OJCS KINDERGARTEN / GAN

Simcha Raba, Simcha Raba… Pessah is coming!!

Posted on April 9, 2024 by jgesundkattan

Dear Parents,

Please note that the Model Seder for SK will take place on Tuesday, April 16th at 9:00 am. We ask that your child(ren) come dressed in holiday clothing and bring a uniform in their backpack to change into after our seder.

Each student is asked to bring to school on that day (in addition to his/her usual snacks and lunch) the following:

1 hard boiled egg, peeled and wrapped in plastic/foil wrap
1 stalk of celery
1 piece of romaine lettuce

The remainder of the Seder ingredients will be provided by the P.T.A. We will serve horseradish, egg matzah, grape juice, and NUT FREE charoset.

Should you have any concerns regarding food allergies, please provide your child with his/her own food.

We wish you a wonderful Pessah holiday.

Sincerely, the SK Team

General Studies, Reminders, Special Events, STEAM

SK’s Been Getting Ready for the Solar Eclipse!

Posted on April 8, 2024 by Andréa Black

The students in SK are so excited about this afternoon’s solar eclipse!! We have spent the last few days learning about why it happens, experimenting and exploring to understand further, and even crafting their own eclipse pictures and models. We’ve read stories and watched videos to learn as much we could!!

Here are some of the stories and videos we have watched in case your child wants to see them again:

Someone is Eating the Sun by Ruth A. Sonneborn

Total Solar Eclipse: A Stellar Friendship Story by Jayme Sandberg

A Few Beautiful Minutes: Experiencing a Solar Eclipse by Kate Allen Fox

The Great North American Solar Eclipse for Kids

Solar Eclipse for Kids – Socratica Kids

Along with the kids’ creations, we have sent home a Solar Eclipse Memory page for you to fill out at home as a record of this special event. It is linked here in case you want to print at home.

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

Monday, April 8 – NOON DISMISSAL (Solar Eclipse)

Friday, April 19 – Dress Down Day

Monday, April 22 – Tuesday, April 30 – Pesach Holidays (NO SCHOOL)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

to Layla in SK-A who turned 6 on March 30th

and to Jacob in SK-A who turns 6 on April 10th!!

General Studies, Reminders, Special Events, STEAM

Innovation Day & Important Reminders

Posted on March 22, 2024March 22, 2024 by Andréa Black

Thank you so much to everyone who was able to join us for Innovation Day in KA and KB on Wednesday!! The students worked so hard to create their flying machines and to learn about the 4 forces of flight. They were so proud to share what they had learned and created with you. You can watch and listen to the “What Makes Airplanes Fly?” song here and check out the pictures of the process of creating and testing their bamboo helicopters, hovercrafts, and hoop gliders below…

Yesterday, JK and SK gathered together, just like the older students at OJCS, to join the worldwide Kriyat Shema and to wish for peace for Israel and the whole world. It was so heartwarming to hear their sweet voices singing with pride!

Just a reminder that OJCS Ruach Week starts on Monday!

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

Monday, March 25th – PURIM CARNIVAL – Wear whatever costume you want!!

Tuesday, March 26th – TACKY TUESDAY

Wednesday, March 27th – WILD WEST WEDNESDAY

Thursday, March 28th – PYJAMA (and Dress Down) DAY

Friday, March 29 – NO SCHOOL (Good Friday)

Monday, April 8 – NOON DISMISSAL (Solar Eclipse)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

to Frankie in SK-A who turned 6 on March 20th

and to Mika in SK-B who turned 6 on March 21st!!

Today is a bittersweet day as it is Ivri’s last day at the OJCS. We will miss him and are sad to see him go, but we wish Ivri, Be’eri, Batel and Yehonatan the very best as they begin a new chapter in Boston and we hope that they will come visit whenever they come back to Ottawa!

Chag Purim Sameach!!

Francais, French Studies

Franco Fête and SK French Update

Posted on March 14, 2024March 14, 2024 by mcohen23

Chers parents,

It was wonderful to see all of you at our Franco Fête evening last week. The children worked hard to prepare for our performance, while still having fun and enjoying the experience of putting together a presentation for an audience. Bravo, les enfants!

