I hope you all are enjoying a blessed Thanksgiving weekend.  I just wanted to clarify a few details about our upcoming field trip to the pumpkin patch on Tuesday.  First of all, please dress your child in play clothes. They will wear these for the entire day.  Also, since will be going rain or shine please be sure to send along an appropriate jacket and footwear.  Rubber boots are a great choice since it will likely be muddy.  The Kindies will be leaving on the bus by 9:10 and will return to the school by 11:30.  We will be missing our mid-morning snack so an extra hearty breakfast might be a good idea.  It’s gonna be a great time.  Can’t wait!

It turned out that our “mystery recipe” was…APPLESAUCE!  Thanks Mrs. Hanninen, Mrs. Wight, and Mrs. Noordam for helping us peel and chop the apples.  We put our apples into the crockpot then added sugar, cinnamon, and water.  Boy, did our classroom smell yummy as it cooked!   We tried to guess what the recipe would be.  Most of us thought it would be apple pie.  At the end of the day we (mostly) enjoyed a delicious fall treat, made by our very selves!

Last week a couple of moms mentioned to me in conversation that they would be willing to help out at the pumpkin patch.  Thank you!  The problem is…I didn’t write it down at the time and now I’m not exactly sure who is was.  Is this a sign of early dementia?  I hope not…just a busy schedule, I think!

If it was you who generously offered to help would you mind emailing to remind me?

Thanks!

dmorris@highroadacademy.com

Next week we will be launching our Fall theme with an investigation of apples.  We will be making a “mystery recipe” on Wednesday and will need each child to contribute an apple for this activity. Would you mind sending an apple to school on Tuesday?  Thanks!

I am in need of one or two parent helpers for this activity.  You would be helping children, one at a time, to core/peel/slice their apple with one of those fancy corer/peeler/slicers.  We would be ready to start soon after 9 and it shouldn’t take more than an hour at the most.  Please email me at dmorris@highroadacademy.com. if you’d like to be involved.  Thanks and have a great weekend!

On Tuesday, October 6, the primary department will be hosting a Thanksgiving-themed after school club.  It is free and you don’t have to sign your child up.  The part time Kindies who wish to participate will start with me, doing a 20 minute activity in our class.  I will then walk them next door to Mrs. Larrson’s classroom where they will do a 20 minute activity with her.  Finally, they will visit Mrs. Folkert’s classroom and will do a 20 minute activity with her.  She will walk them back to our classroom where you can pick your child up at 4:15.  We will be offering several after school clubs this year and hope to see your child there!

My great badge basket started out as full at the beginning of the year but is now almost empty!  If your child has 10 collected at home it’s time to bring them back for a prize. At the beginning of the day your child can find their envelope in the yellow basket at the front of the classroom (by the big whiteboard) and put their great badges inside.

They will probably need some parent help with this.  Then the envelope can be placed in the green “In Box” on my desk.  Later in the day I will give them a chance to pick a prize from out prize box!

As you can imagine, at any given time in a Kindergarten classroom, there are hands up.  This is a very good thing because it shows that we are learning the rules of the classroom and are not just blurting out our ideas.  Not all hands, however, get answered right away.  This can be a problem when the question is “Can I please use the washroom?!!!!!”.  So, the children and I have decided on a special signal to use when they really need to go: a sign language “w” (for washroom).  If I see a child with their hand up and three fingers raised I will know that they need a quick trip to the restroom and will answer their hand right away.  Of course…I will also be watching for the telltale sign of children hopping from one foot to the other!