May 7, 2020

Dear CSSI Families:

Please check the resources below that were shared with me by an Occupational Therapist.  There may be an activity, or two, that will work for your child while you are at home.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46DnfdXTZs0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KV_F19G7gKo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=or79zHnxKx4&t=29s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EF-lH_U35ko

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtyDfYd9dGM&t=11s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDXJadMe9qU

We miss seeing all of your smiling faces at school, everyday.  We look forward to seeing you each week on our google meets.

Take care everyone!

April 17, 2020

Dear CSSI Families:

I am using our blog to share resources that I have explored online, specifically for children with Autism.  These resources should support your child's sensory needs while you are at home:

Ideas for sensory activities to do at home:

https://www.kids-konnect.com/blog/7-fun-sensory-activities-for-kids-with-autism

https://www.pinterest.ca/topics/autism-activities/

https://www.thisgrandmaisfun.com/sensory-activities-kids-autism/

March 30-April 3, 2020

Dear CSSI Families,

Please find a link below that is providing free emergency at home kits to families:

https://theautismhelper.com/

Also, here are some helpful life skill ideas that your child can be practicing while at home:

-making his bed

-helping to clean up dinner (load dishwasher, put plates in sink etc.)

-practicing dressing independently (including zippers, buttons or velcro)

-sorting items in the kitchen 

-helping with the laundry (putting away towels, for example)

In the weeks ahead, we will be posting more helpful suggestions for your families.  Please keep well and healthy.

Accessing your child's Student Learning Plan on IRIS

Hi CSSI Families-

You can access your child's Student Learning Plan on IRIS by completing the following steps: 

IRIS: you can access IRIS by simply going to  Google and searching the keywords: IRIS CBE.  

Username: You will use your child’s student ID# which can be found on any of their IPP's or Report Cards. 

Password: The password is dog, all lowercase letters.

March 18th, 2020

Dear CSSI Families,

We wanted to check in to let you know we are thinking of you all.  We miss the classrooms filled with laughter and seeing your smiling faces everyday.

Please stay tuned to your emails for updates as they come.

Stay safe and healthy during this time and once schools re open we promise you we will be waiting with open arms and happy hearts as we welcome our wonderful families back!

March 9-13, 2020

Please check your email in regards to the postponing of Parent/Teacher Conferences on March 19th and 20th.  

Further details regarding our swimming program at Emily Follensbee school will be sent home next week.  We are still encouraging parents to volunteer with their child for at least one of the times that we will be at the pool.  Here is a list of the dates that we will be at the pool:

April 7, 14, 21, 28
May 5, 12, 19, 26
June 2, 9

We will leave Ron Southern on the bus at 11:30am and return by 2:10pm.  We thank you for your continued support.

March 2-5, 2020

Welcome to March, CSSI Families!

Did you know that we practice our calendar skills daily at circle time?  There are many areas of learning that are involved during circle that include:

-numeracy
-seasons
-time
-identification of when special events occur
-overall communication

Here are some cool websites that we use during circle time that can also benefit your child at home:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZ05Pdq1QXE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loINl3Ln6Ck

A gentle reminder that Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held on March 19/20.  More information regarding the conferences will be sent home next week.

February 24-28, 2020

We have been placing an emphasis on independent dressing in CSSI.  Picture symbols of the specific steps needed to get ready to go outside are posted for all students to see.  We also have Alex, the dressing monkey, that each child has an opportunity to explore.  Alex allows for the practicing of such important skills as buttoning buttons, putting on socks and even zipping zippers.  
Our classroom Occupational Therapist, Nora, also supports us with these skills when she is in our school.  

Learning how to dress ourselves independently also allows students to demonstrate an understanding of body awareness.  Here are some great resources that can further this learning:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuqvGiZi0qg

https://pbskids.org/sesame/games/seasons-spinner/

Februay 18-21, 2020

What a great week at school!  Although it was short, we were very busy learning in the CSSI classroom.  

An area in which we have been focusing on is correctly identifying common colours.  Most students are able to match the colours, however, we have added the extra challenge of choosing the correct colour out of 2.  We have several games, Smart Board activities and songs that support the learning of colours.  However, here are some additional ways in which each child can continue their learning at home:

Use a strainer from your kitchen along with different coloured pipe cleaners.  Ask your child to put specific coloured pipe cleaners into the holes of the strainer.  In addition, you can ask for your child to pull out particular colours, as well!








A great colour song from Super Simple Songs is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYAWf8Y91hA

Finally, here is an online bingo game that helps children practice both their colour and shape skills:
https://www.abcya.com/games/shapes_colors_bingo

Happy Learning Everyone!!