Other activities for the week of Franco Fête included a fun afternoon of French activities, that we wrapped up with a delicious snack of croissant and hot chocolate. We also learned about making maple syrup and associated terms (le sirop d’érable, la cabane à sucre, la tire d’érable, l’eau d’érable, etc.). We are lucky to have our own maple syrup expert here at OJCS, Miss Beswick, who came into our class to share with the children how she makes maple syrup on her family property.

Building a sugar shack/la cabane à sucre

Printing and learning about maple syrup terms

On another note, the children are progressing well with learning the sounds of the French alphabet. We typically focus on one new sound every week, and through hands-on activities, learn words that start with the first sound of the letter. The children finish with making a booklet for the sound learned. Starting this week, they will have the chance to share and read their booklets with the Grade One students.

Here’s a link to a few of the letter videos that we have watched, that you may also wish to watch with your child:

Lettre D

Lettre E

Lettre O

A bientot!

Maryse

Chagim, Reminders, Special Events, STEAM

Innovation Day, Purim & Ruach Week….. Oh My!!!

Posted on March 14, 2024 by Andréa Black

There are so many special events coming up in the next two weeks at the OJCS…. Here’s what you need to know!!

Wednesday, March 20th is Innovation Day… The kids in SK have been busy creating, building, and engineering in preparation for your visit. Come and find out what they’ve been working on between 9:00 and 9:45. We will all meet together in KB’s class (room 128) and then we’ll split off into each classroom.

Purim is coming up so soon and we have a few special things happening to celebrate…. On Friday, March 22nd, we will end our day together listening to Rabbi Scher tell the story of Esther and Mordechai as he reads the Megillah. Then on Monday, March 25th, we’re kicking off Ruach Week with the OJCS Purim Carnival!! This is where we need your help… Are you looking to purge some unwanted and/or gently-used toys from your house? We are looking for prizes for the Carnival, so please send any donations to school by the end of next week.

March 25th-28th is Ruach (Spirit) Week at OJCS!! We wanted to ensure that you and your child have lots of time to prepare, so please see the breakdown below for each day’s theme…. We can’t wait to see all of the creative costumes!!

Monday, March 25th – PURIM CARNIVAL – Wear whatever costume you want!!

Tuesday, March 26th – TACKY TUESDAY

Wednesday, March 27th – WILD WEST WEDNESDAY

Thursday, March 28th – PYJAMA (and Dress Down) DAY

Friday, March 29th – NO SCHOOL

Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions!!

General Studies, Math, Reminders, Special Events

Practicing Patterns!

Posted on March 8, 2024 by Andréa Black

For the past couple of weeks, SK has been exploring patterns. In fact, they have been so busy practicing finding the core of a pattern as well as copying, creating and extending patterns using different materials and manipulatives, that I didn’t get any pictures ;( But you can check out your child’s Pattern Book that was sent home today and ask them to tell you what each pattern is. We also did a Pattern Scavenger Hunt, so you may want to encourage your child to find as many patterns as they can at your house or as you are out and about this weekend!

Here are some fun pattern videos that the kids enjoyed watching:

Patterns! Mini Math Movie

The Pattern Practice Song

They also practiced patterning on IXL which they can continue to do at home! Once your child is logged in, click on the Teacher Recommendations tab and find the various pattern activities I have assigned them. We also played Fuzzbug Patterns as a class, so I’ve linked it here if they would like to play it at home as well!!

There are a bunch of special events coming up through the rest of March, so check out the posters below, mark your calendars, and stay tuned for more information for each event…

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

Wednesday, March 20 – Innovation Day – Class visits from 9:00-9:45

Monday, March 25 – Thursday, March 28 – Ruach Week – more details coming soon!

Friday, March 29 – NO SCHOOL (Good Friday)

Special Events

A Wonderful Winter Fun Day!!!

