Hallowe'en Day Checklist

Here are a few things to keep in mind when preparing your child for Hallowe'en Day at school.

-please do not send your child to school in his/her costume in the morning

-plan to pick your child up around noon and take him/her home to dress and get into makeup

-have your child back at school by 1:35

-if you cannot pick your child up to dress at home, pack his/her costume in their backpack in a well-labelled plastic bag

-be sure that masks and head coverings have good sight lines and proper ventilation. Makeup is the best option for safety

-avoid choosing costumes that are overly gory and frightening. Some younger children are easily frightened

-if you are providing snacks for the afternoon party, consider healthy options. Reread the earlier post for suggestions

-make plans to remain at school to watch the costume parade...and don't forget to bring your camera

Clear the Runway

It all began with a folded piece of paper and a desire to make a paper airplane. Several children created (with a little outside help) their version of the ultimate paper airplane. The hallway outside the classroom was made available to the students to test their planes. The children were beside themselves with excitement. By this time, nearly a dozen students had gotten in on the provocation. After many 'test runs,' it was time to see whose plane could fly the greatest distance. A taped line was put down on the floor for the pilots to stand behind as they launched their aircraft. One by one, the planes were tossed into the air. One plane, by far, surpassed all of the others and was declared the winner. But could the distance that the plane flew be measured? Of course! Plastic measuring links were brought out into the hallway and were put together to form a long chain from the taped line to the plane. Then came the task of counting all of those links. Mr. Pickett helped keep us on track with our counting. It was determined that it took 332 links to measure the distance of the flight. But could a comparison be made using another non-standard measuring tool? Certainly! Many students helped bring out longer unit blocks from the Block Centre. The blocks were carefully placed on the floor in a straight line with ends touching ends. Then we counted again. This time it took only 19 long blocks and 2 shorter blocks to span the flight distance. Here are some pictures of the pilot/designer and the measuring outcomes.

We compared the two non-standard units of measure.

The plane is visible in both photographs. It is attached to the red measuring link near the bottom of both pictures.

Counting Happens Throughout Our Day

After having heard a delightful book entitled The Boy Who Cried Big Foot read to the class, one of our JK boys took great interest in trying to find out just how many footprints there were printed on the inside cover of the book. Here he is, counting away.

It was determined that there were 22 footprints in all.

Hallowe'en Stamping Centre

Patterns are popping up all over at the Hallowe'en Stamping Centre. Students are enjoying creating various kinds of ghoulish combinations as they learn and play with the seasonal stamps. Here is one creation done by T. F., a Senior Kindergarten boy.

T. F. proudly displays his ABCD pattern created at the centre.

Upcoming Hallowe'en Festivities

Next Friday, October 31st promises to be a fun-filled, spooky day at Parnall School. As you begin to make plans, here is a bit of information you will want to keep in mind as you prepare for the festivities.

The fun begins in the morning when the Kindergarteners will be invited into the gymnasium for a short Hallowe'en dance. Age-appropriate favourites like The Hokey Pokey, The Chicken Dance and The Monster Mash will be just a few of the songs played to entertain the girls and boys.

Students are encouraged to NOT wear their Hallowe'en costumes to school that morning. If possible, the children should be picked up and taken home during their lunch break (12:55-1:35PM) so that they can get into makeup and costume before returning to school for the Hallowe'en parade which is scheduled to begin at 1:40 PM. Parents are invited to stay at the school and watch the entire student body model their costumes as they parade around the school building. 

Following the parade, a short party will take place in the classroom. Donations of healthy party snacks (sliced cheese, crackers, popcorn, veggies and dip, fresh fruit, etc...) would be greatly appreciated. A donation of a case of apple juice drink boxes has already been generously offered by a classroom parent. If you are able to make a food contribution, please inform Mr. Pickett or Mrs. O'Neill of your intended donation.

Following the Hallowe'en party, all of the Kindergarten students will gather for a viewing of It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown before returning to their classrooms to prepare for dismissal. 

