Moose jaw

Not the place but a bone.  Mrs. Crossley was hiking this summer with her husband and found this near a set of railroad tracks. We asked the students whether this was a beaver, dog or moose bone. We had a close look at the teeth and discussed whether it was a meat eater or a plant eater. Ask your child to share with you what they think about the moose jaw.

Asian Pears

Mrs. Mah-Doucette brought in Asian pears for the students to try. They grow on her sisters tree. In China, Korea and Japan they are expensive and often given as gifts.  So this was a real treat. All the students enjoyed them. 

Can you see why they taste like a cross between a pear and an apple?

Taste testing apples

The students tried three different kinds of apples this week: yellow, red and green (aka golden delicious, royal gala and Granny Smith.  Here are the results of our  favourites.  

Yellow poem and song books

Return them on Monday.  Do not keep them at home.  

October Calendar

I am sending home a hard copy of the October calendar.  I have been as tech savvy as I know and I can't figure out how to get a better digital copy.  I'll keep working on it.  

Police Checks

We are going to Brooks Farm on Monday October 20.  We will need 3 parent volunteers.  If you wish to be considered (I imagine we will get lots of interest), your police check or offence declaration must be on file at the office.  Please pass along a note to let me know that the school has received it.  Thanks!

Safety in the classroom

We had our practice fire drill today.  The students were amazing.  Tears were brief.  It is required that we do a few throughout the year, but the toughest one is behind us.

Mrs. Wright, our grade 4/5 teacher at Highview, comes into our class twice a week.  She is teaching the children about traffic safety.  The students are bringing home a traffic light they made today.  Ask them to tell you about what each of the colours mean.

Wednesday

The Kindergarten teachers (all 5 of us) are at a workshop to learn more about the FDK (full day kindergarten).  You will see new faces in the yard that day.  Please be patient at dismissal time as these teachers don't know your faces and they will want to make sure the children are delivered safely to you.

We have library on Wednesday.  Bring your book so that you can choose a new one.

Mrs. Crossley

Hello.  I have been working for the school board for 30 wonderful years after completing ECE at Seneca College.  Yes, there was college back then and  I started at age 10.  I have been working with primarily Kindergarten students and social adjustment classes.

I live in a log house on a farm in King City with my husband Michael and our high energy dog, Rudy.  We are apiarists (beekeepers) and produce maple syrup as well.  We love the outdoors:  skiing, cycling, hiking, camping and 'enjoying the wilds at work and at home'.

I am looking forward to the new school year and to getting to know all of our lovely students and their families.

Mrs. Maureen Mah-Doucette

Hello!
     I am the Designated Early Childhood Educator (DECE) who has been given the amazing opportunity to work with Mrs. Scott and Mrs. Crossley in Full Day Kindergarten.
     I live in Aurora with my husband, Dave and 3 children.  My oldest two, Nicole and Alison are presently doing their post secondary studies and my son, Michael is in grade 10.
     I have a degree in Child Psychology, my ECE diploma and my advanced ECE certificate.  I have been with the YRDSB for 8 years and previously, instructed the ECE programme at Seneca College.
     I love the outdoors and spend the summers camping but also love indulging in spas and Starbucks.
I hold a black belt in Karate and continue to train and instruct.
     I am looking forward to a fabulous year at Highview with your child.  Thank you for making me feel so welcome.

Forest walk

We went for a lovely (slightly blustery) walk in the forest behind our school today.  We will be visiting our forest several times throughout the year to see how the forest changes with the seasons. 

The lifecycle of a butterfly

We have been retelling over and over the lifecycle of a butterfly. See if your child is able to tell you the story of how a butterfly grows and changes. Let them look at the pictures they are bringing home for clues to help them describe the changes.  We tried to use the science word, "emerge".  

Monarcha flies into Highview

The students learned all about the parts of a butterfly yesterday.  Butterflies need antennae for feeling, footpads for smelling, a proboscis for drinking, wings for flying, compound eyes for seeing and spiracles for breathing.  Ask your little scientist if they remember any parts or what butterflies use them for.

Dr. Dan

Ask your child about our visit from Dr.  Dan and his little sidekick Monarcha.  Photos to follow.  

School council

Have a say.  The meeting is tonight, Monday from 7-8:30 at Highview.  Everyone is welcome.  

Day Schedule

While the rest of the world is on a Week Day schedule (Mon., Tues., Wed., etc.), all of the York Region schools are on a "Day" schedule (Day 1, 2, 3, 4, 5).  This ensures the students don't miss out on programming because of holidays (if gym fell on Thanksgiving Monday, the students would miss it).  Currently, Day 1 is a Tuesday but this will change when we have a PA Day or a holiday.
Why do you need to know this?

