Monday, 8 December 2014

Christmas Is On It's Way!

This week seems to be a busy one!

Tomorrow: Scholastics are due
                   Turkey Dinner for all students
                   Spirit Day: Dress in Your Christmas Best

Wednesday: Early Dismissal at 2:30 p.m.

Thursday: Craft Sale/Raffle- Our student council is hosting a craft raffle/sale to raise funds towards our school's global citizenship project called Projet Haiti. Our goal is to raise enough money to build a school in Haiti. Smaller craft items will be sold, and larger items will be raffled off. Tickets are 1 ticket for 2$ or 3 tickets for 5$.
                 Kiwanis Santa will visit our class!(Shhhh that's a secret!)

Reminder that next week is our Christmas Concert. There will be a letter coming home tomorrow with more details.

Words of the week: c'est and elle est

Highlights from the last few weeks:

November 24 is a francophone holiday entitled "la Journée St. Catherine``. A tradition for this day is to make toffee ``la tire``. Thank you Mme. Humelle for allowing our kids to experience this french tradition!















Snowmen Math- We had fun representing our names as a snowman. We then compared the length of our name with a peer student. What a fun way to practice using our terminology ``plus`` and ``moins``.


Saturday, 22 November 2014

Snowmen come and snowmen go!

What a week we had! The first part of the week students were building snowmen and now today there were few left to show! Thanks to all who have been sending their children prepared for the weather! With our crazy weather it is sometimes a challenge! Just a reminder that an extra set of clothes is always helpful in case the students get wet or dirty.

This next week:

Thursday is our busy day this week with Moustache Day and Library!

Our words this week: le bébé, une école, j'ai

Highlights from this week:

Daily 5: This week we started Reading to Others. This is such a great way to practice reading because the students can practice helping each other build their skills.



















Take Home Reading: It is fun to get to watch the students as they pick their first prizes. A new one I have added this year is sitting at my desk for a half of day! I can't help but share this precious picture!


Are you needing ideas of how to read with your students? Each week I will try to share an idea with you.

Echo Reading: Read one sentence, putting your finger on each word. Then your child reads that same sentence putting their finger on each word. 

Mathematics: In our Numbers to 20 unit we have been discussing representing a number in two groups. Here is an activity we did to practice this skill and observe how the same number can be presented in different days. 




Monday, 17 November 2014

Welcome Back!

I hope you all kept warm during our cold week off! It was great to see the students all smiles this morning as we gathered back as a class!

A few important reminders: 

- $$ is due tomorrow if you took part in the meat fundraiser. Please write a note in the agenda if it is tucked in your child's agenda or back pack, just so I don't miss it!

- Please return progress reports signed ASAP.

There is alot happening this week! 

Wednesday- Library
                  - Early Dismissal at 2:30
                  - Junior ATB Deposit Day
Friday- Prayer Service @ 9:30 
          - Hot Lunch
          - November Scholastic Orders due

Words we are working this week: la lune, je suis and lundi

A heads about a fun day next week: Next Thursday our Student Council is planning a Spirit Day. In the theme of Movember they are inviting all students to come adorned with a creative Moustache! Happy Planning!

Have a great week!



Saturday, 1 November 2014

Welcome to November

How lucky we have been with our weather this fall! We have had some gorgeous days! Just remember as the temperatures dip, that your child is coming dressed appropriately for extended periods outside (recess).

Healthy snacks: Thank you for all of you who pack healthy snacks! We have been talking about healthy snack choices before first recess.

This coming week:

Monday: Please return all library books
Tuesday: Library
Wednesday: Junior ATB Deposit Day
Friday: Remembrance Day Ceremony 10:45-11:15
             Term 1 Progress Reports go home

Remember that our fall break runs from the 10th until the 17th!

Words we are working this week: du, tu, sur (we are starting the vowel u)

1. Make and read flashcards on recipe cards.

2. Orally spell the words.

3. Word aerobics… Ladybug letters-hands on your hips, Giraffe letters-stand tall with

your hands extended above your head, Monkey letters- use your hand as the

monkey tale.  This is something we do a lot in grade 1, so this should not be new to

your child.  Turtle letters-letters written that stay between the lines

(a,c,e,i,m,n…), Giraffe letters-letters written above the lie (l,b,f…), Monkey

letters-written letters that hang below the line (g,p,q…)

4. Rainbow words with gel pens- Choose 5 words.  Write each word with one color, re-

writing the word on top of the previous color with a new color; keep going until the

word has been written with at least 5 different colors on top of each other.

