With the cold weather moving in, please send your child to school dressed appropriately for the weather. We are outdoors for 45 minutes-1hour in the morning and 30 minutes at lunch. Please send in extra socks/mittens to be kept in their backpacks and a spare set of clothing to be kept at school for your child if they do not have any in the classroom.
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Your child will be introduced to the letters and sounds of the alphabet using the Jolly Phonics Program. For each sound there is an action which helps the children remember the sound the letter makes. The letters are not introduced in alphabetical order. They have been carefully selected to help the learning process.
As we finish learning about a group of letters/sounds/actions I will send home the group sheet for you to practise at home with your child. At home have your child say the letter name and sound using the action picture. Ask your child to make the letter in the air or find it in a book during nightly reading with you. For those students who already know all of the letters and sounds of the alphabet you can extend the activity to identifying or writing words that start with that letter/sound. Thank you for your at home support! Mrs. Landry We are so excited to share that we filled our Gem Jar by listening and showing such kind actions in our classroom.
The students voted and they decided on a PJ day! The students are invited to wear their PJ’s to school on Friday, October 23, 2020 to celebrate their hard work. We look forward to a fun filled day! Your K2 Team Halloween is fast approaching! It is an exciting event, but we ask for your cooperation with the following:
Please note that we are unable to distribute food treats, or halloween surprises of any kind due to Board Allergy and Health Policies as well as Covid-19. Though we are not able to have our customary costume parade through the school as in previous years due to Covid-19 protocols, we are still inviting your child to wear their costume on Friday, October 30th. However, any accessories should be left at home (ie, princess wands or swords - no weapons). Please do not send your child in face make-up as it gets everywhere as they play. Please have your child come in to school wearing play clothes underneath their costumes (or if necessary, in their bags) as many choose to remove their costumes throughout the day. Your child may opt instead, to wear black/orange or any halloween clothing that they wish, instead of a costume if you prefer. Many thanks, The K2 Team Kindergarten Access to Hapara Workspace
Below you will find the log-in info (your child’s school email address and password information), as well as instructions on how to access your child’s Hapara Workspace. Hapara Workspace is an online platform that uses your child’s email address and password to access learning activities that target concepts being taught at school. It will be updated regularly as our learning focus changes. While it is not absolutely comprehensive, as kindergarten is a play-based learning environment with continual development of concepts that are repeated through hands-on learning, it will allow you to support your child’s understanding of important literacy and numeracy concepts should they be away from school for an extended period of time, or should you wish to further reinforce their understanding through additional activities. The following is the required information to access learning activities for your child should they need to be away from school for an extended length of time, or if we move to distance learning. Please record this information in a location where you can access it if this sheet is misplaced. Please do not change your child’s password. Student e-mail addresses and passwords will be coming home in your child's mailbag today. Next follow the steps outlined below: Step 1: Utilize a Chrome browser Step 2: Ensure you are signed in with your child’s school email address. Step 3: Go to ocsb.ca. On the page, scroll to the bottom. Click on “JK-6 Students” on the red toolbar at the bottom. Step 4: Click on Hapara (purple square at the top of the page). This will open up the Hapara workspace. Step 5: Explore the activities. Please submit photos/videos/evidence of learning through Hapara where asked to by dropping the media into the attached folder directly in Hapara. Thank you for being patient and supportive as we navigate this new school year. Please send a note in your child’s mailbag should you have any questions. If your child is away for an extended period of time due to illness/quarantine, and you have a question, you may contact us via email, or by calling the school. The K2 Team [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Dear Parent/Guardian,
