Ms.Stieger's Room 9 Page
With only a few days left of school, I wanted to wish you all a fantastic summer break! It has truly been such a pleasure getting to know your kids this year. I'm so proud of how far they have come in Kindergarten! They have shown kindness, determination and hard work to grow as learners over the year. I will really miss them all, but I know they'll have just as great a year in Grade One ... and they can wave 'hi' through the window at me on their way to Gym!! ;)
I will post some final photos from our week tomorrow! I can't believe its the end of the year already!!
Ms.Stieger
Ask your child what the four stages of the butterfly life cycle are and they can also show you in their books!
We have also been working on some bug themed centers. Shown here is one of their favourites...SPLAT! The kids hunt for sight words they know written on various kinds of bugs. Whoever finds it first smacks that bug with their fly swatter. It's fun to take the learning we're doing in Science and incorporate it in to our literacy learning. You could also make this game at home to practice over the summer:)
I am looking forward to going to the zoo on our field trips this coming week! The kids have really be looking forward to it and I think it will be a fun and educational time for them. In preparation for the trips, we began a unit on butterflies this past week! We've been learning a lot about the season of Spring, and butterflies and other insects fit right in!
Sunday June 5
This past week we mostly finished up our unit on insects! The kids had a great time learning all about the creepy crawlies and how fantastic some of their characteristics were. They completed their butterfly life cycle book and did a great job!
We have also been working on some bug themed centers. Shown here is one of their favourites...SPLAT! The kids hunt for sight words they know written on various kinds of bugs. Whoever finds it first smacks that bug with their fly swatter. It's fun to take the learning we're doing in Science and incorporate it in to our literacy learning. You could also make this game at home to practice over the summer:)The students also made some fabulous Eric Carle style bugs in Art. First, they watched a few videos all about the art technique he uses in his illustrations. The book 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' was the perfect
example for the kids as we had just learned about butterflies. When he makes his art, he first paints different colours and textures on tissue paper. Once he has all the colours he needs, he uses those papers to cut out and build a collage of the picture he is making.
example for the kids as we had just learned about butterflies. When he makes his art, he first paints different colours and textures on tissue paper. Once he has all the colours he needs, he uses those papers to cut out and build a collage of the picture he is making.
To follow his technique, they started by painting different papers with a main colour. Then they used various tools: forks, sticks, paper towel rolls, pom poms, etc., to make different accents and textures on the paper. 
When they were dry, they were cut into smaller pieces and ordered by colour. 
The next day, the kids chose the colours of paper they wanted to make their bugs. Then they cut the shapes thinking about the body parts of the bugs they might need. A head, abdomen, thorax, six legs, wings and antennae, to name a few!
Lastly they put their bug together and glued it to their backgrounds.
The next day, the kids chose the colours of paper they wanted to make their bugs. Then they cut the shapes thinking about the body parts of the bugs they might need. A head, abdomen, thorax, six legs, wings and antennae, to name a few!
Lastly they put their bug together and glued it to their backgrounds.
The Monday/Wednesday class still need to finish their bugs, but all the artwork will be posted soon in the gallery!
The Tuesday/Thursday class also go the chance to do an outdoor spring scavenger hunt with our Grade 2 buddies!They had a lot of fun searching for items with their older friends:) The Monday/Wednesday group will do the same this coming Friday!
Looking forward to another fantastic week ahead!
Ms.Stieger
Sunday May 15
I can't wait for another fun filled field trip this coming week! The kids had so much fun at the zoo and I think all the parent volunteers that helped make this day so special. Here are a few photos from the trip!
The kids learned a lot about Butterflies and Moths during their program at the zoo. They learned about the butterfly life cycle, the characteristics of the insect, and the differences between butterflies and moths. After they got the chance to explore the butterfly enclosure and saw some beautiful bugs!
Looking forward for another fabulous trip ahead!
Ms.Stieger
Sunday May 1
We started by watching a video about the life cycle of the butterfly. The students learned that butterflies have 4 main life stages; egg, caterpillar, chrysalis and butterfly. We also read the story 'The Very Impatient Caterpillar' by Ross Burach, which walked us through the life stages again. It also taught the kids about patience, and how some things take time to get right!