5. Write the words using playdough.

6. Use magnetic letters to write the words out on the fridge.

7. Sprinkle a bit of flour on the table or counter and write the letters with the end

of your finger in the flour.

8. Use wikki sticks (wax covered sticks from the dollarstore) to shape them into

letters to spell the words.

9.  Use the package of letters sent home in the envelope at the end of each vowel

study in class.  There has been an envelope sent home already working with the

letter a, and soon the letter e will be sent home.  There will be letter I, O, É and U

sent home throughout the next month. (It’s called Créons des mots.”

10. Cheap hair gel in a Ziploc bag- trace words into the gel (or peanut butter,

whip cream)

11. Write 5 words end to end using a different color for each word.

12. Write letters on popsicle sticks than use them to spell the words.

Halloween Highlights


 We tested to see if the pumpkins float or sink!


We weighed the pumpkins, then counted the seeds. 


Here are the final results!  




 
 
                            

Thanks again for all of the parents who donated their time or pumpkins! 









Thursday, 23 October 2014

Pumpkin, Pumpkins everywhere!

Thank you for being patient with me over these last few busy weeks! I hope to share with you a few of the highlights from the last few weeks as well as give you a look at next week! Thanks for coming out to Parent Teacher Conferences. I really appreciate your commitment to your child`s education!

Next week:


RETAKES HAVE BEEN RESCHEDULED TO MONDAY OCTOBER 27th. If you are having your child take retakes please advise me.

Monday: Library
Thursday: SCC Neon Halloween Dance from 6:30-8:00
Friday:  Haunted Classroom hosted by Ensemble Nous Pouvons (Student Council)
              Pumpkin filled afternoon in 1C


Haunted Classroom- Ensemble Nous Pouvons is planning a Haunted Classroom. They are asking that students who wish to enter would bring a nonperishable item that will go towards the Food Bank.

Pumpkin filled afternoon- We will using Pumpkins Friday afternoon to put many skills to work. We will be counting, estimating, weighing, predicting. So far I have 4 parent volunteers and so far we have 3 pumpkins. Ideally I would love 6 groups, so if any of you would like to spend the afternoon with us let us know! As well, if you can`t join us but would like to donate a pumpkin we would gladly take a few more!

L to J Words: Next week we start our work with ``o``. Our 3 words for the week are noir, voici and une tomate.

Take Home Reading: I would just like to make a few clarifications with the Take Home Reading Program. Firstly, I would ask that only take home reading books that come home be counted onto the hundreds chart. I highly encourage that you read as well to your child, but please don`t count those onto the reading tracker.
Secondly, there are two types of books that you will see come home. Little ones from the library that they have chosen from the levelled boxes. As well, you will see paper ones. The paper ones we have read together as a class, so at this time of year these are the type they are most comfortable with. if you child can`t read the little Take Home Reading books from the library, you could get them to look for words that they can read and maybe identify some that they can`t. You could also get them to tell you all the French words they can identify by looking at the pictures.

Past week`s highlights:

L to J: Last week we got 2 Class All Time Bests and this week we achieved another all time best in L to J Spelling. The kids are so excited with their progess so far this year. Thanks for all of your support from home!

Daily 5: We are up to 13 minutes with Reading to Self, and Writing. I love watching the kids in their dedication to become better readers and writers.





Look at our lovely pumpkin patch! I introduced 10 frames with this fun little craft! 

Our class selfie! Lately we have been learning about what makes us unique. We drew our very own selfies today, highlighting our hair colour and eye colour. I can`t wait to show the finished product to you! (I missed a few kids with my short arms) 


Wishing you all a great weekend. 

Saturday, 4 October 2014

October Wonderland

October is upon us! Time for our first fall craft. Can't wait to post a picture of these when they are complete. :) Friday students should have came home with a few of the crafts from the month of September. Please enjoy the treats and send the envelope back to school.

