Our New Learning Journey Begins Today!

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

I hope this note finds everyone healthy and safe, that is our number one priority in these

uncertain times. Our next priority is maintaining relationships and connection for everyone.

I want to reassure you that I am with you on this learning journey and be contacted via email

so that I may support you as much as I can. Although academic learning is important, we need to

remember that students in Kindergarten are also learning much about their worlds and

that there are many opportunities to learn that occur naturally within our households and

through play. When we are at school, much of our days are spent on play and labelling the learning

that we see. Children select activities of interest to them and we embed as much learning

as possible into that play. Please continue to view play as an important part of the learning process

and allow as much free play as you can. Interactions are vital to learning. When time

permits, please try to play a board game and interact with your child in playful and ways.

I will be posting activities that can be completed over the course of the week relating

to our four frames of learning: Literacy and Math, Belonging and Contributing, Self-Regulation and

Well-Being, and Problem Solving and Innovating. I am providing these activities for those

that are looking for academic guidance and new opportunities for learning.

Inside our classroom, we take pictures on a regular basis and the children will often ask for a photo
when they are extremely proud of a design or new learning.  Please, if you are able, take photos, and
if you wish, send them to me in an email. I want to be part of this learning journey as much as
possible.

All we are asking at this time is that you find a balance of what will work for your family as each
situation is unique.  If all you feel you have time for is reading, then by all means keep it up.
If you want to attempt a few or all of these activities and websites, that is great too.

We will be starting this online learning journey slowly with me posting activities on Monday
that can be done over the course of the week and I will check in periodically to see how things are
going and how I can support the learning.  Please remember, you are not in this alone and that I will
help as much as I can.

For online activities, you will have received an email with usernames and passwords.  I also sent an
invitation for you to subscribe to EPIC. If you have not received these emails, please let me know as
soon as possible.

This is a new situation for us all and we will navigate it together.  This learning will remain fluid and I
will adjust things as I receive new information from the board and ministry.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Bennett-Jervis

Week of April 6, 2020

“I Wish You More” https://youtu.be/s0G-RRzq4Is

Literacy and Math Behaviours:

Read-alouds afford an amazing opportunity for children and families to connect and learn across all
domains. Please pick a read aloud and enjoy it.

We love to play with loose parts in the classroom!  Find a collection of loose parts and tell what math
lives in these materials (sort the items, make a pattern, estimate how many you have in your collection,
count the collection by 1, 2, 5, 10, make a shape using your materials, show ways to make 10 with the
materials).  The possibilities are truly endless! Examples of loose parts are lego, rocks, corks, plastic
caps, marbles, cars, dinosaurs, tiny figures, animals, sticks, buttons, shells, beads, clothespins, pom
poms, elastics, screws, and spools.  

Please take some time to explore activities on these websites.

Teach Monster to Read: https://www.teachyourmonstertoread.com/

Zorbits:  https://www.zorbitsmath.com/

Belonging and Contributing:

We have spent much of our time at school, noticing the world around us.  Since we were last together,
our seasons changed. It is now spring! Here are a couple of online read alouds to help highlight
some of the changes that we will be seeing unfold in the next couple of weeks:

“When Spring Comes” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHgxFFxWV0Y

If possible, get outside and get your daily dose of vitamin N (nature).  Ask your child if they notice any
signs of spring. If possible, take a picture of them exploring and send it to me.  Please have your child
draw a detailed picture, with a background using a variety of colours of what they have found. Adding
writing would be the next step.  Depending on your child’s level of letter/sound knowledge, they can
label the picture or write a complete sentence like “I found a flower.” Encouraging phonetic writing is
key so the same sentence may appear as “I fnd a flor”.

Self-Regulation and Well-Being

If you wish, here is a book that you can share with your child about social distancing.

“Time to Come in Bear” https://youtu.be/DA_SsZFYw0w

Open the door for children to voice questions and concerns about the current situation.  Answer them
as honestly as you can with child appropriate language and content.

Cosmic Yoga “Peter Cottontail and the Tickly Monkeys”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEp9euhuu2E

Problem Solving and Innovating

Using materials in and around your home to build a castle (aka fort). Pretend that you are like the
pretend you are a queen, king, prince or princess and enjoy your royal space.

Materials you might use are pillows, chairs, blankets, clothes pins, stuffies and anything else your
imagination can think of. If parents are able, take a picture of your creation and label the different
areas (with help from your parents) to give me a better understanding of your castle and special
features of its design.