Friday 30 September 2011

It's Friday!

Hello everyone,

I hope everyone is having a great start to the weekend. Today was a very, very fun day at Chudleigh's. Everyone had a lot of fun and so did I.  We got to go on a hay ride to the apple orchards and then all picked many apples.  After our hard work picking those apples, we each got to enjoy our own as we walked back to the store.  We saw many animals, some of us were lucky to pet them, which included a horse, donkeys, chickens, deer, pigs, and a very colourful looking peacock. We enjoyed our lunches outside, hungry as can be after a busy morning of picking apples.

After lunch, we played at the playground there, went through the hay maze, and had some fun looking and touching the vintage farm machinery that was there for show. The students loved those old, traditional tractors and it was hard to get them to walk back to the bus because they were having so much fun!

Overall, we had a very good day. CONGRATULATIONS to Ramsey for winning a Terry Fox T-shirt because he fundraised the most money for the Terry Fox Run!  Ramsey was not here for the ceremony, but I will be sure to give his hard-earned t-shirt to him on Monday!

Have a great weekend, everyone. See you all on Monday!

Ms. H.

Thursday 29 September 2011

Hello!

We did a lot of things today as we will not be having any class tomorrow because we are going to....



CHUDLEIGH'S!!!!


We sang a song called "Me," which is all about our body and learning the different functions of each body part (i.e. the eyes are for seeing, the ears are for hearing).  We also sang and practiced a song about apples, which we will hopefully sing tomorrow on the bus!

We did some activities about apples and read a poem together. I read two books by my FAVOURITE author, Robert Munsch.  He also read the books (online audio while I flipped the pages of the book) and the students LOVED it. I grew up reading Robert Munsch books so I thought that the students might enjoy it as much as I have. And they did. We read "Alligator Baby", "No Clean Clothes," and "Smelly Socks." If you have a chance to go to the library, I would suggest renting these books.  All the Robert Munsch books are hilarious and extremely entertaining for both you and your child. I'm sure many of you have heard or read one of his books.

We also did a craft, which was about recognizing fall leaves and their various colours. This was an easy craft and the kids had a lot of fun doing it. Here is a picture of one of the crafts they made.  I will be hanging them up on the classroom wall tomorrow afternoon.


These are little trees. The colours represent the various colours of the leaves outside during the fall season.  The poem on the tree trunk says, "Red and yellow, green and brown. Leaves are falling, to the ground."


A friendly note: we WILL be going on the field trip tomorrow, rain or shine. So please still arrive on time with a throwaway lunch. :)


Have a great night!



Wednesday 28 September 2011

Hello!

Good evening everyone, 


Today was a little hectic but we did a lot of fun things today. We started off the day with a nice walk to the park in order to get some fresh air and to talk about fall weather. It was a lot of fun and very nice outside. When we got inside, we did some work on our All About Me booklets. A lot of today was dedicated to our unit of inquiry, who we are. Learning about our bodies, ourselves, and our likes and dislikes. We practiced putting different body parts on drawn poster of a boy named "Spencer." Everyone did very well on this assignment. 


They were a little chatty during drama with Mrs. Deras, but I had a talk with them after and they should be better for her next drama class. 



*The field trip to Chudleigh’s is this Friday. Buses will be leaving at 9 AM SHARP. Please be at the school by 8:45 amA reminder to bring bagged lunches and throwaway drinks. This trip’s parent volunteers are Jordan’s grandfather, Vishva’s mom, Demiana’s mom, and Jaiden’s mom. 
*The Family Trees will be made next Monday. If you haven’t brought in the information form/pictures/bristol board, please do so by next Monday.

Have a great night!!!

Tuesday 27 September 2011

It's Tuesday!

Hello parents and guardians, 
Today was a good day to work on our summative assessment for our first unit of inquiry, who we are.  We are in the process of completing our "All About Me" booklets. We started today by drawing and colouring ourselves on the front cover of our booklet.  We also continued making patterns and are in the process of making a loooooong line of links made out of construction paper. We also did some exercises in the gym after our circle time in the morning, just to get them energized!
We are learning a song about apples... I'm sure some of you have already heard it. Just a reminder that:
*Tomorrow is Casual Day. If you have paid the $20 fee, please dress your child in casual clothing. If you have not paid the fee, please dress your child in his or her school uniform
*Thursday will be Show and Share Day. The letter for this week is “E”. The Show and Share volunteers are Vishva and Alisha
*I sent home new books and new reading log sheets. Please find the sheets in your child’s Snuggle Up and Read folder
*The field trip to Chudleigh’s is this Friday. Buses will be leaving at 9 AM SHARP. Please be at the school by 8:45 am. A reminder to bring bagged lunches and throwaway drinks. This trip’s parent volunteers are Jordan’s grandfather, Vishva’s mom, Demiana’s mom, and Jaiden’s mom. 
*The Family Trees will be made next Monday. If you haven’t brought in the information form/pictures/bristol board, please do so by next Monday.