This coming week:

Wednesday: Early Dismissal at 2:30
                    Junior ATB Deposit Day
Thurday: Please return all remaining Coupon Books  and money.

We will be rescheduling our library time due to Early Dismissal, so please ensure library books are returned to school by Tuesday.

This week we will be are starting into the vowel sound "i". Words you can practice along with us are il, samedi, petit, petite

Fall weather- With the colder weather upon us, please ensure your child is coming dressed for the weather! 30 minutes outside can be quite chilly if you are underdressed. Don't forget to label your child's mitts and toques as they become much easier to locate if ever lost.

Junior ATB: Junior ATB is having their first deposit day on Wednesday. What is Junior ATB? Students can open real savings accounts, or make deposits in already existing accounts. It is a wonderful way to teach financial literacy to children of any age. Please contact me if you would like to find out more about this program.

Last week:

Friday we enjoyed the last day of Pattern math centers as we are moving onto Numbers to 20. Here is a glimpse of some of the students enjoying their centres!




Wishing you all  a wonderful autumn week! 


Friday, 19 September 2014

Splendid September

Wow what a beautiful week we have had!

Next week: 

Monday: Library
Tuesday: Mass at 9:30 a.m.
Wednesday: Picture Day
Thursday: Terry Fox Run

Terry Fox Run- We are welcoming families to bring a donation for the Terry Fox run any time next week. Last year we raised 700$ towards the organization and the students had a great time learning more about Terry Fox`s journey!

Picture Day- Please have the form I sent home filled out and returned before picture day.

Highlights from this week:

This week we finished working with the vowel "a". You should have an envelope that came home this week with our words that we have practiced. These are for you to keep and enjoy! Next we will be starting into the vowel "e" working with the words "je", "de", "petit" and "petite".

 
Can you see the "A" in our alligators?

This last week we also talked more about classroom procedures and which were important. We read the story about David, who didn't like to follow procedures and the lesson that he learned. Here is all of our little David's from 1C. 

Things to consider:

Agendas- Please make sure that you initial the agenda every night, so I can see that you have seen the message. The kids love the stickers I give for parent initials. Messages will be all in French unless they are very important. Right now we are mostly practicing our calligraphy so don't worry too much if the students can't read all of the words. We read the message together and talk about it in class. 

Scholastics: For the next order just remember that Scholastics accept cheques only. 

Puzzle Buzz & Chickadee- Thanks to have checked off yes or no and returned the forms already.  Much appreciated! 

Have a great hopefully warm and sunny next week!

Monday, 15 September 2014

A Sunny September

This morning we looked at the week's forecast and we were all excited about the warm temperatures this next week!

This week: 

Today: Zero the Hero visited us today because it was our 10th day of school!

Thursday: Scholastic orders due


A few reminders:

Scholastics- Please remember that orders are CHEQUE ONLY. Cheques can be made payable to Scholastics Canada Ltd.

Communication: Just a reminder that you will be receiving 2 communications every month: one from me and the other from the office. Don't forget also to stay connected to St. Thomas via the online newsletter, facebook and twitter! The school website is: https://sites.google.com/a/lcsd.ca/ecole-st-thomas-2/home

School allergies: Just a reminder that we have some severe allergies to nuts in our school. We ask that students come to school with nut-free lunches. Thank you for your consideration.


Other information: The words that we are working in class this week: la, ma, sa, il va, ton papa. Next week we will be onto the sound "e"! I still highly suggest that you work different words from the entire word list for Grade 1.

FORVO- is an WEBSITE or a 2.99$ app. It was suggested to me by our wonderful resourceful Cheryl Sikora for parents who want to know how certain words are pronounced. It is crowd sourced so there's a huge variety of people who have recorded themselves say words in their mother tongue. Sometimes you can hear a few different variations for the same word as well!

Have a great week!



Monday, 8 September 2014

Welcome to 1C with Mme Leflar

Welcome to a new year! We have got ourselves organized into Grade 1 and are excited for the learning ahead. The purpose of this blog is to share with you our successes as well as upcoming events or any timely information that could be helpful. I try to keep this updated on a weekly basis, but at times it ends up every few weeks.

