NEWSLETTER NO.
2 ième année October 2010
Bonjour parents:
LANGUAGE ARTS
Some of the activities we did in September were to write about our holidays, write an apple description, learn about Zobulle, learn about continuous printing and eat applesauce.
In reading, the children are learning about the keys to reading. Ask your
child if they remember any of them. One of them is “Reread”.
In writing, the children should always be putting capitals at the beginning of sentences and periods at the end.
In speaking, the children should always be speaking French to Madame
and making an excellent effort to speak French to their classmates.
In listening, the children should understand and be able to explain what
listening attentively means.
Throughout October the themes will be “L’automne, L’Action de grâces and L’Halloween”. (Autumn, Thanksgiving and Halloween).
READ-AT-HOME PROGRAM
Great start with Reading Reptiles. After the children have finished the first few readers they may begin to change books on their own. Once the children start changing their own books, it sometimes takes time to establish the habit of remembering their envelopes. The reading goal is 25 hours before the end of the year.
LINK BOOK
The link book seems to be working very well. Thank you for your support. Please remember to sign or initial the page when you read it, as this way I know that the book is actually making it home. On days that there is no special assignment or reminders, we are writing messages about something we learned or accomplished on that day.
SPELLING
Please sign or initial your child’s spelling in the yellow scribbler when it is brought home after a weekly test and send it back the next day. Please note that there are no spelling words the week of Oct. 4- Oct. 7 .
MATH
Mme Hill is now teaching most of the math curriculum. Classroom teachers will teach the unit on adding and subtracting to 18 throughout the year.
To reinforce the number facts at home, parents may practice using the strategies we are teaching in class. To help with learning these strategies, as we work on a new one, we will send home a practice sheet. When a practice sheet is sent home, it will be indicated in the linkbook. Assessments on these strategies will follow, about a week after the introduction of the strategy. Have your child teach you the strategies. When your child teaches you the strategy, this will help them remember it.
SOCIAL STUDIES
In Social Studies we will continue to work on mapping skills.
SCIENCE
We are continuing our study of “Les bestioles dans la cour”.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
The children demonstrated excellent attitude and effort at our Peace Run.
We focussed on learning gym routines, fitness activities and began swimming in September. In October, our main focus will be swimming and cooperative games.
Our swim day is Wednesday. As we get on the bus at 8:50 it is important to be very prompt on swim day. Please make sure your child has warm clothing to put on after swimming as the weather is bound to get colder. Those children with long hair should come to school with it tied back on swim day. Please send a nutritious morning snack for your child on swimming day. We will have our snack when we get back from the pool.
LIBRARY
The children visit the library once a week. Your child is allowed to sign out two French books each week. I am encouraging the children to sign out books that are at their reading level. Mrs. Hornby teaches our library class.
BRAINY BREAKFASTS: HOW BREAKFAST CAN IMPROVE SCHOOL AND WORK PERFORMANCE
Breakfast science. "Breakfast" means just that: break the overnight fast. Eating breakfast allows you to restock the energy stores that have been depleted overnight and begin the day with a tank full of the right fuel. Sending yourself to work or your child to school without breakfast is like trying to use a cordless power tool without ever recharging the battery. If you don't refuel your child's body in the morning after an overnight fast, the child has to draw fuel from its own energy stores until lunchtime. The stress hormones necessary to mobilize these energy reserves may leave the child feeling irritable, tired, and unable to learn or behave well. If you want your child to rise and shine rather than limp along sluggishly at school all morning, make sure your child's day gets off to a nutritious start.
Breakfast eaters are likely to achieve higher grades, pay closer attention, participate more in class discussions, and manage more complex academic problems than breakfast skippers.
Breakfast skippers are more likely to be inattentive, sluggish, and make lower grades.
Breakfast skippers are more likely to show erratic eating patterns throughout the day, eat less nutritious foods, and give into junk-food cravings. They may crave a mid- morning sugar fix because they can't make it all the way to lunchtime on an empty fuel tank.
Some children are more vulnerable to the effects of missing breakfast than others. The effects on behavior and learning as a result of missing breakfast or eating a breakfast that is not very nutritious vary from child to child.
Whether or not children eat breakfast affects their learning, but so does what they eat. Children who eat a breakfast containing both complex carbohydrates and proteins in equivalent amounts of calories tend to show better learning and performance than children who eat primarily a high protein or a high carbohydrate breakfast. Breakfasts high in carbohydrates with little protein seem to sedate children rather than stimulate their brain to learn.
Children eating high calcium foods for breakfast (e.g., dairy products) showed enhanced behavior and learning.
Morning stress increases the levels of stress hormones in the bloodstream. This can affect behavior and learning in two ways. First, stress hormones themselves can bother the brain. Secondly, stress hormones such as cortisol increase carbohydrate craving throughout the day. The food choices that result may affect behavior and learning in children who are sensitive to the ups and downs of blood sugar levels. Try to send your child off to school with a calm attitude, as well as a good breakfast.
THANK YOU TO
-those of you have offered to help out by preparing materials at home,
-all the moms, dads, brothers and sisters who have been helping by encouraging their child to be responsible with their belongings, listening to their child read, and helping with homework!!
Madame Carole Villeneuve
http://madamevilleneuve.blogspot.com/