This past week we celebrated Earth Day!
After, the kids started their very own butterfly life cycle flip book! The enjoyed colouring the beautiful bugs and drawing pictures and writing about of the different life stages.
We will continue this book the following week as we learn more about this incredible insect on our field trips!
The past week the students also got the chance to participate in some fantastic art making: wet felting! The kids spent a lot of time learning about the felting process and wool. Then they tried it themselves! They followed many steps and were great listeners to keep engaged and create their wonderful work! The students first created beautiful collages with wool and then learned many agitation techniques to make the wool bind together! The process uses wool, water, soap, heat and a lot of work from the kids:) Check out some of the fabulous techniques in the video below! We are keeping the final project a secret for now, but they will soon be revealed! :)
Click HERE for a sneak peak!
Looking forward to a fantastic and fun week ahead!
Ms.Stieger
Sunday April 24
The kids were very interested in our planet and all the things they could do to help protect it. We read the story 'The Lorax' by Dr.Seuss, and had the chance to watch the movie with one class (the other class will get a chance later on this week). In the story the Lorax character protects the trees and other things in nature that are being destroyed by the main character. The kids loved the book and wanted to do everything they could to help the Lorax! 
After we watched some documentary videos about our planet. They were so interested to see real life footage of some of the magnificent animals and diverse landscapes that make up our world! We were in awe at the beauty and splendor around us and wanted to make sure it stays like that for many, many years to come
As a class, we discussed some ways we could make a difference and help protect our wonderful planet! They came up with some great ideas, such as recycling, reusing, cleaning up garbage and not wasting water or electricity. Ask your child in what ways they would like to help the environment! Maybe you can make a new goal at home:)
After, the children put it all together by making a beautiful Earth art piece. First we looked at images of the Earth from space. We talked about what colours we saw on the Earth, as well as in the space around it. The kids repurposed some old unused coffee filters to make the Earth. They started by colouring blobs of blue and green in washable markers on the coffee filters. After they were finished we sprayed the filter with water, watching how the absorbency sucked up the colour and spread it all around; mixing everything up into a beautiful earth-like texture!
As the Earths dried we looked a little deeper into the space pictures and found some colours of blue, green and purple in the vast darkness of space. The students used pastels to create an outer space background, using techniques such as blending and smudging to get the look they were going for. Then they used white paint to dot on the stars with a Q-Tip. Finally we couldn't forget to add a streak of sparkly galaxy!
They finished them off by gluing their Earth down and adding a quote about one way they could help our planet. Don't forget to check them out in our Art Gallery! I think they are out of this world!
Until next week,
Ms.Stieger
Sunday April 10
Thank you so much for practicing those Willy Wonka songs at home! The kids had a busy week of practicing and I could really see that they were getting extra practice at home as well. Please continue to do so; you can 
still click the GOLDEN TICKET on the main page of the blog to take you to all the songs they need to know for the big night! If you haven't returned your ticket order form yet and you intend to come for the concert, please do so ASAP as all family members will need a ticket to attend.
still click the GOLDEN TICKET on the main page of the blog to take you to all the songs they need to know for the big night! If you haven't returned your ticket order form yet and you intend to come for the concert, please do so ASAP as all family members will need a ticket to attend.
As the weather gets nicer, we will be again spending some time outdoors learning from the environment around us. We will be looking for signs of spring! Although the weather doesn't look very spring-like this coming week, we will be taking the iPads out again as soon as its nice to take photos of
things that mean Spring is here. Therefore in the coming weeks we will take another walk around the block of the neighbourhood. The kids will be reminded of safety and will have an adult at the front and back of the line. Please email me if you would rather have your child stay at the school for this. They have done great in the past with no safety concerns!
things that mean Spring is here. Therefore in the coming weeks we will take another walk around the block of the neighbourhood. The kids will be reminded of safety and will have an adult at the front and back of the line. Please email me if you would rather have your child stay at the school for this. They have done great in the past with no safety concerns!
This past week we were busy with some art and craft projects! With the yearbook coming out for this year, Mrs.Taylor has requested that each student create a yearbook cover to enter into a contest. The winner will be the cover of the yearbook next year! The kids worked hard on their designs and I'm looking forward to see who is chosen for the cover.