Here's a look at this week:

Wednesday: Early Dismissal at 2:30

Friday: Library (please have the books returned by Thursday)


Timely information:

Library: Once during our 6 day cycle we will go to the library to pick a book out. These books are to encourage reading for pleasure. Students are not expected to read these books independently!

Our school theme: If you have been in the school you may have noticed there are alot of stars and sunshines around! The theme for our school this year is: “I am the light of the world,”- John 8:12. We have chosen sources of light such as candles, stars, the sun, etc., to represent this. The light not only represents God, but His direction and guidance.

The weather: It seems like fall is hitting us early. The students thought it was pretty funny today when I told them it is still technically summer! Please ensure your child comes prepared for the weather. The mornings can be chilly and at times they are outside for 30 minutes.


Student concerns: Grade 1 is a big change for your child, as they adjust into the new routines of full time school, please let me know if you have any concerns.


Stay warm this week!




Saturday, 7 June 2014

June already?

It is hard to believe that there are only 2 more Fridays left with our class. The year has flown by so fast.

Let`s slow down to take a recap of the last few weeks:


Have you heard about our classroom pets? Friday when the students left we had 2 butterflies already. The students were REALLY lucky to watch a larve transforme into a chrysalid right before their eyes. It truly is amazing to experience this! I will be announcing next week the day we will be releasing our butterflies into the wild. Please feel free to join us if you are able to make it. 




One of the Reading Prize options is to bring show and tell. We were lucky to have the visit of a bearded dragon!











Dress Like a Teacher: I was humbled by all the lovely Mme Leflar`s in my class that day. The Mr.Vince`s got to put their whistles to use during the gym period!






Now to look ahead to a very busy week:

Wednesday: Library & Early Dismissal at 2:30
Thursday: Salad Bar
Friday: Benefit Concert at Vic Juba


More about the Benefit Concert: This year we have transformed our Talent Show into a Benefit Concert, in hopes of raising more awareness about our global citizenship project. We have raised over 1,000$ already with our goal of 10,000$ that will be used to build a school in Haiti through Free the Children. On the 13th students are welcome to bring donations to support our project. As well, if you are intersted in buying a ``brick`` 25$ please contact me and I will give you more details about this. Check out our `school` in the AV room that is going up as we raise more funds!

Thanks for all of your support at home!

Mme Leflar

Tuesday, 20 May 2014

May 20-23

It is hard to believe that we are in our second last week of May already! This blog post will highlight events this week as well as inform you on a few matters and celebrate past happenings!

This week:

WEDNESDAY: "Into the Future Day" - Dress like you imagine people will dress like in the future!

THURSDAY: Pharmacy presentation

FRIDAY: "Dress Like a Teacher Day"- Pick a teacher in the school and dress like them!

Important items:

A letter should have came home today regarding our 2014 Play Day that will take place on Thursday June 5th. If you are able to volunteer in the morning please fill out the back of the letter and return it by Tuesday May 27.


Past happenings:


The students had fun last month completing an in school research project about their animal. We also enjoyed their presentations!


Last week's gospel was about Jesus as our shepherd. Friday we had fun with this craft! They were so cute I had to hang them before I send them home. :)


Wishing you a wonderful week full of spring weather!

Mme Leflar

Tuesday, 13 May 2014

An eventful week


I hope all of you Mother's had a wonderful day Sunday!

Please read carefully through the events this week:

Today: Aboriginal Awareness Week Presentation: Toys and Games

Tomorrow: Postitive Choices Tour Presentation 9A.M.
                  VERY IMPORTANT MESSAGE: As the presentation is starting at 9a.m., we will be walking over to Holy Rosary at the lastest at 8:55. If you are dropping off your child tomorrow morning, it would be very helpful to have them here by 8:50. Thanks in advance for your help and cooperation!
                  Junior ATB Deposit Day
                  Early Dismissal at 2:30

Thursday- Grade 1 Celebration @ St. Anthony's. The Celebration commences at 10:00 a.m. If you are joining your child for lunch, please bring a picnic blanket as it looks like we will have nice enough weather to have the picnic outside! Again please respect the nutrition policy that we have here at St. Thomas.

