On Monday, September 16th, the kids in SK celebrated International Dot Day (a day late)!!! If you’re not sure what International Dot Day is all about, here’s a little explanation:
September 15th marks the anniversary of the publication of best-selling author/illustrator Peter H. Reynolds’ The Dot, a “story book for all ages.”
Starting in 2009, a group of educators began celebrating this date as International Dot Day — a day for classes to explore the story’s powerful themes: bravery, creativity, and self-expression.
The Dot tells the story of a caring teacher who reaches a reluctant student in a remarkably creative way. In Peter’s book, the teacher dares a very resistant Vashti to “make her mark.” Vashti’s breakthrough begins with a simple dot on a piece of paper. Encouraged by her teacher she sets off on a journey of self-discovery, letting her creativity bloom and, ultimately, inspire others.
from The Educator’s Handbook for International Dot Day
To mark this special day on Monday, after reading the book, the kids got to explore their own creativity by making their own unique dot. They experimented with colour mixing by using markers on coffee filters and then spraying them with water at the Saturation Station. They also drew their own special masterpieces to make their mark. We listened to and watched a video of the “The Dot Song” written by Emily Arrow and Peter H. Reynolds…. Click the link to watch the video and do the actions at home.
The rest of this week, SK continued to be inspired by other books by Peter H. Reynolds. We read “Ish”, a story about a boy who learns that art (or anything else really) does not have to be perfect… it’s okay to be “-ish” as long as we try our best. The kids made crumpled paper paintings and told us what they looked like… ish. We also read “Sky Colour”, a story about a girl who loves art but gets stuck when she is missing the “right” colour to paint the sky. She discovers that the sky can be many different colours, both in the real world and in her imagination. The kids used their imaginations to create their own unique watercolour skies and self-portraits of them flying. Our last Reynolds story was “Be You!”, a beautiful book that encourages everyone to believe in themselves and to be the “best me I can be”. This led to playing some games and making their own books that have helped us all to get to know each other better and to learn what makes us all unique and special!! The kids loved singing the “Be Yourself” song and celebrating our differences!
This week, both classes also had their first meetings with their Reading Buddies!! KA is paired with students in Grade 5 and KB is paired with students in Grade 4 and every few weeks, we will meet in the library to read together, get to know each other, and to participate in some fun, community-building activities. Be sure to ask your child to tell you about their new buddies!!
The school year may have just begun, but the kids in Senior Kindergarten have already started making their mark in a big way!!
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:
Wednesday, Sept. 25 – OJCS Terry Fox Run (students are invited to wear their Terry Fox shirts or their uniform shirts)
Friday, Sept. 27 – Dress Down Day (no uniforms required; send in your loonies and toonies to help support the amazing work that Hillel Lodge does)
Monday, Sept. 30 – National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (students are welcome to wear orange shirts or their uniform shirts)
Wednesday, Oct. 2 – NOON DISMISSAL for Rosh Hashanah
Thursday, Oct. 3 & Friday, Oct. 4 – NO SCHOOL for Rosh Hashanah
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
to Dikla who is celebrating her birthday on September 24th!!
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out!! Wishing you all a Shabbat Shalom!!
