We have been so busy in KG-B that it's getting hard to keep up! Last week you all received a newsletter that provided some detailed information regarding our last units of study. In case you missed that, you can find it here:
As part of this unit and to celebrate our wonderful teaching assistant, Winta, we planned a surprise birthday party for this past Monday morning. Last Friday afternoon, Winta was out of our classroom, which provided the perfect opportunity for us to work as a community to organize this event. We worked together to determine our roles and responsibilities, and then we got to work. Small groups of children made decorations, signs, gifts, and even planned a massage station! They felt that Winta needed a place to relax and put her feet up. Some children were so excited that they even worked over the weekend on hand-made gifts and treats. Andrew was especially motivated and took action at home that resulted in a whole backpack full of surprises!
As community event organizers, we knew that we needed to make it a true surprise, and you would be proud that it was kept just that. Winta was sent off to fetch some things from the supply room on Monday morning, and meanwhile we quickly set up the room. When she returned she was astounded to see balloons, decorations, treats, and a table full of paper gifts (including a small paper cup and several paper airplanes. 😀)
We were also so lucky to have another birthday to celebrate on Monday! Jude had his special celebration in the afternoon, and this offered us an opportunity to reflect on how the roles and responsibilities of this party may have differed from Winta's party.
Both last week and this week we have also had the opportunity to hear from Mr. Nathan, one of our P.E. teachers, about how Play Day is organized,
and then from Ms. Marcel in the Communications Office about creating signs to advertise and invite people to events.
We are looking forward to continuing exploring this unit of inquiry.
We also recently began a new writing unit, which we will continue learning about throughout the rest of the year. This unit is on persuasive writing. The past week and a half we have been looking at how it's not just enough to wish our problems away, but that we can also try to write them away. We have made signs, written letters, created songs, and designed lists to address different problems we have seen at home and at school. Please be prepared to see letters coming home that may address something your child views as a problem, and also be prepared to receive letters in a bit of time that may try to persuade you to do something. Even if you aren't persuaded enough to act on what your child is asking, commend him/her for the writing coming home and for taking action!
In addition to all the above learning, we have continued to extend our learning and make decisions about areas in which we'd like to grow. One opportunity we have to do this throughout the day is during I/E (Intervention/Extension) time. On a couple days of the week we have some volunteers that come to our classroom and offer a listening center. Ms. A. (an ICS parent reader volunteer) comes every Monday, and the past several Wednesdays we have had the pleasure of welcoming Ms. Nicole, Andrew's mom. Yesterday her read-aloud center was a big hit and most of the class chose to listen to her stories. Many thanks to Nicole for volunteering!
Finally, a reminder that Student Led Conferences are fast approaching (next Tuesday and Wednesday). Information on how to sign up for a conference time has been sent via email. Please sign up as soon as you are able so we can adequately prepare for your visit. We can't wait to share our growth!
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