General Studies, Jewish Studies, Kindergarten, Math, Reading, Science

SK Summer Review

Posted on June 30, 2023 by Andréa Black

You thought you were done hearing from me, didn’t you?? Here’s one last post before I sign off for the summer…

When you receive your child’s report card, you may notice some suggestions and next steps to ensure your child is prepared for the start of Grade 1 in September. I’ve collected some ideas and resources that you and your child can access through the summer to avoid the “summer slide”. All of these are absolutely optional, but they are here should you wish to use them.

My Summer Workbook – a collection of review worksheets for rainy days.

LITERACY

OJCS Summer Reading Challenge

Brigitte, our wonderful librarian, has created this amazing reading challenge that even SKs can participate in with their families. Please review the document below for all of the information about which books to read and how to win your prize in September.

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Clear the Board – Summer Edition: Uses this fun bingo board to read in a variety of ways throughout the summer.

Teach Your Monster to Read This app is available for purchase on the App store ($6.99), and you can also download a desktop version that is free, though there may be some differences in the program. We used this app in class and the kids absolutely love it!! It covers everything from letters and their sounds to reading full sentences and short stories.

Kids Learn! Sight Words This app is designed for iPads and is available for free on the App store, though there are additions available for purchase. It combines fluency, vocabulary, spelling, and comprehension practice with entertaining, engaging graphics in a fun learning format.

Spelling Games for Kids This app is designed for iPads or iPhones and is available for free in the App store. It helps to hone your child’s spelling skills through a variety of games that feature over 900 words.

MATH

IXL – You can go back to this blog post in case your child has not already been accessing IXL at home. They can continue working through the Teacher Suggested Skills or they can access the Diagnostic Arena to tailor activities to their skill level. As a reminder, here is how to login:

https://ca.ixl.com/signin/ojcs

Username: [firstnamelastname] – all lowercase, no spaces (ie. andreablack)

Password: math123

MathGames.com – This site has a lot of free options without having to sign up (though that could be an option as well) that can be divided up by grade level or by skills.

Check out Mrs. Cleveland’s amazing Mindful Math Resource page for more ideas and activities (please double-check the grade level as this page includes resources for K-8).

SCIENCE

20 Outdoor Science Experiments – Turn your backyard into a Science lab with some of these ideas.

After building bird’s nests with Let’s Talk Science, there may be some budding ornithologists out there…. Your child can document the different birds they find in this printable Bird Book.

Find and draw all of the beautiful plants you find this summer in this Plant Observation Journal.

HEBREW

My Jewish Games.com has some fun free games to practice vocabulary.

Here is a Padlet that has a variety of Hebrew stories that kids can listen to and if you can read Hebrew, there are some activity suggestions under each story as well.

Practice Hebrew vocabulary and listen/watch short stories found at this Learning Channel for Kids playlist.

HAVE THE BEST SUMMER AND HAPPY REVIEWING!!!

General Studies, Kindergarten, Science, STEAM

Let’s Talk Science…. Nifty Nests!

Posted on May 19, 2023 by Andréa Black

This morning, Senior Kindergarten participated in our final Let’s Talk Science lab of the year. This time, Farah and Madalina, students from the University of Ottawa, introduced the topic of nests to the kids and we were astounded by their ideas and observations as they discussed what kinds of animals build nests and what materials they use to build them. Then we played a Guess the Nest game and even though some of the questions were really tricky, these super-smart kids got most of them right!! To wrap-up our learning, the kids were tasked with building their own bird’s nest out of the materials they were provided, but with the extra challenge of using a clothespin (to simulate a bird’s beak) instead of their hands. Check out some pictures of the process:

You may have some blossoming birdwatchers on your hands now as Farah and Madalina challenged the kids to look for birds’ nests around their neighbourhoods or to build an outdoor next and see if any creatures make it their home….. If your child finds or builds any nests, please share the photos in the comments!!

I want to send a huge thank you to Farah and Madalina for all of the amazing sessions this year and for inspiring our little scientists!!

Chagim, Kindergarten, Reminders, Science, STEAM

Pesach is Coming!!! (information about the JK/SK Seder included)

Posted on March 31, 2023March 31, 2023 by Andréa Black

שִׂמְחָה רַבָּה, שִׂמְחָה רַבָּה
!אָבִיב הִגִּיעַ, פֶּסַח בָּה

SK is having so much fun getting ready for Pesach!! From learning songs and the Mah Nishtana to putting together their very own Haggadot, from reading so many stories and playing games on the SmartBoard, we have been truly blown away by all they have been learning about this chag!

This coming Tuesday, April 4, we will be having our own special Seder in the morning with JK!! Sorry parents, this event is for the kiddos only, but we promise to share pictures!!

Each student is asked to bring the following to school on Tuesday (in addition to his or her snack/lunch):

1 hard boiled egg, peeled and wrapped in plastic wrap
1 or 2 small pieces of celery
1 piece of romaine lettuce

The remainder of the Seder foods 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 or her own Seder food.

