Dear Parent/Guardian,
We are delighted to welcome your child to Kindergarten at St. James Catholic School! We are eager to begin an exciting year full of wonderful learning opportunities through inquiry. The kindergarten classroom is not a traditional classroom, but rather one that encourages learning through play at various centres throughout the room. This year, the classes will limit the number of centres available to ensure proper cleaning can be done after each use. Students will be encouraged to keep distance and follow a “no touch” rule with their classmates.
Students will be spread out throughout the classroom and the number of students at each centre will be lessened. Students will be reminded to wash hands after playing with materials and moving to a different area. Kindergarten students will have their own clearly labelled bag of supplies in a ziploc bag which will be kept in a bin and be used only by them.
Our K-2 Team:
K-2 (Room 116)
Ms. Masoumeh - RECE
Mrs. Landry - English Teacher
Mme Morin - French Teacher
Follow us on twitter and check out our class blog!
K2 Twitter: @StjamesK2s
K2 Blog: k2kinders116.weebly.com
*Please note that as the year progresses, English and French will rotate on a daily basis, but that to begin, the first weeks of school will remain consistent to establish routines. As such the homeroom teachers will remain with their classes for the majority of September. We communicate frequently and will create opportunities to become acquainted with all of our students and families as the weeks progress.*
As your child’s educators, we aim to create an environment that is both supporting and challenging in order to facilitate learning and ignite the imagination. Below is a list of important information and requests:
Suggested Kindergarten Supplies:
1 small tub of playdoh (staff will refill throughout the year), markers, Crayola crayons, a box of kleenex to keep at their table spot (you will be notified when it needs to be replaced), pencils, pencil crayons, pencil sharpener, eraser, scissors, glue stick, 1 box of Ziplock bags, a yoga mat for rest time. Please label everything.
Family Photo: We also ask that you send in a small family photo that will be displayed in your child’s classroom to remind them of home; they will be returned to you at the end of the school year. Thank-you in advance for any materials that you send in. They are much appreciated!
More information regarding the Kindergarten Program and any specific routines/schedules will be forthcoming over the next few weeks. Our priority in the beginning is to get to know your children and to help them to become acclimated to their new learning environments. We ask for your patience and understanding as we continue to communicate information with you during these unusual times, and as students and staff settle into new routines.
We will send home a “Getting to Know You” questionnaire which will allow us to get to know your child better. When time permits, please complete and return this sheet your classroom teacher. All information will be treated with the greatest respect for your child’s privacy.
We know that the year ahead will be an exciting one with plenty of learning, laughter and growth.
Sincerely,
K2 Team
We are delighted to welcome your child to Kindergarten at St. James Catholic School! We are eager to begin an exciting year full of wonderful learning opportunities through inquiry. The kindergarten classroom is not a traditional classroom, but rather one that encourages learning through play at various centres throughout the room. This year, the classes will limit the number of centres available to ensure proper cleaning can be done after each use. Students will be encouraged to keep distance and follow a “no touch” rule with their classmates.
Students will be spread out throughout the classroom and the number of students at each centre will be lessened. Students will be reminded to wash hands after playing with materials and moving to a different area. Kindergarten students will have their own clearly labelled bag of supplies in a ziploc bag which will be kept in a bin and be used only by them.
Our K-2 Team:
K-2 (Room 116)
Ms. Masoumeh - RECE
Mrs. Landry - English Teacher
Mme Morin - French Teacher
Follow us on twitter and check out our class blog!
K2 Twitter: @StjamesK2s
K2 Blog: k2kinders116.weebly.com
*Please note that as the year progresses, English and French will rotate on a daily basis, but that to begin, the first weeks of school will remain consistent to establish routines. As such the homeroom teachers will remain with their classes for the majority of September. We communicate frequently and will create opportunities to become acquainted with all of our students and families as the weeks progress.*
As your child’s educators, we aim to create an environment that is both supporting and challenging in order to facilitate learning and ignite the imagination. Below is a list of important information and requests:
- Back-packs: Your child should carry a light-weight, full sized back-pack to school everyday. Please note that students will not have access to cubbies. All bags, sweaters, etc., will be kept in the student’s personal classroom space.
