Posted in French Studies, General Studies, Jewish Studies, Uncategorized

Kindergarten App Recap

First things first:

Party Popper Emoji (U+1F389) HAPPY BIRTHDAY Party Popper Emoji (U+1F389)

to Isaac (KB) who turned 5 on December 8th!!

And now down to business….

During Parent-Teacher conferences last week, we had a lot of questions about the apps and online programs we are using in class as well as the ones that could be used at home.  We thought it would be helpful to give you a recap of all of these programs, how your child  might be able to use them at home, and how you can support your child as they are using them.

IXL Online Math Forum

IXL is an online forum that provides diagnostics of learning skills, promotes review, mastery and extensions of skills through practice, as well as providing students, teachers, and parents valuable information on student’s progress through grade data points.  You should have received a handout that explained how to log in and provided your child’s login and password; if you need a reminder contact Morah Andrea.  We use this program at least once a week in class, but practice time at home is also encouraged! For a more in depth tutorial on how to set up the program for your child as well as highlights of the program, check out these blog posts from our Math specialist, Mrs. Cleveland:

IXL: Online Math Forum for Personalized Learning

IXL: Four Highlights to Understand

JiTap

JiTap  is a program that can be used on a computer, iPad, or phone. It supports Hebrew language learning and Jewish holidays with games, songs and other activities.  Every week, new games are assigned to support what is being learned in class.  Use your child’s OJCS account when logging in; the passwords are either kaojcs or kbojcs, depending on your child’s class.
Boukili
Boukili is a French reading app that allows your kids to read books online or to be read to in French.  As they read books, they earn points and rewards like games and outfits for their avatar.  This program is mainly for practice at home and is not necessarily assigned by Madame Sophie.
Flipgrid
Flipgrid is a platform where students can record short videos of themselves answering a prompt. It is a great way for them to demonstrate their oral language skills. To log in, use your child’s class code flipgrid.com/kaojcs or flipgrid.com/kbojcs followed by your child’s school email and password. Use of Flipgrid will either be assigned in class or via the distance learning schedule where the code for specific assignments are posted, eg: https://flipgrid.com/688f36cd.
Classkick
Classkick is a site that allows your child to work online while receiving live support from their teacher.  You may see it referenced on our distance learning schedule.  To login, select “sign in with Google” and ensure that you are using your child’s ojcs email and password.

Teach Your Monster to Read 

This app is available for purchase on the App store ($6.99), and we recently learned that you can download a desktop version that is free, though there may be some differences in the program.  We use 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.

Any more questions? We are here to help!!

The K Team

Posted in Jewish Studies, Uncategorized

?מה חדש בגן What’s new in Kindergarten?

Our yeladim have taken learning to a whole new level! Instead of having an assisting role, they are now leading our morning routing as the (חזן חזנית) chazzan/chazzanit and (עוזר עוזרת עם הלוח השנה) ozer/ozeret im haluach hashanah.

 

They are also becoming experts at printing their Hebrew names, thanks to a part of our new morning routine!

We have also been immersed in learning the story of Jacob (Yaakov) and had so much fun building ladders to heaven after hearing the story of his dream. We raced to gather the maklot (sticks) and then built sulamim (ladders) and counted the rungs in Hebrew to see who’s was the tallest. It was amazing to see all of the different designs! We have some incredible engineers!

Wishing you all a Shabbat Shalom,

Morah Shira and the Kindergarten Team

Posted in General Studies, Uncategorized

Let’s Talk Science….. Playful Machines

Yesterday was a very exciting day in Kindergarten.  We had special virtual guests join both classes and lead us in a Let’s Talk Science virtual lab. Nia and Kelvin, Science students from the University of Ottawa, taught us about 3 different kinds of simple machines: a wheel & axle, a lever, and an inclined plane.  Then they led the kids through the construction of a playground where each structure was one of the machines build out of everyday materials, such as pipe cleaners and popsicle sticks.  The students were so engaged and enthusiastic as they built their merry-go-rounds, slides, and teeter-totters.  Special thanks to Morah Taylor for organizing this special, super-fun experience!!

 

Posted in General Studies, Uncategorized

Kindergarten Has Gone Nocturnal…..

What a wonderful way to spend a day…. To wrap up our Nocturnal Animal theme unit, KA & KB celebrated Pyjama Day at school!! We stayed comfy and cozy and the kids all brought special things that they like to have at bedtime to show and share with their friends.  Over the last few weeks, we have learned about bats, flying squirrels, owls and skunks.  Today, the kids journaled about which animal was their favourite and compared which had the most votes with the least.  We also sang all of our favourite Nocturnal Animal songs and had special Owl cookies as a treat!!

