Week of September 21 - 24

 Hello families,

Exploring Fall
We discovered our fall tree in the school yard and used it as inspiration for creating our own seasonal tree drawings. Students enjoyed noticing the changes happening around us as we move into a new season.

Terry Fox Run

We participated in the Terry Fox Run, joining together as a school community and learning about the importance of perseverance, kindness, and helping others.

Open House

It was so lovely to meet and connect with families at MTS's Open House! Thank you for taking the time to visit our classroom and share in your child’s learning.

Math Games
In Math, we continued practising counting through engaging games and hands-on activities. These games are helping us build confidence with numbers while having fun learning together!

It was a busy week filled with movement, creativity, number sense, and opportunities to build our classroom and school community. 🌳🍁

Reminders for the coming week:

Orange Shirt Day will be recognized on Tuesday, September 29th at MTS. Please wear an orange shirt.

No school on Wednesday, September 30.

 

Week of September 14-18

Hello Families,

Please find information below about this week's learning.

🔤 Language
In UFLI, we focused on the short [a] vowel sound, practising how to hear, say, read, and use the sound in words. 

Lively Letters: qu, voiced th and unvoiced th.

🔢 Math
We continued building our number sense through counting activities and games, practising accurate counting and recognizing numbers.

✏️ Printing
We began focusing on proper formation of letters and numbers, practising where to start, which direction to move, and how to form each letter and number carefully.

🦸 Superhero Art
Students had fun creating superhero self-portraits, imagining themselves as superheroes and thinking about what makes each of us unique and special.

🚶 Community Walk
During Gym, we enjoyed a community walk, giving us an opportunity to get outside, move our bodies, and explore the community around our school.

It was another wonderful week of learning, creating, moving, and growing together!

 

Grade One – Week Two 🌟

What a busy and exciting second week of Grade One! We continued getting to know one another while settling into our classroom routines and beginning our learning together.

📖 Visual Journals
We began using our visual journals to record ideas and memories from our summer adventures. Students also shared things they like about school and things they are looking forward to this year. It has been wonderful to see the variety of ideas and interests in our classroom!

🔢 Math
In Math, we have been practising counting and building our number sense through hands-on activities and math games. We also began working with ten frames to help us see and understand numbers in different ways.

🔤 Phonics & Letters
We explored the Lively Letters sounds for p, b, t, d, f, v, k, and g, using actions and visuals to help connect letters with their sounds. We also began our UFLI phonics lessons, building our early reading and word skills through daily practice.

📚 Library Visit
We had our first visit to the library! Students selected books that will stay in our classroom and become part of our classroom reading collection. These books will be used during partner reading, giving students opportunities to practise reading, sharing books, and talking about stories with a classmate.

It has been a wonderful second week filled with learning, sharing, practising, and building our classroom community. We are looking forward to all that the coming weeks will bring! 

Please see the note below from our PhysEd Teacher:

Community Walks in PE

Starting Wednesday, September 16th, we will be introducing a regular community walk routine as part of our PE classes. These walks will provide students with an opportunity to be active, get outside, and enjoy our school community.

Please ensure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather on walk days. Parents will be notified at least 48 hours in advance whenever a community walk is planned.

If you are interested in volunteering to help with community walks, please note that an updated police clearance is required every year. Our Parent Council Volunteer Coordinator has sent out a Sign-Up Genius for those interested in volunteering. 

Marc van Sluys

PE Teacher

McKenzie Towne School, CBE

Blog: https://mrvansluysmts.blogspot.com/

Welcome to Grade One!

Dear Families,

My name is Karmel Preuss and I am very excited to welcome your child and your family to our Grade One classroom - room 124. I look forward to getting to know each child and supporting them as they grow as learners, classmates, and members of our school community. Our classroom will be a place where children are encouraged to be curious, kind, respectful, and willing to try their best.

Our First Week of School

Our first week has been a wonderful opportunity to begin getting to know one another and to become familiar with our classroom community. We have been learning classroom routines and procedures, practising how we move through our day, and discussing what it means to be a responsible and respectful member of our classroom.

Students have had opportunities to participate in Gym and Music, learn and sing songs together, and enjoy a variety of picture books, math games and hands-on activities. We have also begun exploring our creativity through a self-portrait with an animal twist, giving students a fun way to share something about themselves while getting to know their classmates.

This week, we will continue building relationships, practising our routines, and becoming more comfortable with the expectations and rhythm of Grade One.

All About Me Bags

A special reminder that All About Me Bags are to be returned on Tuesday, September 8. Sharing will begin this week. Students will have an opportunity to share the items they have chosen with their classmates. This is a wonderful way for students to tell a little bit about themselves, their interests, and the things that are important to them.

Thank you for helping your child prepare their All About Me Bag and for supporting us as we foster our classroom community.

I am looking forward to a wonderful year of learning, growing, and discovering together!

Warm regards,

Ms. Karmel Preuss

knpreuss@cbe.ab.ca

Grade One - McKenzie Towne School