Pre-Holiday Reminders

Shoes and spare clothes go home tomorrow.  Please remember to label any new items returning in January!

Library Day is the first day back.  Consider bringing your book back tomorrow so you don't have to remember over  the holiday.

Tomorrow is Festive Day.  Wear red, white or green.  Antlers or a crazy hat!

Holiday Sing Along

The primary division will be having a singalong tomorrow morning.  

Indoor Shoes and Spare Clothing

We will be sending home indoor shoes and spare clothes for the holidays.  Please check the sizing on the shoes and make sure the spare clothes are appropriate for winter and reload the backpack for January.  

Thanks!

Another Unusual (but totally awesome) Discovery

On Wednesday during morning recess, one of our SK friends made an exciting discovery in our very own backyard.  First she brought in the wing.  Then a few minutes later this is what we had....

Awesome!  She was so excited about her discovery and so were we.  The children were fascinated about it. The questions and language that were coming out of them was great!  We talked about skeletons, feathers, we made connections to our bodies and wondered about just what kind of animal had this bird for dinner or breakfast.  We wondered about what kind of bird it was and what it was doing when it died.  We also talked about the need for some animals to hunt other animals in order to survive - there is no drive-through for animals!  Ask your little scientist about our conversation, what kind of bird it is and how we think it died.

I was then asked by our SK discoverer if she could 'take it home to my mom'. Then a host of other friends asked if they could take it home too!  I'm fairly certainly not all moms would be as excited about this 'present' as I was - so - we opted to take a picture and post it on the blog instead.  (You're welcome.)  :)

Gnome Homes

During Explovery this week we built shelters for our mini gnomes in the forest.  Gathering and building are natural skills for young children and something they instinctively do.  We talked about what a shelter is used for and what it needs and then they were off.  Some children combined efforts and worked collaboratively. Others created deluxe shelters independently.  Unfortunately the cold affects camera battery life so we didn't get too many pics but here are a few of shelters in progress.  This is a skill we will be re-visiting.

Snow Play!

This morning we enjoyed some snow play on the big hill. It was super fun playing in the fresh snow.
We plan to go out again tomorrow afternoon.  Today we noticed that many students do not have proper fitting and waterproof mittens which caused some problems and some tears.  We will enjoy your time if we are dressed for the conditions - hats that cover ears, a scarf or neck warmer, snow pants, boots and those properly fitting waterproof mittens!

Holiday Concert - Rescheduled

This evening's performance has been rescheduled to Monday December 15.  6:30 silent auction.   7:00 show time.   The Kindergarten children will not be performing.

A Sincere Thank You...

Dear MacWand Families,

This is a difficult entry for me to compose as my emotions are very mixed.  As communicated to you in the letter from Mrs. Snow, I have been promoted to Vice Principal in our board effective January 5, 2015.  This is an exciting time for me professionally and I look forward to the challenge, however, teaching Kindergarten has been an unexpected source of professional growth and true joy.  Working, learning and playing with your children has been a true gift.  I thank you for allowing me to partner with you in the education of your child.

My position will be filled as soon as possible and Mrs.Snow will then communicate with you when that process is complete.  I am fortunate to work with an amazing FDK team and we will all work very hard to ensure continuity and an easy transition for your children.  Ms. MacDearmid has been an extraordinary teaching partner and I know she will be the constant that will help everyone adjust.  

We shared the news with the children this afternoon.  It was very emotional.  I will miss them terribly.  Thank you for confidence and the support you have shown me these last few months.  I am so incredibly fortunate to end this portion of my career on such a fulfilling and high note.  

Sincerely,

M. Wand

Gnorm visits the Library

Yesterday morning we were surprised to see that Gnorm was not in the room - instead, he was in the display case in the foyer keeping our little mini gnomes company.  He left us this letter though...

The children thought Little Pep would feel left out if he didn't go to the library too.  So, after lunch, the whole lot of them made the pilgrimage up to the Library with Mrs. Nelson.  

(She was very accommodating of Gnorm's request.)

They visited with Franklin and listened to a story.

Mrs. Nelson even gave Gnorm his very own library card!
His first book was a great choice don't you think?

A Visit From Sankt Nikolaus

I grew up in a German family.  Each December 6th we would celebrate St. Nicholas Day. 

