Wonderful Wednesday
Hello Parents and Guardians!
You wouldn't believe how much your children have progressed in the week they have been in Kindergarten! A friend of mine, Kathy, volunteers on a weekly basis and could not believe how the children have settled into the routines of our classroom and school. They are an amazing group of children and I feel so lucky to be their first teacher!
This week we have read the story "The Dot" by Peter Reynolds. "The Dot" is about a young girl, Vashti, who says she cannot draw. When she tells her teacher, the teacher tells her "make a mark and see where it takes you." Vashti draws a dot on her paper, and her teacher then says "now sign it." The next week she is surprised to see her dot framed on display in the teacher's office. Seeing her dot, she says "I can make a better dot than that." She then starts drawing elaborate, colorful dots and realizes she is indeed an artist. We discussed, as a class, how there are things that we feel we are really good at and things we are not so good at ... yet. We talked about how we learn through making mistakes and how all I expect from the students is that they try their best. The students were excited to do their first "art project" where they could create their own dots of difference sizes and paint them in using water colors. We are excited to have them displayed for our conferences next week (Thursday and Friday for Kindergarten).
Today we read another story by Peter Reynolds called "Say Something". This was a book that the admin team gifted all of the teachers in the school so we could share it as a staff and share it with our students. "In this empowering new picture book, beloved author Peter H. Reynolds explores the many ways that a single voice can make a difference. Each of us, each and every day, have the chance to say something: with our actions, our words, and our voices. Perfect for kid activists everywhere, this timely story reminds readers of the undeniable importance and power of their voice. There are so many ways to tell the world who you are... what you are thinking... and what you believe. And how you'll make it better. The time is now: SAY SOMETHING!". As a staff, we watched a video called "One Word That will Change Your Life" by Jon Gordon https://youtu.be/CShvhZ7D0fg. We were then challenged to pick a word, a single word, that would guide our year. We are hoping to challenge our students to do the same ... This is a difficult concept to explain to Kindergarten students ... having one word that could be our vision/purpose for the year. This is where you come in ... As a family, I would love for you to discuss this with your children and help your Kindergarten child (or your entire family) pick a word that he/she will focus on this year. Please email me with your child's word so that we may do an art project next week that includes our word. Please have your child's word in by Monday at the latest. Again, my email is sloveracker@cbe.ab.ca.
My word is connection. This summer, after spending last summer working on my Masters, I decided to take the summer off and reconnect with my family, friends, neighbors ... It was my best summer yet and my goal, this school year, is to remain connected with those outside of the school, but also build connections with students and families. My word is displayed in a place where I can see and reflect on it on a daily basis.
These are some examples of words that you might want to choose from:
Focus, grow, bloom, brave, inspire, gratitude, mindful, considerate, calm, respect, appreciate, family, persevere, love, reflect, heart, joy, kindness, play trust, breathe, change, listen, build, explore, hope, fearless, happy, belong, strive, compassion, persist, improve, strength, encourage, present, enthusiasm, connect, create, believe, purpose, hero, dream, magic, shine, peace, try, compromise, image, learn, wonder, courage, wish, work, smile, celebrate, relax, sparkle, laugh, patience, give, glow, forgive, observe
Other things we have been working on ...
1. Following directions in the gym, catching and throwing.
2. We had pictures on Tuesday and read a very funny story called "Picture Day Perfection"
3. We are working on drawing detailed and colorful pictures and did our very first journal entry.
4. We are learning about the calendar: the days of the week, predicting the number that will go next, looking at the events coming up.
5. We practiced our cutting skills.
Just a reminder that next week is a short week for Kindergarten with there being no school for students on Thursday and Friday.
Have a wonderful evening! Thanks for your help with our "one word" activity.
Ms. O.
You wouldn't believe how much your children have progressed in the week they have been in Kindergarten! A friend of mine, Kathy, volunteers on a weekly basis and could not believe how the children have settled into the routines of our classroom and school. They are an amazing group of children and I feel so lucky to be their first teacher!
This week we have read the story "The Dot" by Peter Reynolds. "The Dot" is about a young girl, Vashti, who says she cannot draw. When she tells her teacher, the teacher tells her "make a mark and see where it takes you." Vashti draws a dot on her paper, and her teacher then says "now sign it." The next week she is surprised to see her dot framed on display in the teacher's office. Seeing her dot, she says "I can make a better dot than that." She then starts drawing elaborate, colorful dots and realizes she is indeed an artist. We discussed, as a class, how there are things that we feel we are really good at and things we are not so good at ... yet. We talked about how we learn through making mistakes and how all I expect from the students is that they try their best. The students were excited to do their first "art project" where they could create their own dots of difference sizes and paint them in using water colors. We are excited to have them displayed for our conferences next week (Thursday and Friday for Kindergarten).
Today we read another story by Peter Reynolds called "Say Something". This was a book that the admin team gifted all of the teachers in the school so we could share it as a staff and share it with our students. "In this empowering new picture book, beloved author Peter H. Reynolds explores the many ways that a single voice can make a difference. Each of us, each and every day, have the chance to say something: with our actions, our words, and our voices. Perfect for kid activists everywhere, this timely story reminds readers of the undeniable importance and power of their voice. There are so many ways to tell the world who you are... what you are thinking... and what you believe. And how you'll make it better. The time is now: SAY SOMETHING!". As a staff, we watched a video called "One Word That will Change Your Life" by Jon Gordon https://youtu.be/CShvhZ7D0fg. We were then challenged to pick a word, a single word, that would guide our year. We are hoping to challenge our students to do the same ... This is a difficult concept to explain to Kindergarten students ... having one word that could be our vision/purpose for the year. This is where you come in ... As a family, I would love for you to discuss this with your children and help your Kindergarten child (or your entire family) pick a word that he/she will focus on this year. Please email me with your child's word so that we may do an art project next week that includes our word. Please have your child's word in by Monday at the latest. Again, my email is sloveracker@cbe.ab.ca.
My word is connection. This summer, after spending last summer working on my Masters, I decided to take the summer off and reconnect with my family, friends, neighbors ... It was my best summer yet and my goal, this school year, is to remain connected with those outside of the school, but also build connections with students and families. My word is displayed in a place where I can see and reflect on it on a daily basis.
These are some examples of words that you might want to choose from:
Focus, grow, bloom, brave, inspire, gratitude, mindful, considerate, calm, respect, appreciate, family, persevere, love, reflect, heart, joy, kindness, play trust, breathe, change, listen, build, explore, hope, fearless, happy, belong, strive, compassion, persist, improve, strength, encourage, present, enthusiasm, connect, create, believe, purpose, hero, dream, magic, shine, peace, try, compromise, image, learn, wonder, courage, wish, work, smile, celebrate, relax, sparkle, laugh, patience, give, glow, forgive, observe
Other things we have been working on ...
1. Following directions in the gym, catching and throwing.
2. We had pictures on Tuesday and read a very funny story called "Picture Day Perfection"
3. We are working on drawing detailed and colorful pictures and did our very first journal entry.
4. We are learning about the calendar: the days of the week, predicting the number that will go next, looking at the events coming up.
5. We practiced our cutting skills.
Just a reminder that next week is a short week for Kindergarten with there being no school for students on Thursday and Friday.
Have a wonderful evening! Thanks for your help with our "one word" activity.
Ms. O.
