September 2024

Kindergarten Program

Highlights:

• “Play with purpose” including inquiry and experimentation
• Christian (Catholic) Education integrated into all subjects
• Comprehensive literacy program, including whole group and small group instruction (details to follow in the coming weeks)
• Social / Emotional Learning

Social-Emotional Learning

• Taught as a subject, through story and practice throughout the year

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• Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.

Social-Emotional Learning

• Students will learn how to identify their feelings based on this colour system.

Outdoor Exploration - Forest Time

• Boots will be worn home on forest days, and should be brought back to school the following day.
• Ensure a hooded coat is sent to school each day for recess and/or outdoor exploration
• Muddy buddy optional
• We play outdoors each day, rain or shine
• Please send a pair of socks and underwear in a small ziplock bag in case of an accident.

Specialty Subjects

• French with Mr. Malong once a week
• PE with Ms. Gaspar and Mr. Band thrice weekly - wear gym strip with sweat suit over top and gym runners to school on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays (Except School Mass Days)
• Music with Mr. Band twice weekly
• Library book exchange on Tuesday - please return your book in order to be able to select a new one each week.

Additional Program Info

• Show and Tell same day as special helper - a sticker will be placed in your child’s planner the day before their special helper day.
• Homework Calendar - optional homework program, begins October 2024.
• Reading nightly with your child for 15 minutes is recommended.
• A-Z online reading program will be made available to students at the beginning of October. Check student planner for login information
• Seesaw- online student portfolio where students will be completing activities, self reflections and photos will be posted. Login information provided in your package tonight.
• Please send a family photo to be displayed in our classroom as soon as possible

Field Trip Information

Our first field trip to the pumpkin patch is October 9th!

• In order to volunteer in the school, including field trips, adults must complete a criminal record check. Click this link to get more details.
• Parent drivers are required for most field trips.
• If you are willing to drive a student, other than your own, please complete the Driver Authorization Form sent home in your package tonight
• If you are unable to drive your child to a field trip, they will be assigned to a record-checked, authorized parent driver in our grade.

Lunch

• Please label/discuss with your child, which foods are meant for recess/lunch
• We recommend sticking to your child’s preferred foods, to help improve the likelihood of your child eating well and being satisfied.
• Make foods accessible please - independence is the goal
• Hot lunch is optional and offered weekly, beginning in mid-October. It is ordered online. Follow this link for more details on how to place an order. You must order by October 1st, otherwise you will miss the opportunity to order until the new year.
• Ensure that snacks are sent to school on hot lunch days for morning snack time and in the instance that your child doesn’t like their hot lunch order
• We are a nut aware school. Please avoid sending any peanut products, including peanut butter.

Uniform

• Label all pieces please
• Students should come to school in their full dress uniforms (including sweaters) on Monday and Wednesday.

Birthdays

• Please distribute party invitations via email or outside of school time.
• If all students in the class (or all of one gender) are invited we will help you distribute in school.
• We are unable to distribute birthday treats of any kind, food or non-food items.
• We will celebrate your child in a special way on their birthday, including the birthday song, a prayer, a crown and a small gift from your child’s teachers

Health

• Please familiarize yourself with the illness policy on the school website.
• Report absences to the school office via email or the form on the school website.
• It is very important to be especially careful not to send children to school if they are experiencing any symptoms of cold/flu or virus
• Kindies do tend to get sick more often and spread germs more easily.
• We are continuing to wash and sanitize hands on a regular basis in the classroom and to clean surfaces multiple times times throughout the day.

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Communication is Key

• Please discuss concerns with your child’s teacher as soon as possible, particularly social difficulties
• Our goal is to help children learn from these experiences so that we can all do better in the future. We focus on making amends and re-teaching and rehearsing social skills when necessary.
• Please also contact your child’s teacher to discuss any relevant information from home (for example, a change in family situation)
• Please use planners to communicate brief notes (for example: someone else is picking up your child, missing items, dental appointment). Personal/sensitive information is best relayed face-to-face, by email or by phone since the planner may be viewed by educational assistants or even other children. Please contact your child’s teacher to set up a meeting time, if necessary.
• Expect email response within 24 hours, typically (with the exception of weekends)

School and Class Emails/Blog Posts

• Check your inbox for the weekly updates from the school on Thursdays.
• Blog posts to our class websites will be pushed out to your email, as they are posted, typically once per month.
• School and class emails go to the address you indicated as ‘preferred’ at the time you registered your child. If you wish to add another email address (another parent or caregiver), please contact the school office to add them to the distribution list.
• The password to access our class webpage is stellamaris