Lastly, we have been talking about how to care for our world. Yesterday during religion class we went outside to clean up our school yard. I was SOO very impressed how positive the attitude was in our classroom!

Wishing you all a great week!

Mme Leflar

Tuesday, 6 May 2014

Welcome to May...winter or spring?

Just a quick post for this week:

REMINDERS: Please ensure your child is coming to school dressed for the weather. At lunch today it felt like -4C and the morning would have been colder than that. Some students are outside in the morning for 30 minutes and that can get quite chilly. Thank you!

Lost and Found: All lost and found items are displayed nicely on tables right now in the bootroom. If you have a lonely mitten, or a missing sweater come take a peak at the tables!


This week:

Wednesday: Library
Thursday: Scholastics due
Friday: Family Movie Night (see note sent home tonight)

Next week:

Wednesday: Early Dismissal
Thursday: Grade 1 Celebration at St.Anthony's (see newsletter for details)

Monday, 14 April 2014

A busy week ahead

I continue to be impressed with how well the students have been progressing in their L to J spelling! We received our 11th All Time Best as a class last week and celebrated Friday with PJ Day. See below how we love to make funny faces!


This week:

Wednesday: Sausage Fundraiser Distribuation

Thursday: The Stations of the Cross is being presented  in the gymnasium at 9:30. You are welcome to join us in this special service. 

Thursday: Salad Bar Lunch

Friday: No School

Enjoy the Easter Break! I look forward to returning on the 28th as a Mrs!

Signing off for the last time as Mlle Ross :) 

Monday, 31 March 2014

A warmer week ahead?

Coming home tonight is our first research project in 1C. We have been learning about why we do research! What an interesting topic about why our body needs vitamins. In doing research I even learned some new things! Please ensure the project paper is returned Thursday! Please see my email if you would like to know more about your role as a parent. I am hoping it is easy yet interesting for both you and your child!

RELIGION: This week we are starting our Fully Alive Unit 3. A letter should have came home yesterday explaining the content to this unit.

This week's school Lenten fundraiser: Who can stay the longest taped to the wall? Mme Kreese or Aidan Conacher?! Wednesday and Thursday students are invited to bring in any amount of donation to put in the Aidan pot or the Mme Kreese pot! Their donations will help add more tape to the person of their choice! Friday the challenge will go down during the noon hour! What a fun way to add 'bricks' to our total sum to donate towards building a school in Haiti. 

This project is very near and dear to my heart as in 2009 I was blessed with the opportunity to travel to Kenya through Me to We (Free the Children). My first day of teaching was in an old school building. The cracks between the wood slats seperating me from the next classroom made teaching a class of 30 really hard as the voice of the next teacher came loud and clear through into my room. I was told the dirt floors were often filled with water during rainy season, as the rain would come right down the hill to that classroom. So kids would sit, feet soaked in mud, yet thrilled to be at school. On my trip I also got to teach in a school room that Free the Children had built. The walls were sound proof, the windows kept the dust out and the floors were nice and clean. Even though we are not raising money to build a school in Kenya, I know that you could probably find similar conditions in Haiti. I am so thrilled to be part of this journey at St. Thomas!

This week:

Wednesday: Accepting donations for Lenten fundraiser

Thursday: Library
                Accepting donations for Lenten fudraiser
                Reasearch project page due

Friday: Mme Kreese and Aidan Conacher will be taped to the walls of our school!

Bringing food to school: We would like to remind you that we have LCSD nutritional guidelines for healthy eating at school. Often parents want to bring sweets, cakes etc for birthdays as a treat for their child. In a class of 20+ students we end up with cake/cookies more than our nutritional guidelines allow. Please consider the following when bringing special treats into the school for special occasions:
1. PRIOR NOTICE: Please always alert your teacher of your desire to bring in the treat food so that we can ensure that students with food requirements are not excluded from these activities and we can ensure the safety of all children with allergies. Food brought without notice WILL NOT be served to ensure we are adhering to our guidelines.
2. HEALTHY CHOICES: Please remember that fruits, vegetables and other health options are preferred as shareable treats. Thanks for helping us to encourage healthy snacks at school. If you baked a healthy choice, please provide the ingredients list to your child's teacher when you alret them of your desire to bring it in. Our nutritional guidelines do not support cakes, candies, treats to be shared at school. 

