FALL AT THE HAPPY CREEK
LEARNING CENTRE
PLAY AND DEVELOPMENT
The American Academy of Pediatrics states: Play is essential to
development as it contributes to the cognitive, physical, social and
emotional well-being of children and youth. Play is so important to
optimal child development that it has been recognized by the United
Nations High Commission for Human Rights as a right of every child.
Play, Touch the future: Play is Learning www.ttouchthefuture.org.
WELCOME TO THE HAPPY CREEK LEARNING CENTRE !!!
Junior and Senior Kindergarten is a gateway through which your son or
daughter enters the elementary school. It's a new and exciting time for
you and your child. You may have many questions at this point in time and
we hope that the following information might answer some of them. For
further reference, you may wish to purchase from the office,
"Kindergarten in Alberta Handbook". For those of you who have a
computer, this handbook can be read at the following site:
http://www.edc.gov.ab.ca under "Curriculum Handbook/ Catholic Version".
By working together we can make your child's first school year a pleasant
and exciting one!
It is a busy time in our classroom learning names and routines. Please let
us know how your child is adjusting to school, both positive and negative.
Every month you will receive two newsletters, one from the school and
one from the Kindergarten classroom. Hopefully, this will keep you well
informed. Please read them as we put a lot of information and requests
for help in our newsletters. As well, St. Gregory School has a website
that you can access online at: www.sgces.ca. From here you can access our
Happy Creek Learning Centre website (www.happycreek.weebly.com). You
will be able to find more information about our classrooms along with
weekly class updates and a copy of this monthly newsletter. Extra
newsletters and other handouts can be found at the Parent Message
Center outside of the main lodge.
HOMEROOM DOCUMENTATION PROGRAM FOR JK & SK
This year, we are going to be using FACEBOOK as our documentation
page. This will give you a secure digital portfolio of your child, capturing
their learning as it happens and tracking their progress. It will also give
you updated information and reminders. It will be replacing HomeRoom
the program which we used last year. More information will be coming
soon.
SENIOR KINDERGARTEN STAGGERED ENTRY
Just a reminder to check when your child attends school on the calendars
included in your registration package. You child is either in Group A or
Group B. If there is any confusion, please do not hesitate to speak to any
of the teachers or call the office.
JK SCHOOL FEES
School fees of $100 per month can be paid in the office. Please see Mrs.
Ludwig.
TOYS FROM HOME
If your child uses an object (stuffy, special car) to help with
transitioning from home to school easier, please keep it in their locker.
We do ask that all other toys stay at home. If toys are brought to
school they will be kept in their locker until the end of the day. We
appreciate your help with this matter as children become very upset if
their belongings go missing.
SK EARLY YEARS EVALUATION
The Early Years Evaluation is a tool we use in senior
kindergarten which provides us with information
about each childs development and early learning. It will give us an
understanding of your childs learning in four
areas of development- Awareness of Self and the Environment, Cognitive
of Intellectual Skills, Language and Communication skills as well as
Physical development. This assessment helps teachers to organize
instruction and monitor each childs progress in school. During your
childs play time along with some one-on-one time in the month of
September, we will be documenting his/hers interests, strengths and
learning preferences. We will compile the data during the month of
October and you will receive a report of your childs results.
Parent/Teacher interviews will follow and provide you with an opportunity
to ask questions. Further information will follow.
JK AGES AND STAGES
The Ages and Stages Questionnaire is a screening tool that will provide a
quick check of your childs development in Junior Kindergarten. The
information you supply will help reveal your childs strengths, uncover any
areas of concern, and determine if there are community resources or
services that may be useful for your child or family. This will be sent
home in the fall for you to fill out and return to the school where it will
be scored. There will be more information to come!
JK UPDATE
This year, Mrs. Nathania Hunter will be working with our junior
kindergarten group. The program will be over seen by Ms. LeeAnn Cross
and Mrs. Caroline McDonald. Your child will be assigned a locker outside
of the Butterfly Room (Art Room). Please keep their outside clothing and
lunch kits here. Their outside shoes can be dropped off at the end of
the hallway across from the Mountain Room. Your childs mailbox is
located beside the Parent Message Center. This is where you can pick up
newsletters and their art work. There is also a basket on top of the
mailbox for you to leave any notes or forms for us!
Next, please drop your child off at 8:25 (8:15 for the month of
September) in the Main Lodge where they will begin their morning with
their Self Directed Learning Time. Your child can be picked up at 11
a.m. in the Butterfly Room.
If you are running late, please let our school secretary, Mrs. Ludwig know
and we will have your child ready to go in the the office.
EARLY MORNING SUPERVISION
JK & SK children can be brought into their classrooms as early as 8:15 am
in the morning for the month of September. Coming in at this time will
allow them to feel more comfortable entering the school and beginning
their day. As of October 10th, Senior Kindergarten classes will be
expected to play outside on the supervised, lower playground until the
morning bell rings at 8:25 a.m. when ALL St. Gregory students to enter
the school. The Junior Kindergarten classes are welcome to come in at
8:25 accompanied by their parent/guardian also after the Thanksgiving
weekend.
PICKING UP YOUR CHILD
If you come to pick up your child, please make sure that you come into
the school. FOR YOUR CHILDS PROTECTION we do not allow them to
run outside and meet you or leave the classroom unless we see you.
Please have your child say good-bye to us each day before they go. This
helps us remember that a child has left and with whom. Dismissal for JK
is at 11:00 a.m. and SK at 2:55 p.m.
