The Bare Necessities Song

We are getting ready for our big performance on March 13. Order forms for tickets to the play went home in the Take Home Folders today. Please check the School Play link for more information about the play. Both classes will be performing together for the 11:00 and 6:00 performances. Stay tuned for information about extra school time for rehearsals.
Right now our job is to PRACTISE! Click above for the music for our song. One is the full accompaniment and the other is just the melody. Here's the words for home practise.

Look for the Bear Necessities
The simple bear necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife
I mean the bear necessities
Oh Mother Nature's recipes
That bring the bare necessities to life.

Whenever I wander
Wherever I roam
I couldn't be fonder of my big home
The bees are buzzing in the trees
To make some honey just for me
The bear necessities of life will come to you.

(Repeat)

Love Mrs. App

Puppet Show - Wolf and Pig

We added the pig and wolf puppets to one of the puppet centres today. These two students did a creative improvisation. Enjoy the show!
Note: Thank you to the student who brought a big bag of puppets to share with the class. We love them!
Love Mrs. App

Welcome, Stephanie!

We welcome Stephanie Digiacoma into our classroom. Stephanie is our new full time Student and School Support Worker (SSSW.) We are fortunate to have her all to ourselves with the exception on supervision at lunch time.
Stephanie is a wonderful addition to our classroom. She is warm, caring, and making connections with the children already. Stephanie has her Early Childhood Education and also runs a Day Care for 3 -5 year old children. If you haven't had a chance to meet Stephanie yet, drop by the classroom.

Wednesday is Pink Day at the school in support of a boy who was bullied at his school for wearing pink. I am choosing to shield the Kindergarten class from this story and not discuss the event at length together. I'm working on lowering anxieties. Some families my be discussing it due to siblings and that's fine. On Wednesday, pink is a welcome colour along with the others.
Stay tune for a Play Update soon!
Love Mrs. App

Here's the final performance we've been waiting for! Division 15 wowed the entire school with their posh outfits and fancy dance moves. I was especially impressed with our kindies committment to their performance even when one of our little sibblings ran up and started dancing between our two rows. (It's quite hilarious when you watch it!) Never fear, our class didn't miss a beat even when knocked over. Bravo, everyone! It was FABULOUS, dar-ling!
Love Mrs. App
Note: If you're wondering what all this fancy stuff is about, scroll down and keep reading.

Fancy Dress Day!

Today we were all decked out in our fancy clothes! Here's a mix of our classes having fun dressing up and singing our DISCO BINGO song. It was a very FANCY DAY!

Why are we being fancy? These activities were a literacy extension of the Fancy Nancy stories by Jane O'Connor. We have been embracing fancy and talking about how to make activities and even word choices more exciting. It is a heart-warming series that I hope our library will carry soon. (Hint Hint, Ms. Leung!)

Of course, there were some tears today, too. It was Michelle's last day. (See below) We expect our first visit from Michelle on Friday at 11:00 a.m.

Love Mrs. App
Note: I will try to upload the Div. 15 performance on my home computer. Keep checking!

Bonjour, Butterfly

We read the third Fancy Nancy Story today. Mr. Hooper read FANCY NANCY BONJOUR, BUTTERFLY by Jane O'Connor to Division 15. Mr. Hooper came to congratulate Division 15 on their exquisite performance in the gym. (Exquisite is a fancy word for very good!) Division 14 heard my version of the story in the afternoon.
Note: I'm presently working on uploading Division 15's performance. It was on a video camera rather than the computer so there are some complications. Not to worry, I'll figure it out. I'll make a movie of the photos to keep our fans happy in the meantime!
Love Mrs. App

Division 14 Performance

Here's Division 14 performing DISCO BINGO! Today was the end of our Fancy Dress theme. We explored ways to make ordinary things extraordinary by adding some sparkle and fun. We made the Bingo song much more fancy by making it Disco and adding accessories. Enjoy!

We wish you all the best, Michelle!

