JANUARY UPDATE

Welcome Winter is the dominant outdoor theme here in Winnipeg, and we will be trying to channel our learning using that theme for the remainder of January in Kindergarten. With the reading of some winter favorites, such as Jan Brett's THE MITTEN, and stories such as SNIP SNIP SNOW by Nancy Poydar and SNOWMEN AT NIGHT, we will be doing story drama, cooperative "life-sized" art introductions, continued patterning and estimation, and expanding our pre- or early writing skills.

REAL-LIFE LOSS AND LEARNING WITH OUR CLASS PETS

Our class pets took a starring role in discussions today, and, I expect, for the rest of the week. We prayed for our goldfish who died this morning, and discussed why it is healthy for our rabbit, Maia, to eat her own bunny poops at times, yet extremely important to wash our own hands after using the toilet and minimize our own contact with any human or other animal waste. I hope that my sharing of a storybook that addresses this topic will satisfy the intense curiosity the students had, while still keeping the learning aspect foremost in mind. This could be a potentially unforgettable lesson in how needs are met by living creatures in different cultures and climates!
MUNSCH PERFORMANCE
Coming up in the weeks ahead, our literature in the classroom will be focused on a few of the stories of renowned Canadian author, Robert Munsch,as we prepare for the upcoming program by the Prairie Theatre Exchange. If your child does not usually attend on Thursday, in addition to sending your RSVP to Mrs. Kolmel at admissions@bsls.ca could you please send me a very brief e-mail to let me know if you can join us at the performance?

FIELD TRIPS

Also being finalized are three field trips in the months ahead. Separate notes with specific information will go home regarding those trips. I hope to provide enough advance notice that will allow each child's parent at least one opportunity to join us and/or drive, as I have chosen trips where no maximum number of adults is enforced or unbudgetable. Field trips are one of the most exciting shared experiences for the children, and while we need parent drivers, chaperones are also a fun and integral part of the experiential learning adventure!

Thank you for your support of your child's learning at Kindergarten.