Have a great night!!!

Sunday 25 September 2011

Hello!

For parents/guardians who have not handed in their child's Family Tree information form, please send it with your child tomorrow. We will be starting the construction of our Family Tree projects on Tuesday. Thank you and have a great night!!

Friday 23 September 2011

Happy Friday!

Today was a fun day!

The Terry Fox Run was a success today. Everyone was excited, energetic, and did very well overall, walking for the entire 30 minute duration. Good job, everyone!

We watched a mini clip about Terry Fox, which explained his legacy and why he is a strong symbol of Canadian patriotism. Everyone was very interested and their eyes were glued to the clip!

For art, we made little "pea" people, based on the book we read, "LMNO Peas." They are drying right now,  but everyone will be able to take them home on Monday.

Just a reminder that the Weekend Journal is due on Monday. 


Have a GREAAAAAAT weekend!!!!!

Thursday 22 September 2011

Happy Thursday!

Today was a good day for everyone. We started off the day with a scissor cutting exercise. Everyone did fairly well and I am glad to say that there was less "confetti" on the floor this time!

For our math data management unit, we are learning about patterns. So, today we did many pattern exercises. We went to the gym and did clapping/movement pattern exercises, which were a lot of fun. We also made patterns with wooden shapes and coloured plastic cubes. Everyone is getting the hang of understanding what a pattern is and what is not a pattern.

We also went over a couple of letters. Today, we wrote the letter "I" on the whiteboard. Each student had to write the letter without tracing it, something that they have gotten used to. Most students were able to successfully write the letter and did not need to trace it. I was very proud of them.

We also watched a movie about the alphabet called "Alphabet Soup." This movie is an educational, animated movie that encourages and teaches students the letters of the alphabet, how to recognize each letter, the sounds they make, and various words that begin with that letter.

Because everyone did very well today, the last half hour was free time, which consisted of playing with playdoh. They got very creative and enjoyed this activity very much. It was nice to occasionally allow them to express themselves through a different medium such as playdoh.

A reminder: tomorrow is the Terry Fox Run, between 2:30 - 3:30. We will be leaving the school for our walk immediately after second lunch (2:10). If you have any questions, please feel free to email me.

Have a great night!!

Ms. H.

Wednesday 21 September 2011

Hello, everybody!

On this rainy day, we accomplished a lot in class. It was a very productive day for our junior kindergarten students and a big step up from yesterday. I am very glad that we had a good day today!

Today, I started off the class by reading a book in French called, "Panda, Ce-que Tu Vois?" (Panda, what do you see?). It is similar to the classic children's book, "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" by Eric Carle and Bill Martin. I have noticed a great enthusiasm for reading when I read in French. Not only do I love, and have studied French for years of my undergrad, but the students love repeating the various French words in each book. I must say that they are able to pronounce most words in French very well. I will continue to read in French every other day because of the success I have already witnessed by doing so!

In order to get a sense of their understanding of the alphabet (written), I gave them a "mini" test today. I explained what the meaning of a "test" was and they quietly, and confidently, completed the worksheet, which required them to trace the letter "I" several times and to circle any letter "I" on the worksheet. You will receive these tests to sign tomorrow. They did a great job. We also learned about patterns today. This whole week's math will be focused on patterns (what they are, how to identify what is a pattern and what is not, and how to complete a pattern). I have sent home a worksheet we did on patterns today. They did it independently and, as you can see, successfully!

I have sent a "Family Tree" information sheet for you to fill out for your child. Please return it by this Friday. Thank you!

A reminder: Friday is our Terry Fox Run from 2:30-3:30. Please dress your child in his or her gym uniform for the day. 

See you all tomorrow!!!

Ms. H. 

Tuesday 20 September 2011

Good Evening, Parents!

I hope everyone is enjoying their evening, either at home or somewhere fun!

To be truthful, today was a rough day for all of us. Many students were unable to pay attention, listen, and do the assignments that I planned. For the assignments that we did do, we got through them really slowly. Our students need to work harder to focus during class time so that we may have a more successful, productive day together.

Some students were being a little too rough with each other, which resulted in some time outs. I read a book at the end of the day that talks about manners and about behaviour. I am hoping tomorrow will be a much better day!

