child's learning throughout the week.  It was a wonderful opportunity to talk and share information regarding your child.  Thanks again.  If you have not yet returned your child's brown report card envelope, please sign where indicated and return it this week.  Thanks in advance.
     Your child's mailbag was full on Thursday.  We have completed the first 6 letters in the Jolly Phonics program and we sent home the letters so you and your child can practise the sounds and begin making words.  Please keep the 6 letters in a safe place as we will be adding additional letters as we progress throughout the program.  The corresponding songs were included in the Sound Review books.  Poetry books were also sent home.  I hope everyone had the opportunity to read and sing the new songs and revisit old favourites.  We are learning about tally marks as we begin to do graphing in math.  The children practised making tallies using popsicle sticks.
    Miss Paska helped the children learn about colour mixing this week as they investigated mixing coloured water and also mixed paint to make new colours.  It was a fun filled and slightly messy Thursday.  Please see the pictures to the right of the blog.  We also completed our Peace People this week and they are displayed on our classroom door and small bulletin board.
    Book orders were sent home on Thursday.  A reminder they are due on Thursday, November 30, so I can place the order on the weekend.  Please return the completed order form after paying online.  If you wish the books to be a gift, please mark "gift" on the order form and I will give them to you in a bag concealing the contents.  Returning the order forms in your child's mailbag is the safest way to ensure delivery to the classroom.
     We will begin to discuss healthy living with a focus on germs and healthy eating.  Our drama centre will become a grocery store.  We would appreciate donations of clean, empty containers/boxes of healthy food to add to our store.  Nut free products only please.  Thanks in advance.
     Our November Sharing Assembly is Friday, November 24.  The character trait this month is Empathy.  The award winners will be notified this weekend.  The children will be presenting a Beatles song with Miss McGee conducting.  The children should wear a yellow shirt for the Sharing Assembly.  Thanks!

This Week:
Monday-Bring in a box for our grocery store
Tuesday-Snuggle Up books exchanged
               Library (B), Computers (A)
Wednesday-Smile. it's Wednesday!
Thursday-Music
                Return Sound Review Books
Friday-Pizza Day!
            Sharing Assembly-Wear Yellow!
           Library (A), Computers (B)

     Welcome to the chilly November weather!  Thank you so much for dressing your children warmly for the cold weather on Friday.  The children will continue to go outside for outdoor play and during the lunch break unless the weather is dangerously cold.  We taught the children a song to help with the order of dressing in their winter clothing, "snow pants, boots, coats, hats and mittens always last."    Just a reminder to please label all clothing coming to school, it makes it so much easier for us to send the students home with all their belongings.  It is always a good idea to buy an extra pair (or 2) of mittens/gloves, as they do tend to get lost during the winter months.  Also when we start playing in the snow, it is always nice to have an extra dry pair of mittens/gloves for the next outdoor time.  Please let your child know if he/she has snowpants, hats or gloves in his/her backpack for outdoor play. We don't want anyone to be cold when playing outside.
     All children will receive their Communication of Learning on Monday.  The report is yours to keep, please sign and return the brown envelope.  We will reuse the envelope for the next report and it will verify that you have received the Communication of Learning.  Miss Santiago and I look forward to meeting with you this week to discuss your child's progress.
     The children completed their "This is Me in November" pictures this week.  You will have the opportunity to see them during our parent teacher interviews.  We are finishing our patterning activities this week.  The children made doves with Miss Paska on Thursday and wrote about Peace.  Their individual doves were used to create a large dove of Peace on our hall bulletin board.  The children are also creating "Peace People" and will write their ideas about being a "Peacemaker".  On Friday, the children enjoyed playing Bingo with their Reading Buddies.  Miss Paska created a Bingo sheet and the children rolled the dice and coloured the appropriate square on their Bingo card.  A fun time was had by all!
     We attended the Remembrance Day Assembly on Friday.  The students did a wonderful job listening during this solemn ceremony.  
     Miss Santiago is continuing to use the website Starfall.com in the computer lab.  The children are investigating stories including, Zac the Rat, Peg the Hen and the Big Hit.  Through games they are learning the word families "at, en and it".  They are also matching pictures with the sounds of "s. a. t, i and p"
     The student council has made Thursday, November 16 Pyjama Day!  Let's have a comfy day at school!  Please do not send stuffed animals or blankets to school.  Thanks in advance.
     We have created a classroom Alphabet Book which will be sent home with the leader beginning on Monday.  Please enjoy this book with your family and return it to school the next day so another student can take it home.  Thanks so much!
     Since there is no school this Friday, Snuggle Up books will be exchanged Tuesday and Thursday this week.  Also Sound Review books should be returned by Wednesday to receive a new sheet.  Poetry books will also be sent home for the long weekend.  Enjoy!