We are delighted to welcome your child to Kindergarten at St. James Catholic School! We are eager to begin an exciting year full of wonderful learning opportunities through inquiry. The kindergarten classroom is not a traditional classroom, but rather one that encourages learning through play at various centres throughout the room. This year, the classes will limit the number of centres available to ensure proper cleaning can be done after each use. Students will be encouraged to keep distance and follow a “no touch” rule with their classmates. Students will be spread out throughout the classroom and the number of students at each centre will be lessened. Students will be reminded to wash hands after playing with materials and moving to a different area. Kindergarten students will have their own clearly labelled bag of supplies in a ziploc bag which will be kept in a bin and be used only by them. Our K-2 Team: K-2 (Room 116) Ms. Masoumeh - RECE Mrs. Landry - English Teacher Mme Morin - French Teacher Follow us on twitter and check out our class blog! K2 Twitter: @StjamesK2s K2 Blog: k2kinders116.weebly.com *Please note that as the year progresses, English and French will rotate on a daily basis, but that to begin, the first weeks of school will remain consistent to establish routines. As such the homeroom teachers will remain with their classes for the majority of September. We communicate frequently and will create opportunities to become acquainted with all of our students and families as the weeks progress.* As your child’s educators, we aim to create an environment that is both supporting and challenging in order to facilitate learning and ignite the imagination. Below is a list of important information and requests:
Suggested Kindergarten Supplies: 1 small tub of playdoh (staff will refill throughout the year), markers, Crayola crayons, a box of kleenex to keep at their table spot (you will be notified when it needs to be replaced), pencils, pencil crayons, pencil sharpener, eraser, scissors, glue stick, 1 box of Ziplock bags, a yoga mat for rest time. Please label everything. Family Photo: We also ask that you send in a small family photo that will be displayed in your child’s classroom to remind them of home; they will be returned to you at the end of the school year. Thank-you in advance for any materials that you send in. They are much appreciated! More information regarding the Kindergarten Program and any specific routines/schedules will be forthcoming over the next few weeks. Our priority in the beginning is to get to know your children and to help them to become acclimated to their new learning environments. We ask for your patience and understanding as we continue to communicate information with you during these unusual times, and as students and staff settle into new routines. We will send home a “Getting to Know You” questionnaire which will allow us to get to know your child better. When time permits, please complete and return this sheet your classroom teacher. All information will be treated with the greatest respect for your child’s privacy. We know that the year ahead will be an exciting one with plenty of learning, laughter and growth. Sincerely, K2 Team K1/K2 Weekly Activities: June 22-25
Dear Families, It is hard to believe that this week is our last week of school. We are so sad that we won’t have an opportunity to end our year together in the classroom with your children and to hear about their exciting summer plans. We want to reassure you that anything that you have done over the past few months has been enough. These circumstances aren’t easy and we want to encourage you to continue to focus on the love and care for your children as a priority. The learning will happen. It can be as simple as a conversation or a game. We encourage you to continue to find ways to play with your child this summer. We know that our SK’s will bring many important skills taught from their time at school with them into grade 1 and that their new teachers will meet them right where they are at. We wish our SK’s much happiness and success and hope to still see them from time to time next year. We look forward to the 2nd part of the kindergarten journey for our JK’s and know that they will be wonderful role models for our new JK’s coming in. We hope that as families, you can all find ways to laugh and to enjoy summer together. Thanks for all that you have done these past few months. Your children are lucky to have you. We wish you all well. We look forward to our final google meet today! A reminder to please support your child in keeping the mic turned off unless it is their turn to speak, and in logging out of the meeting promptly at the end. We appreciate your support with this. K2 Google Meet Monday June 22 10:30-10:55 meet.google.com/ndo-naar-jgs Religion: God made each of us wonderfully in His own image but with our own unique and special qualities and features. Listen to the following story about being unique and made by God. Draw a picture of yourself and ask Mom or Dad to help you write words that tell about why you’re special, around your picture. You have all grown and learned so much this year! We are so happy to be your teachers because YOU are YOU. Sing the song “God Made Me Special”, which Mrs. Fitzel taught at school. Book - When God Made You, by