I have returned the Care Journals and Weekend Journals. I loved all of the pictures that were included in some journal entries - awesome work! They were very detailed and a pleasure to read. I was very, very pleased with these first entries. I have also sent some work home in each book bag. Please return it signed for tomorrow's class.

The Terry Fox Run is on Friday, September 23, 2011 from 2:30 to 3:30. If you would not like your child to take part in this, please arrange for them to be picked up before this time as everyone in the school will be taking part in this event. If you have any questions, please feel free to speak to me directly tomorrow morning/afternoon or email me at jhusain@stjudesacademy.com

Tomorrow I will be sending home a sheet for parents to fill out. It is a family tree sheet for each child. This will be the first step for each child's first summative assessment for the who we are unit. Each child will be making a large-sized family tree and will be presenting it to their other classmates later next week. I will send a more detailed information sheet tomorrow with the family tree sheet.

Any questions, feel free to email me!

Have a great night,

Ms. H.

Monday 19 September 2011

One more thing!

I will also be reading a FANTASTIC alphabet book tomorrow. It is called, "LMNO Peas" by Keith Baker. It is another wonderful book that is a must have for all children. Great pictures and an excellent read. Hopefully the students will enjoy this book as much as I have!

Hello!

Good evening everyone,

Today was a rainy Monday, so we stayed inside for the entire day. I think the weather had everyone feeling a little down this morning so we started off with reading a book called, "Whoever You Are," by one of my favourite children's authors, Mem Fox. It is about recognizing our physical differences from each other and those around the world while also identifying our similarities within. It is a very good book and I suggest buying it for your own copy. Books by Mem Fox are typically value-centered, have wonderful pictures, and are interesting for young readers!

We also watched a "Franklin" episode that discusses our differences from one another. The students love Franklin and it is a great show to captivate the attention of young children and to teach them various lessons in life. We had Show and Share today. Our volunteers were Jordan, Jaiden, and Demiana. It was a very successful first Show and Share. To conclude our day, we used q-tips to paint dots on a picture of a foot. This deals with our first unit of inquiry, "Who we are" (see first few posts for this year). Surprisingly, painting was not too messy!

Just a reminder to parents:
*****I have been taking notice of the uniforms and there are still some students who are not dressing in the proper gym uniform, day uniform, or both. Please ensure that your child comes every day to class in the correct uniform. If you are still waiting for uniforms to arrive, please notify me so that I am aware. But please, please pay attention to the uniforms!

*Show and Share this week is based on the letter 'E' and not the letter 'A' as mentioned today in your child's agenda. This was my mistake and I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. The Show and Share volunteers for this week will still remain the same. 

Have a great night and see you tomorrow!!

Ms. H. 

Friday 16 September 2011

It's Friday (and Ms. M.'s Birthday)!

Good afternoon everyone,

Today was a very hectic day at class for all of the JKAs. Because of spirit day, many students were fairly energetic. So, instead of continuing with our lesson plan for the day, we decided to watch a couple episodes of "Curious George," did some colouring and cutting exercises, and played with some games and toys. I also read a sweet book called, I Lost My Kisses. It centres around a young girl who was searching for her "lost" kisses before she wished her father hello. The students seemed to enjoy this book very much!

During morning ceremonies, each house counted another house's coloured clothing. The winner of the Spirit Day competition was.......








Zeta!!!!! (The green coloured house!)


Thanks to everyone who dressed up. It was a lot of fun!

A friendly reminder:

*The Terry Fox Run is on Friday, September 23rd, 2011.  I sent home fundraising forms in each student's book bag today.
*The last day to hand in Chudleigh's field trip forms is on Monday, September 19th, 2011.
*Weekend Journals are due on Monday, September 19th, 2011




HAVE A FANTASTIC WEEKEND!!!!!!





Thursday 15 September 2011

Buenas noches, todos! (Good evening, everyone!)

It was so great to be back and active at school. I was very pleased with everyone because they were all quiet during morning ceremonies and lined up very quickly. We read a very, VERY big book today called "If You Give a Moose a Muffin." By the name, I'm sure everyone can see that the story deals with a moose and a muffin. So if your child suddenly asks you for a muffin with blackberry jam, you will know why!

We also did some counting sheets and counted together. Everyone did very well with this activity. We also did some colouring sheets to go over the two letters we learnt this week - the letter 'U' and the letter 'I.' Everyone had lots of fun at music class. Then again, music class is always fun!  

In order to encourage my students to learn more French, I have decided to read a children's book in French every other day. Today, I read a counting book in French called "Je Compte de 1 à 10" (I count from 1 to 10). After I read every number and object in French, everyone would repeat it. The students loved this and they did very, very well with their pronunciation. I was very pleased.