This Week:
Monday-Communication of Learning sent home
               Library (B), Computers (A)
Tuesday-Snuggle Up books exchanged
Wednesday-Music
                    50th Day of School, Zero the Hero
                     visits
                    Return Sound Review books
Thursday-Snuggle Up books exchanged
                 Pyjama Day
                 Library (A), Computers (B)
Friday-No School

     Welcome to November!  We had an extremely busy week to finish up October.  The children had a wonderful time on our trip to Strawberry Creek Farm.  We started by watching pumpkins fly through the air using a pumpkin canon!  We then continued to an adventure in the corn maze attempting to find the exit path.  I think most groups exited through the entrance, after finding many dead end paths.  We continued with an early lunch followed by time to use the playground and run around to stay warm.  The highlight of the trip was taking a wagon ride to the pumpkin patch.  At the pumpkin patch we learned about growing pumpkins and then everyone had the opportunity to pick their very own pumpkin.  The tractor and wagon then returned and took us back to the bus for our ride home.  Thank you so much to our volunteers who came on our trip.  
     Tuesday we celebrated Halloween.  The children loved parading through the school yard to show off their costumes.  We continued the celebrations with a party in the classroom.  The students had the opportunity to visit a variety of Halloween activity centres.  These included making a jack-o-lantern out of tissue paper and toilet paper, making a pattern with orange, black and white beads, creating a mummy, making a ghost and designing a spider web.  We then went to the gym to dance to some Halloween music.  After some additional activity time, the children had their special Halloween snacks.  Thank you to the parents who helped at the centres and the parents who donated food and drinks.  A great time was had by all.  
     The children completed their November calendar this week.  We are beginning the discussion of Remembrance Day and the importance of wearing a poppy.  Our classroom discussions will focus on peace and the bravery of the soldiers to keep everyone safe.  The children also made a poppy for the top of their calendars.  Each class at LKS creates a wreath for our Remembrance Day Assembly.  The children painted egg carton cups red and we added black buttons to create poppies.  When our Reading Buddies visited on Friday, they traced the Kindergarten children's hands and these are added to our wreath for the leaves.  The school Remembrance Day Assembly begins at 10:30 on Friday and parents are invited to attend.
     With the cooler and wet weather it is a good time to send shoes to keep at school.  This will help us keep our carpet clean and dry.  If your child does not have shoes at school they must wear their boots all day, which is uncomfortable and can be messy.  Thank you to everyone who has sent shoes to school.
     A reminder to read the LKS Bulletin for information regarding booking an interview during the week of November 13-17.
     Our November Sharing Assembly is on Friday, November 24.  We would like the children to wear yellow as they are sharing a special song with Ms. McGee.
     Please add Pizza Day on Friday, November 24 to our classroom calendar.

This Week:

Monday-Library (B), Computers (A)
Tuesday-Snuggle Up books exchanged
Wednesday-Music
Thursday-Library (A), Computers (B)
                 Return Sound Review Books
Friday-Remembrance Day Assembly 10:30
             Snuggle Up books exchanged 

