March in Room 103 has been a busy inquiry-filled month!

Our kindies have been researching and writing about animals of every kind: those that swim the sea, roam the earth and fly in the air.

On the GO!

Inquiring minds are never at rest!  Our students are now wondering about GO trains and have been building trains, tracks and GO stations! They recognize that commuter trains travel into Toronto and  have connections to subways and restaurants. We are in the process of transforming our dramatic play area into a GO station. If you have any GO items such as schedules, empty PRESTO cards, or even McCafé packaging, please send these to school in your child's backpack.

Rosary Apostolate

In February, our children were introduced to the First Luminous Mystery, the Baptism of our Lord. This month, during Lent, we are learned about the First Sorrowful Mystery, the Agony in the Garden. Each day we pray the Hail Mary so that Mary may pray for us.

Lights Out - Power Down March 24 - 10:30 to 11:30 am

On March 24, St. Andrew celebrated Earth hour. Throughout the school, all lights and computers were shut down to raise awareness of the importance of conserving energy. Each day, our class works to care for God's creation by bringing in litterless lunches and snacks, using classroom recycling and composting bins, minimizing the use of overhead lighting and playing respectfully in our natural playground.  We also read our school's eco-pledge each morning as part of our opening exercises.

Stewards of the Earth
St. Andrew Eco-School Pledge

Dear God,

We the community of St. Andrew's Catholic School, 

pledge to do our very best to reduce, reuse and recycle. 

We promise to conserve energy, save water and protect 

our natural resources and environment. 

We will inspire our families, friends and neighbours 

to make our world a cleaner and healthier place in which to live. 

Let every day be Earth Day.

Amen

Literacy

An important part of the kindergarten literacy program is Snuggle Up and Read.  One of the greatest gifts you can give your child is the love of reading. Please ensure that you return your child's Snuggle Up and Read folder each Tuesday and Thursday, so that they may receive a new book to share with you.

Math

The learning carpet is used in the classroom to promote counting and patterning.

Learning Calendar - 

What Our Students of the Day Enjoyed Most

Monday, February 27 - Making a bridge with Daniel. - Leticia

Tuesday, February 28 - Playing with Maya and Zoe. - Paget

Wednesday, March 1 - Playing dinosaur bones. - Tayein

Thursday, March 2 - Going to the library. - Chloe

Friday, March 3 - Playing in the sand table with Kamryn. - Aaniayah

Lenten Crosses

During the Lenten Season we have been discussing ways in which our “hearts can grow bigger with love”, by using kind words and doing good deeds for others.  In your child's zippies special Lenten crosses were sent home. We are encouraging the children to do good deeds at home and then record their name and good deed on the cross and return it to school.  We will be sharing our good deeds with the class.

Don’t give up! I believe in you all. A person’s a person, no matter how small! 

Dr. Seuss, Horton Hears a Who

We have certainly enjoyed our Dr. Seuss week in Room 103! What a terrific opportunity to re-discover the classics of Dr. Seuss:

The Cat in the Hat

I Can Read with My Eyes Shut!

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

Green Eggs and Ham

Fox in Socks

There's a Wocket in my Pocket

If I Ran the Zoo

Seuss's delightful rhymes and tongue twisters had the kids laughing!  You may extend this learning at home by playing rhyming games with your little ones. Feel free to add silly words, i.e. tap, sap, cap, lap, map, nap, zap, chap, thap, etc.

 

PAT Schedule

Week of March 6 - b
Week of March 20 - j
Weel pf March 27 - z

Math Tips for the Month

Play number games during everyday activities, such as counting the number of steps, the number of trucks you see while driving, or counting the number of items going in the laundry.

At the grocery store, ask your child to find items that are triangles, circles, rectangles, and other shapes.

Ask your child to recognize or stack the groceries you bought by container shape or organize by size.

Important March Dates

Friday, March 10 - PA Day - No School for Students

Monday, March 13 through Friday, March 17 - March Break (holiday)

Monday, March 20 - Return to School

Friday, March 24 - Pizza Treat Lunch

Friday, March 24 - Earth Hour - Lights Out 10:30 - 11:30 am

Chime-In

This is Lent!

