Winter Wonder Scientists

This week we focussed on literacy! From reading more of the Mitten, to exploring letters, letter sounds, and how they form words, we did it all. Some of us went on a letter scavenger hunt while some of us helped figure out the secret morning message. We also started "Star Student of the Day" where we invite one student each day from each group to share with us what makes them unique. This includes sharing and writing their name, what they like,  their age, and their favorite color. We have been loving learning about one another and getting to know each other CLOSELY. We are all truly unique in our kindergarten class. 

We read The Mitten by Jim's Aylesworth and reflected in our thinking journal about which of the animals in this version was our favorite and why? Kindergarten students participated in a Winter Wonder exploration with Scientists in School this week. Students had hands-on opportunities to create bird feeders using pinecones, looked closely at different snowflakes through a microscope, learned about how snow is formed and made some ourselves, and explored Canadian animal adaptations and habitats. Did you know that like bears, frogs also hibernate? Students are beginning to wonder about changes in animals that happen as seasons change.

We are starting to look closely at what the following words mean: hibernation, migration, and adaptation. We are also beginning to write down our "I wonders..." about the world around us. We shared what we learned with in our workshop in our thinking journals as well.

Did you hang up the bird feeder? Please send us a picture so that we can share it!

We visited the learning commons again and continued having centers, snack, music, and gym!


We also played the SPLAT! game with 10 bingo chips this time. We also played the "Dots and Shapes" game again as well.

AM kindergarten read with grade 5 students who welcomed us into their classroom with forts and campfires they had designed for us. We really loved the space and reading with them. Thank you Grade 5 buddies!

Finally, we had a big map of Canada from space visiting our school this week. We explored the map and looked closely at our country. Please see our pictures below!

We encourage parents to help their child "read the world"! This means having discussions about letters and words they see in their everyday life. For example, when going for a walk in the community, stop and notice what words you see? A STOP sign? Take a moment and help your child notice each letter and sound it out. What letters do they notice in the playground? Does the slide look like a letter they can think of? Does the tree in your backyard remind them of a letter? Do they recognize environmental prints such as "McDonalds" "Walmart" and "ToysRUs"? What letters are in each of those words? Try sounding them out together! Please feel free to take pictures of your own personal letter experiences and email them to us so we can share our words with each other.

Welcome 2020!

We started the week by writing in our thinking journals. We used pictures to draw and letters and swirls to write about what we did over the winter break.  We were excited to share with our friends our highlights. We visited the learning commons and signed out books for the first time as well with the help of our Librarian, Mrs. Keall. All students got their own library bag, a browsing stick and chose one book of their choice. Students were excited to share the books with their families and we are looking forward to visiting the Learning Commons every week! We also learned a new math game we call, "Dots and Shapes!" In this game, we take turns rolling a die with our partner and drawing different shapes. Along with reinforcing counting and one-to-one correspondance, this game helps us subitize unfamiliar and familiar groups. We were introduced to the story "The Mitten" by Jim Aylesworth, adapted from a Ukrainian folktale. Through this story, we are beginning to talk about different animals and what changes they go through during different seasons. We explored new centers as well such as our new animal center, our dollhouse center and many other games and building centers as well.  Ask your child to share what centers they enjoyed most after coming back!


Kindergarten students will be participating in a Scientists in School experience next week. Please check your emails if you are able to volunteer.

Thank you!