Please take note of the main page of our blog as we have 2 exciting field trips coming up!! If you are able to volunteer and have your police security clearance please let me know so we can bring you along for the fun!
Looking forward to another fun week ahead with lots of practices for our Willy Wonka show! The kids are getting good!
Until next week,
Ms.Stieger
Sunday April3
We had a great week back after Spring Break! I am thankful for the warmer weather and sunny skies. This week the Kindergartens will be going outside for PE, so please make sure they are dressed for the weather! As we all know that can change quick in Calgary :)
Before the break we had a mischievous visitor from a Leprechaun! I'm sorry for the delay of giving you all an update. The kids started to prepare for his visit by planning trap ideas on paper. They came up with some great designs! Then as a class we tried to bring those plans to life! Thank you for all the spare materials you all sent in with your child. They had SO much fun building their traps together!
It was busy and hectic, but so wonderful to see them all fully engaged and working as a team! I was very impressed with how well they worked together and at what they created! After they had time to make the traps, I set them out for the leprechaun before I left for the day. Check out the videos below to see the set up!
Unfortunately the kids didn't trap him although they had some great ideas! We came back to school to the photos below:
We had so much fun going around the school and solving all the clues to figure out where the next one would be. Again the students worked so well together to solve the riddles and find the way. At the end we were lucky after all...they won the Leprechaun's treasure!
Eaxh student got a rainbow pencil and a rainbow sticker as a prize! The certainly deserved it after all the trickery from that Leprechaun! Better luck next year to catch him I guess ;)
Until next week,
Ms.Stieger
Friday March 18
Wishing all of you a wonderful Spring Break! Hopefully the weather stays nice and everyone can enjoy some extra family time:)
This past week was all about leprechauns! We had a very sneaky and tricky one visit our class! Although the kids worked hard making wonderful traps, he's seemed to get away this time.
More photos and info to come after the break! For now enjoy the time off from school and we will see everyone back when it resumes on March 28!
Happy Spring Break!
Ms.Stieger
Sunday March 13
I'm looking forward to building leprechaun traps next week for St.Patricks Day! Thank you for sending in items that may help you child build the trap in school. I can't wait to see what the kids come up with! The kids will start building them on Monday and Tuesday this week :)
I also wanted to thank you very much for your support in creating the fabulous 100 day shirts! The kids looked amazing and were so happy to share the collection they had on their shirt!
We had a fabulous day celebrating our 100th day of school! The kids started out the day by searching for 100 eggs in the classroom. When they found an egg they had to cross off the number they found on the egg, so we could keep track. I was impressed that both class found almost all of them!
For 100 day, the students had fun circulating through all the Kindergarten classrooms! It gave them a chance to work with all the Kindergarten teachers and the teachers the chance to get to know all the kids! It was really fun to talk to the students in other classes and have my students get to see what it's like in the other rooms. In our classroom, we played the 100 Day Game Show! The kids had to come up and answer 100 day questions to buzz in. The first student to buzz in got to roll the dice on a giant Snakes and Ladders board! We had fun playing in teams and practicing our turn taking.
In Mrs.Mancini's room, the kids made a wonderful 100 Day Crown! They had to stamp 10 dots on 10 paper strips, making 100 strips in total! They looked awesome in their crowns when they were done.
In Ms.Blue's room the kids had a blast building towers with 100 cups! They raced back to our classroom to tell me about all the towers, castles and walls they built!
We had a fantastic 100 Day!
It has been so wonderful to watch the students grow over the past months! I've been so impressed by how they are picking up the sight words we are learning in class. I wanted to share f you a game we do every day that the kids love! You could easily print this at home if you like for extra practice.
Click HERE for The Hide Pete Sight Word Game!
Print off the document to try the game at home and for extra practice with Pete's words!
I have included several words we've done so far, but you can add more dolch words if you like. After you print the document, cut out the word tiles and the picture of Pete. You will then lay out all the word tiles you wish to use, we usually use 5 in class. After this have your child close their eyes...you will hide the picture of Pete under one of the word tiles. Your child will then guess which word Pete is hiding under! If they are correct, they win! You can switch roles and have them hide Pete for you. If they guess incorrectly, turn the guessed word tile over and they can guess again! Continue until they find Pete. Have fun with Pete's Word Game!