Matthew Paul Turner and David Catrow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAOX21Kjs4U Song “God Made Me Special”: To the Tune of Go Tell Aunt Rhody Chorus God made me special God made me special God made me special There’s no one just like me! No one else has eyes like mine (gesture to eyes) Eyes like mine; eyes like mine No one else has eyes like mine I am special! (Chorus) No one else has hair like mine (gesture to hair) Hair like mine; hair like mine No one else has hair like mine I am special! (Chorus) * Repeat verse several times with a different body part each time: nose, feet, hands Math: Using Dixie cups or separated egg carton cups, make a set of 50 0r 100 and stack them making a pyramid. See if you can get them in the right order. Language: Read Aloud: Read the book “I Wish You More” by AmyKrouse Rosenthall https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_U31UZQiE0 Play a game of letter SMASH using water balloons! Fill up 26 water balloons and write the letters of the alphabet on them using a marker. Then write the alphabet letters on your driveway. Then try to match the corresponding letters by throwing and “smashing” the water balloon on the matching chalk letter. Have fun! French: Match the vocabulary words and the descriptions at the bottom, to the items in the summer beach scene. L’été est ici! Summer is here! While this été may look a little different than our usual summers, think about something you might do or wish you could do this summer with your family. Draw a picture. If any of the vocabulary words below are in your picture, try copying or tracing them onto your picture. Physical Education: Have fun this summer creating an outdoor game with your family to try! You can play a bean bag toss game using paper plates and numbers written on the plates to add up your score. Or you can try playing tic tac toe using pool noodles or tape on the grass and plastic lids. Another idea is playing a ball toss game using numbered tin cans and a small baseball or tennis ball where you try to knock down the tower of cans. Try adding up your score too! STEAM: No More Germs! Watch the above video “ No More Germs!” and learn about how germs will spread. Make a list of ways that germs can spread. Make a list of ways we protect ourselves from germs. (You can draw a picture or make a list.) Don’t forget to share it with us on twitter! Art: CD Suncatchers- Reuse your old CDs to create beautiful suncatchers. Color them in your favourite colors using markers or simply glue some gems or sequins on them or a combination of both. Hang them in your window and enjoy! Outdoor Learning: Have fun learning outside this summer using chalk, sponges, pool noodles, sand toys, and water! See how many different learning experiences you can create using these items! Have a wonderful Summer!! *Please upload any pictures of your child’s learning on our Twitter page or send us an email with your photos. We would love to see all your learning and give your child feedback on their activities! :) K2: [email protected] or @StjamesK2s Accessing OCSB Student Report Cards: The Ottawa Catholic School Board is introducing an online Parent Portal to allow parents to view their children's student information, including their report cards. Student report cards for the 2019-2020 school year will be distributed online through the Parent Portal at the end of day on June 25, 2020. Register first Before you can use the Parent Portal, you must register so that we can verify your information. This ensures that only authorized parents/guardians are able to view their child’s information. You only need to register once, even if you have more than one child in the OCSB. Your secure account will give you access to all of your children's report cards. Instructions for registering for the Parent Portal are posted on our Board website at ocsb.ca/parentportal. This message is also available on our Board website. Visit https://www.ocsb.ca/parentportal K2 Weekly Activities: June 15-19
Dear Families, We hope that you continue to be well and safe. We wish all of the St James fathers a Happy Father’s Day weekend. We miss seeing your children and are so sad that we won’t have an opportunity to end our year together in the classroom. We hope that your child can join us for our final google meet of the year. We would love to see as many faces as possible! We know that it is difficult for some to feel comfortable speaking. We would like to encourage those students to draw a picture that they can hold up to show instead. It could be a drawing of their summer plan or anything they like. We will also be reading a book and playing a quick game and no speaking is required to participate in these. A reminder to please support your child in keeping the mic turned off unless it is their turn to speak, and in logging out of the meeting promptly at the end. We appreciate your support with this. K2 Google Meet Monday June 22 10:30-10:55 meet.google.com/ndo-naar-jgs We also wish to remind you of your scheduled collection time at St James where