     Happy Halloween!  Welcome to the end of October!  This will be a busy week with our trip on Monday and Halloween celebrations on Tuesday.  Cross your fingers for wonderful weather this week.  The students completed a variety of Halloween activities this week including a spider counting book and a Halloween word book for the JK students, sequencing pumpkins and matching Halloween pictures and words for the SK students.  On Friday, the children created witch bags which will be used to carry their craft activities on Tuesday.  We also examined, touched and scooped out our pumpkin Friday afternoon.  The class voted on their choices for eyes, the nose and mouth for our jack-o-lantern.  The entire class lined up and everyone had a chance to put hand into the pumpkin and help to clean it out.  It was a great way to end our day on Friday.
     November calendars were sent home in mailbags on Friday.  Enjoy your child's poetry book this weekend, there are some wonderful new songs and poems for your child to share with you.  Thank you very much for your generous contributions to our Food Drive.  Our class has collected over 100 items for donations.  We will be collecting in our classroom until Tuesday.  
     On Monday we will be travelling to Strawberry Creek Farms.  We will be outside for most of the day, so please have your child dress appropriately.  Boots, after the rain fall today, would be a great idea.  Children should bring their lunch and snacks in their backpack along with their water bottle.  If possible, please pack a change of clothing (spare pants and underwear) in case of an accident.  Just a reminder, please do not pack toys in your child's backpack.  Thanks in advance to our parent volunteers.  A reminder that eating and drinking is not allowed on the bus.  We will be back at school in time for dismissal at 3:05.
     Tuesday, October 31 is our annual Halloween Parade.  The children will enter the classroom as usual and the parade will begin outside after announcements.  The parade will be outside, weather permitting.  In case of rain, we will parade around the hallways.  When planning your child's costume, please consider they will be at school all day.  Children should be able to use the washroom independently and move easily around the classroom.  Face paint is better than masks for visabiltiy and safety.  Please do not send any weapons or small costume pieces that can be lost.  After the parade, the parent volunteers should check in to the office and proceed to the classroom for our party. There will be a variety of crafts for the children to make and special snacks.  Thanks so much for our snack donations.  We will also be going to the gym for the Dance-a-thon Tuesday morning.  Children are not required to bring additional food donations for the dance.  
     After the trip and Halloween celebrations we will settle back into our classroom routines.  The students will be completing their November calendars and patterning activities this week. In computer lab this week, Miss Santiago worked on the Starfall.com website.  The children explored, What Will I Wear?, Pattern Maze, Magic Magician and Halloween Balloons Count.
     A reminder that Wednesday, November 1 is Picture Retake Day.  Please let us know if you wish your child to have his/her picture taken again.  


This Week:
Monday-Trip to Strawberry Creek Farm
Tuesday-Happy Halloween!
               LKS Halloween Parade
               Snuggle Up books exchanged
Wednesday-Photo Retake Day
                   Music
                   40th Day of School-Zero the Hero 
                    visits
Thursday-Return Sound Review books
                 Library (A), Computers (B)
Friday-Snuggle Up books exchanged
            See you at the LKS Social at the Crooked 
            Cue!

     It has been a busy week in Room 159!  The children are continuing with a variety of patterning activities using manipulatives.  The students used straws and beads this week to continue practising their patterning skills.  They enjoyed making bead snakes with Miss Paska on Thursday.  The class also completed their "This is Me in October " pictures this week.  They are on display at the back of the classroom.  On Friday, the class cut out paper pumpkins and designed their own jack-o-lanterns.   We also practised making the number 3.  On Friday, we went outside and had a Fall Scavenger Hunt with our Grade 8 Reading Buddies!  The children had fun looking for nature and spending time with their buddies.  We will continue with patterning activities and Halloween activities this week.
     This week in the computer lab the children continued to work on the website "abcya".  They explored Fuzz Bugs colour patterns, Shape patterns and Make a pizza, ice cream, cupcake and robot.
     We are going on our first trip Monday, October 30.  We will be travelling to Strawberry Creek Farm.  Permission notes and additional information was sent home on Friday in our child's mailbag.  Lambton-Kingsway is a cashless school and payment details are included on the note.  Please make your payment online and return the permission form by Thursday.  If you wish to volunteer for the trip, please let the grade parents know.  There will be 4 parent volunteers for our class along with Miss Santiago and myself.  It will be a wonderful learning experience.  Please contact the office if you have any difficulties paying online.  
     Lambton-Kingsway is collecting non-perishable food for the Toronto Food Bank with our "We Scare Hunger" food campaign.  Thank you to everyone who has sent in their donations.  Donations will be collected until November 1.  We have currently brought in 40 food items.
     It was wonderful too see everyone at the Fall Fair.  What a wonderful after school activity.  A reminder that school photo orders are due by October 27.  Orders may be placed on-line.  See your proof sheet for additional details.  School retake day is Wednesday, November 1.
     We have reached the next goal for our Terry Fox campaign and Tuesday, October 24 is Pyjama Day!  Wear your cozy pyjamas to school and we will have a comfy day!
     Our next Sharing Assembly is Friday, October 27.  We will be sharing a Halloween song and celebrating the character trait of Responsibility.  Award winners' families will be notified this weekend.
     We will be celebrating Halloween on Tuesday, October 31.  Children may wear their costumes to school.  Just a reminder that make-up and face paint is easier for the children to manage than a mask. Please send a bag to school to hold any extra parts of the costume, so that no pieces are lost.  Also please ensure that your child can still use the washroom and move freely around the classroom in his/her costume.  Please do not include any toy weapons with your child's costume.  Weather permitting the children will parade around the outside of the school following the morning announcements.  We will be having a small celebration in our classroom following the parade.  Thanks in advance to our parent volunteers.  