Until next week,
Ms.Stieger
Sunday February 27
We continued our work with kindness over the past week, and began to learn about some important people in history with that theme in mind.
February has Pink Shirt Day to represent anti-bullying and it is also Black History Month!
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| Click on the photo above for a more detailed look at some of the people were talking about! |
We talked about how people like Martin Luther King Jr., Viola Desmond, Josephine Baker and Rosa Parks stood up against unfair discrimination and helped paved the way for others to do the same. We will continue to learn about some people from Black History as well as others who worked to spread kindness and stand up for the rights of all people no matter the colour of their skin! We are celebrating all the wonderful things that make us unique in the coming weeks, and learning about kindness and diversity is a great lead-in to learning about each other:)
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| Jesse |
The students have been really interested in the topic and love exploring all the books in the classroom. They worked really hard on completing these Heart Hands drawings to represent that all people should live together with kindness and love.
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| Ojasvi |
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| Anna |
We also celebrated Pink Shirt Day this week! It was great to see all the kids wearing their Pink Shirts on Wednesday to remind us of kindness and Anti-Bullying! We talked about some of the ways we can show kindness and wrote journals about them! Here are a few examples of the great ways we can be kind to each other.
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| Valentina |
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Arjun D.
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| Jenna |
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| Aksha |
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| Maanav |
The coming week we will be starting to work on learning some photography skills! The kids will be using iPads to take pictures. They will learn how to take portraits of their friends, pictures of objects around the school and even go outside for a photography walk! Sometime this week we will be going for a walk around the block by the school. The students will be working in pairs, taking turns to use the iPad and will be supervised by myself and our Educational Assistant, Mrs.Subbiah. If you would not like your child to participate in the walk around the neighbourhood block, please let me know ASAP.
Until next week!
Ms.Stieger
Monday February 21
Last week was short with Teachers Convention, but the kids did a great job continuing on with our theme this month of love and kindness!
Especially since they had a Guest Teacher when I was called out with a family emergency, they did an excellent job listening and helping her out; showing kindness and care. I got great reports on what fabulous students they were while I was away, and it definitely filled my bucket to know how well they did!
On Monday, I was able to celebrate Valentine's Day with the Monday/Wednesday class. We talked about being kind and made some super cute heart creature bags to collect our Valentines!
The kids were so excited to pass out the cards they worked so hard on! Thank you so much for your support to help them write out the names of their friends. I was so impressed by how well they could read the names and find the right bags!
This week also concluded the Lunar New Year celebrations on Tuesday the 15th! The lantern festival was held that day to signal the end of celebrations until next year. The students will get to take home their lanterns now with their goal pictures attached! They can hang them somewhere at home to remind them of the goal they set and to work on it:) Please check out the gallery to see their goals!
Until next week,
Ms.Stieger
Sunday February 6
We had a very busy week last week in the classroom, celebrating both Lunar New Year and Groundhog Day! The students had fun learning about both holidays and doing activities that centred around them.
For Lunar New Year, the class learned about the exciting festivities happening around the world to celebrate the Chinese New Year. The students enjoyed watching videos and reading the story 'Ruby's New Year' by Vickie Lee to learn about Lunar New Year.
We learned about the 12 different Zodiac animals that represent the year and discovered that most of the students were born in the Year of the Monkey! This year is the Year of the Tiger, and the students made some red Chinese Lanterns to hang and decorate our classroom. At the beginning of this new year of the Tiger, we talked about how people celebrating often reflected on the past year and made goals for the year to come.
The students then brainstormed some excellent goals for themselves for this year!
They thought of things like, learning to ride a bike, practice the piano, learn how to cook, help out more at home and make a new friend to share a few! The students began to draw these goals and will hang them from their paper lanterns to take home and remind them what they are working towards!
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For Groundhog Day, the students as well learned about what the day was all about by watching videos and discussing about it in class. After, we took a group vote about which students thought the Groundhog would see its shadow and have 6 more weeks of winter, or if it wouldn't see its shadow and there would be an early spring.
