Kindergarten

Blended Program

All the Kindergarten classes are blended, which means they are mixed age groupings (children are 4 and 5). There is one Ministry curriculum for both of the Kindergarten years, and expectations are for the end of Kindergarten. Kindergarten is an early childhood education setting including two adults: a certified Teacher and a certified Early Childhood Educator, and classes with 15 students have one teacher. 

Drop-Off and Entry

Kindergarten students are to be dropped off in their specific Kindergarten area between 9:05 and 9:20 a.m. There, they will be greeted by the teachers on duty. Kindergarten students should say goodbye to their parent(s)/caregiver at the entrance to the Kindergarten yard. Parents are encouraged to leave once they have said their ‘Goodbyes’ to help with this transition. When the bell rings, the teacher will lead the students into the school/classroom.

It is important for your child to arrive at school by 9:20 a.m. since classroom routines and activities begin punctually at that time. If you happen to arrive at school after 9:20 a.m., please proceed to the school office to receive an “admittance slip” before your child enters the classroom.  For security reasons, parents may not drop children off in the school at the classroom doors.

Nutrition Breaks

We have 2 nutrition breaks throughout the day, one in the morning from 11:00-11:40 and one in the afternoon from 1:20-2:00. Each break consists of an eating portion and an outdoor play portion. 

'Nut-Free School

Due to the fact that many students have allergies and some have life-threatening allergies to nuts (anaphylaxis), foods that contain or may contain nuts MUST NOT be brought to school. Please ensure that your child brings only ‘nut-free’ foods for the Nutrition breaks. Keeping this in mind, there are NO TREATS (e.g., cupcakes, cookies, Tim-Bits, etc.) to be brought in for any reason. Nuts include peanuts (a legume) and all tree nuts (e.g., almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts, pecans, etc)

Special Days

The library, Gym, and Music are all special additions to weekly FDK schedules.  During the first week of September, your child’s teachers will let you know when the class will be participating in each. There may be other days in the year that invite parents into the school (e.g., field trip, special events), so we encourage all parents to have a police check on file with the office by the beginning of September. Please apply for your police check as soon as possible.

Outdoor Play

Children should be dressed appropriately for participation in outdoor activities according to the daily weather conditions. We will be going outside for a minimum of 90 minutes daily.

Indoor Shoes

Please send an inexpensive pair of non-marking soles, Velcro closure running shoes that can be kept at school in your child’s cubby. Even if your child is able to tie his/her own shoes, Velcro shoes are preferred. Eliminating the potential danger that undone laces pose is an important factor. Children are required to have indoor shoes at school all year so that we can assist in keeping the classrooms clean and free of mud and dirt. Flip flops/crocs/sandals are not appropriate footwear.

School Attire

When you shop for clothes, remember your child needs to dress/undress and zip/unzip clothing several times each school day. These tasks need to be done independently.

Large zippers and large buttons are more manageable than buckles and ties. Boots that are the pull-on type can be put on without frustration, whereas boots with laces and buckles are often difficult for a child to manage independently. Please remember that your child’s FDK experience will be hands-on (they are going to get dirty).

Rubber boots and splash pants should be worn on wet and/or muddy days. Snow pants should be worn for cold/wet/slushy days. Please label all clothing and belongings – jackets, hats, shoes, snack bags, juice/water containers, etc. – with your child’s name.

Spare Clothing

Please send a complete, extra set of clothing, including shirt, pants, socks, and underwear to school in a Zip-Lok bag labeled with your child’s name. Having a change of clothing on hand has spared many children embarrassment. They can quickly change into their spare clothing without having to disrupt you at home or work. These clothes will be kept in your child’s cubby. Please replace them as soon as possible if they come home.

School Bag

Your child will need to bring a large backpack to school. They will need this to carry their schoolwork, notices, library books, lunch bag(s), etc. A large-sized backpack that has only one or two zippers works best.

Each day, a zippie bag will be sent home with communication from school. It makes it easier for you to find school notices, etc., in one place – inside the zippie. Please return this mailbag by placing it in your child’s backpack as soon as you have emptied it. If you misplace or lose it, please let us know, and we can replace it as soon as possible.

Toys

We ask that toys be left at home. It is our experience that toys from home can be lost or get broken while at school. It means our wonderful day ends sadly, with tears. Therefore, toys and other objects from home should stay at home, except when requested.

