Joyeux Noël!

Dear Salle 202 families,

First of all, Dominique and I (and Sadie!) thank you so very much for your thoughtful cards, messages and gifts. You are too kind.
I hope the kids enjoy the little book I chose for them. Many students are starting to put some sounds together as we read the morning message every day, so perhaps they can help read their book by looking for the letters and sounds that they already know. This will give you a little preview of our borrow-a-book program which will begin in January!

We are also excited to show you YOUR present. We even wrapped it up! I hope you love your picture, I think they turned out beautifully! They are made by drawing and painting directly on the glass, and then adding a foil background. Please ask your artist about how they made their glass painting! Several students helped me with the parts of the project that I thought I had to do myself, such as cutting the foil, and taping the frames shut. Thanks so much to my helpers!

This week, our kind gestures have included making a chocolate bell for your neighbour, preparing cards and gifts for our other teachers, singing a song to Mr. Greene and cleaning up our classroom and cubbies. Our specialty teachers, who see many students but don't often receive cards or gifts, were really touched that the kids took the time to make cards for them.

This morning, we had fun singing at Dewson's annual carol sing-along. Thanks so much to Mr. Greene for accompanying us! This afternoon, we played a super fun Christmas bingo and everybody was a good sport. We also had fun in the beautiful new snow today, giving toboggan rides, building various structures and playing games.

Last Friday, we had a very special show & tell. Kinga's mom came to present a puppet show and then provided all the materials to do at least 5 different art projects. Merci beaucoup!

In our centre time, we've been working on building numbers, we've been exercising our fingers more at finger gym, we've had the opportunity to design a bookmark to enter in the library's competition, and we've been exploring the various puzzles in our classroom - among other things.

If you're interested in learning a little more about what we do during the day, and how it aligns with the new kindergarten curriculum, I invite you to attend the parent council meeting on Thursday, January 11th. I will be giving a presentation on the new curriculum and how we report on it. Play-based can seem a bit disorganized at times (even to the teachers!), so it's nice to sit back and reflect on all the learning that is going on within it.

Words of the Week

Joyeux Noël!

un cadeau
le sapin

un flocon de neige

un bonhomme de neige

Dominique and I wish you a fantastic, restful break. 

Happy everything!!

the chocolate bell...

Hi families,
Our menorahs are on their way home today for you to enjoy. The little silver bell decorations with the chocolate inside is intended as a little gift for your neighbour. It was our kind gesture today. Please encourage your child to deliver this gift to one of your friendly neighbours. Thanks!

A reminder that tomorrow we are heading to the public library just after morning snack. Please make sure we are dressed for this short walk in whatever weather.

I am still missing trip forms and payment from 5 students. I have sent a bright green reminder in case you aren't sure if this applies to you. Please check for that and let me know if you need a new form. Also, the kids that visited the hearing/vision clinic last Friday have received their reports. These are in pochettes today.

See you soon,
Tamara

Last Minute Library Trip

Dear families,
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!

Despite the cold, we've been loving our outside time in the snow. We've been building, giving toboggan rides, playing "Promenons-nous" and other versions of tag, and making snow angels. Aside from this morning, it's actually not felt that cold thanks to the beautiful sunshine! Thanks for sending the kids in all their winter gear so that they can be comfortable when we're outside. We're doing our very very best to get all of the little bits and pieces home each day, but with so many kids staying for daycare, we can never clear out the cubbies entirely to make sure that everything has gone home. While I understand that it is tedious work, having names in absolutely every piece of clothing will really help us get things back to you.
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

more shameless self-promotion...

This is the time of year when even part-time musicians, like me, are super busy! I regret not having told you about the Children's Messiah that I was involved in earlier - it was a great event for kids.

Here are two upcoming concerts that I'm involved in, which are in the evening and geared more toward adults (but kids are welcome).

If you like classical music, you are sure to enjoy the concert I'm singing in this Wednesday evening. It's a great group, and great rep. See poster for info.

I am also doing the solo bits in the Bach Vespers service at Church of the Redeemer (Bloor & Avenue), this Sunday evening at 7:00. The service is only an hour long, and no admission fee - just an offering.

In our class, we have been learning the refrain to a popular French Christmas song called "Petit Papa Noël". The kids know it really well now. You can hear the whole song, with verses, on YouTube, as well as plenty of other French holiday songs. 

Dewson's annual holiday sing-along will be December 22nd at 9:30am (I think). There's usually room for a few parents in the back!

Calendrier de Gentillesse

Dear families,
We've been pretty busy this week! First thing Monday morning, we went to a bus safety presentation, and we practiced an emergency exit from the back of the bus. We learned some safety tips that we will remember if we ever go on a bus for a field trip. Did you know that a big school bus probably weighs more than a T-Rex?

In the spirit of giving and caring for others, which is often celebrated at this time of year, we have been focusing on one kind task each day. In the morning, we pull out a task from our calendrier de gentillesse (kindness calendar). Sometimes it's an action that we can do all day, or sometimes it's a task that we do once as a group. This week we have already written and mailed (merci Max) a letter to Santa, asked teachers how we can help, picked up garbage in our school yard, and made sure to say lots of merci and s'il te plaît. Please ask your student what our kind task was each day this month!


I was also SO impressed when our class, in an effort to find gym shoes for everyone, came up with the idea to offer Mme Mary Ann a laundry basket for Christmas so that she can keep some extra shoes in the gym. If you have any kids' running shoes at home that you know you will never use again, but are still in working condition, please feel free to send them in, and we will add this to our gift! The credit for this amazing idea goes to Edith, who started the discussion, and then to many others who chimed in with more suggestions.

On Tuesday, we introduced our class iPads into our quiet time routine. Our class has 5 iPads that we can share, and of course this is a very special and popular activity. I have shown the kids how to use the app, Jeux Pour Lire, which has some simple games to support literacy. For example, game 1 asks you to listen for a specific syllable (e.g., "ta") within words. You can click on objects to hear their name, and it if contains the syllable, you drag it into the square. It's another good opportunity to practice matching letters to their sound.

On Wednesday, we began work on a decoration for Hanukkah. We watched a short video explaining why many families light a menorah, and we are all working on creating our own out of a paper plate, some cardboard, tissue paper and paint. We will use these to decorate our class, and then bring them home.

Today, students received information on a field trip coming up soon after the Christmas break. We're going to get all the paperwork done before the break so that we don't have to rush after. On January 16th, we're spending the day at High Park. We will have a half day workshop at the Nature Centre, and we will spend the other half of the day exploring. Snow would be fun, but we will cross our fingers that it is not bitterly cold. This trip costs $10. Please keep the information on the green sheet and return the second page and payment by Friday Dec. 15th.
I will be looking for 4 parents that can come all day, and for others that can join us just for the afternoon. You can indicate your interest and availability on the form and I'll be in touch. Thanks!

Mots de la Semaine

All week, we've been working on asking more questions in French. We've seen the words "est-ce que" in the morning message, and we took a picture for our memory bank so that we can maybe guess at these words if we see them again. Our words of the week are the sentences we've been really practicing, all beginning with "Est-ce que".

Est-ce que…?

- je peux avoir du papier?

- tu peux m'aider?

- tu peux ouvrir ça pour moi?

- tu peux jouer avec moi?

Construction Notice

If you've been in our main office recently, you know how badly we need our roof to be repaired. Construction is beginning tomorrow. For as long as the front entrances are fenced off, please enter and exit the kindergarten yard through the back gate (on the Ossington side), and enter the school through one of the doors on the east side of the school.
Thanks for your understanding!