February 2015

Hello Everyone,
We have been very busy building two and three-dimensional shapes and experimenting with building materials to build towers. 
Here are some photos of our work for your enjoyment!

We have also been making and building words with a variety of tactile materials.

 Here we are trying to discover how many squares you need to make a cube:

Finally, here is a clip from our most recent Roots of Empathy visit.

Thank you for stopping by.
Best,
Ms. Gladman

January 2015

I would like to extend warm wishes for the New Year, somewhat belatedly, to all of you. May you each find 2015 a fulfilling year. May you all be blessed with good health, happiness and love.

We have reached the mid-way point in the school year. Half the year is behind us and the other half awaits ahead. At this point in the year, I am reflecting on the growth and changes I am noticing in your children.

It gives me great joy and pride to tell you what a beautiful community your children have helped to build in the classroom. Everyone is working toward the common goal of being a part of a group where people help and encourage each other to do their best. Every day I see acts of kindness and your children helping each other to be successful at school. They are learning to be more mindful of their behaviour, taking the time to think before acting. The result is that we are all able to think clearly and make good decisions. I am excited to see where the second half of the year takes us!

We are getting ready to celebrate the 100th Day of School on Friday, February 6. Some students have already begun to bring in their collections of 100 items to school. If your child's collection is ready, please have them bring it to school in a bag and we will keep it here until we share the collections on the 100th Day.

Please ensure that the items are small and that they are grouped by 1s, 2s, 5s or 10s. It will be exciting to see what the children bring to show their friends! All items will be returned to you after your child has had an opportunity to tell their classmates about his/her collection.

In math, we continue to develop our understanding of Number. We use dice to learn our number facts to 12.

We use number lines to 30 to help us order, compare, add and subtract numbers.

We use the Learning Carpet to help our bodies understand 100. 

We have been learning about 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional shapes. We know some of their properties and we look for them in our world.

In language, we continue to read daily and write a few times a week. We know that we get better at both reading and writing by doing them often. Please encourage your child to read the words they see on the street, the subway and the grocery store. Wherever you are, there are words. Ask your child to try to read the words. There are clues all around us. Encourage your child to look for clues.

We are using iPads weekly to make posters using the PicCollage application. We are learning about the many features of the App and sending messages to others in this fun way.

Through the Roots of Empathy program, Baby Emma continues to visit our class and we learn a lot about emotions and how to care for a baby from her and her mom, Heather.

Some parents have been curious when their children have been coming home from school with little prizes at the end of the day. The children are very proud of earning this prizes for listening, following the rules and using good work habits. Everyone is motivated to earn a prize and all the children have been working hard to earn one and being good sports when they don't!

We are looking forward to a new month. February has much to offer us!
Best,
Ms. Gladman

10-5-2-1-0

Hello Parents,

This blog post is dedicated to helping find a solution for the many children who have a great deal of difficulty paying attention and following directions at school. We have now been at school for more than 70 school days. This means that we are nearing the halfway point in the school year. Much time, energy and focus has been spent on learning the routines at school. Many of the children are still struggling with following these routines and are having difficulty concentrating.

We have to look outside the school and classroom environment, and to ask ourselves what is standing in the way of the children being successful with skills like paying attention, following routines and instructions. Ultimately, if children aren't paying attention to instructions and to the information around them, it can dramatically impact their ability to succeed academically.

Our class attended a school-wide assembly at the beginning of November where they learned about the 10-5-2-1-0 Rule for Health. Basically, this health initiative encourages healthy eating and sleep habits for our children. This rule of thumb teaches or reminds children that every day they need:

* 10 hours of sleep

* 5 servings of fruit and vegetables

* No more than 2 hours of screen time

* 1 hour of vigourous physical activity 

* 0 sugary drinks

There is a short Youtube video that illustrates the 10-5-2-1-0 Rule that I recommend that you watch with your children:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTiELntRuMo&feature=youtu.be

Without proper amounts of sleep, nutrition and physical activity, the human body has difficulty functioning properly. Too much time spent watching television, playing on the computer and tablets, as well as too much sugar added to a person's diet, can impact a child's ability to pay attention and learn. Water is essential for optimal brain function and children need to drink at least 4 cups every day.

If you would like more information on recommended sleep times for 6-year-olds, please see:
http://www.webmd.com/parenting/guide/sleep-children?page=2

If you are interested in learning more about what kinds and how much food is recommended for your child, please see:
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/basics-base/quantit-eng.php

It can be difficult to shop for healthy foods on a budget. If you would appreciate a backpack filled with food once a week, you can sign up for the Blessings in a Backpack program. http://blessingsinabackpack.ca  Please write a note in your child's agenda if you would like to participate. We already have many students in our class who participate and there are still some spaces available in you are interested.

Also, it is important to highlight that breakfast is arguably the most important meal of the day. We do have a Breakfast Program every morning at 8:00 am in the primary gym at Oakridge. I would love to see more of my students there having a healthy meal to start the day. If you would like to enrol in this program, please write a note in your child's agenda and I will be sure to get you the information you need to get started.
This is a short video to watch with your child about the importance of eating breakfast.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9KaZ7eViF0

If you would like some tips on how to build more physical activity into your day, please refer to:
http://www.participaction.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/activehealthykidscanada2010-participactiontipssheet.pdf

For a sweet video that you can watch with your child about drinking water can be found at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gusOH0Nulok

Starting on Monday, we will be adding drinking water to our daily routine at school. Please be sure to send your child with a re-usable water bottle (preferably the one that was given to them at school)  filled with fresh water to drink on Monday.

This blog contains a lot of information, which I hope you will find helpful. Please find some time this weekend to learn more about the 10-5-2-1-0 Rule and why it is important for your child.

Remember those water bottles!

Have a wonderful weekend.
Ms. Gladman