This tradition is celebrated in many European countries including Germany.  In many of these areas, Sankt Nikolaus comes as a bishop with flowing beard and a miter and staff. Houses are thoroughly cleaned and children clean and polish their shoes or boots in preparation for the saint's visit. On the evening before St. Nicholas Day, children put letters to the good saint along with carrots or other food for his white horse or donkey on a plate or in their shoes. These are left outside, under the bed, beside a radiator, or on a windowsill in hopes of finding goodies from St. Nicholas the next morning. During the night Sankt Nikolaus goes from house to house carrying a book in which all the children's deeds are written. If they have been good, he fills their plate, shoe or boot with delicious fruits, nuts and candies. If not, they may find potatoes, coal, or twigs.

Last Friday, we tidied the room and hallway at the end of the day and put our shoes on the carpet with hopes that St. Nicholas would come and fill our shoes.  There was great anticipation this morning when the children arrived.  They were all thrilled to have received oranges, sweet treats and stickers.  Luckily no one received the dreaded coal or sticks!

"Homework" Helpers

Hello Families!

As you know, the single most important 'homework' you can do with your child is to read to and with them nightly.  In addition we have added on the learning of Dolch words to increase your child's sight word bank.  

As your child develops as a reader there are many prompts we can use to support their acquisition of this lifelong skill.  We can do the same for them as writers.  In tomorrow's iBag we will be sending home a purple paper with these prompts for you to use as your child is reading and writing.  Here's a sneak peek...

As an extra 'value-added bonus' - a set of sheets showing the proper formation of numerals using easy to remember sayings.  We will be using them here at school too.  I hope you find these handouts to be helpful!

And just when you thought you couldn't get a better deal...we will include, free of charge - a 'No Excuses' spelling list that many of you have asked for.  Please bear in mind that this the Grade One list and are the words a grade one student would be expected to spell without excuse by the end of their grade one year.

A Treat for the Birds (and Squirrels!)

This week we are making pinecone bird feeders at one of our centres.  Using vegetable oil shortening, sunflower seed, crushed cereal and plain popcorn we are creating delicious high-energy snacks for our feathered (and furry) friends.  Each child is making two feeders, one to hang on the tree outside our window and one to hang at home or in a local park.  Keep an eye out for a feeder coming home in your child's iBag.  (Don't worry - it's wrapped in wax paper!)

Fun Friday!

This week's Fun Friday fell on Pyjama Day and what better way to enjoy PJ Day then with some pancakes and hot chocolate.  Each student had the opportunity to dine at the IHOP-FDK pancake bar where Chefs MacDearmid and Mah-Doucette whipped up a lovely batch of light and fluffy flapjacks for everyone!

Lots of skills to practice at the pancake bar:  sitting properly at a table, using appropriate language and manners with the server, how to engage in polite dinner conversation, how to compliment the chef and most of all - how to use a knife and fork to cut your pancakes!  

Yum!  (Our compliments to the chefs!)

Explovery Sticks

This week we were busy wrapping the grips of our Explovery Sticks.  I brought in an example of a Journey Stick (it's story stick full of things collected along your journey) that I had made to visualize the concept of a wrapped stick.  

Within a nanosecond of Jodie bringing it over to show, we heard, blurted out from an SK friend..."It's a cat hypnotizer!"  

(Insert a good full minute of laughter - I was crying.)

Well, in the world of making connections that one has to take the cake.  

(I'm still grinning about it as I type.)   

Take a look at our sticks now - all personalized and easier to find in the forest.  

We're adding names next using a great idea from Jodie. Stay tuned!

Roots Of Empathy - Baby Maya's Second Visit

The Roots of Empathy program runs on a three week rotation.  First a pre-visit lesson, then a visit from the mom and baby and then at post-visit lesson.  This week it was our second mom & baby visit and we were excited.  

Baby Maya was all smiles on arrival.  Seeing her smile was new for us and such a treat.  Isn't she adorable!

Mrs. Carroll led us through our regular review of what Baby Maya can and can't do yet.  Each child had a chance to place the cards on the correct mat.  We noticed that this visit there were more 'cans' on the mat than last time.  Our baby is growing and learning!  

We loved her little hair band.  Some friends thought it made her look like a ninja baby!  We had a good chuckle over that one.