This Week:

Monday-Library (B), Computers (A)
               Return your trip permission form
Tuesday-Snuggle Up books exchanged
                PYJAMA DAY!
Wednesday-Music
Thursday-Library (A), Computers (B)
                Last day to return your trip permission forms
Friday-Sharing Assembly
             Pizza Day
            Snuggle Up books exchanged

We are accepting food donations for the food bank all week!

     It has been a busy 4 days in Room 159.  The children began a variety of patterning activities which will continue, as we explore creating, identifying and extending patterns.  The children have made patterns with coloured blocks and then coloured strips to represent their patterns.  This work is displayed on our classroom door.  The children also had the opportunity to practise their patterning with Miss Paska on Tuesday.  We created activities with felt leaves, pompoms and colourful gems to further practise patterning skills.  It is wonderful to watch the children be hands on and involved with their learning.
     The children visited the book fair this week in the library.  There was no book exchange because of the book fair.  Book exchange will begin on Monday as usual.  Cold season has begun in Room 159.  Children should be staying home with excessive runny noses and coughing to prevent the spreading of illness to others.  Staying home one day can help a child rest and fight off illnesses.  No one wants to be at school when they are not feeling well.  Thanks so much.  We had a chilly fire drill on Wednesday.  The children did a great job of exiting the classroom, lining up,doing attendance and waiting quietly.
     The children's mailbags were full of new items this weekend.  All children receive a Snuggle Up book to read or to be read to.  These books will be exchanged each Tuesday and Friday.  When there is no school on Friday, books will be exchanged on Thursday.  Please take care of these books as many were purchased by me personally or belong to the school.  Please return the Snuggle Up book in your child's mailbag on Monday or Tuesday, so we can send home a new book.  The Junior Kindergarten Students received a form for French Immersion beginning in Senior Kindergarten.  Please read the information provided for important dates and contact the office if you have any questions.  
     We have started the Jolly Phonics program this week.  Through this program the students learn letter formation skills, letter sounds and actions to help consolidate their learning.  The first letter sound taught is "s".  The sounds are taught in order of usage in words, as opposed to the order of the alphabet.  The children have also received a Sound Review Book in their mailbag.  This is a voluntary review that you may do with your child.  As we discuss a letter sound, an activity will be sent home that you can do with your child.  Please return the Sound Review book, on or before Thursday to receive the next sheet.  You will receive the next sheet even if the previous sheet is not completed as I realize that some weeks are busier than others.
     As the cool weather approaches Miss Santiago and I are helping the children practise putting on their coats and doing their zippers.  We continue to have the children be as independent as possible, and they are doing a wonderful job.  A reminder to have your child pull out the sleeves of his/her coat and place it on the floor, toes to the tag of the coat.  They will place his/her arms in the sleeves and "flip" it over his/her head.  For zippers, Miss Santiago has taught the children to take sure that the rocket(slider)is in the launch pad (the box at the bottom) and then place the astronaut (insertion pin  of the zipper) into the rocket (box) and pull.  It is wonderful to watch the excitement on the children's faces when they independently zip their own zipper.  Please give them the time to accomplish this task when you can.  You will love the sense of accomplishment and independence.


     Thanks again for your contributions to our Terry Fox campaign.  We are continuing to accept donations on-line and at school.  We have not yet reached our school goal and are behind last year's donations.
     The LKS Fall Fair is Wednesday, October 18 in the school yard from 3:00-5:00 pm.  There will be a petting zoo, a bouncy castle, pumpkins, crafts, food trucks and more.  Please let us know if pick up plans will be different on Wednesday.  See you there!
     LKS is collecting food donations for the Toronto Food Bank.  You can find more details regarding "We Scare Hunger" on the LKS Bulletin.  Food donations can be brought to our classroom.  Thanks in advance for your generosity.  It is greatly appreciated.

This Week:
Monday-Library (B), Computers (A)
Tuesday-Snuggle up books exchanged
Wednesday-Music
                    LKS Fall Fair
                    Happy 30th day of school, Zero the Hero visits
Thursday-Library (A), Computers (B)
Friday-Happy Friday!
            Snuggle Up books exchanged
            Have you brought your donation for We Scare Hunger?

