Snowflake's Adventures

Where is Snowflake?  That's what the students want to know every morning.

On Wednesday, she was up on a high display shelf.  She seems to have settled in with icons of her homeland of ice and snow...a polar bear, an inukshuk, an igloo and an Inuit person.

She must have been busy, because she put up all the student's names, in glitter on the Word wall.

She even managed to put up her own name!

On Thursday morning, she had brought back a couple of boxes of 

"Mrs. Claus' Crullers"

Don't they look yummy??

The children heard the story of "Santa's Stuck" by Rhonda Gowler Greene.  After writing what they would do if they were to find Santa stuck in their chimney, they completed a little craft activity.

The students are working to become more comfortable with printing one line high, with leaving one line empty after printing on one line, with using proper punctuation and with taking time to spell known words, especially sight words and those found on the Word Wall, correctly.

Did you know that December 6th is St. Nicholas Day?  In most European countries, children leave out their shoes on the night before and find fruit, candy, coins and toys in them when they wake up.  The students were so surprised to find coins in their shoes on Friday morning.  They all think Snowflake had something to do with it, but I am wondering if St. Nicholas had visited us?

We all know how excited (and exhausted) children can be in December.  Sadly, the students are finding it a challenge to behave properly when they are not in an organized, learning setting.  This means that the difficulties with playing outside are becoming more evident, that they are not using kind words with each other, and that the noon hour supervisors are being run ragged.

Please assist with setting your own expectations for behaviour with your child.  I spent the entire month of October eating my lunch in the classroom to ensure that expectations were clear.  I was at a math inservice on Friday and had the very bad misfortune to read the substitute teacher's notes that listed multiple incidents and many, many children needing to be reprimanded for their behaviour.  I would appreciate your support if your child's behaviour results in natural consequences, such as having to eat their lunch in another area of the school because they could not behave in the classroom.  With this being concert week, there will be less and less structure, as we practise.