Your child is welcome to come to school wearing fancy holiday clothing, but because this is not a Dress Down Day, we ask that they bring their school uniform to change into after our celebration. Please note that drop-off will still be outdoors so whatever they are wearing should fit comfortably under their outdoor clothing. If you have any questions, please reach out.

Thank you so much to everyone who was able to join us for Innovation Day in SK yesterday!! The students worked so hard on all of our Water Cycle projects and they were so proud to share what they had learned and created with you. Check out the picture gallery below and if you haven’t been able to get the “Water Cycle Song” out of your head, you can find a link to the video here.

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

Tuesday, April 4 – JK/SK Seder

Wednesday, April 5 – Friday, April 14 – Passover Break (NO SCHOOL)

Monday, April 17 – Return to School

General Studies, Kindergarten, Reminders, Science, STEAM

Innovation Day is almost here!!!

Posted on March 28, 2023 by Andréa Black

This year’s INNOVATION DAY is less than 2 days away!! It is a day to celebrate STEAM here at OJCS, so make sure to join us on Thursday, March 30th at 8:45 am to see what SK has been busy exploring and learning.…. while the poster below says the day begins at 9:00 am, we are shifting slightly to not overly affect the SK’s schedule and so that anyone with older students has time to visit those classes as well.

Please bring your child to the school’s front door for drop-off (as you would on a rainy day) as close to 8:30 as possible and we ask that you wait outside the school as your child gets settled for the day. Once the 8:45 bell rings, you are welcome to make your way to our classroom and your child will show you their individual experiments as well as the ones we did as a class and fill you in on their learning. We will wrap up with a quick song before we send you on your way (which should be no later than 9:15).

We kindly ask that you limit visitors to no more than 2 people per child as space is limited in our classroom.

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

Friday, Mar. 31 – Dress Down Day: don’t forget to send in donations for the Ottawa Kosher Food Bank!

Tuesday, April 4 – JK/SK Seder (sorry this event is for the kiddos only, but we will send more info soon!)

Wednesday, April 5 – Friday, April 14 – Passover Break (NO SCHOOL)

Monday, April 17 – Return to School

General Studies, Kindergarten, Science, STEAM

Let’s Talk Science…. Solids, Liquids and Gases

Posted on February 3, 2023 by Andréa Black

SK spent most of the week inquiring about, observing and experimenting with the States of Matter. We listed different examples of each state and learned their properties through activities and songs; we experimented with mixing more solids and liquids to create gases and documented our observations. We even built a mini snowman and then watched to see how water can actually shift from one state of matter to another (snow, water, water vapour). Below are some of the videos and songs we watched in class to enhance our learning and some pictures as well.

We culminated our learning by participating in another super fun Let’s Talk Science lab with Farah and Madalina from the University of Ottawa AND we got to do our experiments in the OJCS Makerspace!! The kids were introduced to everyday liquids and solids to determine their properties. They used their hands and senses to explore different liquids, like water, oil and corn syrup, and then poured them out to see the differences between them. Then they did a cool experiment where we mixed solids with water to see whether or not they would dissolve and ended with another experiment where we mixed solids (baking powder and sugar) with water to create a gas….. the kids loved experiencing this neat reaction and it sparked some really interesting questions…. make sure to ask your child what they observed and learned in Science this week!!

Move Like Matter Dance:

Matter Chatter Song:

3 States of Matter Song:

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

Fridays (from now until early March) – 2:00 pm Dismissal

Monday, Feb. 6 – Tu B’Shevat

Thursday, Feb. 16 – OJCS Winter Fun Day

Friday, Feb. 17 – PD Day (NO SCHOOL)

Monday, Feb. 20 – Friday, Feb. 24 – Family Day/Reading Week (NO SCHOOL)

General Studies, Kindergarten, Science, STEAM

SKs are Germ Busting Super-Soapers!!!

Posted on November 29, 2022 by Andréa Black

Now say that 5 times fast!!

It’s that time of year where germs seem to be more prevalent than ever and many of our friends in SK have been sick over the last few weeks, so we thought it was a perfect time to talk about how we can avoid spreading germs and tie it all into some sensory & scientific exploration…..

Yesterday, the kids participated in the Magic Finger (or Pepper Germs) experiment. After sprinkling pepper (germs) over some water in a shallow dish, we investigated what happened to the pepper when we dabbed it first with our finger and then what happened when we put a little bit of soap on our finger. We even tested different types of soap to see which worked the best…. the results were indeed like magic, so make sure to ask your child all about it!!

Today, we spent time learning how to properly wash our hands to make sure we are keeping the germs away…. we even did a special experiment with Glo-Germ Gel and a black light to see if they were scrubbing hard enough!! The kids got to see for themselves how proper hand-washing can make germs disappear and they are all Germ Busting Super-Soapers now!!

A friendly reminder about the email that was sent to parents last week regarding our school’s sick policy:

We have many children coming to school sick. If your child has any symptoms, the screening tool will indicate that they must remain at home and self-isolate until their symptoms have been improved for at least 24 hours (48 hours if there was nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea), and they must of course be fever free. If your child is sick, please test them for COVID as we have several active cases.