     Happy Thanksgiving!  I hope that everyone enjoys this weekend of family, friends, good food and laughter.  My contribution to the Burn Thanksgiving dinner is carrot cake and it is currently cooling in the kitchen waiting to be iced.  Enjoy the long weekend!
     The children were busy this week completing their October calendars, creating turkeys, writing about being thankful and completing fall trees with Miss Paska.  The October calendars the children created were sent home on Thursday.  It is wonderful to see the progress in printing names and writing numbers since our September calendars.  The SK students had the extra task of labeling an important date in October.  They were excited to write their friends' birthdays, pizza day, Thanksgiving and Halloween.  Our turkey craft combined painting paper plates, cutting out beaks, wattles, legs and feathers and of course, googly eyes.  I hope the turkeys find an important place during this weekend's festivities.  The students also had the opportunity to draw and write about what they were thankful for.  They did a wonderful job of thinking about their families, friends and homes.
     We enjoyed our first visit from our Grade 8 Reading Buddies on Wednesday.  The children were introduced to his/her buddy and they co-created a Thanksgiving pumpkin.  The Grade 8's helped our students complete and assemble their pumpkins.  We then flattened the pumpkins for easier transport home.  Pull the strips around to form a circle to read and display at home.  Our Grade 8 buddies will visit once per each 5 day cycle to read and complete activities with us.  It is a wonderful way for our students to meet other students, learn and work together.  
     On Thursday, Miss Paska helped the students to create Fall trees using tissue paper and corks to paint the colourful leaves.  These beautiful trees are on the bulletin board in the hall.  Please have a look the next time you visit the school.  
     This week in computers, Miss Santiago continued to have the children practise holding the mouse with Peter Pointer and Toby Tall fingers.    The children completed games that involved moving and dragging items across the screen.  On ABCya they played "Make a pumpkin face" and "Make a pizza".  On Starfall the students played "Silly Turkey".  The names of the websites we are using are supplied for your information, you are not required to subscribe to them at home unless you wish.  The students will continue to use them in the computer lab.  During a rainy day this week the children did Cosmic Yoga Disco with Miss Santiago and Ms McGee.  They completed the "Washing Machine" and the "Hot Air Balloon."
     Enjoy reading your child's Poetry Book with him/her this weekend.  "Hello Mr. Turkey" was a classroom favourite this week.  Please return any outstanding "Student Data Verification Forms" on Tuesday.  Thanks in advance.
     The Scholastic Book Fair is coming to LKS this week.  Our class will be visiting the Book Fair on Thursday.  Children may bring money to purchase books, if they wish.  If you are sending money, please place it in a labeled envelope or baggie with your child's name and the amount of money.  You may also visit the book fair with your child, before school at 8:45 or after school until 3:30.  There are a range of books at different price points.  Books usually begin at $6.00.  It is so much fun to watch the children shop and choose their own books.

Happy Thanksgiving and see everyone on Tuesday!  Just a reminder this is the last week to bring in your Terry Fox donations.  Thank you to everyone who has contributed on-line or brought their donations to school.  We are behind our school goal, so every donation helps.  Let's keep Terry's dream alive!

This Week:
Monday-Happy Thanksgiving!
Tuesday-return mailbags and Student Data   verification forms
Wednesday-Music
Thursday-Room 159 visits the book fair
                 Library (A), Computers (B)
Friday-Happy Friday the 13th
            Snuggle Up books begin

