#reminders – Page 2 – OJCS KINDERGARTEN / GAN

Chefs, Doctors and Firefighters….. OH MY!!!

Posted on October 24, 2023 by Andréa Black

After last month’s Terry Fox Run led to discussions about real-life heroes and how we can help in our own community, KA & KB have been learning all about different kinds of community helpers over the past few weeks. From police officers to artists, from mail carriers to nurses, we have been talking and learning about all of the ways different people in our community help us every single day. We read books and sang songs, we made books, we crafted, we coloured, we matched, we sorted, and we dreamed about what we want to be when we grow up!! The highlight was of course our visit from the firefighters from Station 23, especially Firefighter Brad (aka Wesley’s dad), driving the truck. Check out the pictures below!!

This Friday, Oct. 27th, is Dress Down Day!! This month, we are collecting tzedakah in support of Magen David Adom. Don’t forget to bring your loonies and toonies!!

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

Friday, Oct. 27 – Dress Down Day/3:00 PM DISMISSAL begins

Tuesday, Oct. 31 – Photo Retake Day (please let me know if you would like your child to get a retake and have them wear a white collared shirt)

Thursday, Nov. 2 – NOON DISMISSAL and Goal Setting Conferences

Friday, Nov. 3 – NO SCHOOL for Goal Setting Conferences

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

to Leon in SK-A who turns 5 on October 26th!!

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

Chagim, General Studies, Jewish Studies, Reminders

Chag Sukkot Sameach!!

Posted on October 6, 2023 by Andréa Black

This week in the Hebrew and Jewish Studies, the children focused on three themes: Colours, Autumn, and Sukkot. The entire week was dedicated to the colour orange, which is closely associated with Autumn, so they learned words like orange (katom), Autumn (stav), wind (ruach), clouds (ananim), and more.

To celebrate Sukkot, each class took a visit to the OJCS Sukkah, where they performed the traditional shaking of the Lulav with Dr. Mitzmacher, and on Thursday, they got to eat lunch in the Sukkah. For this occasion, the children prepared a delicious and nutritious orange snack made of carrots, clementines, and orange bell peppers. This activity included listening to instructions in Hebrew, practicing skills like peeling clementines, counting carrots in Hebrew, and cutting the bell peppers with plastic knives. Inside the Sukkah, in addition to the regular blessings for the meal, they recited the blessings of Borei Pri Ha’aetz and Borei Pri Ha’Adama.

The children also enthusiastically participated in the activities prepared for the entire school at Tuesday’s OJCS Sukkah Hop. They enjoyed a special story and activity with our librarian, Brigitte, a fun harvest-themed relay race and of course, the sweetest, stickiest, and most enjoyable activities was building an edible Sukkah.

We hope everyone had a Chag Sukkot Sameach, a joyful holiday! Check out the pictures from our Sukkot activities below….

WE NEED YOUR RECYCLED GOODS!

We are beginning to collect items for the OJCS Global Maker Day, on Tuesday, October 17th. We are looking for wine bottle corks, popsicle sticks, cereal/cracker boxes, toilet paper tubes, paint stir sticks, and plastic tubs/lids (think yogurt pots, sour cream tubs – clean please!) items to help with our creativity.

Thank you for your help with this excited endeavour!

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

Monday, Oct. 9 – Thanksgiving Day (NO SCHOOL)

Tuesday, Oct. 17 – Global Maker Day

Friday, Oct. 27 – Dress Down Day/3:00 pm Dismissal begins

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Belated wishes to Moishe in SK-B who turned 5 on October 3rd!!

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

Reminders

Picture Day is tomorrow…. and other reminders

Posted on September 19, 2023September 19, 2023 by Andréa Black

Tomorrow, Wednesday, Sept. 20th is Picture Day at the OJCS!! Please ensure that your child is wearing their white collared OJCS shirt. SK will be having their pictures taken as early as possible!!

You may have noticed a few new faces on the playground over the last week or so…. We are very excited to welcome Emeleigh McLean, the EA in SK-A to our team. As well, we have Felix, a first year DSW student from Algonquin College, doing his field placement with us on Mondays and Tuesdays until the middle of October.

