Merry Christmas from Room 103!

Dear friends, parents, and families,

It is with mixed emotions that I would like to announce that I will be leaving room 103 at St. Andrew's school on December 23. While I am very sad to leave this wonderful class, I have been offered an opportunity to pursue my teaching career with the Halton Catholic District School Board.

To ensure a smooth transition, Laura Coulson (currently in room 117) will take on the permanent role of ECE in room 103 beginning January 9, 2017. Ms. Coulson is a dedicated professional who is familiar with our students and the school routines and I know the children will love her enthusiasm.

I would like to let all of you know that I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at St. Andrew's school in room 103 and working with your children. I will miss them dearly! They have taught me a great deal that I hope to apply to my new teaching position.

I am looking forward to spending the next two weeks together with everyone and seeing friends and family at the Christmas concert on December 16!

I wish you every happiness for this Christmas season.

Love,

Mrs. Samson

 

 Advent  

In preparation for the Advent season, the Kindergarten classes have organized two special activities to share in the period of waiting for Jesus:

Advent Prayer Booklet

This week your child brought home an Advent prayer booklet. The booklet contains an angel "Advent calendar" to count down the days until Christmas. Weekly Advent prayers for your family are also included.  A yellow crayon has been sent so that your child may colour one flame on the booklet cover at the start of each week.  The order (left to right) is purple, purple, pink, purple.

AdventBags

One night during the Advent season, your child will bring home a special Advent bag, for a family ritual at home. Please be sure to return the Advent Bag to school the next day in order to ensure that each child in the class will have the opportunity to get the bag.

Outdoor Weather

With the cold weather here, we kindly ask that the children come to school dressed for these cooler temperatures (i.e. hat, mittens, and boots). We are strongly recommending that parents please review dressing skills at home (zipping zippers, buttons, putting coats and snow pants on). We will continue to support parents in developing these independent and necessary skills. Also, please label all clothing articles (hats, mitts, boots, snow pants, etc.). We are finding that a lot of children have the same outdoor clothing and also wear the same size! Thanking you in advance for your support!

PAT Time

This week's letter is "c".  Those children who missed Friday's PAT time will present on Monday.

Chime In

Advent Song

See the candles burning bright,

One by one, each week we light.

Advent is the time to wait,

Not quite time to celebrate.

When the waiting time is through,

It's Christmas joy for me and you!

PAT Time

This week's PAT Time letter is "N".  Thank you for helping to prepare your children for their presentations! We are impressed with the objects they bring in and their growing confidence.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear Field Trip

Thank you to the many parents who have volunteered to supervise our November 30th field trip to the Brown Bear, Brown Bear performance at the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga. We had far more volunteers than we were able to accommodate, so names were randomly drawn.  Those selected have been contacted by telephone.

Save the Date!

Room 103's Christmas Concert will be held Friday afternoon, December 16th.  More details to follow.

Chime-In

My Pets

There are lots of pets in my house.
I have one gerbil and one white mouse.
I have two kittens and two green frogs.
I have three goldfish and three big dogs.
Some folks say that's alot!
Can you tell how many pets I've got?

Remembrance Day

Throughout the week, we have been talking about Remembrance Day, with a special focus on the importance of being peacekeepers.  Today, we explored the concept of war through a read-aloud of: Land of Many Colors, by the Klamath County YMCA Family Preschool, Klamath Falls, Oregon, illustrated by Rita Pocock. We also observed two minutes of silence at 11:00 am.

Our Recipe for Peace

2 cups of LOVE
1 cup of SHARING
1/2 cup of WORKING TOGETHER
1 tbsp. of CARING
1 tsp. of GIVING
1/2 tsp. of HELPING
1 pinch of LISTENING.

Mix together. Bake at 350 degrees and serve!

Space ... the Final Frontier!

Our students have been enthusiastic inter-galactic explorers!  They have

investigated the planets and dwarf planets in our solar system, as well as the milky way and other galaxies.  They have even created and named their own galaxies.

Parent Observations - November 14-18

We are happy to welcome parents to Room 103 this coming week!  Please keep in mind that this is an opportunity to observe how your child is involved in the classroom community and engaged in inquiry-based learning activities.  Please note that observation time does not allow for parent-teacher interviews.  If you would like to discuss your child's progress, we encourage you to book an appointment outside of classroom hours.

PAT Time November Schedule

Week of November 7 - I

Week of November 14 - P

Week of November 21 - N

Week of November 28 - C

Chime In

Poppy

Poppy we are but children small,

We are too little to do it all.

Children you may do your part.

Love each other is how you start.

Play without fighting.

Share your games and toys.

Be kind and thoughtful,

To all girls and boys.

Remembrance Day

We wear a poppy

On Remembrance Day,

And at eleven

We stand and pray.

Wreathes are put

Upon a grave

As we remember

Our soldiers brave.

Elephants Have Wrinkles

Elephants have wrinkles, wrinkles, wrinkles.

Elephants have wrinkles, wrinkles everywhere!

