Field Trip!!

I hope that everyone was able to get outside this weekend during the breaks in the wet weather.   

The kids and Primary staff are super excited about our Pumpkin Patch field trip on Tuesday.  Thank you to those who are volunteering your time to help supervise small groups at the farm.  For those who we were not able to have join us, or those who were unable to come on this trip we hope you will be able to join on a future outing.  I sent home a reminder on Thursday about what to bring on the field trip but in case you didn’t see it.  The bus is leaving promptly at 9:10 am so please ensure students are at school by 9am so we can take attendance and get organized.  Students should dress for the weather (including rubber boots), bring a disposable lunch and snack (that they can carry in their back pack) as well as a plastic bag for them to carry their pumpkin home in.   We should be back in time for 3 pm dismissal but if we are running late we will contact the office and a note will be posted on our classroom door.   

A quick reminder, with the rainy weather upon us please ensure that children have a full change of clothes at school and that they are coming prepared to go outside at recess and lunch time.  Our school participates in a West Coast recess, so unless it is raining heavily or there is a safety concern students are expected to go outside.  There are undercover areas where they can play but it is helpful for them to have rubber boots, a waterproof jacket with a hood and an umbrella.  

See you on Tuesday, 
Ms. Pasqualetto :0)

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope that everyone was able to spend time with their loved ones this weekend. If not for the cool, crisp air Sunday looked like it was still summer outside. Please remember that Monday is a holiday so the school will not be open.

Individual photos were on Friday, If your child missed the photo day I will post as soon as I know when retakes are. For those who were present the proofs usually take a couple of weeks to arrive and then they will be sent home so you can look at them and decide if you would like to order.

On Thursday the class went on our first field trip. It was a squishy ride to the public library using the “I Love Transit” free transit for students but the kids were amazing. They represented Kitchener well and all seemed to enjoy having a few stories read and exploring the children’s section of the library. If your child doesn’t yet have their own library card please do sign them up, it requires a parent/guardian signature but the card itself is free.

This week we have lots of activities planned including the walk-a-thon. Please remember to return your pledge form even if you did not collect money. The PAC is still looking for parent volunteers to be stationed along the route and we are looking for 1-2 parents to join our class.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Ms. Pasqualetto :0)

Thank you!

Thank you for coming to speak with Ms. Dente and I this past week during our Parents as Partners meetings.  We always find the information that is shared during those times to be very helpful for us as we are building relationships with our new students.  It is also really nice to have the opportunity to speak to our parents after the children have had a couple of weeks to settle in to their new norm of attending school full time.  As we mentioned in the meeting if there is every any questions or concerns our door is always open and if you can’t make it to the school please send a note, call the office or fire us a quick email. 

We have our Public Transit field trip this Thursday afternoon. We will leave the school as soon as the children are finished their lunches and return by 3pm.  As we will be going rain or shine please send your child dressed for the weather. 

Please visit my this week in Div. 12 tab weekly on this site for reminders/info about our week (basically the same info that I write up on the white board in the window) but with more details.  New blog posts are sent out via email newsletter but edits to blog pages are not.   You will also be receiving subscription email notices from the e-port site.  This is because I am having your parent access passwords created using the emails I collected from you at our meetings.  Once I have everything up and running I will send home a notice with your actual log on ids and passwords.   Please see me if you have any questions. 

I hope you had a wonderful weekend!

Ms. Pasqualetto :0) 

Terry Fox Run and Orange Shirt Day

Wow what an eventful day we had!  

Today our class participated both in Orange Shirt Day and our Terry Fox Run.  We read the story Shi-Shi Etko by and discussed how their experiences starting school have been different then Shi-Shi Etko’s and we drew pictures of our favourite things to do at school.   The school will be doing more Orange Shirt Day activities with our buddy classes again on October 5th in the morning so if your child would like to wear orange again that will be another opportunity for them to do so. 

The kids were amazing both during their first school assembly and while doing the Terry Fox run.  It was such a warm day but they handled it like professionals.  I have also never seen kids eat apples with such concentration.  Thank you to the Kitchener PAC for providing the nice cold treat for all of us after our run.  

A friendly reminder that there is no school for students tomorrow as a it is a Professional Development Day for teachers.  

I hope you have a wonderful weekend! 
Ms. Pasqualetto :0) 

 

Parents as Partners

Parents as Partners Meetings are happening this week on Tuesday September 26th and Wednesday September 27th and Ms. Dente will be joining the conversations as we feel they are an important opportunity for us to learn more about the students in our class.  Confirmation times were sent home with your child on Friday (pink or green paper depending on which date you are coming).  If you cannot make your time slot please inform us as soon as possible so we can try to reschedule our conversation.  

On Wednesday the PAC is putting on a Welcome Back BBQ from 3-6 and I hope to see you there. 

Thursday is a very busy day.  Not only is it Orange Shirt day to recognize that Every Child Matters but it is also the day of our Terry Fox run.  K students will be running on the school field but if you would like to join us please let me know.  Thank you to all those who have brought in donations for our Terry Fox Fundraiser.  

Friday there is No School for students as it is a Professional Development Day for Teachers.  

