Week 3 Update

Hello Parents and Families,

We were very busy this week. We have started our curriculum in every subject so the children have been working hard. We are still working on some routines, like packing up at the end of the day but the children love the extra responsibility of checking their mailboxes and packing up their book bags.

I am happy to report that we reached 100% attendance three times this week. This is great! We celebrated with some class pictures. These are our first pictures of the whole class. (Two students were missing from our first day of school picture I had posted.) Check them out!

And, now, silly faces!

In Language Arts, we are continuing reviewing letters of the alphabet. In addition, we are working on adding sight words to our vocabulary. Sight words are short words that children can read just by looking at them, and not having to sound them out. This week, we worked on “I” and “like”!

In Math, we have been working on sorting by color, shape and size. This is a fun unit for them because we get to use a lot of math games to learn. In one game, children worked with their tablemates to sort colored macaroni. They had to race to get it done before the other tables without dropping any on the floor!

In Science, we have been comparing animals. What animals have 4 legs? What animals have 2 legs? Which animals have fur? Which animals have scales? How do different animals move? Like math, we are also sorting- but by like attributes of animals. 

 In Social Studies, we are discussing the importance of rules. What is a rule and why do we have them? It was a good opportunity to review the rules of the classroom, hallways and garden.

It is amazing how quickly September has passed! I hope to start our blog with our pen pals soon. They are a kindergarten class in the Bronx, New York City. There are 35 children in the class (wow!) so each child will have two (or three!) pen pals paired up with them. I will keep everyone posted!

I hope everyone has had a great week. I hope to see everyone at our Open House on Sunday!

-Ms.Victoria

New Menus!

Week 1 Menu
	Breakfast	Lunch
Sunday	Cheese sandwich and milk	White sauce pasta with chicken and green salad and fruit
Monday	Boiled egg sandwich and juice	Rice and molokhia and chicken and fruit salad
Tuesday	Yogurt and mini croissant	Pizza and green salad and fruit
Wednesday	Cheese sandwich and milk	Penne arabiata and greek salad and fruit salad
Thursday	Omelet and juice	Homemade burger and fruit

Week 2 Menu
	Breakfast	Lunch
Sunday	Cheese sandwich and milk	Penne arabiata and greek salad and fruit salad
Monday	Mixed cheese sandwich	Rice and molokhia and chicken and fruit salad
Tuesday	Omelet and juice	Sambousek and kobeba and salad and fruit
Wednesday	Cheese sandwich and yogurt	Rice and kofta dawoud pasha and fruit
Thursday	Omelet and juice	Hotdog and veggie sticks and fruit

Updated Menu

Hello Everyone,

The menu at school has recently changed to accommodate the preferences of the children (less sandwiches!). The previous post of the menu has been deleted to avoid any confusion. These two menus will be the new rotating menus for KG students.

The menus are coming home with the children today. I will post the menu on our blog tomorrow.

Thanks,
Ms.Victoria

Open House Reminder

Hello Parents and Families,

Just a friendly reminder that Sunday, September 30th is our Open House for Grade Pre-K to Grade 2! This day will be a day off for the students. The day will start at 8: 30 and sessions will run from 9-11am.

I hope everyone can make it,

Ms.Victoria

Minor Changes in Schedule

Hello Parents and Families,

There has been minor changes in the children's schedule. All the changes are in bold. Please note that P.E. is now on Mondays and Tuesdays so please dress the children accordingly.

	Period 1 8:00-8:45	Period 2 8:50-9:35	Period 3 9:40-10:25	Short Break	Period 4 10:55-11:40	Period 5 11:45-12:30	Period 6 12:30-1:05	Lunch Time	Garden	Period 7 1:50-2:30	Period 8 2:30-3:15
Sunday	Language Arts		Math		Character Building	Language Arts	Arabic			Art	Art
Monday	Language Arts		Math		Social Studies	Arabic	P.E			Music	Home Room
Tuesday	Language Arts		Math		Science	IT	P.E.			Language Arts	Religion
Wednesday	Language Arts		Math		Language Arts	Arabic	Language Arts			Music	Home Room
Thursday	Language Arts		Math		Science	Library	Arabic			Home Room	X

Also, I have sent home a new homework packet with the children today along with a math homework packet. I will return last week's homework, as well as summer work that I have received, tomorrow. 