On their toes,

No one knows

Why-y-y-y...

Elephants have wrinkles, wrinkles, wrinkles.

Elephants have wrinkles, wrinkles everywhere!

On their knees,

On their toes,

No one knows

Why-y-y-y...

Elephants have wrinkles, wrinkles, wrinkles.

Elephants have wrinkles, wrinkles everywhere!

On their hips,

On their knees,

On their toes,

No one knows

Why-y-y-y...

Elephants have wrinkles, wrinkles, wrinkles.

Elephants have wrinkles, wrinkles everywhere!

On their trunks,

On their hips,

On their knees,

On their toes,

No one knows

Why-y-y-y...

Elephants have wrinkles, wrinkles, wrinkles.

Elephants have wrinkles, wrinkles everywhere!

On their ears,

On their trunks

On their hips,

On their knees,

On their toes,

No one knows

Why-y-y-y...

Elephants have wrinkles, wrinkles, wrinkles.

Elephants have wrinkles, wrinkles everywhere!

On their teeth,

On their teeth - that's ridiculous!

On their ears,

On their trunks

On their hips,

On their knees,

On their toes,

No one knows

Why-y-y-y...

Elephants have wrinkles, wrinkles, wrinkles.

Elephants have wrinkles, wrinkles everywhere!

Christian Meditation

Each day, the students in Room 103 participate in Christian Meditation. We thought we would take this opportunity to share information about this practice.

What Christian Meditation is:

• Christian Meditation is a way of becoming present to God and entering prayer of the heart.
• It is one form of prayer; it is an ancient form of prayer used by monks from the 4th Century with St. Anthony in the desert.
• Christian Meditation focuses on God.
• You are meant to be present and alert.
• It is an acknowledgement that the spirit dwells within us and we need to be quiet and still to listen to the spirit.
• It is a practice that is used worldwide by Christians to strengthen their relationship with God.

What Christian Meditation is not:

• It is not a relaxation or visualization activity (although feeling relaxed and ready to learn can be a benefit).
• It is not a fad that is going away.
• It is different than mindfulness, which is a form of meditation practice which originates in Buddhism.
• It is not used to enhance self-reflection and self-regulation, but to focus on God's presence.
• Christian meditation does not replace other forms of prayer, reading scriptures or the sacraments.
• It is not an altered state of consciousness or a time to lay down and sleep.

Scholastic Book Fair

The Scholastic Book Fair will be coming to St. Andrew School Library from Monday, November 21 through to Thursday, November 24. The book fair will be open each day from 9:00 am until 3:20 pm. Parents are invited to sign in at the office and to browse throughout the day.  It will also be open Thursday evening during Interview Night, for the last time. The Book Fair will be closed Friday, November 25.

Wish Lists will be sent home with students, as we invite your whole family to participate in purchasing the latest and greatest in children's books. Did you know that for every $10 you spend at the fair $6 comes directly back to our school? This is a great way to support our school library and to help put new books and resources back into our library. Parent volunteers are welcome to join in the fun and are asked to please contact our new Library Technician, Mr. Riches, if you are available to help with our young browsers and shoppers. Thank you for your support with this important initiative to support our school library book collection and the love of reading!

PAT Time November Schedule

Week of November 7 - I

Week of November 14 - P

Week of November 21 - N

Week of November 28 - C

Reading Tip of the Month

When you read with your child, sit next to or hold them on your lap so they can see the pages with you. They will be learning left-to-right progression of the print and the pages, and that print and pictures have meaning. You will also be modeling important reading behaviours including looking at and talking about the pictures and using your finger to point to the words.

Skills to Review at Home:

Please continue to review at home the following things:

• Putting on coat and zipping it up
• Putting on shoes and/or boots
• Practice putting on and taking off snow pants
• Printing first name – First letter uppercase, the rest lowercase (if your child can print their first name independently start working on last name)
• Alphabet letters and sounds
• Sight words
• Shared Reading activities
• Packing backpack (if your child is packing their own backpack then they know what is inside when they arrive at school and will be able to pack it independently at the end of the day ☻)

We all encourage the children to do their best. Kindergarten is a time to help children build on the small successes that they have every day. Parents and teachers have a very special partnership in a Kindergarten classroom. By reinforcing the learning skills with your children at home, you are helping them to gain self confidence in their own abilities and establishing the pattern for life long learning.

Important Dates

November 10 - Photo Retake Day, Scholastic Book Orders Due
November 14 to 18 - Kindergarten Room 103 Observations
November 18 - Spirit Day - Paint the Town Read in Support of United Way - Dress in Red
November 21 to 24 - Scholastic Book Fair
November 25 - PA Day - No School for Students
November 30 - Field Trip - Brown Bear Performance at Living Arts Centre, Mississauga

Happy Halloween from Room 103!

Scenes from our Boo-gie-a-thon!

Communication Books

Please ensure your child's communication book is placed in his/her zippy bag. The book is for two-way communication between parents and teachers.  If there is no new message, the book remains closed. If there is a new message, open the book to that page to ensure it is read in a timely fashion.