Before I wish you farewell, I would just like to remind you all that tomorrow is Spirit Day. So please do not forget to dress your child up in his or her house colour. Refer to the House List posted below.

Have a super night!!

Ms. H.

Wednesday 14 September 2011

Bonjour!

Joyeux Mercredi (Happy Wednesday!),

Although I was not at school today, I heard that all of the students got along very well with Mrs. Gupta!

On Tuesday, they began learning to write and become familiar with the letter 'U.' Today, they will be learning to write the letter 'I,' in lower and upper case. I am proud to say that they did very well learning the letter 'U.' I have marked their worksheets and was very happy with all of my students. Great work to all of you!

I have a special day planned tomorrow for all of my students. We will be reading a very large book (even bigger than myself, I'm sure!) called "If You Give a Moose a Muffin." I will also be using finger puppets and other props to help me with this storey. This book is a lot of fun and, through reading such stories, I hope to develop a love for reading among all of our young students. 

I hope all of you have started reading the books I sent home with your child on Tuesday. If you are done, please keep it in the book bag until I replace it with a new book on Monday. You may also choose to read other books with your child. Please continue to record all reading minutes in your child's Read Log. 

A friendly reminder: 
*Please hand in any Chudleigh's field trip forms by Monday.
*Spirit Day is on Friday. So please dress your child in his or her house colour.
*Sprinkle cookies are sold each day (2nd lunch) for $1 each

Have a great night,

Ms. H.  :)

Updated House List

St. Jude’s Academy
House List
2011-2012

ORANGE - KIP (37)
Padovan, Stella,
Nelson, Moreno
BLUE - TSPs (36)
Mischuk, Chang,
Grezki, Deras
GREEN - ZBP (37)
Haag, Husain,
Browning, Genco
Arielle Kotacka (7)
Evan Zylstra (8)
Kyle Cashin (7)
Serena Yakuse (7)
Sara Deras (7)
Kyle Tyborski (7)
Adrian Simone (6)
Keianna Charles (7)
Mark Dann (6)
KingsLi Dixon (5)
Damien Henry (6)
Cadance Tan (6)
Jude Sawatsky (5)
Rory Kotacka (5)
Danial Lalji (4)
Poorvi Balaji (4)
Alberto Paluzzi (5)
Tito Olatunbosun (5)
Nathanael Tan (4)
Ahmed Chakib (5)
Vikram Mallick (5)
Nathan Tyborski (4)
Thomas Dann (4)
Gabe Sawatsky (4)
Daniel Li (4)
Quinn Yakuse (4)
Charlotte Zylstra (4)
Omar Lubbad (3)
Temi Olatunbosun (3)
Frederick Meneses (4)
Jessica Li (3)
Shannon Tavares (3)
Nathan Irish (3)
Abel Amsalu (3)
Victoria Meneses (3)
Laila Lubbad (3)
Julia Padovan (3)
Jewel Chidiebiere (3)
Jaymes Clyke (3)
Mahalia Lotz (3)
Ghazi Ahmad(3)
Klara Deras (3)
Alex Norris (2)
Aditya Balaji (1)
Lukas Vokner (2)
Mishal Lalji (1)
Rayn Lakhani (1)
Sofia Marty (1)
Ninara Yousif (1)
Dumeir Lindsay (1)
Seanna Simone (1)
Emerald Chidiebiere (1)
Zuri Conliffe-Layne (1)
Angela Henein (1)
Alexis Birju (SK)
Sydney Brozo (SK)
Laryssa Cordero (SK)
Matthew Melino (SK)
Matthew Belz (SK)
Amron Amsalu (SK)
Ava Ghadrdoust (SK)
Shane Cashin (SK)
Safi Conliffe-Layne (SK)
Nikhil Karia (SK)
Kishnei Jalandoni (SK)
Ohanna Kang (SK)
Tanya Mollaei (SK)
Aditya Prasad (SK)
Rishaan Sachania (SK)
Melina Matai (SK)
Ryan Dub (SK)
Ansh Singh (SK)
Emilia Elumeze (SK)
Kian Sargood (SK)
Anisha Khosla (JKB)
Owais Farid (JKB)
Anastasia Callon (JKB)
Junya Peeters (JKB)
Zachary Martin (JKB)
Alyssa Simone (JKB)
Kira Thomas (JKB)
Cassidy Johnson (JKB)
Bianca Johnson (JKB)
Jayden Tavares (JKB)
Aaron Falconer (JKB)
Ethan D’Souza (JKB)
Julian Bogulewski (JKB)
Tomasz Tarczyluk (JKB)
Gabriella Vokner (JKB)
Tessa Barringon (JKB)
Akshay Gupta (JKB)
Arjun Virk (JKB)
Mia Palmer-St. Kitts (JKB)
Evan Yep (JKB)
Sara Sutantyo (JKB)
Nicole Wishlitzky (JKB)
(Sai) Pranav Majji (JKB)
Janina Wood (JKA)
Michael Wood (JKB)
Vishva Sachania (JKA)
Ramsay Chung (JKA)
Demiana Irbib (JKA)
Sebastian Osterling (JKA)
Jaiden Karia (JKA)
Jordan McPherson (JKA)
Leon Zhao (JKA)
Josef Al Attar (JKA)
Alisha Pervaiz (JKA)
Hayden Choi (JKA)

