Happy Holidays!

Wow! We had so much fun at our Christmas party today! Bingo games, a wonderful snack, ornament making centres and a card and gift exchange! Thank you so much to all of ourfamilies for all their efforts making homemade Christmas cards. It was such a special moment watching them exchange cards and compliment each other on a job SO well done!

Thank you so much for all the wonderful gifts today and donations to World Vision's Send a Girl to School. I can't wait to share more with you as to what we were able to do! I am so grateful to be able to go to "work" at such a wonderful place each day and spend my time with such wonderful families while I am there. I so appreciate all that you do.

Our Christmas concert was such a blast! Our kindergarten performance was actually mentioned on the radio by our district superintendent! He loved it!! You

r children did such a great job,

A Few Reminders for After Christmas:Ihope you enjoyed all their efforts.

1. KINDERGARTEN SNACKS: When sending kindergarten snacks, please keep in mind that some students are VERY affected by high sugar foods (such as icing and gummies) and their learning can actually be compromised after an unhealthy snack. Even for other students, I feel as though it's my responsibility as a teacher to teach good eating and healthy living habits. We strongly encourage healthy, simple, inexpensive options for snacks whenever possible. Just a few examples are:

Fruit, raw veggies and dip, cheese, crackers, meat, yogurt, muffins, applesauce (often homemade cookies are a great option as well) loaves such as banana are always a hit, popcorn and trail mix. In January we are going to begin learning about the food groups and are going to be deciding

which food groups our snacks are coming from. What a great learning opportunity to talk about ALWAYS FOODS and SOMETIMES FOODS. There are ALWAYS times for treats... but we want to make sure these times are few and far between, so students actually consider them treats, and not the norm.

2. SICK CHILDREN: There is no way that we can keep our children home from school each time they have the sniffles. This is why we have regular lessons about hand washing and how to sneeze and cough. However, having said that, when you make the decision to bring your child to school in the morning, please ask yourself... "Would I be ok with my child interacting with a child that was feeling the way mine is?" While I am more than willing

to call you if your child becomes suddenly ill at school, and I do understand that this can happen from time to time, I ask that you as a parent, please make the decision to send your child to school with everyone's best interests and health in mind.

3. OUR GROCERY STORE: As per the yellow sheet your child brought home recently, we are going to try and build a Grocery Store! Please consider saving items for us over the holidays that you might think are appropriate!

4. WELCOME TO MISS SEIBEL: Miss Seibel is going to be working in our classroom from January to May as a PS111 intern. PS111 is a transitional semester, from the University to the world of teaching. Carly already has gained MORE than enough teaching hours to qualify as a teacher, but this is one of the reasons that the University of Lethbridge is a LEADER in the world of training teachers. Please welcome her as a second teacher in our classroom for the next four months. This will NOT however mean I will be less involved with your children when I am not teaching. Instead it means I will have more time to assist and challenge individual students with needs that are difficult to meet with a large sized class. I am over the moon excited for this opportunity.

5. Mrs. Speelman will be welcoming your children back to school after the break and will be a guest teacher for the first three days. I look forward to seeing you all on Thursday!

I wish you all a safe, healthy, fun, family filled holiday! Ho Ho Ho!!! THREE MORE SLEEPS!

Christmas Songs Lyrics

If had a couple requests for the lyrics to our concert songs. Here they are!

We are singing Jingle Bells three different ways:
1. English Traditional
2. French Canadian
3. Cowboy Canadian! (wait until you hear their accents!)

French Lyrics (for pronounciation search on You Tube! Lots of kids singing there!)
Vive le vent, vive le vent,Vive le vent d'hiver,
Qui s'en va sifflant, soufflant
Dans les grands sapins verts, oh !

Twelve Days of a Canadian Christmas!
(I didn't write out each verse in full... but you get the idea!)
On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me…
A porcupine in a pine tree.
On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me etc…..
2 jumping fish
3 beavers chomping
4 cubs canoeing
5 Stanley Cups
6 flags a flapping
7 double doubles
8 mounties munching
9 kids a curling
10 Flames a burning
11 moose a calling
12 gophers dancing

It's Beginning to Look Alot Like Christmas!

Hi There!

Thanks again for the great turnout at Parent Teacher Interviews. It was great to have a chance to share with you all the wonderful things your children are doing in kindergarten!

A few things to bring you up to speed for the weeks ahead:


Gingerbread Day!
There is a sign up sheet in the hallway to bring items for our gingerbread day! Please take a look and sign up if you'd like to help out.