Bus Routines

If your child takes the bus to school, they will be picked up from the bus each morning by a Kindergarten Educator and walked to their class. At the end of the day, a Kindergarten Educator will also walk them to the bus. Kindergarten students are seated in the first few seats at the front of the bus. If your child automatically qualifies for bussing and you DO NOT wish them to take the bus, it is essential that you contact Halton Student Transportation Services to have them removed from the bus list. 

JK and new to SK students will receive their bus information by mail. You can view the route, times, and other bus information online at www.haltonbus.ca. On the first day of school, students will be given a bus tag with the students' bus stop outlined on the tag, indicating their pick up and drop off locations, as well as their bus colour. 

Dismissal

Parents are asked to wait on the blacktop for their child to be dismissed from their classroom or pen. It is very important that parents arrive around dismissal time since kindergarten students can become very anxious when parents arrive later than 3:40 p.m.

Illness

During the course of the school year, it is inevitable that children become ill with colds, flu, and other childhood ailments. As quickly as these can spread among the members of your family, they also spread throughout the classroom. An ill child is unable to learn in the classroom setting and will recuperate more quickly if given the opportunity to rest at home. Consequently, please do not send your child to school if she/he is ill.

Play-Based Learning

Children make sense of the world around them by exploring. Through play, they develop social and cognitive skills, problem-solving, confidence, and a sense of self-regulation and well-being. When we make ‘play’ the foundation of learning, we teach to the whole child. Their curious minds are more open and receptive when play is at the heart of their learning. Literacy and numeracy happen organically through the day as children explore, discover, and practice life skills at their own pace. 

Educators take observations, ask questions, and build on the learning that is happening at that moment. Inquiries are formed based on children’s questions and interests, which leads to enhanced engagement and interest. The focus is very much on the process that we take while learning versus the overall product. 

Open-ended activities are provided, which allow children to make choices, develop independence, and express their creativity. It also provides differentiation by catering to each student’s needs and interests.

Children work with a variety of materials and loose parts (i.e., blocks, rocks, gems, sticks, Lego, Plasticine, paint, writing tools, etc), and in turn gain a strong foundation of knowledge, a love of learning, and the skills needed to prepare them as they move up through school. 

Children explore inside the classroom as well as outside in nature, and learn so much about the world through observing and exploring with their own curious eyes and minds. Through play, children make sense of the world around them. They make connections and act out experiences that are relatable and engaging to them, where they are at that moment. 

Loose Parts Play

Loose parts play is a type of play that supports invention, exploration, problem-solving, and offers a sense of wonder and imagination to children. They are materials that can be moved, carried, combined, redesigned, lined up, taken apart, and put back together in multiple ways. They are materials with no specific set of directions that can be used alone or combined with other materials.

Loose parts play allows children to create and use their imagination, while bringing out oral language, fine motor skills, and dramatic play. By providing a variety of materials, students can choose various parts to create a storyline and, as an extension, can tell their story to someone, write it out, and even act it out.

Preparing Your Child for Kindergarten

Here are some simple ways you can help your child make the most of full-day kindergarten: 

• Make learning a regular part of your activities at home (e.g., playing games together, cooking together). 

• Cuddle up and read. Quiet times together are opportunities to bond and read.  Put some excitement into your voice. As you go, explain any new words or ideas. Talk about the pictures.

• Games can be great learning tools. Board games or card games like word bingo and rhyming cards can be a fun way to learn about words, letter sounds and reading.

• Use games to help your child learn shapes. Play “I Spy” with your child by asking them to guess an object you identify by its shape: “I spy something that is round”.  Make this game more challenging by stating two shapes: “I spy something that is round and has a square on it.”

• Encourage your child to explore interesting materials. These could include leaves, pine cones, egg boxes, cereal boxes, straws, wrapping paper, etc. Children can count them, divide them into equal piles or match them by colour. All of these activities build math and literacy skills.

• Let your child make their own choices when being creative. Keep the activity unstructured. For example, if your child talks about painting a snowman, let them decide what it should look like. Encourage them to talk about their choices, without judging their decisions.

• Encourage questions. Giving children the confidence to ask questions lets them expand their knowledge and understanding. Use their questions to introduce new words into their vocabulary.

• Maintain Structure in the home