we invite you to come and collect your children's belongings. When arriving at school at your scheduled time, please bring any items belonging to school with you, to be returned. There are some green or cocoa coloured yoga mats that were sent home for washing as well as snuggle reading books and folders that we kindly ask you to return on that day. Thanks for your support in this. Religion: 1. Daily Prayer: My Dear Jesus (tune of Frere Jacques) My dear Jesus (student repeats) Bless my day (student repeats) Help me to be like you (student repeats) In all ways! (student repeats) 2. Two Stories Our June virtue is HONESTY. Listen to the following stories: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ladh7pvdVZI Retell of The Boy Who Cried Wolf by the Reading Teacher Picture Book of The Boy Who Cried Bigfoot by Scott Magoon 3. Message and Application Discuss the message/ theme of the stories with your child. Honesty is very important. It means telling the truth. If you don’t tell the truth, people won’t believe you when you are telling the truth. What are some examples of honesty from the children’s everyday lives? Discuss. Conclusion: When we are honest, we are being like Jesus - just like we say in our daily prayer. Math: The money muncher Take an old tennis ball and cut a slit using an executive knife. (Done by an adult). Make two eyes using a marker. Or have fun creating your own face. Squeeze the ball to open the mouth and feed marbles or coins and count them as you go. To make it more challenging you can count by 5’s or 10’s by adding nickels or dimes. P.S: Squeezing that ball is a great fine motor activity to get those muscles ready for writing. Language: Take some time to read this Father’s Day book with your family! A Perfect Father’s Day by Eve Bunting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITAUYx24GKE Create a Father’s Day Card for your Dad or a family member! Don’t forget to write a special message for them inside! (e.g. your favourite memory with Dad/Grandpa, etc.) Here's a literacy game that will get your child up and moving! MUSICAL LETTERS! (a spin on musical chairs) Can be played alone or with a sibling/family member Step 1: Place letters on the floor in a circle (Ex. magnetic, foam, plush, etc. If you don't have letters, make your own! Print them on paper and cut them out) Step 2: Place an empty basket in the middle Step 3: Play music as you dance around the circle Step 4: When the music stops, whatever letter you're standing or sitting beside, pick it up, say its name and sound, and place it into the basket. Continue until all the letters are in the basket! Extension: Give a word that starts with that letter/sound French: For the next few weeks, our French activities will be focusing on Summer activities “l’été”. Here is a link to a fun French song about Summer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6paqyXeJ-0. Click this link for a fun French video about French Summer words! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QytQleTo34I Review the French Summer words from last week. Physical Education: Hallway Laser Maze: follow the instructions on the website and have fun!!!!! https://pin.it/6TlaXQ1 STEAM: Making Better Bubbles Watch the movie on the above website to learn how to make a big and strong Bubble! Take a picture and share with us on twitter! Art: Father’s Day Craft Get your dad a trophy this year! Find 2 paper/foam cups. Stick the bottom sides together. Add two arms using any card board. Paint and decorate. Outdoor Learning: Create a beautiful picture using only nature from around your own yard! *Please upload any pictures of your child’s learning on our Twitter page or send us an email with your photos. We would love to see all your learning and give your child feedback on their activities! :) K2: [email protected] or @StjamesK2s Feel Free to tag St James School: @StJamesOCSB K2 Weekly Activities: June 8-12
Dear Families, We hope that you continue to be well and safe. By the end of the day today you should have received notification of your scheduled time to collect your children’s belongings from St James. When arriving at school at your scheduled time, please bring any items belonging to school with you at that time. There are some green or cocoa coloured yoga mats that were sent home for washing as well as snuggle reading books and folders that we kindly ask you to return on that day. Thanks for your support in this. Please join us in prayer: Daily Prayer - Three In One -Sing to the tune of Three Blind Mice -Words by Susanna Unruh Three in one (clap) Three in one (clap) The Father loves and cares for me The Son died on the cross for me The Holy Spirit, He helps me Three in one (clap) Three in one (clap) Repeat, replacing clap with stomp, snap, shout, etc. Religion: 1. Background for Parents - On Sunday June 7, the Church celebrated Holy Trinity Sunday or the feast day of the Blessed Trinity. The word Trinity is a title for God that tells us that He is three Persons in one God. The three Persons in the Blessed Trinity are all equal but different - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We cannot understand this, but we believe it because Jesus taught it. What does the Holy Trinity do for us? We know that God the Father made everything and we are intended to go back to Him. The Holy Spirit guides us towards Him, and Jesus is the way. The Shamrock or Triangle are often used to represent the Blessed Trinity. Everytime you make the Sign of the Cross or say the “Glory Be” you are praying to the Blessed Trinity. 