Division 18 Newsletter

avril 2016
Hello dear families! We have a very fun and educational month ahead here in division 18. Here are some of the
things to keep in mind for the month of April.

Le franais
Ami du jour Please refer to the schedule for the month of April. A reminder that the theme for your child`s turn
in April is still spring. Some ideas of what to bring include: A flower your child picked, some photos of activities
your child has done in the spring, models of insects or plants, etc
Les themes We are continuing to work our way through the alphabet. For each letter your child will learn a song and
action to help them remember the sound the letter makes and will practice printing that letter. Each week we will have activities around
the letter of the week. I will also be posting the songs on our class website for your child to practice at home. Students have mastered
cutting words into syllables and we will soon begin working on blending syllables. This April we will be learning about plants
with a focus on our potato plants, we will learn about farm animals and begin a unit on insects as our butterfly
larvae will be arriving at the end of the month! You can help at home by asking your child what they are learning about
each week! Also, practice the letter sounds with your child and identifying words that start with that letter when reading. You can also
work with your child in French or English and practice cutting the sounds in everyday words or choosing some words to break down
when reading. When reading you can read the words in cut up chunks and invite your child to put the word back together (example:
You say c-at and your child blends into cat).
La lecture Keep up the great work reading at home en franais! The best way for your child to learn a new
language is for him/her to be exposed/immersed in that language as much as possible. Reading at home en
franais can make an enormous difference in your childs ability to learn French and will contribute to a higher
level of reading ability and comprehension.

Les sciences humaines et les sciences naturelles

Les science humaines Earth day lands on April 22nd. Therefore, we will be looking at the environment and
recycling towards the middle of the month. You can help at home by discussing ways in which we can do our part
to help save our planet. Perhaps this is a good time to introduce your child to recycling at home and ask them to
help (if they are not already doing so). Additionally, you can talk with your child about what happens to the
recycling and explain the difference between the compost and the recycling.
Les sciences naturelles We will be learning about plants with a focus on our potato plants. We will also learn
about farm animals and insects focusing primarily on the life cycle of the butterfly and learn the vocabulary to

describe many types of insects. You can help at home by asking about the French vocabulary that your child has
learned about insects and their life cycles.

Les mathmatiques
Le nombre We will be returning back to with a focus on numbers from 5-10. Some activities will include number
representations, as well as activities which will initiate your child to addition (these are known as part-part-whole
activities. 1 part + 1 part = the whole). Please note that at this time we do not want to expose students to addition
formally but instead have them realise that one number can be represented in two parts and that these parts can
vary to make the same whole. You can help at home by encouraging your child to count, and show number
representation on a daily basis. They wont even know they are reinforcing their learning because they will be so
proud to show you what they know!

Lducation Physique
In April we will begin our dance unit. We will begin by exploring dance and then move on to learning a particular
dance which we hope to present at the parent appreciation tea. You can help by discussing the importance of
staying active and by asking what we have been doing in PE.

Daily Physical Activity

Riverdale has a daily physical activity time set aside most days for students to dance and move about with music
and the help of an older student leader. In kindergarten, I like to incorporate short action breaks during the day
in order to keep the sillies at bay and ensure your childs ready to be engaged in learning.

La planification personnelle (Health and Career)

We will be learning more about health and safety later on.

Les arts plastiques

We will be focusing on spring, animals and insects. I also hope to make our own paper or crayons to show how
things can be recycled (if we have time)! You can help at home by encouraging you childs interest in arts and
crafts and by asking what we are working on at school.

Field trips/special occasions:

Other:

Please ensure that your children have a full change of clothes at school. The weather tends to be very
damp at this time of year and many children are changing but not having replacement clothes sent back to
school for the next time a clothing change is needed. You can always check with me to see if your child
needs more clothing

Class Calendar

April 14th Class photo day. Smile

April 15th Spirit day Dress like your favorite Character.
April 18th No School. Curriculum implementation day for teachers.
April 28th - Interim report. Early dismissal at 1:30.
This will be presented in the form of a student led conference. Please come to school with you child so
they can take you through what they have been learning!
April 29th Primary SOAR Assembly at 9:00 am in the gym.

Calling Parent volunteers!

Thank you to all the parents that have been helping out this year by making playdough, joining us on field
trips, helping with prep work at home, or coming into the class to help out, etc
If you have any questions or comments. Please feel free to send me a note, talk to me after class or contact
me by e-mail at mcdonald_s1@surreyschools.ca. Please note that may not get around to responding to e-mails on
a daily basis so please be patient and I will try my best to respond within 48 hours. If you have something time
sensitive to communicate it is always best to give the school a call.

Thanks for reading!

Mme. McDonald