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Volunteering In The JK Class

I am interested in having more volunteers in the morning JK class. During the next few months, I would like to have volunteers in our JK classroom to work with the students on: fine motor skills, pre-printing skills, writing a letter to Santa, making crafts, making Gingerbread cookies, doing science experiments, and many other activities.

If any parents, grandparents, or other family members are interested in volunteering on any of the following dates, please let me know. I currently do not have a volunteer on the following dates:

• November 10, 12, 16, 18, 19, 20, 23, 26, 27
  
• December 2, 3, 4, 10, 11, 14, 16 (afternoon and evening concert), 17, 18
  

November Niagara Falls Art Gallery

On Monday, November 2nd, we had our first Niagara Falls Art Gallery Workshop for this school year. Both Kindergarten classes did a fabulous job listening and watching each step and carefully completing their pictures. I will be hanging the pictures up in the school for others to see what a great job all of the Kindergarten students did. Please enjoy this slide show of everyone's pictures.

The JK students learned about the primary colours: red, blue, and yellow. They painted the primary colours and then they mixed primary colours to make secondary colours: orange, green, and purple. The JK students carefully followed the step by step directions to draw a fish. Finally, they painted their picture with the primary and secondary colours.

The SK students learned how to draw all of their body parts and how to draw their eyes and hair with more details. They also learned about the horizon line and adding a background to their pictures. The SK students carefully followed the step by step directions and drew their self-portraits. Finally, they coloured their pictures with oil pastels.

Our Halloween Party

On Friday, October 30th, we had our Halloween Party! All of the students dressed up in costumes. Mrs. Mayer dressed up as Snow White. We went on a parade, played Halloween games, sang Halloween songs, ate our party snack, and read a Halloween story. Enjoy looking at this slide show of photos from our party.

In the month of November, please remember to continue to send nutritious snacks to school. Please do not send candy or chocolate. Thank you!

Developmentally Appropriate Writing Tools For Young Children

Research has shown that when preschool (Junior Kindergarten) children are learning to print letters, it is most effective when the children use writing tools that provide friction and resistance. These tools provide the child with extra information to the joints and muscles that are used for writing. This extra information helps students to remember how to form the letters. When writing on paper, crayons provide friction and resistance. Chalk also provides friction and resistance when used on chalkboards. When Junior Kindergarten children use pencils, pens and markers, these tools rarely give the child the additional input that they need.

The Handwriting Without Tears Junior Kindergarten workbook is a crayon-based book. At school, the students are using crayons when they practice printing the capital letters in their workbook. When your JK child practices printing his/her name and practices printing the capital letters on the pages of his/her Jolly and Printing duo-tang, please have him/her use crayons.

Research has also shown that small writing tools are developmentally appropriate for Junior Kindergarten and Senior Kindergarten children. When young children use small writing tools, it encourages them to use the precise pinch that is needed for a mature tripod grasp. Little pieces of crayon and chalk (2 to 3 cm long) also help children to develop fingertip control and strength. When moving a child to a pencil, a golf pencil is developmentally appropriate for young children. Golf pencils are in the proper proportion with the size of young children's hands. Red primary pencils are too heavy and long for little hands.

The Handwriting Without Tears Flip Crayons are designed with dual colours and dual tips to encourage fine motor development. When children flip the crayons, they are using in-hand manipulation skills. These skills lead to improved finger coordination.

At the June JK Orientation, I provided all of this year's JK students with: a box of Handwriting Without Tears Flip Crayons, a small piece of chalk, and a golf pencil in their JK Orientation Package. Please encourage your child to use these tools at home. If you have misplaced these writing tools, you can break small crayons in half.

Social Skills

During the month of October we focused on the third I-CARE RULE "We use I-Care Language." The students are encouraged to use I-Care language (e.g., please, thank-you, excuse me, may I have a turn, I'm sorry, no thank-you, yes please) when speaking to adults and children. By using I-Care language, we are showing respect and we are being a good citizen.

In October we discussed how we can be a good friend. Good friends: use I-Care language, take turns, share, help each other, listen to each other, and keep their hands to themselves.

The students also learned about using DEBUG to help deal with some social problems. When someone is doing something that we don't like, we can: ignore them, move away from them, use friendly words, speak firmly, or get adult help. We discussed what we can say to someone who is doing something that we don't like. We practiced using the following sentences: "I don't like it when you _________. Please ___________." We also discussed what we can say to someone when they apologize to us. I have noticed that many children often say, "That's O.K." after someone apologizes to them. Instead, we can say, "I accept your apology" or "Thank you for your apology."

Full-Day Early Learning

The Ontario government has released their plan for full-day early learning for four- and five- year-olds starting in September 2010. Their goal is to have full-day early learning phased in and fully implemented by 2015-2016. Schools that will offer full-day early learning in September 2010 will be announced early in the New Year.

The Ontario government states, "Certified teachers and registered early childhood educators will work together to help young students learn and grow during the regular school day. These educators will complement each others’ skill sets and create a learning environment able to adapt to the unique needs of each child. With two qualified professionals in the classroom for the full school day, more students will get one-on-one attention and opportunities to learn together in small groups."