2. Discuss the enclosed visual - We have learned about God the Father and God the Son in class so you’re really just adding on God the Holy Spirit! Use these words in your discussion. We have discussed the symbol of the dove, the sign of peace, often in class so the students should be able to visualize the Holy Spirit as a dove. Math: Measurement Read the book “Just how long can a long string be?” by Keith Baker https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZzf6B0Q7bQ After reading the book you can try measuring your own string! Take a long string or piece of yarn and try measuring how long your string is using items in your house such as paper clips, clothes pins, noodles. You can also try measuring items around your house using your hands and feet! Language: Secret Word Wall Words: Using the list of word wall words, have an adult write the words on a paper using a white crayon. The words will be invisible on your paper and you won’t be able to read them using just your eyes! Using a marker or water colour paint you can colour or paint on top of the words to discover what it says! Word Wall Words: it, the, and, in, a, of, to, he, she, is, I, that, was, on, at, can, Dad, Mom, do, go, like, love, me, my, no, yes, play, we, little, look, am, you, for, here, come, said, up French: Here is a link to a fun French song about Summer (L’été): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6paqyXeJ-0. In your journals, please choose a few pictures to draw and copy or trace the French words in your beautiful Summer picture. (Mom or Dad can print the words with a highlighter for the child to trace over) Physical Education: Shape shifter https://www.ophea.net/sites/default/files/pdfs/shape_shifter.pdf STEAM: Science for Kids: Ice Cream in a Bag You will need:
Fill the plastic container most of the way with ice. sprinkle about 6 tablespoons of kosher or ice cream salt all over the ice. Pour one cup of whole milk, half and half, or heavy whipping cream into the plastic freezer bag. We used whole milk. Add two tablespoons of white sugar.An adult should get most of the air out of the plastic bag and zip it closed. Be sure that the bag is sealed tightly! Put the freezer bag with the ingredients into the container with the ice. Top with more ice if needed. Put the lid on the container and shake the container.Take turns shaking up the ice cream for about 10 to 15 minutes. How does it work? When we add salt to ice we lower the freezing point. This is the same reason we ice sidewalks and roads in the winter. The melting ice absorbs heat from the bag of ice cream allowing us to quickly freeze our delicious treat! Once our ice cream was about the consistency of a thick milkshake divided it into bowls and add toppings (like sprinkles) if desired! Enjoy! OR ART : KITCHEN UTENSIL PAINTING ACTIVITY Gather a few different utensils from the kitchen drawer and paint!!!!!! Outdoor Learning: Now that the hot weather is here, try making your own crayons using the heat of the sun! Use either silicone baking cups, cookie cutters or even plastic Dixie cups (you may need to cut the bottoms open on these for better contact with the foil). Place them on aluminium foil and fill each cup with small left-over crayons bits. Cover the entire area with plastic wrap to act like a greenhouse cover. Now place them in the sun on a hot day and depending on the temperature, in time, they will melt and turn into your own multi-couloured crayon shapes. *Please upload any pictures of your child’s learning on our Twitter page or send us an email with your photos. We would love to see all your learning and give your child feedback on their activities! :) K2: [email protected] or @StjamesK2s Feel Free to tag St James School: @StJamesOCSB K1/K2 Weekly Activities: June 1-5
Dear Families, We hope that you continue to be well and safe and that you are finding ways to enjoy the warm weather. We look forward to our next Google Meets and hope that your child is able to join us. Please click on the attached link at the scheduled time. We ask for your support in helping your child to speak (if they wish) when it is their turn and to keep their mic turned off when it is not so that we are able to hear students better. We also ask for your support in making sure that once we have said good-bye at the end of the meet that you assist your child in logging off promptly. Teachers must ensure that all students have left the meets and we are often immediately afterwards, joining another google meet. Looking forward to seeing everyone’s beautiful smiles! K2 Google