     Happy October!  We have finished a busy month of September with many "firsts" especially for our Junior Kindergarten families.  Thank you again to everyone for helping us have a smooth beginning to the school year.   We had a very warm beginning to the week and the students and staff enjoyed a "cool" popsicle treat from Mr. Currie and Mrs. Norton on Tuesday.  On  Wednesday, Miss Santiago made Thank You cards with the children and we delivered them to the office.  It was a meaningful way for everyone to practise printing their names.
     The children completed Terry Fox activities this week leading up to our walk on Thursday.  Thank you very much to all the parents and grandparents that attended the assembly and then walked around the school yard with us.  We appreciated all your help and we couldn't have done it without you.  The SK students drew a picture with Terry and wrote something special they knew about Terry Fox.  The JK students drew a self-portrait of themselves running with Terry Fox.  On Thursday, the children designed a running shoe they thought Terry Fox would like to wear.  The children also completed their "This is Me in September" pictures.  We will complete this drawing and writing task each month.  Their wonderful work is displayed over the cubbies in our classroom.  Please have a look the next time you visit our classroom.  In Music, the children are singing, "Here We Go a Walking" and are keeping the beat with their arms, legs and hands.  In the computer lab, Miss Santiago is having the students explore "Trace to the Beat!" using numbers and letters in abaya.com.  The children will be completing their October calendars this week and completing Thanksgiving activities.
     We had our first Lockdown drill on Friday.  During a Lockdown drill,  the children sit in their cubbies quietly with books, the lights are turned off, the windows are covered and the doors are locked.  The children did a wonderful job of being calm, quiet and following the expectations for this drill.  We also had our first Pizza Day on Friday.  Due to the rainy weather, the children ate in the classroom instead of the lunch room.  Thank you to our volunteers for helping with supervision on this special day.  The children also participated in their first Sharing Assembly on Friday.  Congratulations to our award winners for the character trait of Respect.  Each child will receive an award during the school year.  Thank you to everyone who attended and waved goodbye to their child for a successful (and tear free) ending to the Assembly.  
     The cooler weather seems to be approaching with some chilly mornings.  Please give your child opportunities to practise putting on his/her coat independently.  We are teaching the students to use the "flip" method in our class.  Have your child lay his/her coat on the ground with the tag/hood at his/her toes.  The child puts his/her arms into the coat and flips it over his/her head.  When he/she can successfully put on his/her coat, then we will begin with zipper practise.  Thanks in advance for your practise at home.
     The October calendar and Scholastic book order forms were sent home on Friday.  I will be submitting the book order during the Thanksgiving weekend, so please send all orders to school on or before Thursday.  I have copied the Library and Computer groups on the back of the calendar.  There were a few changes due to the reorganization.
     Tuesday, October 3 is Picture Day.  All children will be in our class photo and have an individual picture taken.  Our scheduled time will be in the morning, so please be on time for school.  If you are absent, there is a retake day Wednesday, November 1.  Edge Imaging recommends that your child wears bright solid coloured clothing and NO SOLID GREEN CLOTHING.  Please let us know if a sweater or a specific article of clothing has to be left on for the picture.
     A reminder that Friday, October 6 is a PA Day and there is no school for the students.  The teachers will be at school for meetings.  There is no school on Monday, October 9 for Thanksgiving celebrations.  Enjoy this long weekend with your family and friends.
     We are still accepting donations for our Terry Fox Campaign.  Thank you to everyone who has donated.  Donations may be sent directly to the classroom or done on line at www.terryfox.org.  We are currently short of our school donation goal of $21,592.40.  Thanks again for your generosity.  

This Week:
Monday-Music
               20th day of School, Zero the Hero visits
Tuesday-Picture Day
               Library (A), Comptuers (B)
Wednesday-Have you donated to our Terry Fox 
                   Walk?
Thursday-Library (B), Computers (A)
                 Last day for book orders
Friday-PA Day, No School

Just a reminder of LKS Curriculum Night on Thursday, September 28.  The Kindergarten teachers will be presenting in the gym from 5:30-6:00 and the Kindergarten classrooms will be open from 6:00-7:00 for parents.  Our classroom materials and toys will not be available during the evening.

     Welcome to the first weekend of Fall, even though it feels more like the middle of Summer.  As you can imagine, we have had some very warm days this week in our classroom.  Thanks so much for sending water bottles with your child and taking them home for lunch for a cool break if possible.  We are encouraging the children to hydrate as necessary and we happily refill water bottles throughout the day.
     We are working with the Junior Kindergarten students to help them practise printing their names.  Please continue to practise this activity at home.  Children can practise using markers, paint, dry erase markers, crayons, pencils, chalk or other writing utensils.  Try to make this activity as fun and meaningful as possible.  Have them sign birthday cards, notes, give them junk mail and have them experiment on scrap paper.  The students are currently having fun printing their names and friends' names with dry erase markers on name tags that Miss Santiago made.  Please see a picture on the right side of the blog.  Please monitor his/her pencil grip and help them to hold writing utensils properly.   Children may also enjoy printing the names of family members and friends.  Thanks in advance and we will continue to practise this skill at school.  The Junior Kindergarten students also completed name puzzles this week and counted the letters in their names.
     Also this week, the Senior Kindergarten students practised sequencing numbers to 20 and reviewed numbers in the teens using 10 frames.  We have introduced the words "to" and "is" to the class using songs and poems.  Enjoy the songs we have learned so far in your child's Poetry book we sent home on Friday.  We also graphed how the students came to school.  You can see our first class graph at Curriculum Night.  See the LKS website for more details.
     Our first Sharing Assembly is on Friday.  The Kindergarten classes will be presenting a poem about school.  Sharing Assemblies begin after morning announcements in the gym.  Please have your child enter our classroom as usual and we will proceed to the gym as a class.  Everyone is invited.  Sharing Assemblies last approximately 20 minutes.  Award winners will be notified this weekend.  All the children will receive an award throughout the year.  This month's character trait is Respect.
     A reminder that Friday, September 29 is Pizza Day.  Sign up information is available on the LKS Bulletin.  Children will still need a morning and afternoon snack on Friday and their water bottle for drinks throughout the day.  Your grade parents will be contacting you regarding volunteer opportunities for pizza days.
     In the computer labs this week, Miss Santiago introduced the students to activities on abcya.com.  They played alphabet bingo and bubble alphabet.  Your child may enjoy using this website at home.  If using a mouse, encourage your child to use 2 fingers, Peter Pointer and Tall Man to move the mouse.
     Just a reminder to make your donation to our LKS Terry Fox Walk.  Donations may be sent to school with your child or made on-line at www.terryfox.org.  Additional pledge sheets and information is available at the office.  If your child has a Terry Fox shirt, please have he/her wear it on Thursday, or perhaps a Canada shirt to show our pride for Terry Fox.  Last year LKS raised $21,592.40 and we would love to beat that amount this year.
     Change and reorganization is never easy and our Kindergarten classes will be adjusting on Monday with the addition of a new class.  The children had the opportunity to visit their new class on Friday afternoon and had a wonderful time with Mrs. Champagne.  Miss Santiago and I were sad to say good-bye to 5 of our students and we are looking forward to seeing them during outside play and other school activities.  All of the Kindergarten students have begun to foster friendships outside of our classrooms with play experiences before, at lunch and after school.  