Xmas Gifts
Families are always so generous to Kathy and I each year. Please dont take this as a REQUEST for a gift, it isn't that at all, but if you were planning to buy a gift for us this year, we'd ask that in lieu of that, perhaps you might consider making a donation to the 'cause':


Educate a Girl in Need
What if your child had been denied the opportunity to go to school just because you she was a girl? That's how it is for more than 36 million girls worldwide. They're forced to stay home, do chores and care for younger siblings. You can transform one little girl with this empowering gift of education. You'll provide a ticket to a better future and help a girl's dreams come true.

For every $60 that we collect (even $5 would help so much!), Kathy and I can send ONE girl to school through World Vision! Wouldn't it be great if because of us we could send a few girls to school in the new year? If you'd like more information you can click here: WORLD VISION

Home Reading
Home Reading will be collected at the end of next week and will not be sent home again until after Xmas. We will add early readers to Home Reading at that time!

Xmas Holidays
If you are going to be leaving early for Xmas please let me know ASAP.

PSIII Student from the University of Lethbridge
Beginning in January I will be mentoring a student from the University of Lethbridge. Carly Seibel is entering her last professional semester of the education program. This is a fantastic opportunity for our class! I am excited for the new energy and ideas and look forward to having another eager adult in the room for our students to love! It will not mean I am less involved with your children, it infact will mean the opposite. It will enable me to work more closely with students on a one on one or small group basis when Carly does have the opportunity to teach. If you have any questions about this, please ask!

Christmas Party
The format for the last day of kindergarten (Dec 22) is as follows:
Circle Time
Ornament Making Centers
Party Snack
Alphabet/Number Bingo
Short Video
Xmas Card Exchange and Gifts from Teachers

Please do not feel as though you have to stay for the Christmas day, but if you'd like, you're welcome to. Just a reminder to check the calendar to see if you're signed up for a party snack!

November 7 Updates

Hi Everyone!

Here are a few updates:

You should have received instructions today on how to book on-line for a Parent-Teacher Interview on November 23 or 24. I am also still taking bookings for ANYTIME on November 14 and some on November 22, these just have to be booked personally. Let me know if you have any questions! If you do not feel the need for an interview at this time please let me know ASAP.

We have Pajama and Teddy Bear Day coming up! Please send ONE special stuffy on that day and your child can wear pajamas to school! We are going to have so much fun!

Remembrance Day Assembly

Our Remembrance Day Assembly will take place this Wednesday from 10:30am-11:00am. Parents are welcome to attend this assembly, (as are students from the afternoon class if they are accompanied by parents). However, if you are bringing small siblings, please be aware of the somber nature of this event. If all morning parents could take a minute at home to talk to their children about the importance of this assembly I would greatly appreciate it!

If your child belongs to Brownies, Cubs etc. they are welcome to wear their uniforms to school on Wednesday.

Christmas Concert Information

I received some information about the Christmas concert at our last staff meeting:

Each family will be given 2 tickets to the evening Christmas concert. Siblings DO need a ticket. If a family requires extra tickets (meant for families with step parents etc.) , they must put this request in writing to Paul Bryant. There is a dress rehearsal earlier in the day, for grandparents and other family members that do NOT have a ticket for the evening performance.

Christmas Concert Timeline:

DECEMBER 15:

10:15am-11:45am: Dress Rehersal for STUDENTS ONLY. Afternoon students are encouraged to attend if it is feasible. I know this will make things tricky for lunch, but please know if you have to take your children home for lunch and they come back late, this is certainly OK. This is a very special day.

1:00pm-2:30pm: Dress Rehearsal for anyone without a ticket for the evening performance. Morning students are encouraged to attend if it is feasible. Parents will need to be there to take their children home once the rehearsal is over.

6:00pm: Performers are to arrive at the side entrance of Southminister United Church. Parents then go to the front entrance with their tickets.

6:30pm-7:45pm: Christmas Concert!

Just a reminder that I will be away November 17 and 21. Sherese Speelman will be in for me and is SO excited to be with our classes again!

We are collecting clean, empty, 2L milk cartons from now until further notice so if you use these at home we would sure appreciate them!

IMPORTANT DATES:

Nov. 14 No Kindergarten Classes

Nov. 15 After School Skating

Nov. 16 Pajama Day

Nov. 17 Report Cards sent home

Nov. 23-24 No Kindergarten due to interviews

November Calendar

Click here to view our NOVEMBER KINDERGARTEN CALENDAR!

