What have we been up to?

I hope everyone had a wonderful long weekend! In Team Hummingbird we have been talking about different colours, and colour mixing. We also did an experiment using crayons and a hair dryer to see what would happen when the crayons got too hot. The students made predictions about what they thought would happen before we started:

"It's going to make a splatter all over the board!" (Elise)

"The crayons are going to get hot." (Ethan)

"They're going to change colours." (Zoey)

"The crayons are going to melt." (Liam)

After we completed the experiment, we talked about what we observed:

"The longer we used the dryer, the more colours came down." (Christopher)

"The crayons were getting shorter." (Eva)

"The dryer was hot and made all the colours change." (Andrew)

"The colours were mixing." (Abby)

Some other class updates:

Yesterday, Team Hummingbird visited our school library for the first time! They did a great job, and were very excited to pick out their own book and receive their library bag. The library bag acts as your child's library card - there is a bar code on the bag that we use when signing the books out of the library. It is very important that this bag be returned to school each week, as without this bag your child may not take out another book. We will be going to the library every Friday, so we ask that all books and bags be returned by Thursday. Please note that if the book or bag is lost or misplaced, you may be charged a fee to have it replaced. 

With the cooler weather fast approaching, we ask that you please check your child's extra clothes and make sure they have some clothing here at school that is appropriate for the cooler temperatures. If you would like us to send home their extra clothes, please leave a note in your child's note tote. 

Information will be sent home very soon regarding accessing the Raz Kids online reading program as well as Dreambox Math. We introduced Dreambox on the iPads last week, and the students were very excited about it! If you have any problems accessing either program, please let us know!

Scholastic book orders for October were sent home last week, and are due back on Friday, October 23. If you did not receive a flyer, please let us know, as we have a few extra copies. A reminder that payment this year can be made online - please select Carina Quinn as your child's teacher (Mme Brooking will handle the Scholastic orders for the Chickadee class). 

Enjoy the weekend!
Ms. Quinn

Family Picture

Hope you are enjoying your weekend! Fall is definitely upon us! This weekend, I went on a nature walk to collect some natural materials that we can explore in our class. If you collect some things on your journeys this weekend, feel free to send them in!

We would like to have a special place in our classroom to display a collection of family photos. This would give the students a chance to see and share their family photos with their classmates. We would like to have a photo of every student's family to display. If you have a family pet, you may consider sending in a photo of them as well. Since our hope is to display these photos all year, please do not send in a photo that you need to have returned, as we cannot guarantee it will be returned in perfect condition after being on display!

Also, school activity fees are due October 7th. If you haven't already paid, you can may your payment using our School Cash Online system. Please visit the school website (geo.ocsb.ca) for information about setting up an account.

The Scholastic Book Orders for September were due last Friday. Flyers for October will be sent home in the next week or so. Scholastic is a wonderful way for you to collect books for your child, while supporting our class. It is not mandatory for you to participate. If you have any questions about Scholastic, please feel free to send a note in your child's Note Tote.

Have a Super Sunday!
Ms. Quinn

Updates and Information

Today we practiced both a class and school wide fire drill. Team Hummingbird did an excellent job of getting out of the classroom quickly and quietly - way to go!

Tomorrow is our school Meet and Greet BBQ. Tickets for the pre-ordered food were sent home today. If you did not get your tickets, please send us a note in your child's note tote.

The Meet and Greet will begin at 5:00 in the school yard for dinner. A school year blessing will be said by Mrs. MacPhee at 6:00, after which students will be given the opportunity to tour their classroom with their guest(s) until the end of the Meet and Greet at 7:00. Parents and kindergarten students will also be invited to complete a very special project together during their classroom visit.

Please help keep our classroom clean by not bringing food from the dinner into our classroom. Please ensure that all food is finished before entering our learning environment. Thank you!

Please remember that Meet and Greet evening is not a formal interview - this evening is for you to meet your child's teachers, and explore the classroom with your child. Teachers will not be able to discuss individual student progress on this evening. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation!

Some other housekeeping items:

• Pizza order forms went home last week. If you wish to order pizza, please make sure to complete the form and return to the school by Friday, September 25. 
• Milk order forms were sent home today with the oldest Georges Vanier student in your family. Orders can be placed online with the Cash Online system. 
• If you haven't already paid your activity fee, please send in your $30/student payment in the note tote or use the Cash Online system.
• If you have a student in grades 1-6, please remember to pay the $8.00 agenda fee by using the Cash Online system or by sending in the money with your child. Kindergarten students do not have agendas. Agendas are for students in grades 1-6 only. 

See you tomorrow evening!