It's true. Michelle has been offered her dream job. She will finally be a full time paramedic in Chemainus! Her new job will start on Monday, Feb. 25. Yes, it is quick and sudden. Yes, we will miss her. Michelle is a ray of sunshine in our classroom. All the children have benefited from her warmth and caring nature. Michelle will be back to visit. Her first scheduled visit will be at our school production. I suspect she will be in the front row cheering for our little bear cubs.

As you know, our DISCO BINGO performance is on Friday, Feb. 22. Division 15 (morning class) will perform in the Gym. Division 14 (afternoon class) will be recorded in the classroom. We are calling the day our FANCY DAY. So check around the house and send in any fancy accessories that your child can wear or share. I suggest hats, ties, scarves, or necklaces. We will make fancy feather glasses in the class, so all children will have something to wear. This will be an extra-special day. What a way to say good bye to Michelle in style!

Michelle's job will be filled by Stephanie Digacomo. Stephanie has worked at Bayview previously. Mr. Hooper assures me that Stephanie is familiar with attatchment theory and has a style that will be a great fit for our classroom. That's good news. We know our kids deserve the best. I'll update you with more information when we welcome Stephanie on Monday.

Love Mrs. App

Happy Valentine's Day

Here's our two classes delivering Valentines in the classroom.
Love Mrs. App

The Gala! An Evening of Talent

What a wonderful evening! On Friday evening, Bayview was transformed into a posh venue for a silent auction and musical talent. Those of you who were there will enjoy a few memories. Those of you who couldn't make it, can have a sneak peek at a few moments I managed to catch.

Feb. 11 - 14 Photos

This was a busy week. Here's a peek at our children being creative during centre time and having their eye exams while wearing the "testing glasses." Stay tuned for the next post which will have our classes delivering Valentines to each other.

More Puppet Shows

One set of the puppets have been returned to the VSB. My Little Red Hen set still remains well used by our little actors. Indeed, they are experts at improvising! Here are some little shows with bloopers included.

Making Movies

Here's a little movie that we made today in class. Division 15 was ecstatic to be a part of the process and see the final product.

The Bare Necessities

Remember our school play is coming up on Thursday March 13.  Here's a little clip of the main characters trying out their costumes.  Click play and wait for the bear and wolves to appear.  There is always more information on the right side link.  Don't worry about our Kindergarten costumes.  I have shirts, ears, and paws for our little bear cubs.  

Love Mrs. App

Alert!

Mr. Hooper announced that the assembly on Friday is cancelled.  There will be a great instrumental performance called Swarm at 9:00 am.   This means that our FANCY DAY will be postponed until Friday Feb. 22.  We will dress up with posh accessories such as hats, ties, necklaces, sunglasses etc.  Children can bring things from home if they wish.  We will also have extravagant things here to wear for finishing touches.  Division 15 will do a performance for the school at the assembly.  Division 14 may not have an audience, but I will film them so parents can enjoy the show on our blog.

Valentines Day is tomorrow!  Remember there is also the vision screening for the morning class.  It should be a busy and grand day!

Love Mrs. App

Class News Update

Here's this week's news!

1) We are finishing Folk Tales and moving into a week of Fancy Nancy and Dress Up! This week will include the Fancy Nancy Books, getting dressed up, and singing a groovy song called Disco Bingo! It should all come together for a little peformance on Friday, Feb. 15 at the assembly. If the assembly is canceled it may be postponed. Division 14 will do a presentation in the office or in the library for the buddy class. I'll update the blog for more information.

2) Valentines Day. Yes, there will be a Valentines Theme on Thursday. The school has a spirit day of Valentine Colours. So, wear red or pink if possible. We will have some Valentine activities and goodies in the class. Thank you to the parents who have already volunteered to bake. All unannouced addtional treats are welcome. Remember there are peanut allergies in Division 15.

3) The Vision Clinic is visiting our class on Thursday at 9:30. They haven't said it there will be a Division 14 visit.

