October 23-27, 2023

PATTERNS, PUMPKINS, SCARECROWS, and SNOW!!

We had so much fun this week exploring patterns in math, pumpkins in stories and science, turning Mat Man into a scarecrow, using instruments to create a music sound composition, and waking up to SNOW!!

We read Apples and Pumpkins about a family who visit a farm to pick apples from the trees and find the best pumpkin in the patch. When they get home, they carve a funny jack-'o-lantern face and set it out as a decoration at their front door...just in time for Halloween. We practiced retelling the beginning, middle, and end of the story using pictures to help us remember what happened next. You can practice this skill with your child by having them retell some of their favorite stories from home.

SCIENCE - SINK or FLOAT?

Mrs. Sutherland challenged us to think about pumpkins that come in different sizes. In this story, there was a page showing kids floating in pumpkin boats down a river! How could this be? Do pumpkins float or sink? Ask your child what they found out when Mrs. Sutherland put a pumpkin in a container of water.

After we made our prediction (best guess), we recorded our observations in our Journals.

SCIENCE - PARTS of a PUMPKIN, PUMPKIN LIFE CYCLE

When Pumpkin Jack begins to decompose, Tim puts it outside and watches it transform from pumpkin - to seed - to pumpkin again. We created a diagram about the parts of a pumpkin and Mrs. Oster will help us follow the life cycle of our own classroom pumpkin this year!  See if your child can remember the life cycle of the apple from last week and then make a connection to the life cycle of a pumpkin.

We introduced the students to our new member of the classroom....Pumpkin Jack! This little friend will likely be the quietest member of the class, but we are excited to watch him grow and change over the upcoming months!

We learned about the parts of a pumpkin and did a lot of cutting to make and label all the parts like a scientist!

 

Getting Ready for Pumpkinella

We all worked together to get all the parts of the pumpkin out and get ready for carving! We all had so much fun!! How is Mrs. Oster in the photos? Well, the afternoon team had a special photographer!

Music Sound Composition

Mrs. Wiskar shared a favorite story about The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything. One fall night, the little old lady walks in the forest and hears some sounds...clomp, clomp, shake, shake, clap, clap...When she gets home, there's a knock at the door! She opens the door...What do you think she saw? The end of the story has an unexpected surprise. The little old lady finds a special way to scare all the crows away in her garden! Students made scarecrows and created a musical sound composition with instruments for all the sound words in the story: wood blocks, tambourines, shakers, hand drums, rhythm sticks, and triangles! It was an amazing performance!

MATH SORTING becomes making PATTERNS

This week in math students used their sorting materials to explore patterns using many different loose part collections in our classroom. Students were given a challenge to create a pattern using the collections. Lots of valuable conversations were had about what was a pattern and what wasn't a pattern. Some children created simple, basic AB patterns, while other patterns were a bit more complex. We also began looking at patterns around us including the clothes that we wear. Encourage your child to use some objects at home to explore pattern creation!

SNOW MUCH FUN!

Winter weather arrived this week! Students were dressed warm and ready for some fun.  The kindergarten corral was filled with snow angels, snow towers, and making tracks in the snow.

PUMPKINELLA!

Just a friendly reminder that we will be having a Pumpkinella event on Monday, October 30. Information was sent out via school messenger from Mrs. Shari Pierce.  Families are encouraged to carve and decorate a pumpkin and bring it to school. Pumpkins will be put on display for all students to view the creative designs.  

Also, Tuesday, October 31 is Halloween day.  Students are welcome to wear an age-appropriate, friendly costume, or the colours orange and black if they would like. We ask that you do not send any sort of shared food treats since we have students with some food allergies. Thank you!

NEW!! Our classroom now has an account within the Scholastic Reading Club!

 We have no expectation for families to place orders, but wanted to share our class code just in case, as we can earn points toward book purchases for our classroom when families place orders! 

Our classroom code is: RC210876

Check out the digital flyer for October here:

October Digital Flyer

Important Kindergarten Dates

LINK to our school  calendar

Kindergarten Friday Class Calendar

*******Please NOTE!!! There has been a change in our next Parent/Teacher Dates. It has been changed to assist parents in being able to volunteer for our school's Casino Fundraiser!! Our new dates will be December 7, 8 Note: TimesTBD****

Please consider volunteering for the casino fundraiser Nov. 23, 24! It is a huge event that brings in money to our school for a variety of materials and experiences we would not ordinarily receive. No volunteer clearance is required!

Our Emails

Mrs. Oster: rdoster@cbe.ab.ca 

Mrs. Sutherland: klsutherland@cbe.ab.ca 

Mrs. Wiskar: mjwiskar@cbe.ab.ca