Here are links to the songs so you can listen at home:

Vowel Bat

Flying Squirrel

The Skunk Song

Here are some cute, cozy pictures from Pyjama Day…..

Party Popper Emoji (U+1F389) HAPPY BIRTHDAY Party Popper Emoji (U+1F389)

to Sari (KB) who turns 5 on November 22nd!!

Since tomorrow is a PD Day, wishing you all a great weekend!!

Posted in Uncategorized

Maccabiah Games

Our incredible Knesset members, and devoted faculty Maccabiah Committee, have been working tirelessly to plan a fun, engaging, family virtual Maccabiah Games day!

The schedule for the day will look as follows:

9:00-9:30 AM- Opening Ceremonies
9:30-10:00 AM- Team Meetings
10:00-10:30 AM- Snack
10:30-12:00 PM- GooseChase Missions
12:00-1:00 PM- Lunch
1:00-2:00 PM- GooseChase Missions
2:00-3:00 PM- Closing Ceremonies
As you can see, there are two time periods for GooseChase Missions. GooseChase is a digital scavenger hunt app, where missions are listed and participants are challenged to complete them by uploading video, image or text responses. We want this to be a family event, where parents & siblings can all participate in the fun GooseChase missions together during the GooseChase times. However, we understand this may not be possible for all, and students can still participate on their own, or with their siblings. Please let us know if your child needs to be paired up with a teacher. We recommend you download the app ahead of time – you can create an account or play as a guest.
Please help us reach our fundraising goal of $15, 000, which will be matched this year by a generous donor! You can make donations by visiting this link: http://bit.ly/maccabiah2020, and are encouraged to share it with family and friends as well.
Each team’s Google Meet links and GooseChase game codes will all be shared closer to the date. Students are encouraged to wear their team colour on Friday June 5.
It is sure to be an amazing day!
Posted in Uncategorized

Flat Morah Yaffa, Shavuot, Virtual Tour, and Maccabiah Games..Oh MY!

Dear Kindergarten,

So many things to share! Today you can print Flat Morah Yaffa, and take me with you for the next month on your many activities and adventures. There is a grid to help you with some ideas as well as your own. Please watch the Screencastify to explain how this can work, (also on the schedule). This idea comes from the Flat Stanley series, which is a book you may want to read with your children.

Yesterday we took a virtual tour of the Jelly Belly Factory in San Francisco. We took a bus there and decided to fly home instead! Here is the Jelly Belly Factory link again if you want to visit it again. We look forward to more virtual trips in the coming month of June!

Today we will celebrate with an ice-cream and fruit party for Shavuot! Chag Sameach Everyone!

Maccabiah Games are happening on June 5th  FOUR TEAMS, ONE HEART !  I am posting the team lists, the link for our fundraising page and how the day will look.

When is it happening? 
Friday, June 5th
The day begins at 9:00AM *No Middle School homeroom
Maccabiah wraps up at 3:00PM so everyone can make it to Kabbalat Shabbat
What is the theme?
OJCS Maccabiah Games
4 Teams, 1 Heart
Whether Together or Apart
What are the 4 teams?
We have the BLUE TEAM (team ROCK), GREEN TEAM (team COUNTRY), RED TEAM (team POP), and the ORANGE TEAM (team HIP-HOP). It will be a battle of the music genres!
Are we fundraising?
Sure are! This is a big fundraiser for our school. Last year we raised a little over $12,000 so this year our goal is $15,000. What makes this year even sweeter is we have a generous donor who has agreed to MATCH any donations we bring in up to the $15,000. We took the competitive team fundraising aspect away this year and everyone has 1 link to share to work toward our collective fundraising goal. Here is the link to share with your classes and on your blogs for students to share with family and friends: bit.ly/maccabiah2020
So what does the day even look like?
9:00-9:30 AM- Opening Ceremonies
9:30-10:00 AM- Team Meetings
10:00-10:30 AM- Snack
10:30-12:00 PM- GooseChase Missions
12:00-1:00 PM- Lunch
1:00-2:00 PM- GooseChase Missions
2:00-3:00 PM- Closing Ceremonies
*Links to be created and shared next week for the meetings.

 OJCS Maccabiah  Games Fundraising Link

OJCS Maccabiah Games Teams 2020

FROM ALL OF YOUR KINDERGARTEN TEACHERS, TO ALL OF OUR KINDERGARTEN FAMILIES…  CHAG SAMEACH !!