Fabulous Fall Photo Hunt

Since school began, we have been exploring the seasonal changes in Fall! It hasn't been easy, as we've had every kind of weather, from snow, to rain, to warm sunshine!

We've been hard at work discovering what animals are up to, how trees change, what plants are doing (think gardens!), and how we change our activities, clothing, and often what we eat in the Fall. 

Yesterday we did a quick check-in, grabbing sticky notes and jotting down a picture and/or word describing what we have learned so far about Fall:

Let's share some signs of Fall around us over the next few days! Here is how our photo hunt challenge works:

We have a "virtual wall" where we can all contribute our signs of Fall. First, ask your child to take a picture showing a sign of Fall.

Then, to share your child's photo / comment:

(a) Double-click on our "Fall in Love with Fall" virtual wall below. 

(b) A box will appear with a place for a comment and a picture! Type in a comment and upload a picture. Ta da!

(c) Be dazzled with all the signs of Fall we have discovered! 

Thank you for not mentioning first or last names on our blog. If you run into any hiccups, feel free to email your photos and captions and I'll happily post them. 

What signs of Fall can we find?

Patterns & Pigeons!

Patterns
Our first Math unit focuses on patterning. We have worked hard to find a pattern, describe a pattern, continue a given pattern, and create our own pattern. Now the students are exploring how patterns can be related!

Yesterday we examined the patterns below. We practiced describing these patterns using words (e.g. scissors, glue, glue), letters (e.g. A, B, B...), and numbers (e.g. 1, 2, 2...).

Ask your child to describe the patterns below.
How are they similar? Different?

It is so important for the children to verbalize and justify their thinking. This helps deepen understanding not only in Math, but in any subject or situation. Don't be surprised if your child struggles with this skill at first. With daily practice together, we will only get better at explaining and justifying our thinking.

Pigeons

The boys and girls in our class are incredibly kind-hearted, responsible kids who work really hard to make smart choices each day. They're a fantastic bunch! 

But, rules are meant to be broken. At least, that's what our new friend, the pigeon, keeps telling us! This past week we have really enjoyed a series of books by author Mo Willems that feature a persuasive, sassy pigeon who is always pushing the limits!

Inspired by the picture books, the students set out to create their own set of rules for the pigeon, just in case he ever swings by Jean Vanier! Would he know how to behave in school?

We followed the directed drawing instructions by Mo Willems himself to draw our own unique pigeons. Then we wrote our own speech bubbles and did lots of careful cutting and gluing. 

Ta da! Our very own set of pigeon rules!

This project was excellent for reviewing our classroom and school expectations, and the students were so engaged. Who knew drawing a pigeon was so easy? There are now little pigeon doodles everywhere! To see all of our pigeon projects, please check our hall bulletin board!

The Power of Connection

Before we can learn and grow, we need to understand and trust one another. This is why, each morning, we begin our day with "Connection Time"! This invaluable time helps us ease into a busy day and prepare us for our best learning!

When we gather, we sit in a circle on the rug so we can see eachother. Even Mrs. Beliveau skips her cozy chair for a place in the circle!

Have a peek at some highlights from our morning Connection Time meetings:

1. Prayer
God is at the center of all we do and all we are, and we always begin in prayer. 
"Father in Heaven, I give You today, all that I think, and do, and say. Amen". 

2. Say Hello!
We have learned the importance of eye contact when greeting our classmates. While we have practiced our eye contact while giving a firm handshake, we also say hello in silly ways, too, like the dancing greeting below!

"1, 2, 3, 4, Come on (student) hit the floor! We're so glad you came today, hooray, hooray, hooray!"

3. News
This time allows the students an opportunity to share what's on their minds, thereby helping us focus on learning later in the day. So far we have heard about lost teeth, tap and hip hop lessons, a birthday dinner at Pasta Pantry, a sleep over, and so much more! 

4. Social Scenario Problem Solving
To help the children develop age-appropriate critical thinking skills, they are presented with a social problem to solve. In partners, they brainstorm possible ways to solve the problem and then we come together as a large group to share and discuss. 

Some of the problems we have tackled include:

• not being able to find your indoor shoe after recess
• a classmate pushes ahead of you in line
• you notice a friend crying at their desk but don't know why
• someone wants to be your partner but you don't want to work with them

It is important for the students to see that there is no one way to solve a problem and that they do not always need an adult's help. 

5. Story
We close Connection Time with a story. Each book is carefully chosen and has an important lesson. 

Here are a few we have enjoyed already:

While Connection Time seems packed, it rolls along rather quickly and sets a positive tone for our day! This is time very well-spent and enjoyed. Connection time truly is about building relationships and seeing the masterpiece in all of us. 

Special thanks to my colleague and friend, Miss Yasmine Akhtar, for planting this seed and inspiring me. The structure for our morning Connection Time is inspired by the structure outlined in the Morning Meetings by Kriete and Davis

Social Scenario Problem Solving Task Cards from Pathways 2 Success

A "Purrr-fect" First Week!

Our first week together has been "purrr-fect"! We've been blessed with an energetic, warm-hearted group of students, and they've been an easy bunch of kids to fall in love with!

But we've had one extra "student" join us this week ... Pete the Cat! This feisty feline has a way of overcoming a challenge by always finding the positive! What an important message for the children to hear as they begin a new school year!

Our first day together was so exciting! As we were reading through Pete the Cat and his Magic Sunglasses, we discovered Pete's glasses were locked in the box! Yikes!

Using teamwork, patience, and our amazing enthusiasm, we collaborated by solving clues to open a letter lock, directional lock, and number lock! We retrieved the sunglasses from inside the box!

We were also surprised with strawberries & blueberries 
when we opened the box!
Ask your child why we got berries!

After reading Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes, we couldn't resist making our own version! We brainstormed what Pete might step in, and then each student set to work completing their own page for our class book!

The children really enjoy flipping through our class-made book. They are so proud to see their work!

To finish off our week, we read Pete the Cat: The Wheels on the Bus. Then we practiced singing the song using our names! We focused on using the first sound in our names to make our own verses. 

This student's name begins with an L, so his bus says "lumpity lump"!

We set to work making our own buses.

Then we added the first letter of our name and personalized our poems!

These projects gave Mrs. Beliveau an opportunity to get to know the boys and girls better. She got an extra peek at the children's abilities to follow directions, cut, print and glue, as well as several other work habits, such as perseverance, problem-solving and time management. 

Pop by to see our hard work and flip through our class book ... but watch out, this tune has a way of getting stuck in your head!



Pete the Cat Breakout Box activities adapted from here. 

Pete the Cat First Day certificates adapted from Inspired By Kindergarten.

Pete the Cat Roll and Cover dice game from Little Miss Hypothesis.

Our Pete the Cat: Rockin in our School Shoes class-made book was inspired by the class book at Rubber Boots and Elf Shoes. 

Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes book is inspired by A Classroom on Cloud Nine. 

The Wheels on the Bus names activity is inspired by Deanna Jump's Names Unit: Literacy and Math Fun With Names.