Lots of fun and surprises await our Princesses, Super Heroes, Goblins and Ghouls. 

Young Artist Inspired by 

the Beauty of a Sunset

T. E., a senior kindergartener, felt inspired to render this beautiful sunset (and Jack-o-Lantern) for all to see and enjoy. The sentence reads...

This is a sunset.

Morning Message in K-1

Many mornings provide the Special Helper of the Day with an opportunity to work on a message that gets shared with his/her classmates later on in the afternoon. One-on-one support from the teacher enables the student to experience success with...

- counting

- printing

- fine motor development

- letter/sound correlation

- writing

- five and ten frame representation

- rhyming

- addition and subtraction

- reading

- tracking print

- sight word development

and a host of other concepts and skills. Here are a few students working on their messages.

Name Printing is Fun!

One of the many experiences students have an opportunity to explore while in Kindergarten is learning to print their name. A wide array of materials are regularly made available to them to aid in making this a fun and engaging learning opportunity. Here are a few of our JKs' accomplishments.

They've a lot to be proud of!

Gobble! Gobble!

Some of our Kinders decided to create turkey sculptures to take home and decorate their holiday dinner. Gobble, gobble! Check them out.

Highlights From Our Thanksgiving Feast

Turkey dinner, turkey dinner,

Gather round, gather round.

Who will get the drumstick--

Yummy, yummy yum stick?

All sit down. All sit down.

Cornbread muffin, chestnut stuffing,

Pumpkin pie, one foot high.

We were feeling thinner

Til' we ate our dinner.

Me, oh my! Me, oh my!

Picture Day, October 9th

Bring your best smile to school with you on Thursday, October 9th. School pictures will be taken that day. If your child is ill or planning to be away, 'retakes' will be taken later in the fall. Information regarding the 'retake date' will be sent home as soon as the school is supplied with that information by the photography company.

Thanksgiving Luncheon, 

October 8th

On Wednesday, October the 8th, the Kindergarten students at Parnall School will be treated to a full Thanksgiving meal in the gymnasium. The menu includes:

• turkey
• stuffing
• gravy
• mashed potatoes
• roll
• glazed carrots
• a pumpkin tarte
• milk

The cost for this delicious meal is $6.00. All money is due into the teacher by Monday, October 6th. The event is being catered by an outside company this year. Food will be served at our regularly scheduled lunch time, 12:30 PM. 

Our September Super Star Award Winners

Congratulations to Paul, Naomi, Matthew and Hailey for being our September Super Star Award Winners. We are proud of you!!!

Apples Are Everywhere

All throughout our classroom students are enjoying activities pertaining to our learning about apples. Here are but a few of the centres keeping us busy.

Puddicombe Farm Field Trip a Success

Many thanks to all parents and volunteers who helped in making our trip to Puddicombe Farms last week a huge success. Even though the weather was a bit damp, the Puddicombe staff went out of their way to make our stay with them a wonderful learning experience. Upon our arrival at the farm, students were divided up into their classes and proceeded on to experience a variety of learning opportunities on the farm. The children got to go on a wagon ride through the vineyard and orchard pulled by a tractor. They got to see cherry, peach, apple and pear trees. As well, they saw large fields with both green and purple grapes growing in them. A train ride gave us an opportunity to see the beginnings of autumn colour bursting forth on the escarpment. We also got to meet some of the farm animals and see their living quarters up close. Afterwards, we went back to the main building and had sliced apples for snack. Our morning on the farm wrapped up with a tour through the apple orchard where a gentleman farmer explained the life cycle of an apple. He gave each child an opportunity to pick apples from a wide assortment of dwarf apple trees. They filled two large bags with apples to bring back to the classroom and then made their way back to board the bus for the trip back to Parnall. On the way, we stopped by the petting area where the boys and girls met Myrtle the pig, several emu, peacocks and some dwarf mountain goats. 

In conclusion, a great time was had by all, with fun and memories to last for months to come. Thanks, Puddicombe Farms!