Kasen Sargood (JKA)

Tuesday 13 September 2011

St. Jude’s Academy
House List
2011-2012

ORANGE - KIP (34)
Padovan, Stella,
Nelson, Moreno
BLUE - TSPs (35)
Mischuk, Chang,
Grezki, Deras
GREEN - ZBP (34)
Haag, Husain,
Browning
Arielle Kotacka (7)
Evan Zylstra (8)
Kyle Cashin (7)
Josiah McPherson (7)
Sara Deras (7)
Kyle Tyborski (7)
Serena Yakuse (7)
Keianna Charles (7)
Mark Dann (6)
Adrian Simone (6)
Damien Henry (6)
Cadance Tan (6)
KingsLi Dixon (5)
Rory Kotacka (5)
Danial Lalji (5)
Jude Sawatsky (5)
Daniel McPherson (5)
Tito Olatunbosun (5)
Poorvi Balaji (4)
Alberto Paluzzi (5)
Gabe Sawatsky (4)
Nathanael Tan (4)
Ahmed Chakib (5)
Charlotte Zylstra (4)
Nathan Tyborski (4)
Thomas Dann (4)
Frederick Meneses (4)
Omar Lubbad (3)
Quinn Yakuse (4)
Nathan Irish (3)
Jessica Li (3)
Temi Olatunbosun (3)
Laila Lubbad (3)
Abel Amsalu (3)
Shannon Tavares (3)
Jaymes Clyke (3)
Julia Padovan (3)
Victoria Meneses (3)
Klara Deras (3)
Alex Norris (2)
Jewel Chidiebiere (3)
Lukas Vokner (1)
Mishal Lalji (1)
Aditya Balaji (1)
Sofia Marty (1)
Ninara Yousif (1)
Rayn Lakhani (1)
Noah McPherson (1)
Emerald Chidiebiere (1)
Dumeir Lindsay (1)
Seanna Simone (1)
Alexis Birju (SK)
Zuri Conlieffe-Layne (1)
Laryssa Cordero (SK)
Matthew Melino (SK)
Sydney Brozo (SK)
Amron Amsalu (SK)
Ava Ghadrdoust (SK)
Matthew Belz (SK)
Safi Conlieffe-Layne (SK)
Nikhil Karia (SK)
Shane Cashin (SK)
Ohanna Kang (SK)
Tanya Mollaei (SK)
Kishnei Jalandoni (SK)
Rishaan Sachania (SK)
Melina Matai (SK)
Aditya Prasad (SK)
Ansh Singh (SK)
Emilia Elumeze (JKB)
Ryan Dub (SK)
Junya Peeters (JKB)
Zachary Martin (JKB)
Anastasia Callon (JKB)
Kira Thomas (JKB)
Cassidy Johnson (JKB)
Alyssa Simone (JKB)
Jayden Tavares (JKB)
Aaron Falconer (JKB)
Bianca Johnson (JKB)
Julian Bogulewski (JKB)
Tomasz Tarczyluk (JKB)
Ethan D’Souza (JKB)
Tessa Barringon (JKB)
Akshay Gupta (JKB)
Gabriella Vokner (JKB)
Mia Palmer-St. Kitts (JKB)
Evan Yep (JKB)
Arjun Virk (JKB)
Nicole Wishlitzky (JKB)
Hayden Choi (JKA)
Janina Wood (JKA)
Michael Wood (JKA)
Vishva Sachania (JKA)
Ramsay Chung (JKA)
Demiana Irbib (JKA)
Sebastian Osterling (JKA)
Jaiden Karia (JKA)
Jordan McPherson (JKA)
Leon Zhao (JKA)
Josef Al Attar (JKA)
Alisha Pervaiz (JKA)

Sara Sutantyo (JKA)