Update October 20

Spiders

This week we learned some facts about spiders and learned Raffi’s song “There’s a spider on the floor.” Our big, friendly spider interacted with the kids while we sang the song!

Earthquake Drill

Today we had our first Earthquake Drill of the schoolyear. We talked about keeping our bodies and heads protected by our desks or door fames. We counted to 60 while we waited for any trembles to finish. Then we would typically leave the school to gather on the back field.

This is a good time to talk about safe places to go in your home during an earthquake and where is a good spot to meet as a family once you evacuate your home.

Carrots

We tried carrots from the “Fruit and Veggie” program today.

Gym time

In the gym we are working on ball skills like rolling, throwing, catching, and bouncing. Today we practiced throwing/catching and rolling using the volleyball nets.

Raingear

With rain in the forecast (finally!), please check that your child’s raincoats and boots fit. We will be going outside in all weather including rain so please send your child to school with appropriate raingear when it is raining. When in doubt, send them in raingear anyways!

Have a lovely weekend!

Reminder that there is no school for students on Friday Oct. 21.

Apples everywhere!

Many of our lessons and activities this week involved learning about apples!

From our weekly pocket chart song…

to art projects…

and the stories “Ten Red Apples” and “10 Apples up on top” were springboards for math (practicing ways to make 10 and arranging numbers in order) and literacy activities!

We balanced apples on our head like the characters in “10 Apples up on top”!

We went on a fall walk to find “crunchy” leaves.

Our Gr. 4/5 buddies visited us for the first time for buddy reading.

We had lots of time for more classroom fun too!

Dates to remember:

Friday Oct. 21 – Pro- D Day. School closed for students. I will be attending the B.C. Primary Teachers Conference in Ruchmond.

Friday Oct. 28 – Pumpkin Patch at our school. We will be going with our big buddies to find the perfect pumpkins in our schoolyard thanks to the PAC! Please remember to bring a shopping bag to carry the pumpkin home.

Monday Oct. 31 – Halloween – Students are welcome to wear a halloween costume to school with a comfortable change of clothes underneath to change into. We will have a Halloween parade and celebrate with other activities in class.

Have a lovely weekend!

Wow-Another gorgeous week of fall weather!

We have been fortunate to enjoy the outdoors this week. From looking for leaves changing colours to exploring our outdoor spaces at school, we have really enjoyed the warm temperatures.

Giving Thanks/Gratitude

This week many of the lessons focused on “being grateful” for the people, things, places, and nature in our lives.

We brainstormed, wrote about, and created with these ideas.

After learning Raffi’s song “Thanks A Lot”, we created this beautiful bulletin board display. The song can be found at

THANKS A LOT

Noisy play and quiet play

The children have opportunities to choose where they want to play. There are places dedicated to more peaceful, calming activities like sensory trays (as seen in the photos) and places dedicated to more active, noisy play like big blocks and marbleworks.

Songs and Poems

Your child has brought home a yellow sheet with the lyrics for 2 songs that they have learned titled “Hello Mr. Turkey” and “Thanks a lot”. I hope they are able to sing these for you.

Birthdays

I try to remember to write students’ birthdays on the calendar that I send home but this month, I forgot to add Michaela’s birthday on Oct. 12! Please add Michaela’s name to the calendar so we can all wish her a special day next week.

That being said, we celebrate birthdays in the classroom by singing Happy Birthday and the the student receives a prize. Please do not send treats and goodie bags for the birthday child to hand out at school. Thank you!

Reminder:

School is closed on Monday Oct. 10 for Thanksgiving.

I wish you a lovely long weekend full of family time and gratitude.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello families,

Thank you very much for your patience and flexibility with all of the holidays, early dismissals and changes. I cannot wait until we can get into full swing of school!

Planners

Thank you very much for reading your child’s planner every evening, signing it, and returning it to school.

Poetry and Song book

Every week we will learn a new poem or song. At the end of the week, the students will complete a page of the poem/song to add to their Poetry and Songbooks. This week’s poem was “Leaves”.

Fall Leaves watercolour project

Collecting, Sorting, Patterning, and Counting for Math

We have been using “counting collections” for some hands-on math experiences this week. The students have practiced all of these math skills with counting collections.