We put the results into a graph, and more students thought that he wouldn't see it and spring would be coming along shortly! Unfortunately after reviewing the results, Balzac Billy saw his shadow- which means more winter is on the way!:(
To tie the day into Science, the students learned about light and shadow. The class got to test out some materials in the classroom to see which ones made the best shadows. Before testing, the kids made some predictions about which materials would make the best shadows.
Watch the video below to see the experiment in action!
Click HERE for Shadow Experiment Video!
After the materials were tested, we learned the terms opaque and transparent, and decided that the more opaque the object is the better it would be at making a shadow! We also learned that in order to make a good shadow you needed bright light, and that the sunniest days were best for the groundhog to see his shadows.
Until next week,
Ms.Stieger
Monday January 31
They did an amazing job using their imagination to wonder where I might be, and expressed their ideas through fantastic pictures! These really brought a smile to my face when I got back:)
Sunday January 16 It was so nice to be back in the classroom this past week! I missed all the kids and was happy to continue with some of our projects that needed finishing up. The students have finished their study on Owls and have made some beautiful artwork which is posted in the gallery! Please check it out when you can.
Coming back after being away for a little while, it was so nice to hear how well the students behaved and followed routines in the classroom, they did a great job!
While I was away the students did a writing assignment where they had to guess where they thought I was. I was looking so forward to reading these on my return, and the children did not disappoint! Please see below for some of the funny places they thought I was:
One thing we started the past week is a KIndness Challenge! After reading the book 'Have You Filled a Bucket Today?' by Carol McCloud, we talked about the ways we could be kind to make those around us feel good. The book talks about how everyone has an invisible bucket, that can either be full (when you are feeling good) or empty (when you are feeling low) based on the things and interactions that happen in a day. We talked about how doing kind things was how we would fill someone else's bucket, and also fill your own as well. As a grade, we are working on a Kindness Challenge over the next few weeks. Each student made their own bucket craft and every day the children will try to complete a task at school that shows kindness. Once they have completed the task, they get to colour the ticket and place it in their bucket. 
They'll also receive a sticker to decorate their bucket! There are 10 challenges to try, see if your child can tell you one :)
They can continue this challenge throughout the year at home as well as in school! Looking forward to see the kind choices they make.
They'll also receive a sticker to decorate their bucket! There are 10 challenges to try, see if your child can tell you one :)
Until next week,
Ms.Stieger
I wanted to wish a very Happy New Year to each and every student and their family! I hope you all had a wonderful winter break and it was so nice to see the students faces in the classroom this past week. I really missed them!
They did an excellent job with picking back up the routines in the classroom. I was so impressed by how well they worked together and showed expected behaviour at school. Way to go Kindergarten!
This week we continued some topics from before the break such as learning about Nocturnal animals and more specifically, Owls! The kids were able to paint the wonderful owls they drew before the break.
They used liquid tempera paint to create beautifully coloured owls which turned out so awesome. They each look unique and that they would have their own personality just like our students:)
We will be adding more details to these Owls in the coming week so make sure to check out the finished projects soon in the Art Gallery! Our owls are looking Hoot-iful! :)
Speaking of birds... we had a special guest join our class last week in the Monday/Wednesday class. Meet Pete, the Word Bird!
(He is soon to make an appearance in the Tuesday/Thursday class as well:) Pete is a special bird that brings our students words to learn and practice to help in their beginning reading skills.
He has already brought us two sight words: I and a, and will add more weekly, for the students to practice and hunt for in books at home. We will also use the words he brings to build a word wall in our classroom, so the kids can see these words to use on their own in their writing journal. We welcome Pete and can't wait until his return!
Until next week,
Ms.Stieger
Sunday December 12
The students of room 9 are beginning to get into the holiday spirit! We've done some festive fun activities this past week- the kids have enjoyed finding our Elf everyday when they come in and have been excited to see the crazy adventures he's been on.
Above 'Santa Dog' must have showed kindness to our owl 'Harmony', because he made a new friend! He is still looking for kindness from the students and has seen some great examples! This week he even got into the photocopier and took 'elfies' of himself! I hope he knew how to operate the machine or I might be in trouble ;) The students have been completing an Elf Adventure journal every morning to keep record of Santa Dog's antics. I'm sure they'll share the journal with you over the break!