4) The Gala! The great annual Gala is on Friday. Be sure to go to the Gala link on the right to find out more information. Pictures of our gorgeous platters are on the link. Remember to scroll down. Wouldn't it be wonderful to own the platter from your child's kindergarten class? Show up and bid! There is only one for each class.

5) Michelle. Michelle should return on Tuesday. (Audience applause)

6) The Bare Necessities. I am working on a little clip with audio for the children to practice the our class song for the play. It will be posted soon.

7) Volunteers! Help. We lost our volunteers with the switch. Please let me know if you can help out. There is lots of jobs in the classroom. Plus, there will be upcoming ways to help out with little jobs for preparing for the play - making tickets, programs, etc.

8) Screencasts/ podcasts. Help your child explore the podcasts/ screencasts in the right column. I'm trying to build the blog as a resource for the children's learning at home. Stay tuned for more educational learning.

9) Swarm! There's a great performance (that's not our class) at 9:00 on Friday in the gym. Division 15 will see it. This is also the reason why I won't be surprised it Mr. Hooper cancels our assembly. At the moment, our Disco Bingo Class performance is still scheduled for Friday too. I'll update with more information about the time when Mr. Hooper confirms assembly time.

Love Mrs. App

Story Time with Mrs. App

Watch out! Mrs. App is becoming a proud computer geek!
I loved the technological conference today. Rather than simply putting computers in our class and keeping the status quo, I see the need for classrooms to change and prepare our children for the ever-changing world of technology that surrounds us. Indeed, we are preparing students for jobs that haven't even been created yet.


I'm working towards having a story time corner on our blog. For now, I'll present this one as a post. Sometimes it's nice to watch a movie of a book, because the children can rewind or watch it over and over as they wish. I expect our little smarty pants will be reading the book along with me in not time! When they need a challenge, pause it and ask them to find a word on the page. I chose the fairy tales book today because it highlights some of the folk tales we read. Be sure to view it as a full screen movie. Show your child how to click replay. Enjoy!

Wait there's MORE!
I'm exploring how podcasting can help our children learn and teach each other. In addition to the puppet shows, stay tuned for other information from the children on our page. I've also added some educational podcasts by Sesame Street. More puppets - Yay! Plus, there is also the famous shadow puppet presentation. It's all in the right coloumn. Check them out.

Love Mrs. App

Alert! There is no school on Friday!

It suddenly hit me that I did not mention the professional development day on Feb. 8 in my newsletter below! On Friday, the Vancouver teaching staff are attending a variety of conferences for educational updates to improve classrooms. I will be attending a Techonlogical Workshop. I have to admit I'm starting to feel like quite the computer geek myself with all I've learned about blogging and creating a paperless line of communication with parents. I hope to learn more about making class movies. I want to create an informative clip about kindergarten and what we do in our classroom. This is one of my plans for improving the Kindergarten Orientation this year.

We fell behind with the Lunches with the teacher due to illnesses. I have a schedule that will also include Thursdays. Even with two days a week, we will go all the way into June with lunches. I'll post the schedule soon. If you are extra eager, ask me it class to take a peek!

I'm going to try to put a new slide show in with all the puppeteers! The children are loving the two puppet centres. Their improvisations are quite charming and hilarious!

Here's a great idea! Make your computer's home page our class page. I did it and I love it! Now instead of seeing Google when I open the internet, I see the Kindergarten page. I have to admit their little faces always make me smile. You'll also see updates before the emails go out! Go into your control panel and give it a try!

Love Mrs. App

Parent Volunteers

Dear Parents:

Now that the switch has happened, it may change people's availablity for volunteering in the class. If you can volunteer on a regular basis in the class, please indicate your first, second, and third choice for the date and time desired and return the form to school by next Wednesday. I will then contact you. If you are unable to volunteer on a regular basis, but would like to volunteer occasionally (eg. every 1st and 4th week), this can be arranged. Also, if you have a friend in the class and would like to alternate weeks, please arrange it and let me know.

