Playdough Request

I was wondering if I could have a couple of volunteers to make up some playdough so we can have a fresh batch for after the break? What we have now is getting quite dry and is very well used so I'm sure the kids would love some new stuff! I have a very easy recipe- and the kids love it! (Feel free to use it at home as well!) If you are willing, please send me a note to let me know. Thanks!

Smelly Play Clay
2 1/2 cups white flour (up to 3 cups if it seems too wet)
2 pkgs unsweetened Kool-Aid (you choose the flavour!)
1/2 cup salt
1 tbsp alum or cream of tartar
2 cups boiling water
3 tbsp vegetable oil

Mix together first four ingredients.
Add boiling water and stir.
Add oil and continue mixing until cool enough to handle. Knead dough until it isn't sticky (you may need to add more flour here).
Store in air tight container (Ziplock bag)

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

Thank you to everyone who came out to the concert yesterday! The children worked really hard and were so excited to share with you. They all really enjoyed themselves (as we hope you did as well) and they did a wonderful performance didn't they?! Congratulations to our wreath winners! I hope you enjoy them :)

Mme Giles and I would also like to say a big Thank You! and Merci! for all of the lovely cards and gifts the children have been bringing in for us. We feel so spoiled! Thanks so much for you kindness, support and generosity.
We wish you all the best over the coming Holiday Season. Have a wonderful break, be safe and enjoy time together with family, friends and loved ones. We look forward to seeing everyone back safe and sound and well rested on January 6th :)

Here are a few photos from the concert...

 

 

Clairlea Spirit Week

Next week is Spirit Week at Clairlea! Each day we will be dressing up to promote school school spirit.
Monday is PJ Day- come in your pyjamas!
Tuesday is Twin Day- come dressed the same as your friend or sibling!
Wednesday is Sports Day- come dressed with your favourite team's colours and/or jersey!
Thursday is Festive Wear Day- come dressed up for the season!
And Friday is a PA Day.

3-D Figures

This week we've been busy getting ready for our Ho-Ho-Holiday Concert and making lots of festive decorations and crafts. The students have been having lots of fun and working hard creating some great pieces of art!
We've also been working on 3-D Figures. This week we focused on how we can identify them and why they are different. Here are some vocabulary words that we've been learning:

 Le pointe                            Tip

 Le côté                               Side

Le face                               Face

Le coin                              Corner

Le sphère                           Sphere

Le prisme                           Prism

Le cylindre                         Cylinder

Le cône                              Cone

Le pyramide                       Pyramid

Le cube                              Cube

Food and Hat & Mitten Drive

It's not too late to help! Here at Clairlea we're running a Food (non-perishable items) and Hat & Mitten Drive and are asking families to bring in items to help those in need this Holiday and winter season. If you can, please send something with your child- we will be accepting donations until next Thursday.
Merci!

Wreath Raffle at the Ho-Ho-Holiday Concert

A Little Reminder…

The Kindergarten Ho-Ho-Holiday Concert is next

Tuesday, December 17^th, at 1:00 p.m. in the gym.

Hope to see everyone there!

As part of the event, each class has fashioned two holiday wreaths to raffle off to two lucky families. Be sure to come ready to buy tickets!

1 ticket for $2 or 3 tickets for $5

A Kindergarten Ho-Ho-Holiday Concert!

Dear Parents/Caregivers,

In celebration of the up-coming Holiday Season, our Kindergarten Classes will be hosting a Ho-Ho-Holiday Concert on Tuesday, December 17^th, 2013 at 1:00 p.m. in the gym here at Clairlea. Each class will be performing a couple of numbers and small refreshments will be provided at the end of the performance. Classes will run as usual on the day of- i.e. morning classes begin at 8:40 with the regular pick-up time of 11:15 a.m. and afternoon classes being at the regular 12:40 start time. We ask that all students in the morning classes come back to school at 12:40 and parents make their way to the gym at this time to get everything ready to go so we can start at 1! Please plan to join us and invite friends and family members to do the same.

Looking forward to seeing everyone on the 17th!

Food and Hat & Glove Drive

It’s that time of the year again... It’s cold outside, so we need to start thinking about those children and families in need.
Clairlea PS will be collecting new hats and gloves/mittens as well as non-perishable food items for needy families this holiday season. Bring your all items to the tree in the front foyer. All items will be donated to families in need.
Help us make sure that everyone has a full tummy and is warm this winter season!

New Songs

This week, we've also been working on a couple of new songs. If you would like to listen to them at home, here are a couple of YouTube links:
Quand le Pere Noel
Vive le vent!