Before Halloween Updates

Hi There! A few things to keep you updated on:

I apologize for the change in the pumpkin carving dates. We will still carve pumpkins and will do so as a center at our Halloween party. It will be great! If you'd like to be a parent helper at the party please let me know. Day times will be as usual. Siblings are welcome at your discretion. If you think they will participate in the activities of the day and not distract from learning and activities please bring them along! ...and yes grownups... please dress up!!

The plan for the day will be:

Circle Time: Children will arrive in their costumes. We will talk about and sort ourselves according to our costumes!

Parade: We will parade around the school showing off our costumes to our friends! (In the afternoon there will be a school wide parade. Kindergarten will be spectators, sitting in chairs watching.) So fun!

Snack: We will enjoy a great party snack!

Centers: I will need adult helpers at this time please! There will be game centers, carving, crafts etc.

If your child has a very warm costume PLEASE be sure they can change if they need to. Thanks!

Absence

I will be away Thursday morning at a district training session. Sherese Speelman will be in for me. My apologies. Thursday will be our last skating day. Thanks so much for the overwhelming parent participation during this event!

Feed the Bug

We are participating in the Feed the Bug campaign. We are collecting items for the Lethbridge Food Bank. We have bins in our classroom to store the items and will periodically take them down to the big pile at the front of the school. This campaign helps us to learn things like compassion and empathy. Thank you for participating!

Class photos will be coming home soon. These are free of charge. Enjoy!

Scholastic Books

The November Scholastic book order will be coming home soon. Books make GREAT stocking stuffers and Christmas gifts!! If you'd like your order to be a secret from your child, please write a note on the order or envelope and we will be sure to "sneak" it to you!!

Report Cards and Interviews

Kindergarten report cards will go home November 17. Interviews will be held November 23 and 24. In a few weeks you will be able to sign up for a time slot on-line. These slots are 15min. each. If you think you might require more than 15minutes to speak with me, please let me know ahead of time and we can arrange an alternate date. Due to the large class sizes we are dealing with this year scheduling will be tight so please book a time as soon as you are able. I will keep you posted!

Dress for the Weather

As the weather gets colder, clothing becomes more important! Once the ground is wet from rain or snow (which is bound to happen sooner or later) please have your child change in to their inside shoes BEFORE coming into class. Inside shoes are stored on the shelves in our bootroom. Thanks so much!

We go outside for recess EVERY DAY. Please send your child with clothing for the weather. It's a great idea to leave a hat and mitts in the backpack at all times. Please be sure these are labelled with your child's name.

10 Things You Should Never Say to Your Kids

Find out which commonly used phrases often end up doing more harm than good

By Denise Schipani

There are a handful of obviously wrong, damaging and terrible things to say to a child ("I wish I never had you" or "You're the reason we're getting a divorce" count among them). But it may surprise you to discover that some seemingly harmless phrases can trigger resentment, dent self-esteem or bring up other less-than-desirable sentiments in your kids. Amy McCready, founder of Positive Parenting Solutions and author of If I Have to Tell You One More Time…,notes, “We have the best of intentions, but often we say things to our kids without thought to how it’s being perceived by the child.” Here, 10 phrases you should think twice about before repeating to your kids.

1. "I know you can try harder."

Frustrated by a daughter who you know is capable of much more in school, sports, music, etc.? While you (hopefully!) aren’t saying such obviously hurtful things as “You are so lazy!”, any comment that makes it seem as though you’re not satisfied with her efforts can not only be discouraging to your child, it can also do the opposite of motivating her to try harder, says McCready. If your “try harder” has to do with tasks or chores, be clear about what you expect: “When you have your room cleaned up, then you can go out and play.” If you’re talking about academics, “take note of times she does go the extra mile,” such as: “Wow! That extra time spent on your book report really shows!”

2. "Are you sure you need that second cupcake?"

Yikes. You have good intentions—keeping your child fit and healthy—but you’re better off steering clear of any talk that might foster a negative body image, says McCready. If you’re worried about what your child eats at home, use actions, not words, such as stocking your kitchen with healthy foods rather than junk and emphasizing family physical activity like after-dinner walks. That way, if there are cupcakes at a party, your child’s fine to indulge. And walk the walk yourself; you mix your message if you tell your kid to keep his hands out of the cookie jar while you’re inhaling potato chips. Incidentally, the same goes for telling your child that he’s a “great” eater; try to avoid labels (he’s my picky child; she’s such an adventurous eater; this one needs to stay away from treats) because “you never want to turn food into a power issue,” says McCready. As best you can, keep food-related comments specific and positive: “Wow, I see you tried the squash soup!”