(To the tune of "Frere Jacques")

Prayer, fasting and almsgiving,

We are meant to repent.

Forty days of sacrifice,

Being super, extra-nice!

This is Lent!

This is Lent!

Pancake Tuesday - February 28

For Pancake Tuesday our children will enjoy pancakes supplied by Lunch Lady. Students are asked to bring in a reusable fork and plastic plate. This will help our school minimize the environmental impact of this celebration. Also, please consider donating a tooonie to the Holy Childhood Association whose initiatives have been supported by St. Andrew for many years.

Ash Wednesday - March 1

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a time of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Kindergarten students will participate in a short liturgy in their own classroom and will receive ashes.

 Learning Calendar - 

What Our Students of the Day Enjoyed Most

Monday, February 6 - Using "helping hands". - Joemar
Tuesday, February 7 - Playing with lego. - Simon
Wednesday, February 8 - Christian meditation. - Daniel
Thursday, February 9 - Making a trophy out of lego. - Gabriel
Friday, February 10 - Playing with my friend. - Olivia
Monday, February 13 - Playing with trains and making a track.- Dario
Tuesday, February 14 - Playing cars - Fady
Wednesday, February 15 - Playing with animals and building a castle. - Ammiel
Thursday, February 16 - Building a stage. - Juliana
Friday, February 17 - Everything! - Kamryn
Tuesday, February 21 - Playing with Kamryn.- Evelyn
Wednesday, February 22 - Playing with Zoe and Paget. - Maya
Thursday, February 23 - Writing with whiteboard markers. - Kai
Friday, February 24 - Working with lego. - Ben

Welcome Miss Maddie!

On Tuesday, February 21st, we were pleased to welcome Madison DeSouza, a co-op student from Holy Trinity Catholic High School to our classroom. Miss Maddie will be with us each morning until mid-June.

Seuss Week!

February 27th to March 3rd

This week we will be celebrating everything Dr. Seuss!

Monday
Cat in the Hat Day!
Wear a hat.

Tuesday         
I can read with my eyes shut day!   
Wear a shirt you can read.

Wednesday    
Green Eggs and Clothes Day!
Wear something green.

Thursday       
Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!
Fox in Socks Day!
Wear crazy socks.

Friday
If I Ran the Zoo Day!
Wear Something with an animal print.

Chime In

Counting Valentines

Valentines, valentines, how many do I see?

Valentines, valentines, count them with me.

I have red ones, orange ones, yellow ones, too.

I have green ones, purple ones, and some that are blue.

Valentines, valentines, how many do I see?

Count them with me! 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10!

Shaving Cream Writing! So much fun!

Our marble run

Counting by 10s.

Counting to 100!

Learning Calendar - 

What Our Students of the Day Enjoyed Most

Monday, January 23 - Bringing my dolly in for PAT Time - Aaniyah

Tuesday, January 24 - Shaving Cream Writing! - Nathen

Wednesday, January 25 - Making a little white house - Zoe
Thursday, January 26 - Library! - Alex

Friday, January 27 - Playing with my friend Alex - Michael

Bus Safety Presentation  

On Friday, January 27, our little ones watched - and participated in -  an awesome bus safety presentation.

Work booklets were sent home in zippies. 

Please complete these with your child to start an important conversation about safety.

Literacy

Thank you for your supporting your child's PAT Time presentations.  Please know that if they forget to bring in their item, we have bins of items organized by letter that they may use.

Snuggle-up and Read will start this coming Tuesday for all JK students. Each Tuesday and Thursday your child will bring home a new book to read to you.

Math

The building continues!  Our structures and building inquiry has generated a lot of enthusiastic questions and hands-on inquiry.

Here are some questions asked:

What is a bridge? - Ammiel
I wonder how they make a castle. - Juliana
Why are towers so tall? - Alex
I want to learn about the CN Tower. - Fady
Why is the CN Tower so big? - Olivia
Did they build the CN Tower with a ginormous ladder? - Dana
How do elevators work? - Kai
How do they get elevators in the towers? - Simon

We will be researching these questions in the coming days, using non-fiction books and on-line videos.

