Early Literacy

During the months of March and April we will continue our literacy adventure. We will continue to read emails from The Gingerbread Man. We will look for sight words, (snap words) and listen for sounds at the beginning, middle and ending of words. We will play phonemic awareness games, listening and producing sounds. In April we will focus on Learn about the World books, focussing on birds and Indigenous stories..We will continue to work on our rhyming skills. Our lifebooks will continue to be a method of communicating our ideas, wonderings and celebrations. We will copy print, sound out words and draw our life stories.

Early Numeracy

During the upcoming months we will continue to focus on subitizing the numbers 1-5. The numbers 4 and 5 will be emphasized. We will play games and talk about what we see and how we group numbers. We will extend our pattern work, and look at pattern through art and music. We will also work on our number sense through card, dice and domino games. We will begin to work on the skill of measurement.

Early Science

Our kindergarten science program will key on the areas of Energy and Earth Systems. During the energy unit we will talk about the movement of objects and people. Earth Systems unit will cover the topics of exploring the environment, changes in the environment, and protecting the environment. Spring is the perfect time to celebrate the growing season. We will plan our school garden. We will watch the weather and season change and ask questions and study our natural environment through forest walks and nature sharing. We will be studying Alberta birds and animals.

Early Social Studies

We will continue to learn about our community and our role in making our community a happy and positive space. We will continue to learn about feelings and focus on the wellness curriculum through The Kimochi Program.

Physical Health and Well-Being

The children will continue daily physical education in the gymnasium. We will be using balls and hoops and playing cooperative games. We will also be going on nature hikes and using the outdoor environment.

Early Language Arts

During the next two months, we will continue to build on our growing literacy skills. We will revisit all of the letters and sounds through our daily morning messages. We will listen for rhyme and practice breaking words down orally into syllables. We will be learning to read sight words, often called snap or popcorn words. We will be listening to many different different Fairy Tales. We will be learning about the elements of a Fairy Tale and the children will be telling their own fairy tales. through pictures, print, dramatic plays and story telling.

Early Numeracy

The children will continue to build their numeracy skills through games and problem-solving activities. Throughout the year all mathematical concepts are incorporated during the school day. Pattern will be focussed on in the next two months.

Physical Health and Well Being

The children will continue to have daily physical education in the gymnasium where they will be introduced to a variety of dances and new games.

Personal and Social Responsibility

The children will continue to work on their ability to be part of a dynamic and respectful classroom community. They will be able to show the ability to listen appropriately and take their turn accordingly. They will be responsible for their belongings and will be able to show respectful and helpful behaviours.

Early Fine Arts

In the coming months, we will be focusing on a variety of art mediums. Many of the art works that will be discussed and experienced will be inspired by The Middle Ages. We will begin weaving our own small blankets This activity will teach the children perseverance as it will be a long term project.

Early Social Studies

We will continue to learn about our class and school community. We will talk about our responsibilities and ways to show kindness and respect.

Early Science

The children will learn about the five senses. They will use their senses to explore properties. The children will also explore the movement of objects, humans and other animals.

Early Social Studies

The children have been learning about the concept of being unique. We are learning about how we are the same and different and how we should celebrate our differences. During the months of November and December we will look at different winter celebrations around the world.

Early Fine Arts

The children have continued to explore different materials. They will explore water-colour, sewing, printmaking and scissor art. The children continue to use their observation skills while drawing and are adding detail to their pictures.

Early Numeracy

The children will continue to work on comparing quantities up to 10 and will begin to work on the concept of pattern. They will be introduced numeracy vocabulary. They will demonstrate that anAB pattern has two elements, by building patterns with their math boxes. The children will also be playing different dice games which builds their ability to see numbers of items without counting. (subitizing)

Early Literacy

The children continue to build their literacy skills. We will have many discussions about the stories read aloud. They will share their predictions and thoughts about the stories. The children will be practicing their letter sounds and are starting to use this knowledge to write words in their lifebooks. We will use Nursery rhymes as a starting point to work with rhymes. The children will be encouraged to memorize and recite the nursery rhymes learned. We will continue to listen for rhymes and play rhyming games. In December we will study poetry.

Physical Health and Well Being

The children will be participating in many movement games and will have the opportunity to work with balls, hoops and other equipment.

Early Science

The children will be be introduced to the concept of Matter and will participate in a variety of experiments and scientific observation.The children will be introduced to many types of building materials and given opportunities and challenges to build their own structures.