This Week:
Monday-Music
               Return your mailbag and Poetry Book
Tuesday-Library (A), Computers (B)
Wednesday-Firedrill
Thursday-Terry Fox Walk-watch for information  
                 from the Grade Parents to volunteer
                -Library (B), Computers (A)
Friday-Sharing Assembly 9:00 am in the gym
            Pizza lunch 

Upcoming Dates:
Tuesday, October 3-Picture Day
Friday, October 6-PA Day-no school
Monday, October 9-Thanksgiving-no school

     It has been a busy week in Room 159!  The children used scissors, glue, stickers and magic markers to create buses and people.  The brightly coloured people were inspired by reading, ""It's OK to be Different" by Todd Parr.  Todd Parr books always have brightly coloured people and animals in their illustrations.  To help practise scissor skills have your child cut up the flyers included in your newspapers.  They can cut out pictures of their favourite foods, toys and anything they are interested in.  A reminder when using scissors the children should always point their thumbs to the sky.  The students also completed their September calendars.  Each month the students will make a calendar with an art project to take home.  It is amazing to watch the development in numeral formation skills, printing, colouring and labelling that occurs.  Save a space to prominent displays your child's wonderful work.  The children were very excited to take home their calendar and busses on Friday.  Please return your child's empty mailbag on Monday.  We will be sending home mailbags on Fridays until we start Snuggle Up books in October, when we will move to twice a week.
    We accomplished many "firsts" this week.  We had our first Fire Drill and the children did a wonderful job, walking quietly and staying in line. Our Lockdown drill was postponed to later in the month.  Both library groups also borrowed books from the library.  Please keep the library books in the "green Bee bag" for travelling to and from school.  We have a box in the classroom for the children to place their returned books.  They will not be able to borrow a new book unless the prior book is returned.  Library dates are on the monthly class calendar, the blog and the groups are on the back of the calendar.  The children also had their first music class with Ms. McGee.  They played drums and sang songs by Raffi.  On Tuesday, we attended the Terry Fox Assembly.  The children listened carefully during this school wide assembly and enjoyed the Terry Fox movie.  We will be discussing Terry Fox in anticipation of our walk on Thursday, September 28.  We will try to keep the classroom discussion age appropriate for our Kindergarten students, but classroom activities may lead to some questions at home involving cancer or illness.  We focus on the fact that Terry ran to collect money to help the doctors, nurses and scientists to make new medicines.  We also discuss that Terry is a hero.  You may send in Terry Fox pledge sheets and donations any time.  You may also make your donations on-line. Please see the pledge sheets for more information.  Thanks in advance for your generosity.
     Friday was International Dot Day, a day to create and celebrate all that creativity inspires and invites.  Dot Day was inspired by the book, "the dot" by Peter H. Reynolds.  Children are encouraged to make their mark and see where it takes them.  Miss Santiago and I set up a variety of activities which the children completed to create with dots.  The children used bingo dappers to make a design and they also used watercolour crayons dipped in water to make a dot collage.  The dot collages are displayed on our classroom door.  The SK students also used black dots to create their own picture based on the book, "Ten Black Dots" by Donald Crews.  Please see some examples to the right.  It was a day of dots!
     Miss Santiago and I are excited to be hosting Miss Paska in our classroom.  Miss Paska is a 4th year Early Childhood Studies student at Ryerson and she will be in our classroom Thursdays and Fridays until December.  
     A reminder that our classroom is quite warm, so please dress your child in layers.  No one wants to be warm and uncomfortable while learning.  If there will be a change of plans in our child's routine, please write a note or call the school if it is a last minute change.  The office staff will call the classroom and let us know.  
     Thanks again for all your support, patience and assistance as we begin the school year.  We appreciate all your smiles and understanding at the end (and beginning) of the day.