Posted on February 15, 2024 by Andréa Black

What a wonderful day JK & SK had celebrating Winter Fun Day!! We started the day playing outside in the sunshine and then headed inside for some winter-themed activities. We visited the library where Brigitte read some stories about yetis and had some fun yeti games to play and we visited the Makerspace where each child created their own edible snowman. After snack and little free play time, we ventured outside again for a special Treasure Hunt. The kids were split into 4 teams and each team had to solve 6 clues to find a variety of outdoor locations where they could collect their team’s colour ice cube gems. Each team completed their quest and found their gems!! After lunch, we cozied up for a special movie afternoon. It was really special to have the whole school to ourselves today and many kids were overheard saying, “Best Day Ever!!”… how can we not agree!!! Check out the photos below of some highlights…

An update on our Tu B’Shevat-inspired science:

Over the past 3 weeks, we have observed how our little seeds have rooted in their bags, sprouted and then grown in their planters into little plants (or in some cases, not). As with all science experiments, we have had varying results: some plants have not grown since transferring whereas others have multiple blooms. Today, the plants will be coming home where we hope the kids will continue to care for them and observe their growth…. and if they end up “getting lost” along the way that’s okay too 😉

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

Friday, Feb. 16 – PD Day – NO SCHOOL

Monday, Feb. 19 – Friday, Feb. 23 – NO SCHOOL for Family Day and Reading Week

Friday, Mar. 1 and Friday, Mar. 8 – 3:00 pm Dismissal

We hope you all have a lovely Family Day and a great February break!!

General Studies, Math, Reminders, Special Events

Today is the 100th Day of School and Winter Fun Day is Coming!!

Posted on February 12, 2024 by Andréa Black

Today was the 100th day of school and SK spent the day celebrating in many different ways!! We started by reading a story called “William’s 100th Day of School” and then we did a special 100 Day workout – we warmed up by running on the spot for 100 seconds and then did 10 different exercises 10 times each…. Phew!! It was a great way to work out our bodies and our minds, never mind that it helped us practice counting by 10s! We spent the rest of our time together counting, measuring and comparing 100 different objects. Did you know that 100 marbles are heavier than 100 cotton balls? Or that 100 chain links are longer than 100 unifix cubes? SK does!! We made 100 Day crowns and ended off with a 100 Day parade, counting 100 steps around the hallways and showing off our counting skills. What a day!! Check out the pictures below from our celebrations….

This Thursday, February 15th is Winter Fun Day at OJCS… Woohoo!! We are looking forward to a fantastic fun-filled day, but we wanted to let you know about a few important things….

Please ensure that your child is dressed warmly!! Students do not need to wear uniforms – comfy, cozy clothes and layers are encouraged. We highly recommend sending an extra set of clothes, especially extra socks, to school as it will likely be wet outside and the kids will need to change. Extra mittens or gloves and snowpants if you have them would also be helpful!! Aside from our usual outdoor play periods, SK will be starting the day with drop-off outside, so please make sure they are dressed properly when they arrive at school and meet us on the red playground between 8:30 and 8:45 am.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

to Ivri in SK-A who turned 6 on February 12th

to Hannah in SK-A who turns 6 on February 21st

and to Isabella in SK-A who turns 6 on February 22nd!!

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

Thursday, Feb. 15 – Winter Fun Day

Friday, Feb. 16 – PD Day – NO SCHOOL

Monday, Feb. 19 – Friday, Feb. 23 – NO SCHOOL for Family Day and Reading Week

Friday, Mar. 1 and Friday, Mar. 8 – 3:00 pm Dismissal

Art, Francais, French Studies

B comme Boucle Art Project

Posted on February 9, 2024February 9, 2024 by mcohen23

Hello SK Parents,

Last week, as part of our work with la lettre B, the children were introduced to the word boucle (a loop). We then looked at the art pieces of Alexander Calder who was known for drawing loops and painting them with primary colors.

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The children were invited to draw their own Alexander Calder type piece.

You will find their beautiful art work in their Note-tote. Enjoy!

Maryse

General Studies, STEAM

Tu B’Shevat-inspired Science… Phase 2

Posted on January 31, 2024 by Andréa Black

In case you have not been hearing about the progress of our little bean plants at home, here’s an update on our progress so far… After SK germinated their beans, we began to notice some changes over the last week. At first, the beans cracked open and then the roots began to pop out and grow longer. Over the past week, the kids have been drawing their observations as the plants have changed and we have been learning about the different parts of a plant. Today was planting day!!! Each child took their rooting beans and transferred them into soil… Now we are going to watch and wait to see if they sprout and grow stems, leaves and maybe even flowers!! Stay tuned for the results…