Welcome Back!

Here's to the beginning of the 2014-2015 school year!

 

I made some changes to the classroom environment this year and am very pleased with how it has turned out! Primary coloured furniture were given new life with a more neutral beige paint job and the colourful alphabet mat was replaced with a more neutral toned rug. I also added some new shelving and made the reading area bigger to accommodate all of the books that I gathered throughout my first year of Kindergarten.

Smart Board and general meeting area.

 

Science and Math centers.

 

Reading area.

 

Drama/kitchen center.

 

Rice table.

 

Eight, new little bodies filled the classroom today! We had a lot of free exploration time with the centers throughout the day as sitting for any great length of time is always a bit tricky on the first day of K. Some of the favourites appear to be building blocks, cars, and sand/rice tables. However, some students also chose to explore painting, the drama center, music, and the marble run. We also took some time for some more directed play by exploring all of the different math manipulatives.

After a brief introduction to some of the classroom expectation, we joined the rest of the school staff and students outside at the flag pole. A brand new Canadian flag was raised and everyone sang O' Canada together. Then, we moved into the gymnasium for a brief assembly.

One of the routines that were introduced today was the morning question, which students are to answer when they arrive to school. I also introduced the jobs of calendar and weather reporting, but the rest of the daily jobs (such as various cleaning roles) and our new job chart will be discussed more fully on Thursday.

I love this new owl job chart!

 

We read The Kissing Hand and students were introduced to Chester Raccoon. They learnt the news that each day one student will take Chester and his journal home with him! Chester I always a beloved addition to the classroom. He's also new and improved this year!

 We also viewed last years Kindergarten class' book about first day feelings, before students worked on their own representations of how they were feeling today.

 

Another job that we worked on today were our "This is Me on the First Day of Kindergarten" pictures, which will become a monthly task as the year progresses. Students are encouraged to try their best with a drawing of themselves and printing their name and the date. It is so exciting to watch the progression of their word throughout the school year! Today's drawings were added to our hallway bulletin board.

 Before I knew it, the day had passed by! I hope that the students enjoyed their first full day of Kindergarten. It is always such an exciting, bustling time. 2 more sleeps and we get to do it all over again. :)

Here's to a wonderful year of new Kindergarten Adventures!