WAITING IN THE HALL
We ask that when you come in the school to pick up your child that you
wait quietly in the hallway. We try to end our day with last minute
learning and the children get easily distracted if Mom or Dad is waiting in
the class. Thank you for your understanding.
SENIOR KINDERGARTEN SNACK TIME
We will be having two daily snack times in our Kindergarten day- one in
the morning and a second optional snack time in the afternoon. Please
include two healthy snacks that can be eaten fairly quickly. Some
examples would be cut up fruit, small yogurt, raw vegetables etc. We of
course have lunch as well, so with two snack times every day, lunch can be
a bit smaller. Thank you for remembering to send a water bottle with
your child so that they can access it throughout the day. In addition,
half of the students will eat their meals in the Butterfly Room (art room)
and the other half will eat in the Main Lodge (big classroom). Finally, we
do not have a microwave in the lodge area so please pack warm items in a
thermos.
Our school is Allergy-Aware. Please try not to bring any nut products into
the school. Thank you.
PRINTING
In Kindergarten, we teach them not to print their name in all uppercase
letters. Working from the top of a letter to the bottom of a letter is
important to learn. Appropriate pencil grasp is also taught at this time.
PARENTS IN THE CLASSROOM
We enjoy and truly need parents to help in the Kindergarten
classroom. We guarantee that if you come in you will be put to
work but will be rewarded with many chuckles. We would
appreciate the month of September and most of October to ourselves,
though. The children and the teacher need the time to get to know each
other, learn the expectations, and learn routines. Sometimes this can be
difficult with parents around. By the end of October, we would be very
grateful to have you assist in the classroom! A volunteer package must
be completed before helping out in the class or supervising on field trips.
A Criminal Record Check must be completed at our local RCMP office
adjacent at our Town Offices. There is no charge for the check as this
is a volunteer position. All volunteers must register each time they
arrive at school at the office and receive a Volunteer Tag that must be
worn at all times. Volunteers must also sign the confidentiality
agreement found in the package. This can be handed in to our secretary
Colleen Ludwig. Volunteers need to also have a prior discussion with one
of the kindergarten teachers acknowledging that they clearly understand
the expectations of the school and general rules of St. Gregory Catholic
found in the Volunteer Package. If you are willing to help us out,
packages can be found at our Parent Information Center outside of the
Main Lodge.
Mrs. McDonald is looking for parent volunteers in the art room on a daily
basis in the afternoons unless there is a special activity such as a field
trip, at beaver boardwalk etc. This will begin after Thanksgiving
weekend. If you are available to help out, a sign up sheet will be posted
on the Parent Message Centre. No more than two parents per afternoon
would be needed and types of responsibilities would include: making
playdough, slime etc., setting up and closing down of the room (filling up
paints/washing brushes, stocking paper/putting on paint caps/wiping the
paint easels, assisting with artistic activities, final clean up once students
leave, organizing tables for the next day, baking etc.) If you have any
further questions, please see Mrs. McDonald.
OUTSIDE SHOES AND CLOTHING
Outside shoes need to be removed at the main front door and carried to
the shelves designated for Kindergarten by the chapel. Please label both
indoor and outdoor shoes clearly with your childs name. Also, bathroom
accidents can and do happen as children immerse themselves in their
work. Please pack an extra set of clothes to be kept in their lockers
during the year.
OUTDOOR LEARNING CLASSROOM
Kindergarten teachers along with our principal have been in the designing
phase the past few months for our new Outdoor Learning classroom. We
are hopeful that it will be completed by the end of the month. We have
many community members who have been involved in this project and we
are excited to see it all come alive with team work. The classroom is
located behind the grade four classrooms.
Students will need to dress appropriately as they will be outside rain or
shine (unless it is a downpour). They will not be outdoors if the
temperature is colder than -20.
BEAVER BOARDWALK
This year, BOTH senior kindergarten classes will be going to beaver
boardwalk together every Monday at 1:00. This practice will begin on
October 10th. Parents are always welcome to join. We ask that pets are
kept at home and we appreciate your understanding of this. Please ensure
that your child is dressed appropriately for the weather.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
Happy Creek Learning Center staff are assigned 10 days to be used
throughout the year for professional development/prep times. We
appreciate your support and understanding with this important practice.
For your information, Senior Kindergarten is mandated to 400 hours by
the Alberta Government. With a full day program, St. Gregory Catholic
provides well beyond the hours which are recommended for this age
group. Our kindergarten teachers do not have the required prep times
like their colleagues in other grades. For this reason, they have been
given 10 PD/Prep days.
There will be no school for junior and senior kindergarten classes on the
following days listed below. We will do our best to remind you but it will
also help if you mark these dates on your calendar.
October 13th May 4th
November 24th June 1st & 15th
December 15th
January 19th
February 16th
March 23rd
April 13th
AGENDAS
A friendly reminder to always check your childs agenda at the end of
each day. There is a note explaining the agenda process at the front of
each agenda book.
SMALL GROUPS
Our Senior Kindergarten class will have opportunities for smaller groups.
At this time, they will be divided into Ladybugs and Bumblebees. Our JK
group will be called Butterflies.
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Thank you for playing a vital role in your childs education. Please
remember that if you need to get in contact with us for any reason that
you can write us a note in your childs agenda, or phone us at the school.
God bless,
Nicole Woloszyn
Lee Ann Cross
Caroline McDonald
In Kindergarten, we share. Everything I need to know
We share everything. I learned in Kindergarten.
Robert Munch Robert Fulgum
