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!