Quand le père Noël vient me visiter

Refrain : Quand le père Noël vient me visiter

Il descend par la cheminée 

Il porte des bottes noires 

Ho ho ho! 

Il porte des bottes noires 

Avec une culotte rouge 

Ho ho ho! 

Il porte des bottes noires 

Avec une culotte rouge 

Avec une ceinture noire 

Ho ho ho! 

Il porte des bottes noires 

Avec une culotte rouge 

Avec une ceinture noire 

Avec un beau manteau rouge 

Ho ho ho! 

Il porte des bottes noires 

Avec une culotte rouge 

Avec une ceinture noire 

Avec un beau manteau rouge 

Avec une tuque rouge 

Ho ho ho! 

Vive le Vent!

Vive le vent, vive le vent,

Vive le vent d'hiver,

Qui s'en va sifflant soufflant 

Dans les grands sapins verts, oh!

Vive le temps, vive le temps,

Vive le temps d'hiver,

Boules de neige et Jour de l'An

Et Bonne Annee grand-mere!

More and more of les formes!

We've been having lots of fun continuing to talk about shapes this week! Also, with the weather getting colder, we've been talking about clothing and the various articles we need to keep warm and what we would wear throughout the different seasons. We've been working hard and learning lots. The focus this week was to differentiate between various shapes and to identify and describe what a shape looks like and how we know how to identify it. The students had lots of fun with these activities:

Library books for the week

Sorry! The computer system was down today so we were unable to sign out books for the week. Hopefully it will be up and running for next week. For those who didn't return their library books, please make sure they're back by next Wednesday so everyone can get a new book. Merci!

Save the Date!

On Tuesday December 17th at 1:00 p.m., we will be having a Winter Concert especially for the Kindergarten classes in the gym here at Clairlea. Each class will perform a couple of numbers and at the end there will be a few numbers for everyone together. Please mark the date on your calendar and try to attend- I'm sure you won't want to miss it :)

Les formes partout!

This week in Room 109, we had a great assembly honoring those who have served and continue to serve our country for Remembrance Day. The students were very respectful and enjoyed watching their school mates put on various performances for the event. We've also been continuing to learn about shapes: how to make them, what attributes they have and where we see them. The children are having lots of fun working with them and are excited to learn new things. Here are some pictures from the week:

Outdoor Play

The weather is getting colder and so are we! Please send your child prepared to play outside EVERYDAY. This means: hats, mittens, a good coat, boots, etc.
Although we don't get outside everyday, we try to go out as often as possible so please make sure your child is prepared for the weather each day.
Merci! :)

Our New Pets and This Week in Room 109

It seems I forgot to mention our new pets!
A couple of weeks ago, we welcomed a few new additions to our class: Swimmy, Citrouille, Bob L'eponge and Nick- our goldfish. The children love to watch them, feed them and take care of them. They even remind me if I forget.

This week we have been talking about Remembrance Day and how lucky we are to have such a wonderful country to live in and how grateful we should be to those who fought for our freedom and peace.

Some of the words we have been learning to help us talk about this are:

Le Jour du Souvenir        Remembrance Day

Le coquelicot                     Poppy

Le soldat                              Soldier

Le vétéran                          Veteran

Le paix                                 Peace

We have also started to talk about 2-D shapes: where we see them, how we identify them and what we can make with them. In addition to this, the students have been working on their fine-motor skills by doing some sewing and letter work. They love the listening centre this week!

Les formes                          Shapes

Le carré                               Square

Le triangle                            Triangle

Le cercle                              Circle

L’ovale                                 Oval

Le rectangle                         Rectangle

L’octogone                          Octagon

Le pentagone                      Pentagon

L’hexagone                        Hexagon

Interviews

Today your child brought home a notice regarding Parent-Teacher Interviews. I would love to meet with you all! Please fill the form out accordingly and send it in as soon as possible to ensure you get the time that is most convenient for you. If none of those times work, please don't hesitate to contact me or indicate on the form and we will try and figure out a time that works best for everyone. As soon as I have received your form, I will send a note home confirming our meeting.
Look forward to seeing you!

Our Celebration

We had a great day celebrating the end of fall and enjoying a class party. Almost everyone was dressed up for Spirit Day and lots of people brought in treats to share. Thank you for all your generosity and sharing. The kids really enjoyed it! We sang some songs, played some games, ate some treats and shared our costumes. Here is a picture of us all dressed up!

Fun at the Farm

We had a great day today at the farm! Although it was a little chilly, the kids had a great time riding the wagon, learning about how pumpkins grow and exploring life on the farm. Here's a few photos from the trip:

A BIG THANK YOU and MERCI goes out to all the parent volunteers who joined us and helped make this day great. We couldn't have done it without you :)