3. "You always…" or "You never…"
Undeniably, it’s tempting—almost a reflex at times—to spit out an always (“You always forget to put your socks in the hamper!”) or a never (“You never remember to call me when you’re running late!”). But be careful because those two words are a minefield, says Jenn Berman, PhD, a psychotherapist and author of The A to Z Guide to Raising Happy, Confident Kids. “At the heart of ‘You always’ and ‘You never’ statements are labels that can stick for life.” Kids become what we tell them they are, so telling your child that he “always” forgets to call makes him more likely to be the kid who, you guessed it, never calls. Instead, ask your child how you can help him or her change: “I notice you seem to have trouble remembering to bring home your textbooks. What can we do to try to help you remember?” suggests Dr. Berman.

4. "Why can’t you be more like your sister/brother?"
Siblings and rivalry go hand in hand—and anything you say that sets up comparisons only fuels that natural flame, says McCready. If you’re saying, for example, “Your brother is practicing piano and he sounds great—why can’t you do that?” you’re essentially telling your child that piano is his brother’s thing, and he’s not measuring up. “Comparisons slot siblings into categories—the smart one, the athlete—and discourage kids from trying the thing their sibling is ‘good’ at.” Try instead to encourage each child in whatever pursuits are “his” or “hers,” while avoiding comparisons.

5. "I told you waiting until the last minute was a mistake!"
You repeatedly informed your middle-schooler that if he played video games all afternoon, he’d have less time to study for the math test. And guess what? He stayed up too late, went to school sleepy and unprepared, and didn’t do as well as he could have on the exam. But any time you say “I told you so” to your child, you’re in effect telling him you’re always right, and by contrast he's often wrong or a screw-up, says McCready. When he comes home with the poor grade, resist the “I told you so” urge and instead ask him if the two of you could brainstorm some smarter ways to study the next time. Also, “point out the positives that occur when he does follow through,” says McCready. For example, if he cleans up his room when asked, saying “Isn’t it easier to find all your stuff when your room’s tidy?” puts the control and the credit with him—not you.

6. "You’re the best at soccer!"
It may seem obvious that denigrating your child’s efforts (“You’re no artist!”) can be damaging, but in fact, even the positive pronouncements can be bad because they are limiting, says McCready. “Say you always tell your child how smart she is. She may, over time, become scared of trying new things or more challenging work, for fear she won’t be ‘smart’ anymore if she gets a B instead of an A.” It can also backfire if your child is struggling with work and you say, “But you’re so smart!” She may only feel worse for not living up to the label you’ve given her. But what if your child is not a great soccer player? If she enjoys it, that’s enough. But if she feels she’s not good at it, she may be less likely to try a different sport later on, says McCready. Focus instead on her hard work: “You show up to every practice and try your best,” or “What a fantastic job on this science project!”

7. "Don’t worry—the first day of school will be fine."
What’s wrong with trying to soothe an anxious kid out of worry? “If you tell your child not to worry, you’re dismissing her feelings,” says Dr. Berman. “So now, she’s still worried about the first day of school, and she’s worried that she’s worried, or that you’re upset over her worry.” Same goes for “Don’t cry” and “Don’t be angry.” Instead, say, “I can see you’re worried. Can you tell me what you’re most concerned about, so we can talk about it?”

8. "Because I said so!"
We've all been there—you just need to get out the door and you don’t have time to explain why you need to switch off the computer and head to a family event/doctor’s appointment/religious obligation. “Because I said so,” puts all the control in your hands, and dismisses your child’s growing sense of autonomy and ability to figure things out, says Dr. Berman. “Because I said so” also leaves out a potential teaching moment. Let’s say your kids don’t want to visit their aging great-aunt on a sunny day when they’d rather ride their bikes. “Because I said so” only makes them feel less in control of what they are able to do. Instead, try, “I know you’d rather ride your bike, but Aunt Clara really loves seeing you, and we try our best to honor our family.” That way, even if they continue to grumble, they know their feelings matter; plus, they’ve learned a valuable lesson about how you conduct yourselves as a family.

