Hello Parents,

Things Miss Bruyn and I forgot to talk about last night....

We have a Kinder student with a life threatening peanut allergy in Mme Finlay and Miss Lavoie's class this year.  We will therefore not accept edible birthday treats from home.  Thank you very much for the offer.  For those who really want to give out something and who asked for suggestions, you can send in stickers, erasers, pencils etc.

Don't forget that we go out everyday at 8:40 for outdoor gross motor play.  It is chilly now and little mittens, hats and a heavier sweater would be appreciated.

If you sent in shorts/skirts as your child's change of clothing, it would be a good time to send in something for the Fall/Winter.  We will be happy to send the summer things back home.

September 26th, is our first Holy Family Spirit Day.  Your child can wear a hat in class if they choose to.  It can be a funny one, a sporty one etc., just not something too hot that they would sweat.

Have a great weekend,

Mrs. Panetta and Miss Bruyn

Listen to Chinaza's Creation

Listen to Chinaza's Creation

Curriculum Night

A friendly reminder to all our parents that our curriculum / program night will be this  Wednesday September 17 from 6:30 p.m.  - 7:30 p.m.   This is a great night to meet the teacher's and see the programming being implemented in your child's classroom.  Please be advised that this is a dedicated night for parents and there is NO supervsion for children.

We hope to see everyone out!

Kindergarten Team

Independent Skills

Your children have made the jump to Kindergarten! They are expected to do more on their own now, whether it's going to the bathroom themselves, or opening their own milk carton. You can help by encouraging independence at home!

The following are skills that are particularly important for Kindergarten: 

1. Personal Belongings: Children need to be able to unpack their backpacks, turn in important papers/ mailbags DAILY and keep track of their supplies/ lunches.  No one expects them to walk in the door on the first day and do this perfectly, but children who can already do similar things at home are a lot more successful and feel a lot more comfortable in Kindergarten.

2. Zippers, Buttons, Shoes: Helping to teach your children how to dress and undress themselves helps them feel confident. Keep practicing coats, shoes, zippers and buttons at home! Don't forget to allow a few extra minutes of dressing time! It takes practice and patience but the end result will leave you both with smiles :)

3. Lunches: Your life is hectic enough without dealing with the hassle of packing your kids’ lunches every day, only to have them reject half of what you so lovingly selected for them. What’s the solution? Have them pack lunches with you. Give them a few healthy choices and by deciding what to put in their own lunch, your kids are more likely to eat it and more importantly, it saves you time. Whatever your child does not eat during school hours, we make sure to send it home with them so you know how much or how little your child ate that day. If something comes back untouched, talk to your child to see if they dislike what you are sending because this may be the case! To solve this problem, pack lunches together! Make it fun, they will enjoy the experience and independence.  Prepare bite size dishes, cut sandwiches into halves or quarters to make it easier for  your child to pick up and eat with their little hands. Also, making sure they know how to open their water bottle or juice box and tear, unsnap, unzip all of the containers inside makes the day go much more smoothly.  Try out new items at home first and don’t send them in until you know your child can open them alone.

We are so proud of your children! They are learning and discovering their growing independence each day!

PARENTS, we thank and appreciate your continued support!!!

The Kindergarten Team

PARENTS

The kindergarten team would like to thank all of our parents for your encouragement and support over the summer in preparing your child for school! ie, independent dressing, active listening and following routines.  The children have an amazing excitement for school and what a terrific start to the school year!  The children are exploring and creating many learning ideas through play and   inquiring further with curiosity and exploring new ways of learning.  This past week, the children have learned expectations of the class, school and daily routines.  Please discuss with your child the importance of using your words and acts of kindness to peers and adults.  The children have adapted very well to transitions and choosing healthy snacks for morning.  Children are encouraged to keep all remaining food  in their lunch boxes after lunch so parents can monitor and adjust less or extra snacks as needed.  A few reminders to mention are as follows:

Please  ensure your child always has a spare set of clothing, including socks.

GYM shoes is an asset for physical activity.  The children have gym twice a week

Please bring in a blanket for daily rest time NO stuffed animals or pillows please!

Return your mailbags daily as our communication tool.

The Kindergarten team appreciates your ongoing support and wishes everyone a wonderful year!

Rest time and blankets

In every Ontario Full-Day Kindergarten classroom, there must be a rest time of approximately 30 minutes integrated each day. Your four and five year old children are very busy...moving from one activity to the next. We must remember that all children are unique and will need different amounts of rest. Some children may actually sleep during this time while others may just rest their bodies and their brains to recharge for the remainder of the day! This quiet time is also a good moment for children to look and reflect on their day, thinking about what they have learned and discovered.
Sleep promotes alertness, memory and performance. Children who get enough sleep are more likely to function better and are less prone to behavioral problems and moodiness.
As a reminder, a blanket is required for each child to keep at school as we stress the importance of providing young children time to rest each day.

Thank you,
The Kindergarten Team

Welcome to a new school year!!!!!!

Welcome to all new and returning families!
We hope everyone had a fantastic summer!

The Kindergarten Team is very excited to start our first day of school on Tuesday, September 2nd (for the SK's) and looking foward to the JK's joining us on Thursday, September 4th!

A few things to keep in mind:

- SK PARENTS: ATTENTION! Please do not leave the drop off area in the morning on Tuesday without letting one of the Kindergarten teachers know how your child will be getting home the first week of school (bus, after school program, walker or pick up). It is very important that we have this information!

- FOR ALL KINDERS: Please remember to bring everything on your list of supplies that you will need on your first day! Extra clothes, indoor shoes, a blanket for rest time, a full lunch including at least 2 snacks and a drink.

- HOLY FAMILY IS A PEANUT and NUT FREE SCHOOL! This is a very important rule due to students with severe nut allergies! Please keep all nut and peanut products at home. If at home you do eat something that contains peanuts and nuts, make sure to wash your hands and mouth properly before coming to school. Don't forget to double check all food labels and look for a peanut and nut free symbol like these:

  

Also, go to our REMINDERS page for more healthy, nut free snack and lunch options!

- IPAD HEADPHONES: Every week the children are exploring many educational apps on the IPAD. It is important for them to hear the instructions clearly in order to complete the tasks asked.  One of  main apps used in Kindergarten is our Dreambox  program, this program allows teachers to assess each child's progress through various mathematical questions.  We are asking parents to provide a headset for their child in a labelled ziplock bag to help keep focus of the game.  

Thank you for your cooperation

Kindergarten Team