My Week In Kindergarten
I just completed a week in a FDK class at Lakeshore Public School. My class was really great! We had some ups and downs (as the ECE teacher was absent a few days as well, which threw the children off a little bit). But we had a really great week together! I got the opportunity to work with a wide variety of young students-both behvaiuorals as well as an Autistic child. I love how excited and interested the students are in their learning. I got to work with the students as a large group, within a small group (separating the JKs from the SKs on occasion) as well as one on one.
What Did We Do In A Week?
Our week was well planned and executed without a hitch. The way their program is set up seems to work quite well. Depending on the day, and where the preps fall, I was really only with the students btw 3-4 periods in a day. Typically, the students come into the class in the morning, as we get undressed, which takes a little longer than anticipated as student have snowpants, jackets, boots, mittens, hats, etc. Once we are all ready, we take attendence, and students sign in by answering YES or NO to a question (i.e. Did you play in the snow on the weekend). Then, students chose a book and read or look through it quietly on the carpet. Once all students have had the chance to read for a few minutes, we then put away the books and gather on the carpet for a read aloud and community circle. Then, we move on to writer`s workshop. This week, our students`writing focused on flowers and the parts of a flower (see http://twitpic.com/8ee52j). After nutrition break, periods 3 and 4 are always PLAY. The students have many different centres they are allowed to play at including the house centre, sand centre, building blocks centre, writing centre, painting centre, dollhouse centre, castle centre and lego centre. Then, after the second nurition break, students usually have gym, computers or library, and then the last period of the day we look at and discuss our science project for the week (where we put white carnations into coloured water and watch how the carnations change colour). After a day in each water, we would change the water the flowers are in, so the colours mix together to create different coloured flowers. We had red, blue , yellow water, as well as plain water as our control. By the end of the week, after mixing the flowers into the different colours of water we ended up with a purple flower, an orange flower and a green flower (see http://twitpic.com/8ee4q6). It was a great activity to talk about the different parts of flower, how the stem sucks up the water, and to get students predicting what would happen to the flowers when placed in the different colours of water.
Overall, it was a fun and great experience to work within a Full Day Kindergarten class. The young minds are so creative and the students are really excited to learn. I just loved my week in Kindie!
On Friday, I had the pleasure to supervise my Grade 1 class on our trip to Central Highschool for the Robert Munsch production put on by the Burlington Fire Department. The plays were a huge success- both students and teachers seemed to really enjoy it. We were able to see 4 different plays: 50 Below Zero, Murmur Murmur, The Mud Puddle and The Paperbag Princess. We were able to intergrate this into our writer’s workshop when we arrived back at school, as the students had a specific purpose for their writing: a thank you letter to the firefighters. First, we completed a shared model of writing a thank you letter, and then students were given an opportunity to write their letters thanking the firefighters for all the time and effort they had put into the plays.
WOW! My dream has come true- I have been employed with the Halton District School Board. Working for this board has always been a wish, but I didn’t think I would actually get the chance. Yesterday, that all changed. I received an email stating that I was successful in my interview and am now a HDSB employee. I am beyond thrilled. I feel on top of the world right now. I have my orientation this upcoming Monday November 7, 2011 and can hopefully start supplying late next week! I am very eager to start my career with HDSB! I feel I have a long, wonderful and successful career ahead of me. Thanks to much help and support from my family, Fiance, friends, associate teachers, principals in both HWDSB, HDSB and Six Nations School Board for all your guidance, help and support! HDSB- Here I Come!!!
I am so excited! I was fortunate enough to gain an interview with the Halton District School Board. This board would be a wonderful school board to work for. I feel really good about the interview and the answers I gave, so now I wait to hear back. They said I would know within 1-2 weeks! I bet this will be the longest 1-2 weeks in my life. 
Last Thursday, I was fortunate enough to be invited to the Junior Division TLCP Planning Time at Buchanan Park Elementary School. 
I love trying and using different technologies in my classrooms! I find that using technology within the classroom really motivates my students and keeps them interested at the topic at hand!