If you are able to come with us on our bus field trip to the Burnaby Public Library please let me know.  We will also be looking for volunteers to join us on our Walk-A-Thon day in October. 

Ms. Pasqualetto :o)

Hand outs, notices and other important things

The school year is officially under way and there has been a whirlwind of activity in the annex.  The students are having a great time learning the different routines and meeting/making new friends.  So far the favourite activities seem to be centres/playtime with gym and playing outside on the playground not far behind in votes.  

In class we have also started to talk about Terry Fox, what being a hero is and perseverance.  As a school we are participating in our Terry Fox run next week on Thursday and we are raising money for the Terry Fox Foundation.  Any student who brings in a donation will be able to enter their name in a raffle for a Terry Fox T-shirt.  Lets see how much we can raise! 

Thank you for your prompt attention filling out all of the forms that we have been sending home.  It is very important that you check your child’s backpack nightly for their home communication folder to see if anything has been sent home that requires attention.   Thank you to those of you who have already returned the action items.  A list of communication that requires your attention is: 

– Student verification package- please double check/fill out accordingly and return to the classroom asap.  We are Division 12 for when you fill out the forms. 
– October School Meal Order – Order envelopes have been sent home.  If you wish to pay online access has now been set up (if you have difficulty please see Ms. Z in the office). 
– Parents as Partners time request forms were sent home and are due by tomorrow so we can schedule meeting times.  
– PAC BBQ rsvp. You will pay for your meal at the BBQ on Wednesday October 27th but the form is to help the PAC with ordering enough supplies for the event.  I hope to see you all there.  

– September Scholastic order forms will be sent home this week along with a letter explaining the program.  

Welcome Back!!

Welcome Back!!! Stay tuned for exciting info about our new class for the 2017-2018 year. 

Last years Div 11 students will report to their same classroom (A6) for drop off and pick up until they get placed in their new classroom (hopefully by Tuesday September 12).

This years new Kindergarten students should follow the schedule they were provide at the Welcome to K event in June.  On Monday September 11th all K students will report to the small gym to find out where their classroom will be for the week of Sept 11-15 and hopefully the remainder of the year! 

Potato Harvest

POTATOES !!!

We harvested our SPUDs in Tubs and had such a fun time exploring how potatoes grow and what other creatures and things we could find in the soil. 

We grew 15  Warba potato plants in 3 tubs and at first we didn’t know what the harvest would be like.  Our weather has been so strange the past few months going from cold, to rainy, back to cold, then to super hot and all over again.   Ideally we would have liked to harvest in another week or so but with year end festivities we were running out of time, and the weather cleared up on Wednesday just long enough for us to do the harvest. 

Some of the great things we found during our harvest were: potatoes and lots of them, all different sizes and the seed potatoes that started the whole process.  Bugs – spiders, bugs with lots of legs, bugs with wings and some we didn’t know what they were.  The class were great at picking out all the potatoes no matter how big or small and dusting them off before we packed four ice cream pails full to the brim.    The students then sorted through the dirt to remove any leftover roots, stems and leaves before we put the soil into the new planter that had been built in the front of the school.  Once back in the class we sorted our bounty by size.  Our total was 123 medium/large potatoes and 129 mini potatoes that would have grown into edible ones had we let them grow a bit longer. 

The best part of all was eating the steamed potatoes on Thursday with sour cream, cheese and ketchup as toppings.  Even some of us who aren’t fans enjoyed the delicious food that we grew. 

 

 

Fire Station Field Trip

On Tuesday May 23rd Div. 11 had the chance to visit the fire station as part of our study of the local community. The fire station sure is busy! We got there and had to wait for the fire fighters to come back from their call. Once they got there, they were called out again within five minutes! We were fortunate that another crew came back so we were able to have our tour.

The students enjoyed spraying the fire hose at a traffic cone. Many of them managed to knock it down! Ms. Leppanen and a few of the students got to try on some fire fighter gear, which was quite heavy! We got to sit inside the fire truck and some of us were brave enough to slide down the fire pole. We learned about how fire fighters help keep our community safe, and some things we can do to stay safe in case of an emergency.

We are very grateful for the fire fighters at Fire Station #5 for taking the time to show us around their work place. Thank you to the two parent volunteers who came with us – we hope you had fun too! Fire safety colouring books arrived yesterday as a gift from the Fire Station – look for them in your student’s backpack on Monday!

Ms. Leppanen

Science World

What a fun day was had by all!  We had such a great time exploring the different exhibits at Science World.  For some of the class it was only their first or second time riding the Sky Train and to see the looks of wonder on their faces as we travelled around the city was amazing.  The new feature exhibit at Science World is their Made In Canada exhibit and on top of seeing some great innovations that were made in Canada the interactive features were so fun!  lots of kids had a great time designing structures out of Lego, dowels and elastics and some even had a chance to build a bobsled.  As it almost always is the Dinosaurs were a great attraction as was the Our World and Ken Spencer Park exhibits.  Both our class and Div 13 did an amazing job representing our school and I know many of the kids can’t wait until the next time they get to visit.