Another reminder about breakfast and lunch coupons- coupons are collected in the morning and all orders are placed before 9am. It is best not to send coupons with older siblings as schedules may not allow them to reach me in time.

It has been explained to me that the menu will be a rotating menu. The original menu sent home will be the set menu for the year. This week will be the menu listed under Week 1. Next week will be the menu listed under Week 2. 

I will post the menu up on the blog tonight so you may reference it on the internet if needed.  

A special thank you to Parents for helping the students with their homework. It is important that they start being responsible for their work but at this age, they need a lot of help and reminders to stay on task and follow their homework routine. Nice job everyone!

Thank you for your help at home and for checking the blog regularly,

Ms.Victoria

Week 2 Update

This week started off on a very exciting note! We received a large box of new books. The children and I were equally excited about having these new additions to the classroom. It is routine that the children may choose a book to read at their desk or on the rug when they finish their food or their class work. It has been great motivation for them to stay on task!

In Math, we have been working on alike and different items. This unit has been a great exercise in following directions. The children often do not have difficulty identifying alike and similar items, but have learned the importance of listening to directions so that they can complete their class work. I have been reinforcing the fact that I would like them to help each other with their work rather than having them ask me. 

In Language Arts, we have been reviewing letters and their sounds, two letters a day. The children love brainstorming and illustrating words that begin with the letters of the day. We have also been reading a lot of books about family and discussing our own families.

In Science, we are learning about the difference between living and non-living things. This has been a great opportunity for group work as students can discuss and sort picture cards as a table rather than individually.

I am working on building up the curriculum work so that it is not overwhelming for the children. Some students are still adjusting to being in school for such a prolonged period again.

It is very important that all children come to school well-rested. It is a very long day in Kindergarten and many children are tired at the end of the day. This is normal and understandable. However, if children are unable to stay awake in school, it takes away from their time to learn.

I have noticed some great healthy food options in the children’s’ lunchboxes- mango, grapes, popcorn, pretzels, yogurt, eggs, potatoes, apples, etc. Thank you for helping enforce healthy eating. A reminder that only coupons are accepted for breakfast and lunch. Breakfast is 7LE and lunch is 20LE. A bi-weekly menu will be sent out every two weeks and only food from the menu is available each day. 

Thank you Parents for your all your help and support,

Ms.Victoria

From Ms. Shahenda,

* لقد بدأنا في التمهيد لسورة الشرح و تم عمل مراجعة على سورة الفاتحة.

*  لقد تم عمل مراجعة على حروف (أ – ب- ت – ث )  وسوف نقوم بمراجعة حروف (ج – ح – خ – د ) الأسبوع القادم ان شاء الله.

Open House at GPS!

I have sent home a notice with the children today about the upcoming Open House. It will take place on Sunday September 30th. Please note that there is no school for students in Pre-K to Grade 2 on this day.

Excerpt from the notice:

"The purpose of this Open House is to provide parents with an overview about curriculum, school's expectations, rules and regulations, newsletters and means of communication with parents.

The day will start at 8:30 with morning refreshments then the sessions will be from 9:00 to 11:00am. Please be punctual as teachers will not be able to repeat sessions."

I hope to see everyone there!

Ms.Victoria

Parent/Student Handbook- Updated

Hello KG2B Families,

Today I sent home the Parent/Student Handbook which offers an official outline of the school's rules, regulations and policies. It includes an academic calendar as well as a staff directory. Please review the handbook and return the form, signed.

I hope you find this handbook useful!

Ms.Victoria

***Update: This handbook will serve as our channel book or communication log. You can write messages in the daily planner section and I will write back in the same section. This will be a more organized system than the written notes back and forth.

I will check these planners everyday for notes. This will be a good place to include coupons for breakfast and lunch. Feel free to also let me know anything about your child that you think will help me cater to their needs in the classroom. For example, "X went to bed late last night and may be sleepy today." or "We are trying a new kind of food today. X may or may not eat it."  Anything!