They have also been excited to share their hard work with the elf as well, and ask him questions about life in the North Pole:)
They have also been excited to share their hard work with the elf as well, and ask him questions about life in the North Pole:)
In Math, the students have been working on Patterns! Ask your child to show you a pattern using body actions, for example clap, clap, pat your knees. See if they can tell you the name of their pattern using letters! This week the students made some Christmas Tree art where they also had to use the math skills of measuring and ordering to complete their project. The needed to order the strips of paper on their page from longest to shortest before they glued them on.
Then they used what they knew about patterns to dot on lights in a pattern down the tree!
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| AB |
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| ABCD |
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| AB |
Looking forward to some more festive fun in the week ahead! Don't forget to join in on the celebration by dressing up this week! Check the main page to find out what special things to wear on each day!
Ms.Stieger
Sunday December 5
I wanted to say thank you all again if you had the chance to meet with me for interviews! It was so lovely to put some faces to your names and to share a little about how your child is doing in school!
This week we have had a new visitor come to our classroom...an Elf from the North Pole! He has apparently been sent by Santa, to keep an eye out and tell Santa all the great things the kids are doing at school!
The two classes came up with the name Santa Dog for the Elf. Every day he will hide in a new place in the classroom for them to find, and will go back to Santa every night to tell him about his day. Santa Dog is on the lookout for kindness especially, so we have been talking about all the things we can do to show kindness to each other. I wonder where he will be next! The kids drew some great pictures of their elf, and are excited to show him all about kindness!
Over the last week we have also been talking about their favourite days of the year. Thanks so much for sending in the fabulous pictures! It was so nice to hear about all the different celebrations and special days that the students loved. They shared a little about them with the class and worked hard to make wonderful journal entries about their favourite day! We will continue to share the photos this week.
Until next week!
Ms.Stieger
Sunday November 21
The past few weeks have been busy with lots of learning going on. During the week of Remembrance Day, we took time to appreciate and show respect for all the soldiers that sacrificed so much to keep peace in our country. 
The students read the story, 'A Poppy is to Remember' by Heather Patterson and 'The Peace Book' by Todd Parr.
We talked about what Peace means to them and how it feels. They also made beautiful poppies during Art time, to represent Peace and Hope. The students also made a card for my 99 year old Grandfather, who fought in WWII for Canada. We sent it to him and he called and wanted the kids to know what a great job they did, and that it made him feel happy. Here he is when he was only 19 years old in the war.This past week, the students have begun their study on Nocturnal Animals. 
We have talked about what it means to be 'nocturnal' or 'diurnal' and some of the animals in both categories. The students then sorted some animals into the nocturnal/diurnal groups. We will continue this topic and learn even more specifically about one nocturnal animal we all know; the owl!
We have talked about what it means to be 'nocturnal' or 'diurnal' and some of the animals in both categories. The students then sorted some animals into the nocturnal/diurnal groups. We will continue this topic and learn even more specifically about one nocturnal animal we all know; the owl! Hoo hoo, I can't wait to keep learning all about nocturnal animals!
A reminder to send in a photo to me over the next few weeks of your child celebrating their favourite day of the year! See the main blog page for details:)
Until next week,
Ms.Stieger
Sunday November 7
The past week has been all about pumpkins! We are finishing up our pumpkin unit and have explored and learned a lot about them. Each class had their own pumpkin to study and the kids looked at their size, shape, texture, weight and even found out if it floated or sank! Ask your child what happened:) some were very surprised by the results!
We also opened up the pumpkins to find the seeds and pulp inside with a chance to touch the slimy squishiness!
I counted the seeds in each and we had a ton this year. The Monday/Wednesday pumpkin had 272 and the Tuesday/Thursday pumpkin had a whopping 384 seeds! I also carved each pumpkin to display at my house on Halloween and take a look at them all aglow
...pretty spooky!
...pretty spooky! The kids are now reflecting on what they've learned. They can remember lots of interesting facts! 