Thanks in advance for all your help!

Caroline

Click here to get a printable version of the sign up table.

Cultivating Caring Children

This post is for the parents. Remember, our children should NEVER think that we have questions about parenting!

Many of you may know that I've done some very LONG intensive workshops around attachment theory and cultivating caring children. (It's in the right column.) I found all the workshops extremely insightful and they had a positive effect on my teaching and parenting. However, I am also aware the 8 week courses may not be realistic for everyone. I may have found a solution. On Feb. 6, Dr. Deborah MacNamara is prestenting a short 2 hour evening workshop that will try to address the key issues in parenting and teaching today. I plan to ask Dr. MacNamara if she would consider doing a workshop at Bayview for interested parents. Let me know what you think!
Cheers,
Caroline

Here's the workshop description:

We all want caring and considerate children but there is much confusion about how to get there. Dr. Neufeld unravels the mystery by uncovering the developmental roots of these esteemed virtues. What may come as a surprise is the negative effect that some of our prevailing practices in parenting and education have on caring. Included in this presentation are suggestions for how parents and teachers can best cultivate these characteristics in children.

Puppet Centre #2

Click here for a quick view of some new puppets.

Unfortunately, all the recordings are not here, yet. It's taking a VERY long time to load them. Of course, I'm also proud that my students needed more time to show off their creative ideas! Enjoy this show today. Thanks again to C.W. for lending us his puppet set.
Love Mrs. App

Class News Update

We just returned from the Winter break and it's already February! There's some exciting events coming up. Here's some important information.

1) It all changes on Monday. Yes, February 4 is the next day I see you. Division 15 will now come in the mornings and Division 14 will come in the afternoons. Here's a reminder of class hours if you are wondering when to show up and pick up your child.

Morning Class: 8:45 -11:30 (M, T, Th and F) 9:00 - 11:30 (Wednesdays)

Afternoon Class: 12:30 - 3:10 (M, T, Th, and F) No School on Wednesdays

2) Mark March 13 on your calendars. It is the school play. Our kindergarteners will be bear cubs. I already have the costumes organized so you will not be sewing. (Hooray!) Both classes are needed for the 11:00 am performance and the 6:00 performance. I'll give you more information about when to come to school closer to the date. The 11:00 show will have lots of room for young children in the audience to sit at the front. All floor space is used for seats during the evening show. It is always sold out. Tickets are $10 each. Many people buy tickets for both shows. Julie Smith and Michelle will be helping our class get ready before our scene.
As the director, I'll be pulled in many directions, but I will be leading the children during their performance. Ticket sales will be at the end of February. Stay tuned for more information. There is also a link in the right column.

3) The Bayview GALA is just around the corner on Feb. 15. This will be a fantastic and glamorous event featuring local talent and entertainment. Child care will be available. There will also be a silent auction to raise money for the school. Each kindergarten class has made a stunning platter that will be auctioned off at the Gala. Take a look at the display case on the main floor to get a preview of our platter. The children are very proud. I'm sure EVERYONE wants to take it home to remember their child's precious year in kindergarten. Start planning your bidding strategy! Check the link in the right column for more information.

4) Thank you for all your kind and supportive words to me about our classes this year. Apparently, you've been spreading the good news about our learning environment. More people are realizing what a special school Bayview is. Kindergarten registration is overflowing with applicants. If we have more registrations in the next month or so we will be able to confirm THREE kindergarten classes!

6) Valentines day. On Thursday, Feb, 14 both classes will have little theme-based parties with activities.

7) I'll be looking for more volunteers now that your schedules will look different. Stay tuned for a blog update, email me, or talk to me in person about your slot request. Remember, it's a regular weekly time to help out with preparing materials and assisting children at their desks. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but if you are willing, we WELCOME you. Plus, you get to see the magic during Roses at the end of the day.

I'll see you all on Monday. I can't wait to see how it goes. Any bets that some families will show up at the wrong time? (Hee hee)

Love Mrs. App