Winter Wonderland Concert!

As we approach the end of our term, we are all excited for the upcoming Winter Holidays. Our school is having a school-wide end of the term concert that your children will be involved in and that you are all invited to!

We have been practising hard every day, learning to sing different songs and playing different instruments that your children will be performing at the concert.

Please see the newsletter that will be sent home with your children this Friday.

Here is a link with the lyrics and music to one of the songs we are learning: Hello Winter

This is a great website with fun winter themed crafts that you can enjoy enjoy at home with your kindergarten child: Winter Crafts

Here are some great events taking place in Toronto that you and your kindergarten child may wish to go to while on winter break:

Winter Calender - Toronto

Happy Holidays!

Kindergarten and Language Arts

In our class, the language arts are an area that we focus on in every unit of study. This year, the kindergarten students will begin learning concepts about print— how to hold books, how to track print, and how to distinguish words from pictures and letters from words. By the end of the year, kindergarten students should know the basics of the sound-print code—that words contain sounds that are represented by letters, and that letters combine to make words.

Kindergarten students also develop the ability to write letters and the ability to represent words with letters. They learn that pictures are different from words. During the kindergarten year, the students will begin to identify some basic sight words.

In our class, the students will read and listen to several books for a variety of purposes and from various genres. They will, in turn, develop the ability to sustain their attention for an age-appropriate length of time, moving towards becoming independent readers.

Please review the OCUP website (link provided on the right side of the page) to see the specific and overall expectations of your Kindergarten Child.

It is suggested that you read and speak with your child as often as you can. Here is a great online resource that you can explore with your kindergarten child to help develop their literary skills.

Fun Reading and Writing Activities for Kids!

Kindergarten and Science

This week the students will be starting a new unit that they will find fun and exciting! Our class has recently adopted a guinea pig that we have named Lester. The students will be given many opportunities throughout the day to observe and explore Lester and the world he lives in. Please look on the OCUP website located on the right side of this web page to see how adopting Lester meets several of the Ontario Ministry's curriculum expectations for kindergarten students.

Also, you and your child can adopt Lester for the weekend or for the entire Winter holidays! Please contact me if you wish to do so.

Taking care of animals is important for children to learn at a young age as it helps develop an understanding for and care of the natural world around them. The website provided below can teach you and your child what to do when taking on the responsibility of a pet guinea pig. Now how cute is Lester?!? (see top right)

Taking Care of Pet Guinea Pigs

Kindergarten and Math

Currently we are learning patterning at our math learning station. There are many different objects and manipulatives that the students can explore to create their own patterns. This is in conjuction with several Ontario Curriculum Standard expectations (see OCUP website link provided on right side of web page).

Here is a great online story that you can enjoy with your children.

Story of Shapes

Kindergarten and Social Studies

The Social Studies unit that we will be focussed on for the next few weeks is themed All About Me. This relates to many social studies strands (see OCUP website link provided on the right side of this web page).

We will be reading many different stories, doing many different art activities and playing many different games that are all about being ourselves.

Here is a great website dedicated to this unit:

All About Me

Have Fun and Happy Learning!

Online Tool For Kindergarten Students

Parents,
Try this site out with your kindergarten children. It is fun and educational!

Fun, Educational Activities for Kids!

Welcome Parents and Students

I would like to welcome all of you into my classroom. I look forward to meeting all of you and I hope that we can get to know each other very soon.

The Kindergarten Program at our school provides students with a secure, stimulating environment that supports and encourages the growth of self-confident, creative individuals who are capable of making, and being respnsible for, their own decisions now and in the future.

Children learn both naturally through play and they are encouraged to play both individually and in groups. Kindergarten is a place where the activities are designed to meet the needs of children and allow them to develop as individuals at their own rate. Ongoing observations, a folder of work, checklists, anecdoltal records, parent-teacher interviews, conference calls, report cards etc., are used to evaluate many aspects of your child's development.

Just a little bit about me:
My name is Alyssa Becker. I am 23 years old and I am from Toronto, Ontario. I have a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Western Ontario in Sociology and a Bachelor in Professional Studies from Niagara University in Education. I chose to go into education and teaching because I love working with children.

My hobbies include reading, travelling, eating and watching movies from all time periods and genres. My favourite book is The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. Some of the places that I have travelled to include Europe, Israel and throughout Central and North America. I love Italian and Thai food and I love too many movies to chose an absolute favourite!

It would be great if each of you could please submit a short biography about yourselves so that we can all get to know a little bit about each other before we begin our journey together this year.

Your new teacher,
Ms. Becker