They also painted their own pictures of pumpkins learning about light and shadow, and making the bumps on their pumpkin stick out in their painting. 
The Tuesday/Thursday class has written a journal about some pumpkin facts adding a beautiful picture of themselves in the pumpkin patch:)
The Tuesday/Thursday class has written a journal about some pumpkin facts adding a beautiful picture of themselves in the pumpkin patch:)
They have added some facts to their pumpkin art as well, showcasing what they know!
The Monday/Wednesday class with be continuing this on Monday.
I look forward to a short, but busy week ahead!
Until next week,
Ms.Stieger
Tuesday October 26
As October comes to a close, we have been getting ready for Halloween and learning about pumpkins! I can't wait for the fun Halloween celebration on Friday for both the Room 9 classes to attend. We will have some spooky fun! Please let me know if your child will not be able to make it! Looking forward to seeing all of your costumes!
This week we have turned out classroom into a spooky science lab and did an awesome Halloween Lava Lamp experiment! The kids were amazed to watch the lamp bubble up after we added the 'magic tablet.' They learned a little about the different densities of liquids and the chemical reaction that happens between the water and the alka seltzer.
The kids wanted me to post the instructions to make your own lava lamp at home if you would like to try it!
You will need:
-a clear jar or vase
-water
-orange food colouring
-glitter (optional)
-oil
-alka seltzer tablet
Step 1: Add some water to the bottom of the jar.
Step 2: add a little food colouring and stir, turning the water orange
Step 3: Add some glitter an a magic spell!
Step 4: Add the oil. Watch the water and oil separate so that the oil sits on top.
Step 5: Add the 'magic tablet' (the alka seltzer) and watch the lave lamp go!
Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble...watch the video below!
Click HERE for the Halloween Lava Lamp Video!
Until Next week!
Ms.Stieger
Sunday October 17
We had another busy and fun week in Room 9!
The students continued their exploration of fall by participating in Fall themed Centres. The kids can tell me all about some of the characteristics of fall, and are starting to anticipate winter coming soon!
Students have been working with things like fall leaves, apples, pumpkins and turkeys during Centre time to practice their fine motor skills, counting, names, and art making.
The students have been progressing in Literacy to begin to learn letters and sounds. With that they practice their printing formation, sing the action/sounds songs and are beginning to complete journal entries.
Another fun activity in Literacy is the MYSTERY BOX! Each week I will put an item into the box that begins with our letter of the week. The students will then have to use their 'detective' skills to ask questions about what might be inside the box. After they have found out some information, they are allowed to guess what it might be! We are practicing our question asking skills during this activities to investigate, thinking of statements that require a yes or no answer. The kids are getting the hang of asking questions before they begin to guess!
This week the item stumped both classes, but they were able to ask some great questions! (Maybe Sesame Street isn't as watched these days as it was when I was a kid!) Ask your child about some good questions they can ask about the item in the mystery box for next week! Things like "is it big?" "is it heavy?" "is it an animal?" "can you eat it?" etc.
Thanks and have a great week!
Ms.Stieger
Tuesday October 12
I hope everyone enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving long weekend! The kids were eager to tell me about all the fun they had when they got back to school today:)
Last week we had talked about the holiday of Thanksgiving and all the things we were thankful for. As a class we made a list of the many things our students felt grateful about.
After talking about the holiday and reading some books on the subject, the Kindergartens created some wonderfully artistic turkeys to represent the holiday!
First, they completed a directed drawing of the turkey by practicing their listening skills and following directions. They then outlined their drawing in black pastel.
Then they decorated the turkeys' feathers with bright pastel patterns.
After that, they finished their turkey by using watercolour paints over top and watching their patterns pop out!
As a reminder, please have your child bring a special rock to school before it snows :) I only have a few that have brought one in. We are working on connecting with the land, so please have your child choose a rock carefully that means something to them. The rock will be painted, so please make sure its not too big or too small:) This was part of the homework from a few weeks ago and I'm still waiting for enough kids to bring in their rocks to paint them. Thanks so much!
Looking forward to another wonderful week ahead!