Photographs of iconic structures have been placed within the classroom space to provoke students' responses.  In response, the children have been working to build the Eiffel Tower, the CN Tower and the Golden Gate Bridge. Others have chosen to draw pictures of architectural wonders.

Chime-In

The White Snowmen

Ten white snowmen standing in line

One toppled over, then there were nine.

Nine white snowmen standing up straight,

One lost his balance, then there were eight,

Eight white snowmen in a snowy heaven,

The wind blew one over, then there were seven.

Seven white snowmen with pipes made of sticks,

One slumped to the ground, then there were six.

Six white snowmen standing by the drive,

One got knocked down, then there were five.

Five white snowmen outside the front door,

An icicle fell on one, then there were four.

Four white snowmen standing by the tree,

One slipped and fell apart, then there were three.

Three white snowmen underneath the yew,

One crumbled overnight, then there were two.

Two white snowmen standing in the sun,

One melted right down, then there was one.

One white snowman standing all alone,

Vanished without a trace, then there were none.

Learning Calendar - 

What Our Students of the Day Enjoyed Most

Monday, January 15 - Building a Ship! - Ben
Tuesday, January 16 -Working on the iPad - Leticia
Wednesday, January 17 - Taking the attendance to the office with Maya - Paget
Thursday, January 18 - Mrs. Samson was here! - Taeyin
Friday, January 19 - Playing the Statue Game - Chloe

Rosary Apostolate Visit

This month, students learned about the First Luminous Mystery, Christ's Baptism. We prayed the Hail Mary using gestures to help make this beautiful prayer even more meaningful. At home, you may wish to talk about your own child's Baptism and how it has special meaning for your family.

Literacy

During read alouds, students are encouraged to respond to stories in a variety of ways. They are are invited to share whether they liked a book and why. Do they like the plot, the characters, the rhyming words or, perhaps the illustrations?  The ability to connect to a story is also important as it helps to engage listeners and readers. Does this story remind them of their own experience? Does it remind them of another story, television show or movie?

On Friday, Daniel S. suggested that we read books with flashlights, "just like his older sister". What a great idea!  As a response, we have just introduced "Flashlight Fridays". A story will be read-aloud by flashlight.

Our young writers are making great progress in their journals. Many are creating increasingly detailed stories using text and pictures. Some are using a variety of  strategies to write words, including sounding out words with "rocking fists" and referring to common sight words on the word wall.

Math

 We are busy builders! Creating structures out of wooden blocks, lego, tall stackers and crystals provides little ones with an opportunity to explore many early math concepts, some of which are counting, measurement and symmetry. 

To extend this learning, we are launching a structures inquiry. We will introduce new building materials in our classroom, such as paperboard rolls, popsicle sticks and plasticene.  If you would like to donate paper towel/gift wrap rolls, boxes or other building materials, please feel free to send them along with your child.

Volunteer Opportunities

If you have some spare time and an up-to-date police check on file at school, we'd love to have you help out in the classroom!  We welcome your assistance with guided math and literacy activities as well as crafts. If you are interested, please send a note in your child's communication book.

THANK YOU!

A big THANK YOU for encouraging your child to put on their winter gear independently.  Well done! We have shaved 20 minutes off our cubby time each day. This allows for more fun and learning time!

Upcoming January Dates

Wednesday, January 18 - Rosary Apostolate Visit
Wednesday, January 18 - Scholastic Book Orders Due
Friday, January 20 - Term 2 Milk Orders Due
Friday, January 27 - Pizza Treat Lunch
Friday, February 3 - PA Day - No School for Students

Chime-In

Three Little Penguins

Three little penguins, dressed in white and black.

Waddle, waddle forward and waddle right back!

Three little penguins, in a funny pose,

They are wearing their evening clothes.

Their suits are black and their vests are white.

They waddle to the left and they waddle to the right.

They stand on the ice and and they look very neat,

As they waddle along on their little flat feet.