March Kindergarten News
March come in like a lion but March Break and spring are just around the corner!
Hopefully we will be able to say good-bye to our winter attire in the not-to- distant
future.
Once again, the Mardi Gras Dance-a-thon was a big success. In preparation for the
big event, students created masks of feathers and glitter and the gym became a
sea of green, purple and gold masked dancers. Before the start of our scared
Lenten season, students also enjoyed pancakes on Shrove Tuesday. Thank you to
the Parent Council for preparing such a delicious snack and organizing a fun-filled
dance.
On Ash Wednesday children received ashes in the sign of the cross on their
forehead. This symbol reminds us to “turn away from sin and follow Jesus”. During
Lent we encourage students to follow Jesus’ example of being kind and loving. In
class we read Tom Rath’s How Full Is Your Bucket? The story talks about how we
all have an invisible bucket. When our bucket is full, we feel great, but when it is
empty, we feel sad. We will talk about how we can all be “bucket fillers”. Students
are also encouraged to continue completing their acts of kindness at home and
return their pompoms to school. Please consider donating to Project Hope. This is a
great way to teach children about giving alms during the season of Lent.
The virtue for February was “Respect”. Students are reminded that hands should
be in a prayerful position during prayers because this shows reverence and respect
for Jesus. We must remember that we are talking to Jesus as we pray, and
therefore should not be talking to our friends.
As promised, students were rewarded with a hot chocolate party at the end of
January for filling our jar with self-control. They enjoyed a cup of “bubbly and
sweet” hot chocolate with “yummy and colourful” marshmallows. What a perfect
time to brainstorm describing words!!
The “Creation Station” and the “Paint Centre” continue to be very popular in our
classroom. Some students enjoyed creating and decorating lanterns to help
celebrate the Chinese New Year. For Valentine’s Day students created cards using
a variety of materials and a crayon resist technique at the paint centre.
Our math focus for February was measurement. Students explored and compared
the length of their bodies using non-standard units of measurement (linking cubes).
We also used a popsicle stick as a standard unit and collected and sorted objects in
the classroom which were shorter than, longer than and almost the same. Students
also had fun guessing the weight (in linking cubes) of various object using the scale.
Comparing different sizes and shapes of container to explore capacity was a great
learning experience for all.
The Diary Famers of Ontario visited St. Gertrude. The kindergarten classes
listened to and participated in a presentation about milk. Students learned how
cows are milked, what foods are made of milk and the importance of drinking milk.
This lead to our next learning inquiring about healthy eating and the four food
groups according to Canada’s Food Guide. March is also Nutrition Month. Snacks
are an important way for students to meet their daily nutrient needs and provide
them with the energy needed to get through the day. Consider using your food
guide to help plan healthy snacks with your children. Next month, stayed tuned to
read about how we transformed our Dramatic Play Centre into a grocery store.
Making sight words with magnetic letters and practising them on white boards
continues to a regular part of our literacy program. Please remember to look for
these words in their weekly Chime-In pieces and Snuggle-Up books. Thumbs up to
parents and students who are working on sight words and reviewing letters and
sounds at home.
Our Snuggle-Up and Read Program seems to be a great success with both students
and parents. Daily reading will help with the recognition of sight vocabulary and
build confidence and fluency for students. Children are reminded to record the
book title in their folders and return the book before picking another.
Reminders:
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Students are encouraged to continue to complete their acts of kindness at
home and bring in completed pompoms to add to their buckets.
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St. Gertrude will be accepting donations to Project Hope until Easter.
A reminder that completed Chime-In folders should be returned to school by
Wednesday so a new insert may be added.
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As part of our healthy eating inquiry, we will be checking and surveying
lunches to see how healthy they are. Please try to send snacks and lunches
which contain foods from all four food groups.
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If you are arriving to school after the 8:20 bell, please enter the school
using the front doors. Our courtyard entrance door will be locked for the
safety of the students and they are not encouraged to open the door to let
late students in.
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March 14-18 - March Break – Have a restful and fun week!
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March 24th- Stations of the Cross @ 9:00 in the gym. All are welcome.
I wish everyone a happy and blessed Easter with your families.
Thank you for your enthusiasm and continued support in your children’s
education.
Mrs. Bagnarol