9. "I wish you didn’t hang out with Jack; I don’t like that kid."
Yeah, a lot of parents don’t like “that kid,” for whatever reason, but “the moment you tell your child that ‘that kid’ is not your favorite, he becomes more appealing,” says Dr. Berman. Evaluate, first, what you don’t like about Jack. Is he just not your cup of tea, or does he present some sort of danger you don’t want your child exposed to? If it’s the former, grit your teeth. If it’s the latter, though, “Ask your child some open-ended questions,” says Dr. Berman. “What do you like about hanging out with Jack? What do you guys do?” The idea is to keep the lines of communication open between you two, and hopefully spark discussion about values, right and wrong, and so on.

10. "That’s not how you do it! Here, let me."
You asked your child to stir the soup, or fold the towels, or wash the car. Sure, you want the help—but then she kind of does a not-so-great job. Depending on how much of a perfectionist you are, it can be tough to hold yourself back from just jumping in and taking the task back, “But that’s a mistake, because then she never learns how, and is less likely to try anything else you ask down the line,” says Dr. Berman. If you can stand messy folding or a less than clean car, let it go. Or, you can step in but in a collaborative rather than dismissive way: “Here, let me show you a neat trick my mom taught me about folding towels!”

Mid October Updates

The Bucket Philosophy

If your child has mentioned his/her "bucket" lately... I apologize if you don't know what he/she is talking about! Our school has adopted the Bucket Philosophy this year as part of our Character Education goal. Each of us has an invisible bucket above our heads. When our bucket is full, we feel great. When it's empty, we feel awful. We have lids for our buckets that we can use to stop people from emptying them. Get the idea? If you have any questions please ask!

Feed The Bug

October 24-28 is our FEED THE BUG campaign. We will be collecting food items for the food bank during these days. If you'd like to send items in, we'd be happy to collect them in an attempt to fill a Volkswagen Bug to send to the FOOD BANK!

Clothing Exchange

The West Side clothing exchange will take place at Probe Elementary School Monday October 17^th/11. Please bring in your gently used clothes.

MMH bags can be dropped off in the front foyer near the benches.

Thanks in advance for making this a success!

We would like all donations by Thursday October 13^th.

Home Reading Program

Wow!! The kids were so excited to be bringing home story books! We hope you enjoy

ONE new book home every week. This is meant to be a great addition to your bedtime reading fun! Once a week please make an entry in the journal about the story. This can take many forms! Be creative!

Jolly Phonics Bags

Thanks so much for keeping the Jolly Phonics sheets in your children's backpacks. We are learning so much! Please keep reviewing these on at least a weekly or bi-weekly basis!

Snack Days

PLEASE, PLEASE send me an email at least a day ahead of time if an adult is unable to stay for your child's snack day. There are many days that we count on grown ups to do small group work and it is very difficult to rearrange this at the last minute. Thanks again!!

FOIP

Please fill out the FOIP forms (white) that were sent home in your children's backpack. We would appreciate these at your earliest convenience. Thanks!

OCTOBER NEWSLETTER AND CALENDAR

Click HERE to view our OCTOBER CLASSROOM NEWSLETTER.

Click HERE to view our OCTOBER KINDERGARTEN CALENDAR.

Video Clips from Class!

Here are three video clips I showed in class today. They were a HUGE hit so I promised the kids I'd post them. Enjoy!
A VERY BRAVE FROG
OWL LANDING
SPAGHETTI NIGHT

Our Second Week!

A few reminders during our second week of Kindergarten!

1. Please return your green Student Profile sheet as soon as possible.

2. I am still looking for volunteers for our fieldtrip to the Firehall this Monday. As of now I have only heard from two afternoon parents.

3. Please watch for a Skating Volunteer form in your child's backpack today or tomorrow. This needs to be filled out and returned as soon as you can. Thanks for your support!

4. Thanks in advance to morning parents for arriving to pick up your children at 11:30am. We appreciate this so much as we have such a short amount of time to prepare for our afternoon class!

5. If you'd like to take until Monday to finish your All About Me sheets please feel free to do so!

6. Please check this BLOG often for updates! Soon you'll receive an email confirming your address. Hopefully I will be able to notify you via email when there's been a change.

Thanks so much again for all your support of our program! It's going to be a fantastic year!!

Here's Our First Classroom NEWSNOTE!

Please click to view our first classroom NEWSNOTE!

Please click to view our September Kindergarten CALENDAR!

Please click to view our September MMH School NEWSLETTER!