What a crazy time of year! The days are flying by - I just had to remind myself that there is only one week of school left, not two!
This week, our kind gestures have included, holding the door for others, cheering up friends who are sad, or not feeling well, making cards to thank the parents who have helped recently, making a coupon for a free hug to give to a friend (these are now circulating a second time, I think), and today.... we made cookies to give to the office staff!
Each group made the same cookie recipe with a different topping, and each baker added some ingredients, mixed them up, and helped with making the cookie balls. I, personally, tested many of the flavours (it was a hard job) and they were all delicious. We had so many cookies that we were able to offer a huge plate to the office staff and caretakers, and we also got to have one each. :)
You have a few things to look at tonight. Our pictures have arrived at last! Everyone got a class picture, and many of you got the prints you ordered.
You also have a yellow note about another outing to the public library. It's coming up quickly - next Wednesday morning. We do need 3 parents, so please let me know ASAP (either with the slip, or just by emailing), if you are able to join us. The last trip was much quicker than I anticipated, so we may not need you for as long as I've put on the form, but we'll leave shortly after 10 am and will definitely be back before 11:30. Thanks in advance!
A reminder that forms and payment for our High Park trip are due tomorrow. Over half our class has yet to return this. If you need a new form, just let me know.
Happy Hanukkah! We've been reading and learning about it, and we made menorahs to decorate our hall. We are now working on another really cool Christmas/winter craft that we'll show you next week!
In addition to the main lost and found under the overhang stairs, we also have a kindergarten collection hanging in the downstairs hallway (outside of room 103). Please check there for any missing items. Thanks!
I know that many students like to get a gift for their teachers at this time of year. While this is a very kind gesture, we do not want anyone to feel that it is necessary. We would also encourage you to consider a gift for our classroom, so that we can all benefit. Dominique and I frequently spend our own money on art supplies, paper towels, extra socks and mittens for kids, and prizes for our prize bin. Most of all, we appreciate the gift of your involvement, as your support always makes our days go more smoothly!
As we approach the Christmas break, a teensy reminder that we do not have food parties. We will continue with the fun and festive activities next week and we will have a little gift for the kids, but we will not be doing a group gift exchange or having extra treats. Thanks for your understanding.
Mots de la Semaine
We do lots of counting in our class - just out of necessity! For example, we tell the kids how many carrots or crackers to take for snack, and they count them out. When making an art project, we count to 20 or 30 to let the glue dry. In the morning message, we often count how many a's, e's or i's there are. Most frequently, I count up or down from various numbers to help with transitions. Recently, I have noticed many children counting along with me - a nice surprise. I will endeavour, in the next while, to spend more time counting sets of objects and having the kids show me the number, so that we can begin developing that sound-symbol correlation. Since the kids are clearly already counting this high, I want to make sure that in your practice at home, the kids are not skipping any of these tricky numbers in the teens. They are really the only ones that don't follow a logical pattern, and very often you can skip one and not know it. Please listen carefully if your child is counting in French at home, and make sure they are not omitting one of these numbers!!
onze 11, douze 12, treize 13, quatorze 14, quinze 15,
seize 16, dix-sept 17, dix-huit 18, dix-neuf 19, vingt 20