- Mailbags: Your child will come home with a ziplock mailbag with his/her name on it. We will use this ziplock bag to send home any notes/communication between school/home. This year we will begin without our typical communication notebooks, and ask that you send any notes for the day on a loose sheet of paper. Notes should be brief and directly related to pertinent information for that day (i.e., notifying us of an early pick-up). Should you wish to discuss something requiring a conversation, please let us know that you would like to speak with us, and an educator will contact you as soon as possible (i.e., any specific issues or concerns). Emptying your child’s mailbag on a regular basis will assist us in maintaining hygiene protocols. Please ensure that it is returned to school daily.
- Quiet/Rest-Time: Students have quiet rest time from 1-1:30 each day. Please avoid scheduling drop-offs or pick-ups during rest-time unless absolutely necessary. Please send a small blanket that can be left at school for Quiet/Rest Time. Any blankets too large or thick will be returned as they need to fit into the child’s small shoe-box sized bin. Blankets are sent home at the end of each week and yoga mats are sent home periodically (or at your request) for cleaning at home. Each student is asked to bring their own labelled yoga mat as well; these will be spaced out with maximum distance between each child, and in a head-to-toe fashion for increased distancing. If you are unable to provide a yoga mat, please let us know.
- Shoes: Students should wear a pair of no slip, non-marking easy to get on running shoes (velcro or elastic closure) to school. Students will not require a change of shoes and will remain in the same pair of shoes for the day. *This will be re-visited in the winter months.
- Spare Clothes: Your child is asked to bring a full change of clothes (underwear, socks, t-shirt/long sleeve shirt, shorts/pants) to be kept at school incase of spills or accidents. If you know that your child will likely require a 2nd set, you may send in extras. Please label all items and place items in a large Ziplock storage bag with your child’s name on the outside of the bag. As the seasons change, we will send home the spare clothing to be updated. You may also want to consider packing extra socks for wet days.
- Lunch/Snacks: Your child will have a scheduled lunch (12:30-1:00) and two snack breaks (one AM and one PM). Please remember to pack healthy and nut-free foods in accordance with school board policies. Your child will need a water bottle that can be refilled at school as fountains are currently not available for direct consumption. Your child should be able to open/close containers independently. Easy-open containers and practicing at home will assist with this. No glass containers please.
- Scholastic Book Orders: Scholastic book club flyers will be available each month online (both English/French) at http://www.scholastic.ca/clubshop If you would like to order, you can choose your books online and pay by credit card using the Parent Pay Option and our class code (This code will be sent home with your child). Books will ship directly to your home.
- Toys/Stuffies: Toys from home must remain at home. At this time, we also ask that stuffies that are typically used for quiet/rest time also remain at home.
- Name Labels: Please label everything! Many students have identical belongings or may not recognize their own.
Suggested Kindergarten Supplies:
1 small tub of playdoh (staff will refill throughout the year), markers, Crayola crayons, a box of kleenex to keep at their table spot (you will be notified when it needs to be replaced), pencils, pencil crayons, pencil sharpener, eraser, scissors, glue stick, 1 box of Ziplock bags, a yoga mat for rest time. Please label everything.
Family Photo: We also ask that you send in a small family photo that will be displayed in your child’s classroom to remind them of home; they will be returned to you at the end of the school year. Thank-you in advance for any materials that you send in. They are much appreciated!
More information regarding the Kindergarten Program and any specific routines/schedules will be forthcoming over the next few weeks. Our priority in the beginning is to get to know your children and to help them to become acclimated to their new learning environments. We ask for your patience and understanding as we continue to communicate information with you during these unusual times, and as students and staff settle into new routines.
We will send home a “Getting to Know You” questionnaire which will allow us to get to know your child better. When time permits, please complete and return this sheet your classroom teacher. All information will be treated with the greatest respect for your child’s privacy.
We know that the year ahead will be an exciting one with plenty of learning, laughter and growth.
Sincerely,
K2 Team