Teachers Pages

Students will be involved in all six strands of the L.A. Curriculum: reading, writing, listening, viewing, representing and speaking skills. There will be an emphasis on a love for reading in small and large group interactions A "whole language" reading series is used including anthologies, genre books and novels.

Mathematics:

There are four basic strands at the Grade 3 level: patterns and relations, statistics and probability, shape and space, and number. The emphasis is on manipulative experiences, problem solving, mathematical reasoning, as well as developing knowledge and proficiency of the basic facts, computation skills, and processes. Various concrete materials and the textbook "Math Quest" will be used.

Science:

The science program includes life science, physical science, and Earth and space science. The themes are growth and changes in plants, materials and structures, forces that attract or repel, and soils in the environment.

Health:

Topics include social-emotional well-being, physical well-being, nutrition, dental health, safety and environmental health. The Lions Quest Program will also be used.

Note:

Physical Education, Music, and Social Studies will be taught by other teachers. Please feel free to contact me if you are concerned about your child's progress. Do not feel you have to wait for a report card or a "parent conference" day to discuss concerns about your child.

Yours in education,

Mrs. D. Yakimoski

RESOURCE / SUPPORT

ALICE WILLIAMS, SARAH BELL

Our goal is to work collaboratively to support the classroom teacher in providing positive, enriching and successful school experiences for all of the children in the school. We offer support to students and their teachers by:

- assessing students to determine their strengths and the areas where they require development.

- assisting teachers to develop multi-level programs in their classrooms.

- assisting teachers to incorporate technology into their programs

- developing individual educational plans for some students

- providing English as a Second Language programs

- acting as a liaison with personnel from the Child Guidance Clinic

- organizing the Comprehensive Assessment Program with

Nursery/Kindergarten and primary classes

- organizing and directing the work of educational assistants who provide support to students and to classroom teachers

- remedial teaching with individual students or with small groups of students

We welcome your input and support

Kindergarten- Room 4 - Mrs. Wendy Horbacio

The program is a hands-on, activity-based program. It is geared to meet your child's social, emotional, academic, creative and physical needs. Experiences are provided that stimulate learning in all these areas. Each child is a unique individual and the program is responsive to individual differences in ability and interests. The program is geared to developing children's self-esteem. We will be using the Lions Quest Program.

We use a learning center approach. The centers in the rooms include:

Dramatic Play Center: (House, Store, Hospital, Restaurant, etc.) Designed to encourage dramatic play, role playing and language development.

Blocks Center: encourages creative expression of the children's ideas, language, exploration, discovery, colors and prediction. Develops large and small muscle control, and eye-hand co-ordination.

Woodworking Center: encourages children to use fine and large muscle skills as well as helping to develop eye-hand coordination. Children also feel successful when creating their own projects from wood.

Puzzle and Math Center: helps to promote sorting, classifying, patterning, counting, measuring, matching and problem-solving skills.

Library Center: encourages children to select and browse through a variety of picture and reading material. Children become interested in books and thus develop motivation to want to read. Provides opportunities for reading readiness, awareness of print, left-to-right and top-to-bottom progression.

Listening Center: a variety of tapes and records and accompanying books encourage and promote listening skills and promote exposure to songs, poems and stories.

Painting Center: children can explore and create their own "masterpieces" with a variety of colors. Develops fine motor skills and eye-hand co-ordination.

Playdough Center: develops the concepts of texture, pattern, size and shape. Encourages creativity and imagination.

Sand and Water Table: encourages exploration of ideas, building, language, the five senses, imagination and dramatic play, concepts of floating and sinking, concepts of size, weight, pressure, shape and displacement.

Science Center: a variety of "nature" materials are provided for the children to touch, smell, explore and talk about.

Writing Center: provides opportunities to scribble, copy, draw and write. (Markers and Crayons) Provides practice in forming letters. Develops fine motor skills.

Large Work Area: a more structured time of the child's day where materials are provided for the child that encourages academic growth.

Social skills are an important aspect of all centers as children are challenged to get along with and respect the rights of others in the class. Experiences children have in early years influence their development. It is through social development that the children will become better prepared for the challenges that will face them later on in their school years.

Observation, by teachers, of children in their work and play situations, is an ongoing process. It is through these observations that we can assess the children and thus obtain a better understanding of both their strengths and weaknesses.

The Nursery and Kindergarten children's progress is recorded and shared with you at Parent-Teacher Conferences throughout the year. The Kindergarten children will take home a written summary of their progress at the end of the school term.

As parents, you can encourage your child's developmental growth by setting aside certain parts of your day to read to your child, talk about your child's day at school and provide your child with material (i.e. glue, paper, scissors, crayons) that encourage eye-hand and fine muscle development.

We have many suggestions and hand-outs of activities that can be carried out in the home. If you would like some more ideas, please do not hesitate to ask us.

HOME READING PROGRAM

Reading to your child daily can be both an enjoyable and beneficial activity. Young children develop an interest in books and therefore, develop the motivation to want to read. Research studies have shown that children who are read to often become better readers and writers.

The Home Reading Program is available to students in Nursery, Kindergarten and Grade One. The children have the opportunity to choose a book from the Home Reading selection and take it home. When they return the books, they may choose another. This program continues throughout the school year.

Listed below are some suggestions to consider when reading to your child:

1. Set aside a specific time daily to read to your child.
2. Read with enthusiasm, using expression, voice changes, etc.
3. Make sure your child can see the pages.
4. Allow questioning during and after the story.

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Last Updated September 2009