To see more info on full-day early learning, click HERE to go to the Minstry of Education website.

You can also click HERE to go to ETFO's response to the government's decision.

Why Is My JK Child Learning To Print His/Her Name In Capital Letters?

I use the Handwriting Without Tears preschool (Junior Kindergarten) Get Set For School program with my Junior Kindergarten students. This award-winning research-based readiness program teaches through play-based multi-sensory activities and is developmentally appropriate to help young children develop foundational skills critical to lifelong academic achievement.

The Handwriting Without Tears Get Set For School Program only focuses on learning how to print capital letters. According to Handwriting Without Tears, when children learn to write capital letters first, they develop a strong foundation for printing. They learn very important handwriting rules (e.g., top to bottom, left to right), proper letter formation (using correct stroke sequence to form letters), and learn to orient letters correctly (no reversals).

Capital letters are developmentally easier for 4 year olds to physically print than lowercase letters.

Capital letters:

• All start at the top
• All are the same height
• All occupy the same vertical space
• All are easy to recognize and identify
• All use a combination of two types of simple strokes (line, curve) in order to form them correctly

Lowercase letters are much more difficult:

• They have 4 or 5 different starting places
• They have 2 different sizes (full- and half-size letters in relation to capitals)
• They have 3 different vertical positions (small, tall, and descending)
• They are more difficult to recognize due to subtle differences (b d p q g)
• They require using a continuous stroke and retracing in order to form them correctly (this is difficult for many 4 year olds)

Teaching a child to print his/her name depends on two things: age and readiness. To teach developmentally, I teach the students in Junior Kindergarten to print their names in capitals. Throughout the year, the Junior Kindergarten students will learn how to correctly form all of the capital letters. Once students can form all of the capital letters starting from the top and with correct formation, they are ready to learn lowercase letters. Students who have learned capitals first will have great habits and will master lowercase letters easily.

At the beginning of Senior Kindergarten, the students will be ready to learn how to print their names using lowercase letters. I will teach the students at the beginning of Senior Kindergarten how to print the lowercase letters in their names. I use the Handwriting Without Tears: Letters And Numbers For Me Program with my Senior Kindergarten students. Throughout Senior Kindergarten, the students will learn how to correctly form all of the lowercase letters.

Although the Junior Kindergarten students are only learning to print capital letters, we will be focusing on recognizing both capital and lowercase letters as we learn the letter sounds and high frequency words in Junior Kindergarten.

Handwriting Without Tears is used by thousands of teachers and OTs in North America with much success. You can find all of the most current research on Handwriting Without Tears at www.hwtears.com. For more information about their Preschool and Kindergarten programs, go to www.getsetforschool.com.

Parent Interviews

JK parents have recently received the date and time of their classroom observations and interviews. I will be having the parent-teacher interviews during my prep time on the days of the observations. This year, most of my prep times (when the students are with Mr. Nazwaski or with Mrs. Stieva) are at the beginning or middle of the morning. Our parent-teacher interview is a time for us to discuss how your child is transitioning to school and how your child is progressing during the first term of JK in the areas of: social/emotional development; physical development; language; the arts; math and science & technology. During the interview we will also discuss our focus for the next term and any questions or concerns that you may have.

You will receive a Parent Observation Guide to assist you in your observation of your child in the classroom. While observing your child throughout the morning, if you have any questions or concerns, please write them down on the Parent Observation Guide. You may then talk with me briefly about these questions or concerns at the end of the morning (11:20 a.m.) or we can arrange another time to meet.

SK students will receive a first term report card at the beginning of December. At the end of November, SK to Grade 7 parents are asked to call the office to arrange a time for their parent-teacher interview. First term parent-teacher interviews will be on the evening of Thursday, December 3rd and the afternoon of Friday, December 4th.

Special Helper

This week we will be finishing the JK Red Rhyming Bag and SK Word Family Bag. Thank you for your support in helping your child to find rhyming/word family items to bring to school.

This week, we will be starting at the beginning of the class list (alphabetical by first name) to assign the students another turn to be the Special Helper. This time, I will not be sending a note home to let you know the date that your child will be the Special Helper.

The day before your child is the Special Helper, he/she will be bringing home the Special Helper backpack. In the backpack will be a note indicating the sound that we will be focusing on during the next school day. Please help your child to find an item that begins with that sound. For ideas of items for each sound, you can refer to the list that is near the beginning of the Jolly/Printing Duo-Tang and also on the right side of the blog under Jolly Phonics. Some parents also Google: words beginning with ___ for ideas. Place the item (or picture) in the large section of the Special Helper backpack.

Please help your child to think of three clues to tell the class about the item (e.g., It is an animal. It lives in the desert. It has one or two humps on its back.). Help your child to practice saying the three clues. Print the clues on the page that is in the backpack and place the page in the small front pocket of the Special Helper backpack. SKs are encouraged to print their clues themselves.