PAT Time Letter Schedule

Week of October 31 - T
Week of November 7 - I
Week of November 14 - P
Week of November 21 - N
Week of November 28 - C

Halloween Boo-gie-a-thon

We are super-excited for our upcoming Halloween Boo-gie-a-thon on Monday, October 31st!   Please send your child to school dressed in a comfortable, non-violent, mask-less costume. Or, if you prefer, dressed in orange and black.We will be dancing in the gym from 9:30 to 10:05 am.  Parents are welcome to attend.

Halloween Treats

Each child participating in the Boo-gie-a-thon will receive a nut-free treat.  If you are planning to send in treats for your child's classmates, please be advised that only NON-FOOD ITEMS are permitted.

Also, we request that Halloween sugary treats such as candy and chocolates be enjoyed at home only. Chips are an acceptable special treat for school.

Thank you for your understanding!

We Scare Hunger Food Drive

St. Andrew's is collecting non-perishable food items between October 27th and November 4th. Please send in a donation of  a non-perishable food item.  The act of giving helps reinforce that "sharing is caring" and that we are all part of God's family.

Pumpkin Inquiry

Our young learners have been investigating pumpkins this past week. We have explored their size, shape and texture. We discovered that there are 534 seeds in one pumpkin. We have also learned about the life cycle of a pumpkin.  This inquiry has provided students with opportunities to ask questions, measure, count (by tens and ones) and express their learning through various arts and crafts.

PAT Time

Next week's letter is "T". Our students are gaining confidence in presenting, especially with at home practice!

Chime-In

A new feature of this blog will be our "Chime-In" poems, chants and songs.  These are rhymes and songs you have likely heard at home. Please have your child share these with you.

Three Black Cats

Three black cats, three black cats,
In black hats, in black hats,
They all jumped into the Halloween brew.
They teased the ghosts and the goblins too!
Have you ever seen such a hullabaloo?
On Halloween, on Halloween!!!

The Way Witches Fly

This is the way the witches fly, witches fly, witches fly.
This is the way the witches fly.
Swish! Swish! Swish!

This is Halloween!

One little skeleton jumping up and down, jumping up and down, jumping up and down.
One little skeleton jumping up and down, for this is Halloween!
Two little witches flying on their brooms, flying on their brooms, flying on their brooms.
Two little witches flying on their brooms, for this is Halloween!
Three little goblins skipping down the street, skipping down the street, skipping down the street.
Three little goblins skipping down the street, for this is Halloween!
Four little pumpkins rolling down the hill, rolling down the hill, rolling down the hill.
Four little pumpkins rolling down the hill, for this is Halloween!
Five little children playing trick or treat, playing trick or treat, playing trick or treat.
Five little children playing trick or treat, for this is Halloween!

Writers at Work

Our students have been busy writers! Through writing, they explore their interests, describe events and ask questions. From journal entries to books about sports and animals to questionnaires, children express their ideas and world views. We encourage children to sound out words, and with our less-experienced writers, we scribe their thoughts. Correct spelling is not a a goal of the kindergarten program. Praise your child's efforts to write independently.

PAT Time

We have just successfully completed our first week's PAT time!  Thank you for supporting your child's "S" selection.

This coming week we will be focusing on the letter "A".  

A number of parents have asked how they can further support their child's presentation of their PAT item. The presentation follows a standard format:

I chose (object name).

(Object name) starts with the letter ____.

The letter ___ makes the sound_____.

Your child may feel more confident if they practice their presentation in advance at home!

Reading Buddies

Each Tuesday afternoon, students in Mr. Spence's  grade 5 class join our class for "Reading Buddies", a chance to snuggle up with a good book.

Rosary Apostolate

 On Wednesday, October 19th,

the Rosary Apostolate made its first monthly visit to our classroom. Students learned about the first Joyful Mystery, the Annunciation. They also prayed the Hail Mary. Students received a gift of rosary beads to share with their families. The Rosary Apostolate is a non-profit organization of volunteers in the community whose main objective is to lead people to Jesus through Mary by teaching them how to pray the Holy Rosary.  

Outdoor Play

During this glorious month of October, your child has had many opportunities to enjoy our outdoor playground. Since they, weather permitting, will be playing outside for more than one hour each day, please ensure they are "dressed for the weather" and are equipped with suitable outdoor footwear.

PAT Time Schedule

PAT Time (very similar to Show and Tell) will begin on Monday, October 17th.  PAT Time is a time where we work on developing phonemic awareness. This involves children being able to listen for sounds in words. 

PAT Schedule

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Alex	Gabriel	Maya	Nathan	Simon
Chloe	Juliana	Michael	Paget	Zoe
Dana	Max	Ethan	Kai	Olivia
Aaniyah	Ben	Evelyn	Kamryn	Selena
Ammiel	Daniel	Fady	Leticia	Taeyin
	Dario	Joemar	Milana

Our Thanksgiving Tree