In case you missed it, the Grade 8’s have begun their first Grad fundraiser. Starting today, they will be selling Bad Monkey Popcorn after school (outside the front door). While the older grades will be able to purchase this snack at recess as well, for the SK students, we are asking parents to participate at the end of the day, should you wish. This is a CASH ONLY fundraiser.

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

Tuesday, Sept. 19 – Back to School Night at 7:00 pm (in person!!)

Wednesday, Sept. 20 – PHOTO DAY! Please wear a white collared uniform shirt.

Monday, Sept. 25 – Yom Kippur (NO SCHOOL)

Tuesday, Sept. 26 – OJCS Terry Fox Run

Friday, Sept. 29 – Orange Shirt (Dress Down) Day

**If you haven’t already, please complete and return the Emergency Card that was sent home in your child’s Note Tote as soon as possible**

We look forward to seeing you all this evening for Back to School Night!! For those that cannot attend, we will be posting a video of the evening shortly.

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

The SK team

Reminders

JK Lemonade Stand Tomorrow!

Posted on June 12, 2023June 12, 2023 by Andréa Black

One of the JK students is registered for the 2023 Lemonade Standemonium and he will be bringing his lemonade stand to the OJCS tomorrow (Tuesday, June 13th) at pick-up time. His family has generously donated supplies for JK to make lemonade and they will be selling lemonade from 3:30 pm until about 4:00. Any and all donations are welcome and proceeds will be donated to the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation.

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

Friday, June 23 – Dress Down Day

Wednesday, June 28 – Last Day of School (NOON DISMISSAL)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

to Jonah who turns 6 on June 15th

and

to Jacob K who turns 6 on June 17th!!

Reminders

Dress Down Day is tomorrow!!

Posted on May 18, 2023May 18, 2023 by Andréa Black

Tomorrow, Friday, May 19th, is Dress Down Day!! This month, we are collecting tzedakah in support of The Cure Foundation for Breast Cancer. Don’t forget to bring your loonies and toonies!!

As well, we are still collecting non-perishable items for the Ottawa Kosher Food Bank in honour of Shavuot. It would be wonderful if you could send any donations to school between now and May 25th! All items donated should have a visible, reliable hechsher (COR, MK, OU, etc) and please make sure to check the expiration date. Check out the poster below to see what items are needed most, but any and all donations are appreciated!!

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

Friday, May 19 – Dress Down Day supporting The Cure Foundation

Monday, May 22 – Victoria Day (NO SCHOOL)

Friday, May 26 – Shavuot (NO SCHOOL)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

to Jared who turned 6 on May 17th

and

to Ariel who turns 6 on May 24th!!

Chagim, Jewish Studies, Reminders

Happy 75th Birthday Israel!!!

Posted on April 27, 2023 by Andréa Black

This week, we celebrated Yom Ha’atzmaut or Israel’s Independence Day.

In Israel, people celebrate all over the country beginning in the evening with a special torch lighting, fireworks, and street parties. The next day people get together for barbecues on the beach or in parks. Many people dress in blue and white (kachol ve’ lavan), the colours of the flag, and eat special foods like hummus, falafel, pita, kebabs, watermelon, Bamba, and Israeli salad. There is folk dancing and lots of music, including special concerts. Here are some of SK’s favourite songs that we learned while getting ready to celebrate Eretz Yisrael:

Many people think that Israel is just a desert, but even though it is a tiny country, it has many different parts and when you travel through it you see that Israel has everything from busy cities to beaches, mountains, deserts, and lakes. To kick off our theme unit on globes & maps, SK spent time collaboratively creating a ripped-paper mosaic map of Israel to show the different landscapes this beautiful country has to offer.

We had so much celebrating Yom Ha’atzmaut with the whole school and participating in activities with JK and Grade 1. Whether they were doing IDF drills with Moreh Saar, beading bracelets, learning some Israeli folk dances, painting symbols of peace, trying falafel, singing songs or eating cupcakes, SK loved every second!!

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

Friday, April 28 – Dress Down Day in support of the Jewish National Fund

Sunday, May 7 @ 7:00 pm – OJCS Casino Night (grown-ups only)

Monday, May 15 – OJCS Generations Day

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

to Morah Dani who celebrates on May 2nd

and

to Joshua who turns 6 on May 5th!!