We have Library on Day 1.  Books will need to be returned by each Day 1 in order for your child to take out another book.

We have gym on Days 2 and 4.  You may want to make sure your child has on a t-shirt that day (it can be under a hoodie in cooler weather).

We have music on Days 3 and 4 with Mrs. Walker.

Mrs. Wright comes on Days 3 and 5 and does health, literacy and crafts.

I will post the 'Day' schedule each week on the blog.

Library

We have library tomorrow.  Please send in your book.

Milk Orders

Before ordering milk, please consider whether your child can open the carton independently and drink most of it.  You don't want your money to be poured down the drain.  You can always send an appropriate amount of milk in your refillable container instead.

Housekeeping

Please send in an indoor pair of shoes and make sure you child has a change of clothes incase of an accident:  paint, bathroom, mud, etc.

THANK YOU FOR SENDING IN the iBags and REFILLABLE BOTTLES!  We are well our way to a classroom free of juice boxes.

Thank you!

Thank you to everyone who has subscribed to the blog.  It's much appreciated.  Please ask your friends (in the class) if they have signed on yet.

Welcome to Kindergarten

We survived the first week.  No one was sick, everyone stopped crying by day 3 and everyone got home to the right parent.  Bring on week #2!

Please subscribe to the blog.  Add your email address in the top right corner of this page.  A 'Feedburner' message will be sent to you (check your inbox or junk).  Click on the Feedburner message and agree or accept (I can't remember) and my blog will be sent directly to you.  All you need to do is click on the email and my blog will open.  You only receive emails when I post something new.

There are 3 adults in our room.  Myself, Mrs. Mah-Doucette is our DECE (designated early childhood educator ) and has black hair and Mrs. Crossley our EA from last year.  She has blonde hair and glasses.  You will likely see her walking students to and from the bus.  These women are amazing and I am so fortunate to work with them this year.

There are 27 students in the class.  15 JK's and 12 SK's.  16 boys and 11 girls.  Ms. Wand has 25 students.  We ask that you LABEL EVERYTHING!!!  If something comes to school unlabelled, you may find I have taken a sharpie and written your child's name in the piece of clothing.  52 students times the jackets, shoes, hoodies, snow pants, hats, mittens, lunch containers and drink bottles is just too great number for me to keep track of.  Put the sharpie you were given at the orientation in a convenient spot (a kitchen drawer perhaps) so it's handy or email Mabel (Mabel's labels).http://www.mabelslabels.com/


I have 3 main forms of communication:  this blog, the iBag and email.  This blog is my main form of communication.  Please check it daily to know of upcoming events, the star of the day and classroom information.  The iBag is also an important communication tool.  It must come to school everyday and we will return each day.  You can let us know of dentist appointments, vacations, pick up issues, etc. by writing a note and placing it in the iBag.  We send home work, letters and permission forms in that iBag.  If your child would like to play with a classmate (this is where friendships begin), please put a note including your name and contact information in the bag and we will be happy to pass it along.  I cannot share personal phone numbers or email addresses.  I will also send out emails to you individually and in a group as needed.  My email is regan.scott@yrdsb.ca if you need to reach me.  I do like to send you photos of your child at school.  Imagine clicking on your "you've got mail" button and seeing your child's sweet little face pop up.

Please send indoor shoes and pack a spare set of clothes in your child's backpack.  Make sure your child has a refillable drink bottle.  With the heat we had last week, many students filled up several times a day.  We can't refill a juice box and do not have a drinking fountain in the classroom.

I am trying to eliminate 'the juice box' this year.  It leaves behind garbage (the straw and wrapper) and often a mess as juice spills out as the students squeeze it.  Please take a second to imagine cleaning up 27 messes twice a day.  This is the mom in me, imploring you to consider how much time it takes to clean up after that many children.  Instead of mopping and wiping, we would rather be teaching, playing and singing.  I strongly recommend only sending water.  It's refreshing, won't spoil and if it happens to spill in a backpack or the lunchbox itself it won't make everything sticky.  It evaporates!  If you do feel the need to send juice, please pour it into a refillable container so the child can refill it with water if needed.  We do go outside at least twice a day and have gym twice a week.  The students will get thirsty.

Did I mention:  LABEL EVERYTHING!!!!!

Ms. Wand is the Kindergarten teacher next door and Ms. MacDermaid is the DECE.  Ms. Wand is a Monarch butterfly expert and goes across Ontario teaching teachers how to use them in their programs.  She has brought in caterpillars and chrysalises for the students to observe and then release.  In class, we are talking about the life cycle and changes this amazing creature goes through.  We have poems and songs to support this.  Your child may have sang some to you already.

My other blogs won't be this long.  I promise!