Have a wonderful weekend!  Enjoy this perfect weather!

This Week:

Monday-Music
              10th day of school, Zero the Hero visits
Tuesday-Library (A) Return your books 
               Computers (B)
Wednesday-Happy Wednesday!
Thursday-Library (B) Return your books   
                 Computers (A)
Friday-1st Day of Fall!

     What a wonderful first week of school!  Thank you very much for all your support and understanding as we work with the children through the coming to school jitters, learning names and school routines.  Your understanding is greatly appreciated.  Thank you to everyone for quickly returning your child's back to school paperwork and mailbag.  Mailbags were sent home on Friday with additional paperwork and an updated September calendar.  Please complete the Physical Education form and return the form and mailbag on Monday.  Thanks in advance. The children have been divided into 2 groups for library and computer and this information is on the back of the new September calendar. One group will be in the library with Ms. McGee and the other group is in the computer lab with Miss Santiago.  Library and IT classes will be labelled on the monthly calendars, so you will know when to return library books.  The children will begin to borrow library books when the library computers are updated with the new class lists.  Group B went to the library on Friday and Group A went to the computer lab.  On Monday, all the children will be going to the library to have music with Ms. McGee and Miss Santiago.
     Next week will be busy with a fire drill and a lock down drill.  We will also attend the Terry Fox assembly on Tuesday after announcements.  Information regarding how to contribute to Terry's Dream was sent home on Friday.  Donations will be accepted until Thanksgiving.  This gives you time to talk to your family and friends.  LKS is very proud of our fundraising for the Terry Fox foundation.  Our Terry Fox walk is Thursday September 28.  The Kindergarten classes will walk around the school.  More information to follow regarding opportunities to walk with us. 
     The class has been eating snack together for the first days of school.  Beginning on Monday we will have free flow snack.  The children will be able to have their snack during activity time when they are hungry at the snack table.  Thank you very much for discussing snack and lunch with your child.  They are very well prepared.  Although the temperature outside is chilly in the morning, the school continues to be quite warm, since it is closed up during the evening and weekends.  Please dress your child in layers for the cool mornings and warm afternoons.  No one likes to be uncomfortable during the day.
     Reminder-If you are taking your child out of school early, you must go to the office, sign them out and they will buzz the classroom so we can get your child ready.  If you let us know in the morning, we will try to have your child prepared for his/her early dismissal.  Thanks!
     September 29 is our first Kindergarten Sharing Assembly.  Each month a Sharing Assembly is held in the gym beginning at 9:00.  The Kindergarten classes will present a song or poem and award certificates will be presented for the monthly character trait.  The character trait for September is Respect.  Each child will receive an award during the school year and parents are notified prior to the Assembly so they can attend.  Sharing Assemblies are approximately 20 minutes.  Everyone is welcome.
     I hope that everyone has the opportunity to enjoy the wonderful weather this weekend.  It was great to see so many students at Taste of the Kingsway enjoying the neighbourhood.  Looking forward to a marvellous week!

This Week:

Monday-Music with Ms. McGee
Tuesday-Terry Fox Assembly
               Library (A), Computers (B)
Wednesday-Fire Drill
Thursday-Library (B), Computers (A)
Friday-Lockdown Drill

Oops, there was a small mistake on the September calendar regarding the school hours.  Kindergarten is dismissed at 3:05 pm.  Sorry for any misunderstanding.
The Open Houses were wonderful today and Miss Santiago and I enjoyed seeing everyone.  We are looking forward to a fun day tomorrow.

                                  Room 159

Miss Santiago and I have been working diligently to get our classroom ready for the new school year.  Kindergarten Open House is on Tuesday, September 5.  A reminder that Senior Kindergarten students can visit from 10:00 am to 11:00 am and the Junior Kindergarten students are invited to look around the classroom from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm.    We can't wait to see everyone!  Everything has been labelled and your child's mailbag is all ready with back to school paperwork.  
Please read the previous blogs below for additional back to school information including school hours and helpful tips.
Wishing everyone a wonderful long weekend and looking forward to an exciting school year!