Thank you for your cooperation on keeping our school safe and healthy!

Concours: Thanks to all parents who were able to come and watch their child's performance. The students all did a wonderful job! Thanks for all the hard work that you put in! 

Have a great week!



Monday, 24 March 2014

Is Spring really here?

A huge thanks to all parents who have been sending appropriate outdoor gear for our crazy weather!

Here is a look at this week:

Tuesday: 9:05-9:25- You are welcome to join us for our Concours presentation. The students have been working hard to prepare for their "Show and Shine"

Wednesday: Junior ATB Deposit Day
                   Ag Days fieldtrip (PM)

Friday: Salad Bar Lunch


It was great to see the healthy eating challenge papers coming back so colourful! I thank each and everyone of you for helping your children understand the importance of healthy eating. Below are the portions that we discussed for children their age:

Meats and alternatives: 1 portion
Grain Products: 4 portions
Milk Products: 2 portions
Fruits and Vegetables: 5 portions

Here are a few pictures highlighting  some events last week:

We did an egg experiment to understand how different drinks affect our teeth. We also brushed the eggs afterwards to help us understand why it is important to brush our teeth! It was soo fun to watch the students reaction through the different stages of the experiment! We discovered that coffee, coke and grape juice stained the egg alot.

The grape juice egg:


We all took turns looking at and touching the eggs once we took them out of the liquid after soaking for 24 hours. 


The Coke egg: 


The milk egg: 


The water egg: 


Tegan was our Star of the Week last week and Friday he brought in his dog to share with us! Here are the silly faces we can make! 


Have a great week!

Monday, 17 March 2014

Spring is springing upon us!

This week there are only a few items:

All week: Please help your child participate in our class challenge of healthy eating!

Tomorrow: Scholastic orders due
                  Library Day tomorrow

Thursday: First day of Spring!!

Thursday & Friday: Forms due for Salad Bar lunches (coming home tomorrow)

Have a great week!

Mlle Ross :)

Monday, 10 March 2014

Spring is on its way!

I apologize for not keeping up with the blog in February. It was such a crazy month!

Welcome to March! I will be sending out the March newsletter tonight with more dates to put on your calendar.

This week:

Wednesday: Mass @ St. Anthony's @ 9:30 a.m.
                    Junior ATB Deposit Day
                    Early Release at 2:30 p.m.



Scholastiques are coming home today. If you would like to place an order please return the form by March 18.

I would like to share with you some photos taken in the past month!

Carnaval fun!













Our 1C Duc and Duchesse  

100 day celebration! Zéro the Héro ended up being our St. Thomas Tigre, but he came so unexpectedly that Mlle didn`t get a picture of him! We had lots of fun lining up the 100 items we had brought to school. We practiced counting by 10s at the snack stations. A huge thanks to all parents who helped make this day a success!





Tuesday, 28 January 2014

First Blog Post of 2014!

I apologize that it has taken me this long to get back on the blog train!

This week: 

Tomorrow (Wednesday)- Junior ATB Deposit Day- interested in starting a savings account for your child?                                           Talk to me!
Thursday- Student Led Conferences are from 4:30 to 6:30. This is on a drop in basis! It should take you about 15 minutes to go through your child's portfolio. We have been busy preparing it for you and we are excited to show you the learning that has been happening!

Next week: CARNAVAL WEEK!!

Wednesday- 7:30-8:30- Family Picnic Pancake Breakfast
                    10:45- Opening Ceremonies

Thursday- 12:45-2:45- Our French Canadian Outfdoor Activities Afternoon

Friday- 2:30- Closing Ceremonies

Happenings around the classroom!

It is fun to watch the students have fun working with words! The Twix sticks on the wall seems to be a big hit!


Our 5th and final part of Daily 5 is under way. Students have been usng Tumble Book to listen to reading. If you want the Tumble Books login information and don't have it, let me know! The kids have LOTS of stories to choose from! 


We had some pretty crazy ties during our Hockey Day in Candada week! Lots of Don Cherry trainees. :)