Announcements: Farewell!

NOTE:

Welcome new parents! I haven't sent the postcards out yet, but hopefully you'll visit the blog once you get it in the mail :) Check back at the end of August for more updates.

I just wanted to say a few things since I couldn’t get them out in our classroom! :’(

This has been such a wonderful year. I don’t know how I got so lucky with such an amazing group of children. They are genuinely so kind and caring, and I just adore them… and trust me, I wouldn’t say that if it wasn’t true! Every teacher always points out what a great class we have. Although I expect a lot from these guys and can be hard on them, I’m so proud of the young learners they’ve become and can safely say I am confident in them as they move onto the next stage in their academic careers.

This is the first year where I’ve had the same students for two years and I’ve really made some incredible bonds. Seeing these kids come into JK so tiny and scared, and watching them grow over the years has been amazing for me to watch. I love that about the FDK program. I’m astounded by their growth. I would be thrilled if I taught grade one and any one of these children came into my class!

I also had a lot of new students join me this year, including my JK friends and new SKs. I don’t know what I did to deserve such a wonderful group of kids. I will miss them all dearly, and I know Mrs. Tortola will too. Although some days can certainly be challenging, seeing their smiles makes it all worth it. Even when we’re off for a day or two, coming back and getting hugs from them all and hearing that they missed us makes everything worth it.

Wednesday is going to be a very tough day for us! I can’t wait to work with my soon to be SKs for another year, but I’m terribly sad to say goodbye to our current ones. I believe I have supervision in the primary hall next year, so hopefully I’ll still get to see them and check up on them once a week! Maybe one day I’ll teach an older grade and can have them in my class again, or perhaps they will want to join my dance team in grade 4! Can you tell I’m not ready to say goodbye? hehe :)

I hope you are pleased with us being your educators. Mrs. Tortola and I take our jobs very seriously and are truly passionate about what we do.

This will be the last blog post for the school year. I hope everyone has an amazing and safe summer. I’m going to be doing a bit of relaxing to rejuvenate for the fall, but before I can do that, I’m off to Europe for my sister’s wedding :) I will officially be the only Miss Pliura now, hehe. Then I plan to finish decorating the new house I bought for myself in Binbrook :) I know Mrs. Tortola is going to spend lots of time with her family and her beautiful daughter Ava :)

One more thing…. DO.NOT.STOP.READING. I can’t express this enough. I’d say 80 percent of the time, reading scores go down over 2 months because daily reading isn’t taking place. It’s even gotten to the point that when students come back in September and I have to retest them, I automatically test them at a lower level. This won’t happen if you do it every day! Reading is a skill that needs to be practiced daily, especially going into grade one which is the most CRUCIAL year for reading (a jump of 6 reading levels to meet benchmark!)

Thank you for  your understanding and support over the year(s). Farewell, or see you soon! <3

xox Miss Pliura & Mrs. Tortola

General Happenings: SK Grad Photos!

Although we don't do a formal graduation at our school anymore, we did take these super cute photos that you would have found in the book we gave you. here is the digital file if you'd like to keep!

Special Events: Family Picnic!

We had an amazing time at the park yesterday. It was beautiful outside! Here are some pictures from our special day :)

Announcement: Picnic Update

Our family picnic is on! See you at Eringate park at 1:15 :)

Announcements: Picnic Announcement

This is going home today in your child's important bag. This is for those of you who aren't at school today.

Special Events: SKs Visit Grade One!

Today we took the SKs down to visit the grade one hallway :) We know what a big transition it is for the kids (and the parents!), so we wanted to help prepare them for what September brings!

This is the Grade One pod!

This is going to be a grade one classroom next year!

They will each get their own hook!

This is where they will line up in the morning.

This is our back field :|

We are ready for Grade One!!!

Announcements: Report Cards

Hi everyone,

Report cards are being sent home on Monday. I know this can be an anxious time, but report cards aren't meant to shock you in any way. I've tried my best to keep you in the loop of how your child is doing.

We are given so little space for each subject, sometimes it doesn't flow within each subject, so to help you out, I have given you a break down of what was commented on for each subject. Please note that this is simply a skeleton, and some things may have been modified.

Note:

• If you see a comment with no last name behind it, I have commented on it. If you see the last name of another teacher, that is obviously theirs.
• All expectations being commented on are based on the FDK Curriculum 
• I have 6 subjects to comment on for 29 children, so no, they will not be extremely individualized. Due to the fact that report cards are sent home so close to the end of the school year, interviews will not be available. These are the final reports that will be filed in your student's record. Every child will move on to the next grade. I am not available to talk to over the summer.

JK REPORTS

Personal & Social

- discussing interests
- following classroom rules
- being a good friend

Language

- responding to stories
- knowledge of popcorn words
- below/at/above grade level for reading
- using classroom resources for writing
- writing ability

Mathematics (math has 5 "strands", we comment on 4 each report)

- Number Sense: ability to subtilize (recognize quantities on a dice and know how many are there without counting)
- Measurement: ability to understand length in terms of longer, shorter, or the same as
- Geometry: identify and describe 2D shapes
- Data Management: interpreting data from surveys

SK REPORTS

Personal & Social

- respect
- self-awareness of behaviour (self-regulation)
- problem solving

Language

- below/at/above grade level for reading
- knowledge of balloon words
- comprehension of books read to them/read by themselves

Mathematics (math has 5 "strands", we comment on 4 each report)

- Number Sense: knowledge of addition and subtraction
- Geometry: knowledge of 3D shapes
- Measurement: measuring length using the same object repeatedly (e.g., small cubes)
- Data Management: collecting, recording, and interpreting surveys made on their own

ALL REPORTS

Science/Technology

- making predictions and observations during experiments
- how to take care of the environment

Health

- ability to explain what makes them feel safe or unsafe

Special Events: Play Day Fun!

We had our annual play day on Thursday! It was a great day :) I was in charge of the freezie station in our room, but Mrs. Tortola was able to grab some pictures of some of our friends!