October News
Bonjour tout le monde! It's hard to believe that we are already into our second month at school! The children are settling in very well and adapting to Kindergarten life. Due to Covid, some children have not been away from their immediate family before. For those that have been in outside care, moving from daycare or preschool to Kindergarten is a huge transition. Not only is the building much larger, but the adult ratio has gone from 1 teacher for every 8 students, to 1 teacher for 19 students. Activities in daycare and preschool were often optional, and children could choose to do them or not. In Kindergarten, we have a curriculum that is mandated, so while there is often a choice in how we complete an activity, there is not a choice to do the activity!
The children are doing very well at becoming more independent and looking after their own belongings. You can help your child with his or her personal organization by reminding him or her to only bring a minimal amount of clothes to school. When a child brings multiple sweaters, a coat, rain pants, boots, as well as outside shoes each day, it is hard for them to keep track of all of their "stuff".
I am amazed each day at how much French the children are learning. The "down side" of listening to another language is that it can be exhausting! Being in French immersion can be more tiring than being in an English Kindergarten class, as the children are also having to listen harder and focus more to understand and learn the language.
Themes
October is a very busy month. We will be learning about "l'Action de Grâce" (Thanksgiving) We will also be learning about Fall, reading silly stories about monsters (les monstres), Halloween and pumpkins (les citrouilles).
Dramatic Play Centre 
October is fire safety month, so I will be turning our house centre into a fire hall this month. We will briefly be discussing fire safety, and what to do in case of emergency. We will also be having school wide fire drills and earthquake drills. These will not be "surprise" drills. The admin team will discuss them with the children and we will get a chance to hear the bell to help alleviate any fears children might have.
Things to practice at home
If your child is unable to print his or her name independently, please practice this at home. (Please also make sure they are using a correct pencil grip. If you are unsure what I mean by this, ask!) If they are unable to recognize their name in print, please print it on as many of their belongings as possible so they have many opportunities throughout the day to see it (label their snack and lunch containers, their bedroom door, books- you could even be formal and make place cards for at the dinner table!!)
Please also have your child practice putting on his or her coat and shoes and doing up snaps and zippers. Merci!
Spare clothes
Please remember to send in a spare set of clothes (pants, shirt, underwear and socks) in a labelled Ziploc bag if you have not already done so. As the children play outside rain or shine, some children may get muddy or wet during the lunch playing period and will need to change clothes when they come inside. You may want to send in a couple of extra pairs of socks. We are trying to spend more time outside, and even on nice days, the dew is heavy on the field and the children are often returning inside with wet shoes and socks. Merci.
Show and Tell
The show and tell theme for October is Family. Please have your child bring in a photo of their family to share any day in October. If your child shares their time between two homes, they are welcome to bring in two photos. We will discuss similarities and differences between families as part of our Social Studies curriculum. The photo will be posted in the class for the remainder of the year.
Hallowe'en
If your child wishes to dress up on the Friday before Hallowe'en they may, but please consider the following: If your child has a warm or bulky costume, please send in a change of clothes in case they get too hot or uncomfortable and wish to change. They also need to be able to go to the washroom while wearing their costume. Please do not send in any "weapon accessories", wigs or masks. A lot of heavy face makeup may get itchy or uncomfortable when worn for a long period of time, so you may just want to stick to minimal makeup during the day. Please keep in mind that your child will be sitting on the carpet, working and eating at their tables, and will be playing outside in their costumes. If their costume is fragile, they may want to reconsider wearing it. An alternative idea is to wear black and orange on October 29th.
Growing Young Farmers
We will be having Master Gardeners from the non-profit organization, Growing Young Farmers, working with Keating students once again this year in our school garden by the gym. We will be having one session with them in the Fall, and multiple sessions in the Spring. Stay tuned for more information!
Special Days
Friday, October 8: Individual Photo Day
Monday, October 11: Stat Holiday for Thanksgiving
Tuesday, October 19th and Wednesday, October 20th: Early Dismissal at 1:48 for Parent Teacher Conferences. Parents will have the option of a telephone call or an in-person conference. A sign up sheet will be emailed to you in the coming week.
Friday, October 22- Provincial Non-Instructional Day
Thursday, October 28- Hallowe'en Crafternoon (1:35-2:45) Four parent volunteers (with a Criminal Record Check on file with the School Board office) are welcome. Please email me if you are interested in helping out. (Parent helpers must wear a mask and must have passed the Daily Health Check in order to enter into the room)
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me!