Mrs. Minhas' Class

Dear Students,

I hope you had a wonderful holiday with your families…I miss you all very much.  We will all be together very soon and we will get through these difficult times together.  Let’s hope for a happy and healthy 2022!!

On Monday when you come to school, please remember to wear your mask and always have extras in your backpack.  The classroom will look a little different, but our feelings for one another will be the same!  We just need to work hard to make sure that we are all staying healthy and safe while in and out of school.

I wanted you to know that words cannot describe how so very proud of you I am. Your hard work and dedication shows everyday and you are all truly the reason that I love my job. There are going to be times when I push you and you get frustrated and discouraged.  But just always remember one thing…

I BELIEVE IN YOU AND I ALWAYS WILL!!

See you all very soon.

Love always,

Mrs. Minhas

Today was Pink Shirt Day – we took a stand against bullying because we all know that “if you can’t say anything nice…don’t say nothing at all!!”

“Remembrance Day – Never Forget, Always Remember”

Today we honoured all those who have served to give us our freedom with our annual Remembrance Day Assembly.  Please take a moment tomorrow at 11:11 to remember.

Remembrance

On the 11th

hour of the

11th day

of the 11th month,

we will remember you.

Just as everything else, Halloween will also look different this year.  However, as long as we are all healthy and safe, we will make the most of it as we have been doing thus far.  Let’s hope for decent weather for our Halloween Parade on Friday.  Whatever you do decide to do this year, I wish you all a safe and Happy Halloween!!

Hello Division 19!

Welcome to school!  You are officially a “Kindergartener!”

If you were scared to come to school, I want you to know that you weren’t the only one. I will try to comfort you by helping you meet new friends and I will reassure you that I will be here for you should you need me.

If you are excited, I will celebrate with you! I am happy to see your excitement and I will love to see when that excitement is contagious to your peers!

This is a different year but we will make it special and fun.  Thank you for being so responsible and making sure that you and your peers are in a safe and respectful environment.

Kindergarten is a special time in your life and you will learn so much. I am sure you have heard all about how you will learn your ABC’s, learn to read and do math problems.

But I want you to know something – those aren’t the most important things you will learn in Kindergarten.

You may hear grown ups talk about those things a lot – and they are important and we will work hard – but reading and math are not the most important things about Kindergarten.

What are the most important things?

Friendship, kindness, compassion, sharing, empathy, independence, teamwork, honesty, courage, creativity, adventure, problem solving and much more. Yes, my dear kindergartners, you will learn to read and do so much this year and I will be so proud of you.

But when you look back at Kindergarten, I want you to remember the other things too.

If you think of me when you are older, it’s ok if you don’t remember that I helped you learn to read, and it’s ok if your strongest memory of Kindergarten is how we laughed so hard together because something was silly.

In fact, I hope you remember that the most.

Here’s to a wonderful year filled with learning and laughter,

Love always,

Mrs. Minhas

Ten months ago you walked into this place called “Kindergarten.” Many of you were scared. Some of you cried and didn’t want to stay. Yet, you stayed. I held your hand while you said goodbye to your family and let you sit next to me on the carpet while you were sad. We read a story together and played a game to learn everyone’s name.

In our time together, you learned what it meant to sit in a circle, walk in a line, hold a pencil, use scissors, zip up your coat and be part of a group. You learned how to read, became mathematicians, scientists, inquirers and more. You learned what it meant to be a friend.

You smiled, laughed and sometimes cried. Not all of our days were easy, but most of our days were filled with learning, excitement and happiness. You gave me lots of hugs and high fives.

Fast forward to today and many of you are losing teeth! Some of you are 6 years old now, and all of you are nearly 1st graders. Time has seemed to fly by, and while I am excited for summer, I sometimes wish for time to slow down just a bit so we could have a little more time together. This year was like no other as we all had to learn in a different way. Yet, I know you are ready to go. Our time together is complete. Before you go, please remember that I believe in you and know you are capable of great things. I will truly miss each and every one of you – you made my life brighter and happier!  Thank you for being you!

Love always,

Mrs. Minhas

Next week is the last week of our school year – and what a year it has been!  We have all been through so much change and adaptation.  This is not how I imagined our last days in Kindergarten to be like.  Thank you for making these last few months easier and smoother for all of us!

On Thursday June 25 from 9:00 am to 11:00 am you are welcome to come by the classroom to pick up your child’s report card.  I would love to see you all and have a chance to personally say goodbye to you and the children.  If you cannot make it, please pick up the report card from the office on Friday June 26th.

On Sunday June 21 it is Father’s Day – I wish all the fathers a very Happy Father’s Day!  I am sure we will never forget this year and how different it was!  I hope you all make the most of it and spend the day with your family doing the things you love to do!

I hope to see many of you next Thursday!

The Butterflies need a nice warm day to be released as they won’t fly when it is cold or raining.  It was a lot of fun watching the little caterpillars grow into beautiful butterflies. There were 14 butterflies in total.

Below are two short videos of the Butterfly Release:

Butterfly Release – Part 1

Butterfly Release – Part 2

About 24 hours before the Butterflies hatched you notice that the Chrysalis turn very dark.  If you look closely you will notice speckles of orange  which are the wing colors showing through.  When they finally hatch their wings are crumpled.  The new butterflies will be able to grip the netted cage and climb up the side of the cage to hang.  Butterflies must hang and dry their wings or they will be unable to fly.  After the butterflies hatch they release a red liquid which you can see on the netted cage.  This is just butterfly waste and it eventually goes away.  The Butterflies enjoy being lightly misted with water a few times a day.  To feed them I will place a cotton ball soaked in sugar water. The butterflies need the sugar for energy.

Below is a short video that we made as we caught one of the Butterflies hatching!

Butterflies Hatching

The caterpillars have now gone into their Chrysalis – or Cocoon stage! When they all formed cocoons they were gently taken out of their containers and placed into this netted cage.  While in this stage, there is a process called “metamorphosis” taking place and this whole process can take about 8-14 days, however since it is quite warm out it may not take quite as long.   The indoor air can be quite dry so it is important to spray the cocoons with a mist of water 1-2 times a day.

See you this Thursday at 2:00 pm for our Zoom meeting – I will show you our cage of Cocoons!