Last week we celebrated International Dot Day by reading the book "The Dot" by Peter H. Reynolds. This story is about a girl who feels like she can't create beautiful pieces of art because all she knows how to draw is a dot. Her teacher inspires her to see how every dot she creates is unique, and shows her how to "make her mark" on this world.

Some of our Dot Day creations made using bingo daubers!

More dot pictures, using bright coloured circles

To follow up with this story, we read another book called "Ten Black Dots". This story inspired us to create pictures using black circles - we used a special punch that made large circles out of black construction paper, and then created our own pictures to help tell a story. We have some of them displayed on our Wonder Wall, and we can't wait to show you at our Meet and Greet night next Wednesday (September 23).

Creating our "Ten Black Dots" inspired art!

*We are looking forward to meeting you and your families at our Meet and Greet BBQ on Wednesday September 23, from 5:00-7:00. At 6:00 a school year blessing will take place either outside or in the gym, and then students will be invited to visit their classrooms with their families.

International Dot Day!

Tomorrow (September 15) is International Dot Day! We will be reading the book "The Dot" by Peter H. Reynolds, and celebrating all things spotted! To help us celebrate, please wear any polka dot clothes you have at home. No polka dots? No problem - we'll make special hats to show our spotted side!

Some reminders and a request!

We have welcomed all of our new JK students into the Hummingbird class, and have started to settle into our daily routine. We hope that the transition is going smoothly for you as well - if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to give us a call here at the school (613-592-4371), or leave a note in the note tote (remember to leave the book open so we know there is a note for us)!

Just a reminder that your child's Note Tote (the large ziploc bag with the small communication book inside) should be returned to the school with your child every day. We use this to communicate important information with you, and to help keep you informed about the upcoming dates and events being held at our school.

Also, with the warm weather, our classroom can sometimes be very hot. We do have a water fountain in our classroom, however sometimes it can be in high demand. We encourage all of the students to bring a reusable water bottle in their backpacks.

We are also looking for some donations of play dough for our class! Play dough is fun for investigation and exploration, as well as helping children build up the tiny muscles and tendons in their hands, which helps them get ready for pencil and scissor control later on. Play dough can be squashed, squeezed, rolled, flattened, chopped, cut, raked, poked and shredded! Each one of these different actions aid fine motor development in a different way, not to mention eye-hand coordination and general concentration. If you would like to make some play dough for our class, please leave a note in your child's note tote!

Here is a great, easy recipe for homemade play dough:
1 cup white flour

1/2 cup salt
2 tablespoon cream of tartar (find it in the spice section)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil **Due to allergies, please no peanut or sesame oil!
1 cup water
food coloring

Mix first 4 ingredients in a pan. Add water and mix well. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 3 – 5 minutes. Dough will become difficult to stir and form a “clump”.  Remove from stove and knead for 5 minutes–add food coloring during kneading process. Play dough will keep for a long time stored in a covered plastic container or plastic sandwich bag.

Welcome back!

Welcome to the Hummingbird Kindergarten class at Georges Vanier! We are so happy to have you here in our class, and are looking forward to a fun-filled year. We hope you enjoyed your summer, and can't wait to hear all about your adventures.

We are very excited to tell you about some changes to the Hummingbird teachers this year. As you might remember from the end of the year, Mme Natalie will be teaching grade 4 this year. This year both Ms. Quinn and Mme Brooking will be the Hummingbird teachers. Mrs. S will still be in our class, and we also welcome Mrs. Brunton, an educational assistant who will working in our classroom this year. For the first week of school, both Mrs. S and Ms. Quinn will be in the class every day. After that, Ms. Quinn and Mme Brooking will alternate days.

On the first day of school, Mrs. S, Mrs. Gogo, and Mrs. Moulton will be out in the school yard by the big tree at 8:50 to help you figure out what classroom you will be in and who your teachers will be (hint: if you were a Hummingbird JK last year, you will be a Hummingbird SK this year), At 8:50 AM, teachers will post lists outside the big windows by the tree so everyone can see who is in each class. We have lots of new friends joining our class this year, so you will meet some new faces in the schoolyard. If you are lost and not sure what to to, please find a teacher in an orange and yellow vest and ask them for help.

If you are moving onto Grade 1 this year, your teachers will also be meeting you in the yard on Tuesday morning. At 8:50 AM, the teachers will post chart paper along the back wall of the school with teacher names and student names on them. This will help you figure out which grade 1 class you will be in - all you need to do is look for your name. If you need help, you can always ask any teacher wearing an orange and yellow vest for help, or come back to the big tree and ask one of us to help you.

We are so excited to see you tomorrow!

Love,
The Team Hummingbird Teachers