Here is the January Newsletter as a backup for the paper one sent out at the end of December.

Looks like tomorrow is the last day for book orders!!!

Willow Park School

Kindergarten

January 2013 Newsletter

 

Dear Parents:

Happy New Year and welcome back!  We hope everyone has a great break and is ready for the last 6 months of school!!!

Over the next 6 months, we will be placing more expectations on your children, getting them ready for the demands of Grade One.

Our theme for January will be Winter and Snow within this theme we will be reading the book, The Mitten by Jan Brett, discussing animals in the winter, how people handle the cold weather in winter and hibernation/migration.

 

Kindergarten Fridays:

This month’s Friday schedule for January

Mrs. Hannon’s Monday/Wednesday Class has school the following Fridays

Friday, January 11, 2013

Friday, January 25, 2013

 

Book Orders:

Book Orders are due on the following days

 

Mrs. Hannon’s (Mon./Wed. class) book orders are due Monday, January 14^th, 2013.

Surprise Bag (Show and Tell):

This month we will be starting a new version of Show and Tell called Surprise Bag.  One student will have his/her name drawn at the end of the day to bring an object to school the next day.  When your child brings home the Surprise Bag, please help him/her select one unique item to put in the bag that they would like to share with the class.  Please go over the Surprise Bag Clue Questions (included in the Surprise Bag) with your child.  At school, the students will use Observe, Think, and Question to figure out and discuss the object.  The student sharing the object tries to answer the questions.  This is designed to get everyone to become more critical thinkers.

While helping your child pick their item, please remember this activity is to help the students learn to ask questions and become critical thinkers.  Therefore, pick items that are unique and will not be figured out easily.  Please try and avoid letting your child bring their most favorite/popular toy or stuffy.

Examples: Items from a vacation, something special from a family member, something that starts with the letter of the week, 

Home Reading:

 

In January, your child will start bringing home a short, repetitive book for you to read to him/her.  It I s not a curriculum expectation that your child learn to read in Kindergarten.  However, one of the most important activities you can do with your child at this stage is read to them.  Every child will be at a different stage of emergent reading.  After a couple of readings of the book, some of your children will be able to catch onto the repetitive phrases or use the pictures as clues to “read” the book.  Other children will benefit from the enjoyment of simply hearing you read to them and discussing the pictures.  No matter what stage your child is at, it is important that the Home Reading experience be an enjoyable one for both parent and child.  If it’s not, please talk to me.  The short home reading books should not replace other reading routines you have at home such as bedtime stories.

          

Journal Writing:

Also starting this month, we will be starting our “JOURNALS”.  Each day we will be spending 15-20 minutes writing down our thoughts, feelings and events that have happened to us.  During this writing time, we will be exploring concepts such as: words, spaces, periods, and capitals letters at the beginning of sentences. Writing down the sounds that we hear will be one of our goals so phonetic rather than standardized spelling will be emphasized.

We have attached a sheet with a list of different activities to encourage your child to write at home.  These are meant to be fun activities as we want your child to feel comfortable and free to put down their thoughts and ideas.  Please remember: this is just the beginning and the process of writing anything at this age is very complex.  In class, we discuss the different stages of writing and that it is okay to be where you are and where we would like everyone to aim for.  Your child will be going through various stages of writing and each stage is OK!  We want your child to enjoy writing so that in later grades, writing will not be a negative experience for them.  Accept what your child writes at this level and encourage them to keep writing. 

Money:

If you are sending money with your child to school for any reason, e.g. milk orders, popcorn, hot lunch, book orders, please put the money in an envelope or zip lock bag well marked with your child’s name/class, how much money is enclosed and what the money is for.  

 

Clothing:

Please ensure that all pieces of your child’s clothing are labeled with their first and last name.  Don’t forget their outdoor clothing (toque, mittens, gloves, scarves, hoodies, and boots)

That is all for now.  If there are any changes or additions to our calendar, I will let you know as soon as possible.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at 780-986-8456 or dina.hannon@blackgold.ca

Thank you,

Mrs. Dina Hannon

January 2013
Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
*Winter & Snow *The Mitten/Fairytales		1	2	3	4	5
6 *Letter review *Start Journal *Math Sets of 1-3	7 School Resumes    Library Comp	8	9 Early Dismissal (2:25pm)	10	11	12
13 *Letter Tt *Math Creating sets of 3	14 Library Comp	15	16	17	18	19
20 *Letter Ii *Math Creating Sets of 4	21 Library Comp	22	23	24	25	26
27 Letter Jj *Math Creating Sets of 5	28 Library Comp	29	30	School-Based  31 P.D. Day	In the Sunday square is the topics and learning themes for the following week of school.