February 4-8, 2020

We had a great sensory experience this week with "puffy paint", which is shaving foam and glue mixed together.  We were creating a picture of a melted snowman and had so much fun putting our hands into the mixture.  

If you would like to create this easy recipe at home, please click on the link below:
https://parentingchaos.com/shaving-cream-puffy-paint/

Please find information in your child's agenda regarding our Valentines' Day celebration, next February 12th.  A gentle reminder that Teacher's Convention is on February 13th and 14th, therefore there will be no school on those days.  Also, February 17th is Family Day and is a holiday.  

January 27-30, 2020

A gentle reminder to all families that you need to sign and return your child's IPP signature page.  

Have you been following us on Twitter?  We upload pictures and comments about your child's learning on a daily basis.  Here is the link to our Twitter account:  https://twitter.com/cssi_ron

An interesting topic we talked about this week was Groundhog's day, which is happening on February 2.  We read the Mr. Groundhog poem together as a class.  Then, we took turns with Mrs. Rowntree pointing to all the words as we sang.  We cheered when each student had their turn.  Here is the poem that we learned:

In addition, we played a Groundhog Smart Board game that you can also try at home:

https://www.starfall.com/h/holiday/groundhog/?sn=main

Friday is a PD day at Ron Southern school.  Enjoy the long weekend and see everyone on Friday!

January 20-14, 2020

We will be sending home your child's current IPP and Specialized Settings Report Card on Friday, January 24th.  Please ensure that you sign the signature page of the IPP and return to school, as soon as possible.  

A very exciting activity that we did this week in CSSI was a Jello Sensory Bin.  We had to use our fine-motor skills to dig through the jello in order to pick out the hidden toys and fruit.  We also used all of our five senses throughout this activity.  It was a jiggly and tasty treat for everyone to enjoy!

This would be a great activity to do with your child at home.  If you are interested, here is the website link:
https://www.colorthemoon.com/post/jello-sensory-bin

January 13-17, 2020

What a cold and snowy week we had in Calgary.  We were sad that we couldn't go outside for our recess time.  However, we did a lot of movement break exercises in our classroom.  Please see below some of the songs that we like to move and groove to:

Let's Go to the Zoo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwRmivbNgQk&list=RD2UcZWXvgMZE&index=13


ABC Rock:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSKcUJOF-Dw&list=RD2UcZWXvgMZE&index=27


Shake Break:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zl5QodAFuVk&index=9&list=RD2UcZWXvgMZE

We also started a brand new integration opportunity with our grade One friends on Mondays after lunch.  We did Yoga in their classroom and can't wait to show you pictures of our cool poses.  We hope to post to Twitter some time next week.

Have a great weekend and keep warm!

January 6-10, 2019

Welcome Back and Happy 2020!  We hope that you had a restful winter break.  The students were excited to see one another and we think that some of them even grew a little bit!

In our daily morning circle, we explore and create a calendar together.  One of the areas we discussed this week was our New Year.  Our students made firework art, coloured New Year words and even took a funny picture wearing a Happy New Year headband.  They all look great on the bullentin board outside of our classroom!

We will be starting a new unit in math all about patterns.  We will be looking at patterns that we see in our world and making patterns of our very own.  To support your child with this learning, we have attached two websites that would be helpful to play with at home.

https://pbskids.org/sesame/games/grovers-winter-games/


https://www.abcya.com/games/fuzz_bugs_patterns

Bundle up for the cold winter weather next week.

  Stay warm this weekend!

December 16-19, 2019

On Thursday, your child will be bringing home a bag of work that they have completed over the last few months.  We would like to encourage that you review the work with your child over the break.  Consistent practice and revision with your child will allow them to show you what they have learned!

Happy Holidays,

S. Rowntree, P. Herring & M. Hamilton

December 9-13, 2019

With the busy holiday season upon us, here are some gentle reminders of upcoming events at Ron Southern School:

Thursday, December 12^th is our Winter Celebration at 6:30pm.  All families are encouraged to bring their child to the CSSI classroom by 6:15pm.  You will then be able to watch your child perform in the gym.

Next week, Ron Southern has holiday-themed days, as follows:

-December 16^th:  Christmas Sweater Day

-December 17^th:   Hat Day

-December 18^th:   Match Day (Our class will be wearing anything red)

-December 19^th:   PJ Day (wear your PJ’s to school)

We would also like to share some of the great festive websites that we have been exploring and using in ours classroom:

Gingerbread Math:

https://www.starfall.com/h/holiday/gingerbread/?sn=main

Reindeer Pokey:

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2drf33

Find the Presents:

https://www.abcya.com/games/christmas_hunt