Dressing for Learning

It is important to dress your child in warm clothing. Mitts, hats, boots and snow pants are a must. Please do not send your child with thin gloves. These do not keep hands warm. Please label your winter items. Many children have similar clothing.

October Curriculum Connections

Early Social Studies

It has been a busy month. The children are making new friends and learning how to get along in a big group.In October we will read the book, The Three Questions. by Leo Tolstoy , retold By Jon J. Muth.

Who is the most important one?

• The one you are with.

What is the most important thing to do?

• Be good to the one you are with.

What is the most important time?

• NOW

We will be spending time each day in a sharing circle where we will be talking about how we can be good to the one we are with. We will be reading many books and discussing how we can be a good friend to each other and to our natural world.

The children will be participating in mindful exercises. We will be learning to be mindful of our actions and words. We will be learning how to read our bodies and will learn calming exercises to help us deal with our feelings

Early Fine Arts

The children will be exposed to many forms of artistic expression. They will be taught how to care for the various art materials. They will be encouraged to choose their own art materials.In October, we will be talking about using our eyes and the power of observational drawing. We will be focusing on different lines and shapes and how different artists use line in their artwork.

Early Numeracy

We will be working with numbers up to 10. We will be looking at ways that we can make the number 10. We will be using manipulatives and showing our understanding of the number 10. We will also be practicing counting up to 10, making sure we use 1-1 correspondence. We will be practicing counting to 10 starting at any number. Playing board games is a good way of practicing counting skills. Playing the hand game where you take 10 objects and hide some in your hand and ask your child to tell you how many are in your hand is a great way to practice making number 10 stories.

Early Language Arts

During the month of October, we will be using our names to study the following literacy concepts, letter identification, and beginning, middle and end sounds. We will also be listening for rhymes and clapping our names. We are also practicing writing our names with upper and lower-case letters. We will be writing in our lifebooks. We will draw pictures and tell our unique stories. We will be listening to a variety of stories and discussing the stories.

Physical Health and Well Being

The children are participating in a variety of movement games and activities. We have movement and dance breaks during the day and we will go to the gymnasium on a daily basis. We are concentrating on playing space awareness games and learning how to move safely. The children will also be participating in fine motor activities. Special attention will be given to hand dominance, grasp and strength. We will be cooking with our garden produce. We will be talking about nutrition and where our food comes from.

Early Science

In October we will go on many nature hikes. We will continue to observe the natural environment throughout all of our seasons. We will look closely at nature and learn how to make observational drawings. The children are working in their nature notebooks, asking questions about the changes in the seasons. We will be cooking with our garden produce.

Important Dates in October

Wednesday, October 4 Crazy Hat or Hair Day School Wide .(KM Class) Early Dismissal

Thursday October 5 PJ Dress Up Day School Wide (KT Class)

Friday, October 6 P.D. Day No School

Monday, October 9 . Thanksgiving Day No School

Thursday, October 12 Hot Lunch (KT)

Thursday, October 18 . Hot Lunch (KM)

Monday, October 23 Picture Retakes

Wednesday, October 25 (No school for KM)S/P/T Interviews: 8:00-2:00 3:00-7:00 In Person

Thursday October 26 Hot Lunch (KT) S/P/T Interviews Virtual/Phone 4:00-6:00 p.m.

Monday, October 30 . Halloween Party (KM)

Tuesday, October 31 Halloween Party (KT)

Important Information

Label, Label, Label:Remember to label your child's clothing and boots. The children are getting better at following the routine. They put all their items in their backpack, including their coat if they are not wearing it. They also are instructed to put their coat on their backpack if they are wearing it home. We do this well before the end of the day. Unfortunately some items are still go unclaimed. It is already time to pull out the mittens!

Parent Teacher Interviews are held in October. There is one full day of in person interviews (Wednesday October 25) No school for KM that day. See times above. There are evening virtual/phone interviews on Thursday, October 26.More information will be sent out at a later date.

Family Photos: Send in a family photo for our family photo wall. The children love to see their families.

Show and Share: The children are encouraged to bring items, photos, books etc. from Nature to share during sharing circle time.

Halloween Party: October 30 (KM) October 31 (KT) The parties will be held in the morning. I will be asking for volunteers to run the spooky centers. I will send out a form in the upcoming week.

