Sept 23rd Update

Today we explored fall colors with finger paint! We listened to the story "Leaves: An Autumn Pop Up Book" to learn about leaves and how they change color. We each got to get messy with some finger paint, and tomorrow, we will use it to make a fall silhouette!

I think the kids were a little scared to get messy... it was cute, lol. They were so excited to paint, so we will continue to do lots of painting! They have also really enjoyed making bracelets for themselves and their family members, so apologies for the numerous bracelets coming home! We have lots of beads and pipe cleaners so we're going through them!

Sept 22nd Update

Hi families!

I completely forgot to make a September calendar, and it's a bit too late now, haha, so I will make one for October :) There won't be anything crazy on it, but gym and PA days and other random things :)

I emailed everyone the permission forms to fill out. If you can't edit the PDF, you can print it out, fill it out, and send a picture of them to me :) Let me know if you need help! Please try to get to this as soon as possible.

Today we did a listening activity! I showed students the picture we were going to be coloring (without the coloring) and we went through to make sure they all knew the parts I would be mentioning. They needed to following my instructions and color the parts the color I told them. Their results are in their backpack! We will continue to practise our listening skills and following directions :)

The directions were: Color the fish tank blue. Color the head of the fish orange and its body red. Color the circle in the fish food green and the rest of it brown.

Last week we explored some dot painting with qtips! I told them to pick colors that resemble actual animals, and we have a pile of purple and blue cats and dogs, lol. It's all good! It was just for fun :)

Here are some pictures I've taken recently!

Gatestone Welcome Back Newsletter

Hi families,

Feel free to read through the welcome back newsletter made by our principal here.

• Make sure you fill out the attestation on the parent portal before sending your child to school. If you have difficulties, let me know.
• You will notice it says "JK Orientation" on Thursday, September 10th. Ignore this.

Every week, our principal posts a community update on the Gatestone website here. You can bookmark it for easier access. I've posted it here for the first time, but won't be doing it every week. Feel free to read through it here.

September 1 Update

Sept 2 UPDATE: Classes still may change due to numbers/ratios and day care students. Information below is not guaranteed. 

Hi families,

Good news! Although reorganization has taken place at Gatestone, our classroom has not been affected :) I will still be your child's teacher - yay! If you have other children attending Gatestone, you will be notified soon.

Tomorrow we have our Covid-19 training all day. I hope to get a lot of questions answered about what exactly Kindergarten is supposed to look like. I went into the classroom yesterday to do some rearranging and tidying. I'm so thankful to have a huge classroom. I want to remind you all that your child's safety is of utmost importance to me and will do everything I can to make sure they stay safe and healthy <3

To all of the JK parents, there will be a short visit next Friday, September 11th for your little one. I will be in touch with you shortly once I receive more direction. To the SKs, your little one will either:

Come all day Monday September 14th, skip Tuesday, start school full time Wednesday September 16th OR

Skip Monday, come all day Tuesday September 15th, start school full time Wednesday September 16th, depending on the first initial of your last name.

I will send confirmation e-mails soon.

August 30th Update

Hi families,

The HWDSB has given an update on staggered entry, it can be found here: 

https://www.hwdsb.on.ca/blog/covid-19-update-to-families-22-august-28-2020/

It looks like JK orientation will begin on Thursday 10th, and school for everyone else will start on the 14th or 15th, but I still haven't heard anything.

I will keep you posted <3

August 26th Update

Hi families,

I heard about staggered entry through the news and found this link that kind of explains it. A staggered entry means that all students will start on different days. You should be hearing from the school soon when your child will be starting. I haven't heard anything yet. No word on Kindergarten visits yet. Masks will be required for all students K-8. Carpets have been removed from the rooms. We still don't know what learning/playing will look like in Kindergarten.... but I will keep you posted <3

Update

Hi everyone,

I hope everyone is keeping safe and staying positive during these difficult times. I know this is incredibly stressful for everyone. I'm feeling the stress, too. We really don't know much at this time, as crazy as that is. We have three PA days next week where I'm sure we'll learn more (no agenda yet, not sure if it's at home or in the school). I know nothing about JK visits, staggered entry, etc. Once I have more information I will certainly pass it on. 

Take care of yourself and we'll chat soon!

Miss Pliura