September 2021 Newsletter 
Dear Parents or Guardians,
Bienvenue to Madame Nayda's French Kindergarten!
Each month, I will be creating a newsletter with information pertinent to that month. This month will be the only month that I will be sending a paper copy to all families. Normally it will be posted on my website. You can access teacher webpages through the Keating Elementary site, under "Students", then "Teacher Pages".
Home-School Communication
I will be creating a group email contact this week. Please send me an email to nthomasson@saanichschools.ca as soon as possible from the email from which you wish to receive correspondence. This will help to ensure I have your current contact information, and don't make any typos when entering addresses into my contacts.
I will also send out a google doc in the coming week, and if you choose, you can enter your contact information to this document to share with other families in our class. This will help facilitate play dates, birthday invitations, etc.
Information from myself and the school will usually be sent by email. Please sign up for school emails on the Keating website under "Forum Subscriptions" if you have not done so already. This will ensure you do not miss out on any important information about upcoming school events. Occasionally there will be paper mail that will need to be sent home or returned to school. Please check your child's backpack each day for mail.
School Supplies
This year, parents are being asked to pay $40 to the school for the purchase of school supplies. Information on how to submit this payment will be coming shortly from the office. I have already ordered/purchased most supplies in bulk, and they are in the class and ready to be used. You may wish to send a pencil box in for your child to store their felts, pencil crayons and wax crayons. (Alternately, they will store them in a Ziploc bag, but these tend to get holes resulting in lost supplies.)
Please also send in a pair of indoor running shoes to be kept at school. (No slippers or sandals please. These shoes will also be worn during gym time, so they must have a no-slip sole and be safe for running.) The children will change into them when they enter the building, and change out of them when they leave. If your child is unable to tie laces, please send velcro.
Please ensure that your child has a large backpack to transport all their belongings to and from school each day.
It is also a good idea to label clothes or coats that are worn to school. It is always amazing how many items end up in the lost and found.
Extra Clothes
Please send in large Ziploc containing a change of clothes (socks, shirt, pants and underwear) to be kept at school. Please label the clothes and the ziploc with your child's name.
Snack and Lunch
Your child will need a lunch as well as 2 snacks each day. (The afternoon snack is optional as I have noticed that many children are still full from lunch.) For the next few weeks, please label your child's snacks with a big "S", so that they know which items to eat when. I will be circulating to help them decide, but this will make things much easier and will help us avoid having someone eat their entire lunch at 10 a.m.!! Please only send water to drink. I have a "no juice" policy in Kindergarten to avoid the inevitable spills that occur with this age group. This ensures that our class stays clean and we avoid any bugs that sticky floors may attract. We are encouraging independence, so please have your child practice opening and closing their lunch containers by themselves. If your child's lunch/ snacks require cutlery, please remember to include it in their lunch, as the school no longer supplies plastic spoons or forks. Merci.
Children have 25-30 minutes to eat their lunch. Please let me know if your child is not eating their lunch, so I can gently encourage them to eat more during the optional afternoon snack time.
Outside Play time
For the first few weeks, during the two outside play periods, Kindergarten children will be "contained" to the area outside of our classroom and part of the field during the scheduled lunch and recess times. This is to help them get used to being with a larger group of children and also to give them a sort of comfort zone while they are still becoming familiar with the school grounds.
This year the school will be organizing the outside play times differently than in the past. During the lunch hour break, rather than having the whole school play outside at the same time and then eat at the same time, half the school will play outside while the other half eats their lunch inside, and then they will switch after 30 minutes. We will also have 2 different afternoon recess times: one for the intermediate students, and a different one for the primary students. This will allow for less congestion on the playgrounds.
Unless it is raining very hard, children will play outside every day at least twice. Please ensure that they have a rain coat and boots for wet days.
Birthdays
Birthdays are a special time for children. To celebrate your child's birthday, we will make them a card and will sing them Happy Birthday. If you wish to send in something to share, please do so. This does not have to be a food item. It could be a special pencil, temporary tattoo, a sticker, etc. Parents are permitted to send in a small treat if you would like. (Please note, I will be handing the items out, not the children.) I have found that Rice Krispie squares, cookies or mini-cupcakes are best. Please try to avoid the larger store bought cupcakes if possible. It is rare that children finish these, and they mostly end up on the floor or in the garbage. Please do not send in a whole cake.
If your child's birthday falls on a weekend or a day when school is not in session, we will celebrate it either before or after their day. If your child's birthday falls during the summer months, we will celebrate it in June. If your child has food allergies, please see me, and we can make special arrangements for your child.
Pick up and Drop Off
Please try to be punctual when dropping off or picking up your child. If you are late arriving in the morning, please sign your child in at the office before bringing them to class. Our line up spot will be against the classroom wall, in front of the windows. Children will be dismissed to the same spot. I will watch children outside the class for a few minutes, but if there is no one to get them, I will take them to the chairs in front of the office to wait for you. We kindly ask you to say your goodbyes to your child outside and allow them to enter the room with myself and their peers to start their day. If your child is experiencing separation anxiety, please let me know, and myself or one of our fantastic educational assistants can help with this transition.
If you have arranged for another parent to watch your children after school, please let me know, as I will not release your child into another parent's care without hearing from you. If you need to take your child for an appointment, you will need to sign them out at the office. I do check my email periodically throughout the day for parent emails, so you can drop me a line during the day if you need to.
If it is raining heavily at morning drop off time, a sign will be posted that it is an in day. On in days, children are welcome to then come into the class and read books quietly until the bell rings.
Parent Volunteers
My understanding is that parents who have a valid Criminal Record Check on file with the school board will (eventually) be permitted to volunteer in the class once again this year. (Masks will be mandatory.) I will be requesting parent volunteers to come and help out in the class with a variety of activities, either in class (helping with special craft days/activities) or at home (gluing items into portfolios, cutting, making booklets.) I am awaiting further information from the school/school board on this subject, and will hopefully be able to arrange for volunteers in October.
Kindergarten Collections
If you have any extra things around the house or your work that are not being used and would otherwise be thrown away, we would gladly take them for our art table. Possible items include but are not limited to: sequins, tissue paper, wrapping paper, bows, ribbons, shiny paper, coloured paper, beads, stickers,etc.
If you are doing some house organizing, and are culling any toys, dress-up clothes or other items that are still in good condition, please consider donating them to the class before taking them to another charitable organization. We are always looking to "give a new life" to toys, books, and other things that your children no longer playing with! Merci!
Ways to Support Your Child's learning at home:
Please help your child to be independent. Have them practice putting on and taking off their own coat and shoes, packing and unpacking their back packs, opening snack containers, etc.
Please work on correct pencil grip with your child. (If you are unsure of what I mean, ask me and I'll show you!) Correct them every time you notice them holding a pencil incorrectly. The longer they practice with an incorrect grip, the harder it is to break them of this bad habit.
If you have any other questions please let me know.
Sincerely,
Mme Nayda Thomasson