Division 27

Newsletter
May 2017
Hello dear families! Welcome back from spring break and Easter holidays! I hope you had some time for relaxing
and doing a few things with family and friends! We have a very fun and educational month ahead here in division
23. Here are some of the things to keep in mind for the month of April.

Le franais

New!
With the help of our big buddies from Mme Simards class we have created a class book about spring (le
Printemps). This book will be going home for one night with each student the evening that they are Ami du
Jour. Please have a look at the book with your child. Some students may be able to read their page and even
some of the other students pages (the writing is phonetic so it may be difficult to identify some words). If your
child is not yet comfortable with reading you can look at the book together and find some letters that you child
can identify. What is the letter in French? What sound does it make? Can you find your friends name in the book?
Please remember to bring the book back to class the following day so that each student gets a turn to take it
home. Merci!

Ami du jour Please refer to the schedule for the month of May. Just a reminder the theme is for show and tell is
mothers day / fathers day or family.

Les themes This month themes are focused on insects with a particular focus on butterflies and fairy tales! We
will finish off the alphabet and begin to review all letters. Then we will begin to blend sounds using a consonant
and a vowel! You can help at home by discussing what we have been doing for our themes, and asking for French
vocabulary that your child has learned.

La lecture Keep up the great work reading at home en franais! Students might begin to identify frequent two
and three letter words such as: le, la du, un, une, de, des, mon, ton, tes, mes... Asking them to find words on a
page that they can read on their own is good practice and will help boost their confidence (they can read!).
Students have been really good at learning new vocabulary. The best way for your child to retain this vocabulary
and keep learning French is for him/her to be exposed/immersed in that language as much as possible. Reading at
home en franais can make an enormous difference in your childs ability to learn French and will contribute to a
higher level of reading ability and comprehension.

Les sciences humaines et les sciences naturelles

Les science humaines We will be focusing on science this month.

Les sciences naturelles We will learn about insects with a focus on the butterfly and its life cycle. You can help
at home by asking about the French vocabulary that your child has learned about insects and how they can
explore them at home (i.e.: Digging up insects in the garden, looking at butterflies that flutter by etc.)
Les mathmatiques

Le nombre We will continue to focus on number sense up to 10. Some activities will include number
representations, as well as activities which will initiate your child to addition (these are known as part-part-whole
activities. 1 part + 1 part = the whole). Please note that at this time we do not want to expose students to addition
formally but instead have them realise that one number can be represented in two parts and that these parts can
vary to make the same whole. You can help at home by encouraging your child to count, and show number
representation on a daily basis. They wont even know they are reinforcing their learning because they will be so
proud to show you what they know!

Lducation Physique
Students will continue with fun games, using different equipment, to bring variety to the program. As Fun day is
also just around the corner we will be practicing skills such as how to do a relay etc. in preparation for the
activities on the day of. We hope to see you there in June! You can help by discussing the importance of staying
active and by asking what we have been doing in PE.

Daily Physical Activity

At this point all students are able to run at least 5 laps around the playground during our endurance training and
some can even run up to 10!

La planification personnelle
If we have time we will begin a mini unit on road safety which covers bike safety, how to cross the road safely
and being safe around school buses. You can help at home by asking your child what they know about road safety
especially when out and about in your neighborhood. Students have also been practicing to be ready for grade
one. We will even be visiting a grade one class for an afternoon during the month of May! You can help at home
by asking your child what they have been doing to be prepared (i.e. participating in calendar and carpet times,
completing their work in a neat and timely manner, listening to directions, speaking in French whenever possible
and following class rules).

Les arts plastiques

We will be focusing on a mothers day project (Shhhhh its a secret!) and will create some art work about insects
and fairy tales. You can help at home by encouraging you childs interest in arts and crafts and by asking what we
are working on at school.
Class Calendar
May 5th Professional development day: No school: Have a great day with your children!
May 232nd Victoria Day Statutory holiday Have a good time together as a family!
May 26th - Dominos pizza day: Your child can enjoy pizza for lunch if you place an order!
May 29th Professional Development Day have a great day with your children!

Calling Parent volunteers!

Play dough I am looking for volunteers to make play dough for May. Thank you to parents who have already
helped out! Here is a reminder of what I am hoping for:
May 2nd Two different coloured batches.
May 24th Two different coloured batches.
Note: When cooking the playdough, please ensure it is fully cooked (I know this is difficult and can be quite hard
on the wrist when stirring which makes it easy to give up early on been there done that!). If the dough is not
cooked enough it stays sticky and we cannot use it in class.

Field Trips A big thank you to the parent volunteers who assisted us in walking back to school after our time at
the tennis centre. More to follow soon about an upcoming field trip in June!

If you have any questions or comments. Please feel free to send me a note, talk to me after class or contact
me by e-mail at mcdonald_s1@surreyschools.ca. Please note that I may not get around to responding to e-mails
on a daily basis so please be patient and I will try my best to respond within 48 hours. If you have something time
sensitive to communicate it is always best to give the school a call.

Mme McDonald