A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL THE VOLUNTEERS THAT MADE THE STRATHCONA WILDERNESS FIELD TRIP A BIG SUCCESS!

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Welcome to Fultonvale Kindergarten

Before the first day of school I will be phoning you to talk about the first day of school and any concerns or information you would like to share about your child. Remember it is a staggered entry. The first day your child will attend will be indicated on the information sheet you have received in your kindergarten package. If you do not have that information feel free to phone the school office:780-922-3058.

Field Trips and Special Days

We will be going on our first field trip on Friday, September 29. Both Kindergarten classes will attend together. Please refer to The Fultonvale calendar for the kindergarten dates. There will be changes made to The Elk Island calendar to accommodate field trips, interview days and special activity days. I will give as much notice as I can before these changes will occur. Pictures will be taken on Thursday September 7 for the KT class (Tuesday/Thursday) and Friday September 8 for the KM class (Monday/Wednesday)

Communication

Communication will be primarily through my daily blog on my website. I will occasionally be sending home paper copies of important information. In order for your child's picture to appear on the blog you need to fill out the consent form on your parent portal. You will find a variety of resources and information on my website including The new Kindergarten curriculum, a link to the Fultonvale calendar and a resource page. (mrskitson.ca) There are two kindergarten classes. KM refers to the students that attend on Monday/Wednesday and some fridays. The KT refers to the students that attend on Tuesday/Thursday and some fridays.

Permission Clicks

All field trip forms will be sent through Permission Clicks. These forms will be signed on line. It is important that these forms are signed. If the form is not signed your child will not be able to attend the field trip. The first two permission click forms you will be receiving are for The Strathcona Wilderness Center and The Forest Trails.

Attendance:

If your child is going to be absent please email the attendance line: ftvattendance@eipsca, and my email, arolynn.kitson@eips.ca.

September Morning Meeting Place

For the month of September those parents driving their children will meet me at The small playpark by The Olympiette Center. The children on the bus will meet me at the front of the school and I will walk them to the playpark. In October the children will all line up in front of the school in the line for Kindergarten.

The Classroom Environment

The kindergarten environment is carefully and thoughtfully arranged in order to engage the children. It is important that the classroom be a direct reflection of the children. In order to achieve this goal I would like to ask that you send in picture of your family that can be displayed in the hallway outside of the classroom.

Show and Tell

During the month of September your child can bring an item from nature. Your child has the choice to leave the item at school to add to our nature display or take it home. The item will not be handled by the other children

Over the next 2 months we will be getting to know each other and learning how we are all unique. We will be talking about how we all contribute to our classroom community.

Establishing Routines

During the month of September I will be letting the children get used to the routines of Kindergarten. We also will be spending a lot of time outside. Dressing for the changing weather will be important.

Kanga Pouches

Snacks and lunch

Please send two snacks and a lunch daily. We recycle in Kindergarten. All leftover food items will be sent home. Please send nut free snacks and treats. Please send a water bottle everyday. Please label your child's water bottle, and lunch kit.

Busing

The Kindergarten children that are taking the bus should have their bus tag with their bus # and name attached to their backpack. I will be out in front of the school to greet the children. At the end of the school day I will be taking the children out to the buses before the general population.

It is very important to inform the school if your child is not going to take the bus home. If I do not receive a note or a message from the office I will need to put your child on the bus. For those parents that are driving to school please do not park in front of the school. This area is designated for the school buses. Please refer to the bus and drop off map on The School website.

Backpacks and Labeling

Make sure to send your child with a large backpack to accommodate large library books. Please label all shoes, boots,coats and mittens. We often have identical items.

Dressing for Learning

Please do not send your child in flip flops, crocs or fancy shoes. It is important that they wear running shoes as we will be doing physical activities both inside and outside of the school. There are often accidents in Kindergarten. Please place a change of clothing: sweat pants, underwear, socks and a t-shirt in a labeled ziplock bag. The bag will be kept in your child's backpack. We will be spending a lot of time outdoors please send your child dressed for the weather.

September Curriculum Connections

• Begin our Nature study
• Commence our unit “I am Unique!” and key on getting to know our classmates and school community
• Discuss safety and discuss ways to care for ourselves, our classmates and our classroom
• Focus on the early numeracy skills (number sense and sorting)
• Focus on drawing, recording and telling about experiences through daily writing and drawing.
• Listen and respond to a variety of texts centering on getting to know our class community.