Meet Thursday June 4 10:30-10:55 meet.google.com/dge-ddfg-rvi Please note that by June 8th, as indicated in the most recent St. James memo, that a School Staff Member will be contacting each of you to notify you of your scheduled time to collect your child’s belongings from school. When arriving at school at your scheduled time, please bring any items belonging to school with you at that time. There are some green or cocoa coloured yoga mats that were sent home for washing as well as snuggle reading books and folders that we kindly ask you to return on that day. Thanks for your support in this. Please join us in prayer: Hi, it’s me, just come to pray And thank you for a fun-filled day! You’ve been with me, so I know you’ve seen All the great exciting things. But also when I’m sad or cross I know you love me, no matter what! So help me rest and go to sleep And feel the peace of your love for me. Religion: 1. Daily Prayer: My Dear Jesus (tune of Frere Jacques) My dear Jesus (student repeats) Bless my day (student repeats) Help me to be like you (student repeats) In all ways! (student repeats) 2. Video/ Song: Love, Love, Love One Another and Be Kind.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYlkcoAfLU4 -Have your child watch & participate by joining in actions & movements -Discuss message of song/ video, examples from song, & from your child’s own life -Repeat video/ song participation daily 3. Review of Pentecost from last week’s focus Sunday, May 31 was Pentecost! On Pentecost, 50 days after Easter, we remember the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles in the form of tongues of fire - enabling the apostles to speak many tongues/ language so they were understood by all when they went out to spread/ teach Jesus’ Good News everywhere! 4. You can log in to the Growing in Faith, Growing in Christ program using the url: www.pearsoncanada.ca/growinginfaith/student-home Username: GIFGIC_student99 Password: Student99 Click on: Growing in Faith, Growing in Christ Gr. 1 Program - Media by Unit - Unit 5 Click on the large heading, Activities (orange bar) -Click on the word Pentecost (a little more than half way down the long list) -Look at the lovely illustration of Pentecost & key in the words to complete the Pentecost story! Once your child has completed filling in the story with you, see if he/she can do a retell of the whole Pentecost story - using the illustration & prompts from you, if needed! Math: Right before March break we were practising tally marks. Let's bring our practise outdoors!
Read the story “The Red Book” by Barbara Leham to learn how to tell your own story using the pictures! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPGw45OCIbQ Storytelling using Loose Parts: Using materials from around your house (ie. blocks, plastic animals, rocks, etc.) create a story to orally tell to your family! If you like, have your parents take a video of you telling your story to share with us! For a challenge, try writing your story on a piece of lined paper or in your journal! French: Visite le site web (a free, secure and non-advertisement french website for young learners): https://ici.radio-canada.ca/jeunesse/prescolaire Choisi (choose) un activité ou un chanson (song). There are so many things to choose from! Which one(s) did you choose to do? J’ai joué (I played) échelles (snakes and ladders) and the music game for the chanson “Roule”. Physical Education: Spell out your name and complete a physical activity for each letter of the alphabet. (Photo shown of physical activities for the alphabet in weekly e-mail). STEAM: Bring music education home with OrKidstra! https://orkidstra.ca/kiddlywinks-singing/ Art: Try creating your own fun and unique mask using cardboard or other materials. Have a parent help with cutting out the holes for the eyes if you want to wear it, or just make your own eyes and use it as a wall decoration. Tell us about your mask. Is your mask funny, beautiful or scary? Are there any other words to describe it? Outdoor Learning: Texture scavenger hunt How it works: Place nature objects with different textures in several brown lunch bags. You could put a pinecone in one, a stick in another and a stone in a third. Have your kids close their eyes and feel each object. Then send them outside to find a similar texture. As they find matching objects, introduce texture words like pointy, bumpy and smooth. How it promotes learning: All of those new words will expand your little ones’ vocabulary. Discriminating between different textures also supports fine-motor skills like coloring and writing, according to pediatric occupational therapist Christie Kiley. *Please upload any pictures of your child’s learning on our Twitter page or send us an email with your photos. We would love to see all your learning and give your child feedback on their activities! :) K2: [email protected] or @StjamesK2s Feel Free to tag St James School: @StJamesOCSB |
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October 2020
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