Curriculum Night The Kindergarten Team Ms. Barboutsis, Ms.Feng, Ms. Khani Ms. Brykman, Ms. Abraham Ms. Hachey, Ms. Bruni Ms. Hoover, Ms. Li

Website Please visit our website for school wide information. Click on the classroom link, to see your child’s class’ monthly calendar.

Personal and Social Development Personal, social and emotional development lays the foundation to your child’s success in the classroom responsibility independence (e.g., put coat/shoes on, pack bag, button/zip pants) willingness to take risks socialize positively with peers develop problem solving skills self-regulation

Personal Items Please make sure all personal belongings are labelled. Help your child gain independence by practising putting on jackets, doing up zippers, and packing backpack at home. Please provide a change of clothing in your child’s backpack, as accidents do happen. Just a gentle reminder that we ask you to provide a pair of indoor shoes to stay at school.

LITERACY PROGRAM Balanced Literacy We follow a balanced literacy program, which includes oral, reading, writing and media activities to meet the diverse needs of all our learners. During the Kindergarten day, students are given many opportunities to practise and develop their literacy skills through centers and free exploration.

Oral Language Oral language is the key to all other areas of literacy in Kindergarten. What we say, we can write, and what we write we can read. Throughout the day, students have opportunities to participate by listening to others, sharing their ideas and asking questions to further their interests and learning. Learning letter-sound relationships through songs, poems and rhymes will help the students in the early stages of reading.

Guided Reading In guided reading sessions, students learn to use early reading strategies to help them read simple primary texts at their own reading level. By the end of SK, students are expected to be reading at level 10. SK students will soon begin to bring home texts that they have practised at school and can read to you. Please celebrate your child’s reading by listening to their reading and completing their reading log. Please return the books each school day.

Writing During the year it is our goal to foster a love of writing in all our students. We will also be encouraging students to explore independent writing tasks enabling them to guide their own learning based on their personal interest. Beginner writers use pictures, symbols, and random letters. When they share their writing their writing has meaning to them. As children progress with their writing, they learn to pay attention to the way print and books work, and they learn that printed letters and words represent the sounds and words of oral language. We encourage students to write for a variety of purposes and in a variety of contexts; menus, plans on how to build something, a sentence to accompany a picture, plays, labels, etc.

MATH PROGRAM The students will be exploring the following Kindergarten Math Expectations using a hands-on approach with concrete materials.

Number Sense and Numeration Demonstrate an understanding of number, counting, quantity and number relationships.

Data Management and Probability Sort and classify a variety of concrete objects (e.g. by colour, size, shape). Collect data and begin to read and describe graphs and explore the concept of probability in everyday contexts.

Measurement Measure and compare length, mass, capacity, area, temperature and the passage of time, using non-standard units. Use a variety of tools to measure objects.

Geometry and Spatial Sense Describe, sort, classify, and compare two-dimensional shapes and three- dimensional figures, and describe the location and movement of objects.

Patterning  Explore, recognize, describe, and create patterns, using a variety of materials, such as blocks, stickers, bingo dabbers (e.g. red/ yellow/ red/ yellow; ABC/ABC/ABC)

So how is Full Day Kindergarten different than alternative day Kindergarten? New classrooms, larger class sizes, everyday attendance, 1 teacher and 1 DECE per classroom. A portion of the day is open for free exploration and investigation, in which the curriculum is embedded. For example, turning drama center into a restaurant, using building as a math/science investigation, etc.

SNACK and LUNCH A healthy snack and lunch should be sent with your child daily. Please practice opening and closing containers independently. NO NUT products

Classroom Visit We would like to now invite you back to our classrooms to take a look at your child’s learning environment.