Anyone away due to COVID must mask upon their return for 10 days following the first day their symptoms presented. This also applies to siblings.

I will ask as well that if your child should be masked due to illness or if would like your child to be masked at school, please let the SK team know so that we can ensure that those who require masks are wearing them during the day. Thank you so much in advance for your cooperation and support in keeping our school community as healthy as possible!!

General Studies, Science, STEAM

Let’s Talk Science…. Fat, Fur, and Feathers

Posted on November 18, 2022 by Andréa Black

Today was a very exciting day in Senior Kindergarten. We had special guests join our class and lead us in a Let’s Talk Science lab. Farah and Madalina, Science students from the University of Ottawa, led us in a discussion about how different animals get ready for winter and the SK students are already experts thanks to the many books we have read and the activities we have done in class. They told Farah and Madalina that many animals adapt to get ready for the cold weather by eating a lot of food to gain more fat or by growing thicker fur or feathers to stay warm. The kids asked great questions and knew a lot of answers to the questions they were asked. Then we experimented with Fat (vegetable shortening in a baggie), Fur (faux, of course!) and Feathers to see which kept their hands the warmest when touching ice. The students were so engaged and enthusiastic as they tried different combinations to see which would keep their hands warm…. the combo of fat and fur was the clear winner. Thanks to Farah and Madalina for leading this special, super-fun experience! We can’t wait to do it again in the winter!

Speaking of getting ready for winter, now that the snow has officially arrived, we thought we should clarify our Outdoor Play plan for the winter months. We will continue having our morning drop-off and recess on the playground, so please ensure that your child comes to school dressed appropriately. However, if it is colder than -18, with or without the windchill, we will not be venturing outdoors (we will be using the Weather Network to determine the temperature if you want to check before leaving the house). As with rainy days, if there are no teachers on the playground after the bell rings at 8:30, please bring your child to the front door for drop-off. While we will strive to get outside as much as possible, we will take advantage of the gym or other indoor physical activities when the weather is not cooperating.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

to Esti and Sari who turned 5 on November 17th!!

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

Fridays (from now until early March) – 2:00 pm Dismissal

Thursday, Nov. 24 – Dress Down Day supporting the Ottawa Humane Society

Friday, Nov. 25 – PD DAY – NO SCHOOL

General Studies, Science, STEAM

Global Maker Day 2022

Posted on October 20, 2022 by Andréa Black

October 20, 2022 was #GlobalMakerDay and the Senior Kindergarten kids certainly rose to the challenge!!

After celebrating Simchat Torah earlier this week, the kids were tasked with making their own torahs out of recycled materials. They painted their own torah covers, rolled them onto their “scrolls” and added straws for the handles. We are so excited to start the Torah over again this Shabbat and hear the first of many Parashat Hashavuah tomorrow!!

After listening to a Virtual Storytime with Miss Brigitte, who read “Be a Maker” by Katey Howes, we introduced 3 different Maker Day challenges that the kids could choose between: creating a dinosaur (or other creature), building a bridge, or constructing a tower. Using all of the recycled materials that we’ve been collecting (we nearly covered the entire carpet with stuff!!!), each child completed the challenge and they were super proud of what they accomplished. The innovation and imagination in our classroom was astounding!!! Make sure to ask your child about their creation!

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

Friday, Oct. 28 – Dress Down Day and 3:00 pm Dismissal begins

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

General Studies, Kindergarten, Reminders, Science, STEAM

We Need Your Recycled Goods!

Posted on October 13, 2022 by Andréa Black

Hi SK families,

We need your recycled goods!

We are collecting items for the OJCS Global Maker Day coming up on October 20th. We are looking for any cardboard boxes (think cereal boxes), toilet paper tubes, paint stir sticks, popsicle sticks, and plastic tubs (think yogurt pots, sour cream tubs – clean, please!) or any other items that may help with our creativity. The class that brings in the most recycled items will win a prize!!

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

Monday, Oct. 17 & Tuesday, Oct. 18 – NO SCHOOL for Simchat Torah

Friday, Oct. 28 – 3:00 pm Dismissal begins

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

General Studies, Reminders, Science, STEAM

Innovation Day is almost here!!!

Posted on April 5, 2022 by Andréa Black

This year’s virtual INNOVATION DAY is just 2 days away!! It is a day to celebrate STEAM here at OJCS, so make sure to join us on Thursday, April 7 at 11:45 am to see what SK has been busy building and learning.…. check out the poster below for the day’s schedule and links for the SK meet. We look forward to virtually welcoming you to our Kindergarten classroom!

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שִׂמְחָה רַבָּה, שִׂמְחָה רַבָּה !אָבִיב הִגִּיעַ, פֶּסַח בָּה

שִׂמְחָה רַבָּה, שִׂמְחָה רַבָּה
!אָבִיב הִגִּיעַ, פֶּסַח בָּה