Baby Maya became a little fussy during the visit which was rather timely as we were learning about why a baby cries.  Mom knew best and pulled out the soother and promptly Maya fell asleep in her mother's arms.  It was then that we learned to sing an Arabic lullaby that mom sang for us.  It was beautiful.

It was a great visit.  We noticed so many changes in our little teacher since our first visit.

We will see mom and baby again during the first week of January.

Happy Holidays Maya!

Monday is Library Day!

It's Library Day on Monday!

Volcanic Activity Noted in FDK Pod

Just before lunch today we witnessed two epic volcanic eruptions.  Both were pretty awesome!

Based on our demonstration we could see why some scientists think that a volcanic eruption could be one plausible theory for extinction of the dinosaurs.  In these pictures you can see that many of our our dinosaurs did not survive.

It was a fitting end to our inquiry.

Gnome Sweet Gnome

We are making our very own Gnomes!  

We will be taking them on an adventure soon.

In progress...

All done....

Spirit Day Tomorrow!

It's PJ Day tomorrow!

Wool you help us?

Do you or does someone you know have any left over yarn/wool to donate to our kindergarten classes? This week we started wrapping our explovery sticks but are lacking a good variety of yarn/wool.   We don't need a mountain of it, just some variety! If you have any to spare, we would be happy to use it!  

Thank you!

Little Pep Arrives from the North Pole!

Tomorrow is Day 3

Hello families!
Tomorrow is Explovery Day.  I will be away tomorrow but Mrs. Nye and Ms. MacDearmid will be here and we have planned an outdoor adventure for them as well as an indoor activity to prepare for an outdoor experience on Thursday.  Please have them dressed appropriately for both days.  Thank you!

Forest Discovery!

While out explovering in the forest yesterday we made an AWESOME discovery!  It was laying in the leaf litter on the path.  

I love that our friends are always thinking...they had many guesses as to its identity - mouse, rat, badger, rabbit.  In fact, it wasn't any of those - it was a mole!  

I picked it up so we could take a closer look because moles have some very cool characteristics and adaptations.  We looked at its very sharp rodent teeth, its pointed nose and its super cool little claws that are perfect for digging.

I was hoping we would get the question "How did it die?" and I wasn't disappointed.  I asked them for their suggestions and we collected a variety of answers..."It froze to death.", "It got squashed.", "It got lost.", An animal killed it."  Through a series of questions we got closer to a plausible answer.  Due to its condition it's very likely it was caught by a raptor bird like an owl or hawk and then accidently dropped.  Once dropped (and dead) it is almost impossible for the raptor to locate it as they hunt by movement.

We decided to move it off the path and placed it at the bottom of a maple tree.  A few students asked what would happen to it.  I mentioned that there are a variety of animals that make the forest their home that eat dead stuff like raccoons, skunks & possums.  

A few minutes later an SK friend came up and told me he covered the mole with a huge pile of leaves "so the night creatures wouldn't come and eat him".  I mused that dead things start to smell and those 'night creatures' have an excellent sense of smell.  He replied "the leaves will cover the smell".  "What a great experiment!" I said.  "Yup!" was his enthusiastic reply.  He landmarked the tree and ran off.   

Holiday Heros Campaign

Highview is collecting new toys and pyjamas for the Holiday Hero drive. 
There is more information in Highview's December newsletter. 

http://www.yrdsb.ca/schools/highview.ps/NewsEvents/Pages/Newsletters.aspx

Spirit Day on Friday

Friday is Pyjama Day!

Gnorm has a new friend!

Big excitement this morning when our friends noticed that Gnorm had a new friend - an elf!

Immediately our inquiring minds wanted to know where he came from, his name, why he's here. Gnorm was a little overwhelmed with all the questions.  Hopefully he'll answer soon.

(Believe it or not, the chicken is an old friend.  

That's Willow - he comes to the gym with us sometimes.  

He's very flexible and does yoga on Tuesdays.)

The MacWands Present....DinoLand

This week we have been busying creating our very own in-house museum.  Each student created an enclosure for a dino of their choice.  They constructed, created a background and wrote about their dinosaurs.  Some descriptions were factual and others were very imaginative.  

We all toured DinoLand today and viewed each exhibit.  

Here's a picture documentary. 

Enjoy your visit!