Until next week,
Ms.Stieger
Sunday October 3
The past week the Kindergartens showed caring and compassion as they learned a little about the history of Residential Schools in Canada. We talked about what happened and how the nation was acknowledging and reflecting on this sad and terrible past on September 30. The students were saddened by the stories, and thought about how different their school experience is, and how it should be the same great experience for every child. As a class, we discussed the things that we thought every child should have and feel when coming to school. They came up with so many ideas, such as 'happiness', 'good food', 'family' and 'safety'. Thinking of the Orange Shirt story and keeping that theme in mind, the children used red and yellow paint to create painted feathers in different shades of orange.
They then chose a word that we had brainstormed earlier to write on their feather. Both classes combined their feathers to create a beautiful Dream Catcher display, a traditional Indigenous craft used for protection or to catch bad dreams. All their feathers display the words of what they feel every child should have, because Every Child Matters.
Thank you so much for the support with your child's homework so far this year! Please remember to pack your child's communication folder and homework duotang every day, in case I need to check something or send something home. On Fridays, I will take the homework in to check it. Since this upcoming Friday is a PD day and I haven't checked the Tuesday/Thursday class yet, I will look at it on Tuesday or Thursday this week. As a reminder, the parents are now required to print the homework at home, and the links can be found in the homework section of this blog :) thank you!
Until next week,
Ms.Stieger
Sunday September 26
This week the kindergarteners began to learn about the wonderful season of Fall! Both classes got outside to enjoy a walk around the community in the beautiful weather and observe all the signs of fall around them. The students pointed out the colourful leaves, crab apples, squirrels and birds! Here are some photos of their observations!
Ask your child if they can tell you a sign of Fall or spot one next time you are out as a family! They really enjoyed exploring nature and telling others what they found.
This week the students also participated in the Terry Fox Run at school. First we learned a little about the Canadian Hero that this day is all about! We listened to Terry's story, and then discussed the amazing attributes he had such as bravery, kindness, and determination, that made him such an inspiring and important person for Canada.
The students thought about how Terry faced tough challenges but never, ever gave up. We talked about some things that were hard for them at first but they didn't give up on and eventually learned to do it! Some examples they came up with were riding a bike, learning to ski, the monkey bars at the playground and writing their name all by themselves. The students were inspired by Terry to run as long as they could and just keep going in the run! Here is a photo of our school during this year's run:
Looking forward to another great week ahead! Parents please remember to pack an extra mask with your child. That way if one is lost or becomes wet or dirty, they have another on hand:)
Until next week!
Ms.Stieger
Sunday September 19
This week the kindergarteners were busy settling into the classroom and learning the rules and expectations. We practiced sorting which actions were expected for our class and which were unexpected. In this activity, each student has a card and they must place it into a 'good choice' or 'poor choice. 
They did a great job knowing which was which and then practiced using this in the classroom.
With this topic in mind, we read several books from the 'No David!" series by David Shannon. The kindergartens then practiced their colouring and cutting making a 'No David!' craft. As the students put these together, they thought of a rule they knew at school to add to their artwork. Check back soon to our art gallery for the finished product! I am looking forward to seeing how these turn out! They did an excellent job following all the steps of the task, and worked hard to make it their best!
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Until next week,
Ms.Stieger
Sunday September 12
Welcome to Ms.Stieger's Room 9 page! Here you will find information specific to our class and photos and updates of what's going on in the classroom!
We have had a busy first week learning expectations at school and practicing our skills; and I have been very impressed! The students can tell me what behaviour is expected and unexpected at school and will continue to work on this as we go on throughout the year.
This week we will start our homework, and we will print off needed sheets to put it in your child's plastic folder, that will be handed out either Monday or Tuesday. Please be sure to read the homework description and set aside 10-15min each night to complete that day's assignment.
The teachers will continue to print homework for the month of September, but starting October printing the homework will be the parent's responsibility, so please plan to begin to print at the beginning of October. All assignments will be available in the 'Homework' section of this blog:)
It has been wonderful to get to know the students a little this last week, and I think we have an excellent bunch of kids looking forward to a great year ahead! We have started a Star Student unit where each a day a new student is chosen to be interviewed by the rest of the class, to find out a little more about them. I'm so excited to learn all about each and every student in Room 9!
Until next week,
Ms.Stieger