Socialization Through Play

We have time throughout the day for unstructured playtime. These times of the school day are incredibly important for the children’s mental health, social skill development (turn taking, sharing), language development, and relationship building.

Reminder: School is closed on Friday Sept. 30 for National Day of Truth and Reconciliation.

Have a lovely weekend! See you on Monday!

What a busy week we have all had…so much fun through activities and learning!

It was lovely to meet all of you during our intake conferences. I am looking forward to a wonderful year ahead with your children!

Every Friday, I will update you on some activities that have happened throughout the week and provide you with a sneek peek into our classroom. My apologies that I do not have at least one photo of every child this week.

Morning Choice

The students begin each day with some play time. This allows them time to settle into the classroom, greet their friends, and connect with me. Have a look at some of the fun we enjoy during “morning choice.”

Names

We are learning about each other’s names through art, reading, letter recognition, and celebrating a “name of the day.”

“Who am I? Guessing Game

Birthday Math

We have used our birthday months to explore graphing and timelines this week.

All Are Welcome

We have created a “Class Promise” for our classroom this year. We focused on including ideas that create a welcoming classroom where “All Are Welcome.”

Terry Fox Run

We finished the week with our school wide Terry Fox Run where we encouraged each other to “Run Like Terry” to continue his dream.

Dates to remember:

Monday Sept. 26 – Pro D Day – School is closed for students.

Tuesday Sept. 27 – Orange Shirt Day Assembly – students are welcome to wear orange

Thursday Sept. 29 – Jersey and Team day – students are welcome to wear sports jerseys and active wear (a spirit day)

Friday Sept. 30 – School closed to honour National Day of Truth and Reconciliation

Friday Oct. 7 – individual photos taken

Hot lunch ordering: If you would like to order hot lunches for your child please see the information sent by the PAC.

Hello families!

Please check your child’s planner tonight and read the yellow notice that is glued into the planner.

I will update the blog on Friday with some classroom photos from the past week. You may wish to bookmark this site so you can access it at any time.

Thank you

Jennifer Capitanio

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Dear families,

It has been an absolute pleasure to teach your children this year. Watching them emerge as readers, writers, mathematicians, and witnessing them growing into lovely humans has brought immense joy to my world this year. They are special little people that will always hold a place in my heart!

My daughter created a slideshow for the class. We watched it today but I wanted to share it with you so you can also watch it with your children at home!

Have a wonderful summer! Enjoy all of the special moments that summer allows!

xo Ms. C

How can this possibly be my last weekly update?!?! This year has passed so quickly!

O Canada

This week we learned the national anthem so now everyone can sing it on Canada Day.

Yoga at the park

Thank you Anita for these photos of some of our awesome yoga poses taken last week.

A few dates to remember:

Tuesday June 28 – Classroom clean out – please sent a large shopping bag for your child to take their things home

Wednesday June 29 – dismissal at 10am for summer holidays!!! Report cards will be handed out.

Enjoy the glorious weekend ahead!

Three Little Pigs and Teddy Bears!!!

We enjoyed some fun activities this week. Thankfully the rain held off so we could enjoy one last afternoon for outdoor learning at the park.

Three Little Pigs

We read the story of “The Three Little Pigs” and had a discussion about materials that can be used to build strong structures. In teams, we chose building supplies from our classroom to use to build new houses for the 3 little pigs.

Have a look at our amazing structures:

Outdoor Learning

At outdoor learning this week, we shared our favourite memories and special times that we remember when we have visited the park this term. It has been wonderful to watch the students progress from being unsure what to “do” at the park to see them now exploring, creating, and imagining together in an outdoor space.

Teddy Bear Picnic

How lucky were we to have beautiful weather for our picnic today! We marched with our bears/stuffies, sat on mats to eat our snacks, introduced our stuffies to everyone, and enjoyed a surprise “teddy bear” snack.

Origami with Gr. 5/6 buddies

We met with some older friends in the school for buddy time. They taught us how to fold origami shapes and structures. We had such a great time that we decided to do it again next week!

Have a lovely weekend!