Reminder about coupons for breakfast and lunch!

As a reminder, breakfast and lunch may only be purchased with coupons. Please do not send cash to school with your child for meals.

I will ask all the children for their coupons in the morning and place all orders before 9am.A bi-weekly menu will be distributed which outlines what the school offers for breakfast and lunch each day.

**Clarification: Small items are no longer available. Only the set breakfast and lunch menu are available and I will be sending home the menu every two weeks.

Thank you so much for your cooperation!
Ms.Victoria

A Quick Note about Homework

Hello Parents!

Today I sent home a homework packet with the children. It is important that young children get into a routine for doing homework- everyday after dinner, or everyday right after school, for example.

This packet is for this week and will not be collected until next Sunday, September 23. Next Sunday, the children will receive another homework packet for the week. If this system works, I will send home a monthly homework packet in October. We will see what works best for the children.

(Please note that one of the assignments- writing the numbers 6 to10- is on the back of another worksheet.)

Thank you for all your help at home,
Ms. Victoria

Week 1 Update!

Week one flew by! The classroom was a new and unfamiliar place to the children on Sunday but I hope that each child feels comfortable and safe in their classroom now. Although I have only met the children 4 days ago, I feel like I know them well-what their personalities are like, what they get excited about and who they like to play with during garden time.

Like in KG1, we use a lot of songs to teach and the children love it! Two songs that your children may have mentioned are our rug song and line-up song. Here are the lyrics to both:

(To the tune of “Frere Jacques”)

Are you criss-cross?

Are you criss-cross?

Eyes on me.

Eyes on me.

Hands in your lap.

Hands in your lap.

Quietly.

Quietly.

(To the tune of “Do your ears hang low?”)

Are you ready for the hall?

Are you standing straight and tall?

Are your hands behind your back?

Are you leaving any gaps?

Are you quiet as can be?

Are you looking straight at me?

Now, let’s go quietly.

The focus this week was getting each child familiar with the classroom and instilling excitement about coming to school. They are at an age where learning can be a lot of fun. I want them to love learning! We are starting curriculum work slowly. This week, I introduced centers in the classroom. Each table has a different educational activity and the children rotate to different tables to experience all of the activities in an orderly way.

On Wednesday, I shared the news that we will be having pen pals from the United States. There is a kindergarten class in New York that would like to be our friends! We will write letters (digitally), send pictures and ask questions to each other throughout the year. This is the picture we took right after I told them the news and this will be the first picture we send our new friends!

As a friendly notice, we eat breakfast in the morning, a mid-morning snack and lunch. Please indicate which foods you would like your child to have for each meal.  Also, I would like to remind everyone that chocolate and candy are not permitted in school. Next week, they will be sent home. Also, please send plenty of water. I encourage the children to drink a lot of water, especially after playing outside!

A quick note about supplies: please return the GPS copybooks with the form indicating you have received the books. The students will begin using the books shortly. If you have not been able to obtain the supplies yet, do not worry! We have supplies in the classroom your child may use until you are able to do so. We share most of our supplies so we are well stocked for now.

**Please use this new e-mail to contact me if you have any questions, comments, or concerns. GPSMsVictoria@Gmail.com

 Paper notes, until we receive channel books, have been working well too!

A special thank you to the families that have sent in cleaning supplies. We wash our hands very often everyday! The children know that I love a clean classroom and enjoy helping me keep a tidy room.

We’re off to a great start!

First Day of KG2!

The children spent the day getting to know myself, the classroom, and each other better. They are getting familiar with the classroom routines and rules.
It was a day full of singing, coloring, and learning! They were great at following directions and I hope each day is as productive.

If you like, please comment on this post introducing yourself. I would love to get to know everyone that is part of our KG2B family!

During art, the children drew pictures of their faces. Some of the sillier ones chose interesting colors for their hair and face! 

Welcome Families!

Get ready for a busy year! Welcome to the KG2B Family. On the first day of school, your child will receive a welcome packet that will include general information about the upcoming school year. Please review this packet and return the home survey as soon as possible. Also, please sign for the copy books and return the package to school.


I'm looking forward to meeting all the students and families. Let's make this year great!