Please send the Special Helper backpack to school on the next school day. The Special Helper can line up outside at the beginning of the line (near the classroom door). During Circle, your child will tell the class the three clues (with help from me when needed). Three students will try to guess what the item is. Your child will then show the item to the class and will have an opportunity to tell us about the item. Your child will take the item home in his/her own backpack on that day.

Many students look forward to being the Special Helper and learn to follow the class list in order to determine when it will be his/her turn to be the Special Helper. I will be explaining to the students that when students are absent, we will need to change the order of the Special Helpers. If a student is scheduled to be the Special Helper next, but is absent on the day that he/she would take the backpack home, I will give the backpack to the student who is next on the class list. When the absent student returns to school, I will then give him/her the backpack to be the Special Helper on the following day. If your child has the Special Helper backpack and is absent on his/her Special Helper day, please let me know if you think that your child will be absent for more than one day. In this case, I will send home my extra Special Helper backpack with the next student on the class list. Please let me know when you think that your child will return to school, and I will arrange to have your child to be the Special Helper on that day.

Thank you for your support!

Wanted - Small Plastic Bottles With Wide Tops

I am looking for small plastic bottles that have wide openings. During the next month, if you have any small plastic bottles with wide openings, please remove the labels, clean and dry them thoroughly and send them to school (with the lids). I am interested in using them to make classroom I Spy Bottles. I am hoping to get 26 bottles this year, and eventually have a total of 42 bottles. Wide openings will allow us to put larger items inside the bottles. In the New Year, I will be asking for your help in filling the bottles!

October Reading Strategies

Throughout the two year Kindergarten program, Kindergarten students begin to develop the knowledge and skills that will help them to read. In order to read individual words, Good Readers apply their knowledge of letters and sounds by saying the individual sounds in a word and then blending them together to say the word. Good Readers also monitor their comprehension and use various reading strategies when necessary. These reading strategies help readers to decode unfamiliar words and to make meaning.

When reading our daily message and mini books in October, the JK and SK students have been focusing on the reading strategies: LOOK AT THE PICTURES and DOES IT MAKE SENSE?

LOOK AT THE PICTURES: Good Readers look at the illustrations on the page to help them to read unfamiliar words. This strategy is an easy strategy for beginning readers to learn how to use.

DOES IT MAKE SENSE: Good Readers also monitor their comprehension and decide if the words and sentences that they read made sense. If the words or sentences don't make sense, Good Readers then use other reading strategies (that we will soon be learning) to help them to fix up their thinking in order that the words and sentences will make sense. This reading strategy is an important strategy for students to remember to use; however, beginning readers often focus on decoding the words and forget to monitor their comprehension. As a result, beginning readers will often read sentences that do not make sense, without realizing it.

When your child is reading mini books and early emergent books at home, please encourage your child to use these two reading strategies.

To Button, Snap and Zip

Getting dressed on time in the morning can be a challenge for many of us, but it is particularly difficult for young children who have to contend with buttons, zippers, and snaps when their fine motor skills are still developing.

Kindergarten children want to be independent but get easily frustrated when the buttons and snaps won't do what they want them to or the zipper won't cooperate. Helping young children learn to deal with such things is best done during less stressful times.

Concentrate on one skill at a time. Work together and assure children that they will be able to do this with practice. As a parent, you might want to consider shoes and boots with Velcro fasteners as well as other clothing items that children can manage more easily as these skills are developing (e.g., mittens instead of gloves).

Adults can provide a variety of opportunities to develop these skills. Dressing and undressing dolls and stuffed animals with clothing that have buttons, snaps and zippers are good for practice. The activities that I provided on the right side of the blog also help children develop the fine motor skills that they use when doing buttons, snaps and zippers.

Many children have difficulty in getting the sleeves of their sweater or coat back to the way they need to be after becoming inside out. Besides teaching your child how to zip his/her coat, also teach your child strategies in solving problems he/she may be faced with such as dealing with sleeves that are inside out.

Before winter arrives, have your child practice putting on and taking off his/her winter boots, snow pants, hat, scarf, etc. independently so that on the first day of snow your child will not become frustrated in dealing with the many items of winter clothing. Also, please label all of your child's winter clothing and boots with his/her name ahead of time.

I will be sending home this week a Getting Dressed Task Card. This task card shows the order that I will be encouraging the students to get dressed in their outdoor clothing. The students start at the top with snow pants (or splash pants) and follow the items until they get to the bottom. Mittens are last because it is difficult to zip or put items on when we are wearing our mittens. You can post the Getting Dressed Task Card up in your home where your child can refer to it while he/she is getting dressed. Children learn best when there are consistent routines in place and when there are consistent expectations of the child.

The other side of the coin of course, is encouraging children to take responsibility for themselves and their belongings. In our haste and desire to support the child, sometimes we do for our children what they are capable of doing on their own, and without meaning to, we are sending a message that they do not have to take this responsibility.

Helping young children gain skill and independence with dressing and undressing is no small task. Thank you for your assistance in helping your child become independent with dressing in his/her outdoor clothing!