REMINDER

Please do your best to have your kids dropped off by 8:45 am. We ask that all grown-ups please leave the playground by the time that bell rings. While we appreciate that it is a good time to chat with each other or with the morahs, a quick drop-off makes it far easier for the kids to transition into their school day. Thanks in advance for your cooperation!!

Reminders

March Madness at OJCS!

Posted on March 15, 2023 by Andréa Black

Mark your calendars for these important events coming up during the latter half of March! There is a lot to keep track of, so we thought we’d give you a rundown of what’s happening and what you need to know….

Franco-Fête – Thursday, March 23 at 6:30 pm

Next week is La Semaine de la Francophonie and the kids will be participating in a variety of French activities throughout the week. To culminate our celebrations, we will be having a Franco-Fête on the evening of March 23. All grades will be performing and students and their families are encouraged to attend. For all students attending, we are asking that they wear a white t-shirt and blue jeans as illustrated in the image below:

Innovation Day – Thursday, March 30 at 8:45 am

OJCS’ Innovation Day is almost here!! On Thursday, March 30th, we will celebrate all things STEAM here at OJCS, so make sure to join us that morning at 8:45 am (we will be starting a little earlier than the older grades) to see what SK has been busy building and learning… stay tuned for more details!!

March Dress Down Day – March 31

Dress Down Day for the month of March is in support of the Ottawa Kosher Food Bank. For the remainder of the month, we are collecting non-perishable, kosher items in the school lobby. They are specifically looking for the items listed in the poster below. Please send in your donations at any time.

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER (in addition to the above):

Thursday, March 16 – 2:00 pm Dismissal/PT Interviews

Friday, March 17 – PD Day (NO SCHOOL)/PT Interviews

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

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

to Jacob C. who turns 6 on March 16th

and to Madame Susan who celebrates on March 18th!

Reminders

Winter Fun Day is Coming!!!

Posted on February 10, 2023 by Andréa Black

Next Thursday, February 16th 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 of 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 is likely 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 spending an extra period outside in the morning building snowmen and most of the afternoon will be outdoors as they participate in École Enchantée (French Forest school) with Madame Susan and Mr. Ebbs.

Morning drop-off will be on the playground as usual.

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

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 upcoming OJCS Purim Carnival, so any donations can be brought to school.

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

Friday, Feb. 10 – 2:00 pm Dismissal

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)

Monday, Feb. 27 – School Resumes

Wednesday, Mar. 1 – 100 Day

Friday, Mar. 3 – 3:00 pm Dismissal begins

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

to Ethan who turns 6 on February 14th!

Reading, Reminders

Reading Buddies has begun… and some other important info

Posted on November 3, 2022 by Andréa Black

Today, SK got to participate in an OJCS tradition from pre-COVID times – we had our first meeting with our Grade 5 Reading Buddies!! Each child is paired with one or two Grade 5 students and every two weeks, we will meet in the library to read together (in English & Hebrew!!), 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 time in the library today!!

Starting next week, we will be returning to another pre-COVID tradition of asking our SK families to provide challah for our weekly Shabbat celebrations. As part of our weekly classroom jobs, we have a Chazan or Chazanit Hashavuah who helps lead the tefillot and our Kabbalat Shabbat. We will be asking that each child bring a challah on their assigned Friday to share with their friends. You will receive an email from Morah Andréa on the Monday before your child’s designated Shabbat. In order to follow the school’s kashrut policy, the challah must be kosher, sealed with a hechsher and nut-free. We recommend the challot from Loblaws College Square, Metro on Greenbank, or any Farmboy location. Ordering from A Dashing Pinch or Creative Kosher are also welcomed options.

If you have any questions or concerns….

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

Friday, Nov. 4 – 3:00 pm Dismissal

Friday, Nov. 11– 2:00 pm Dismissal begins

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

to Zach who turns 5 on November 4th!!

General Studies, Math, Reminders

Introducing IXL

Posted on December 14, 2021 by Andréa Black

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. We have just introduced IXL in the classroom and there will be a handout in your child’s backpack today that explains how to log in with your child’s login and password; if you need a reminder or have not received the handout, please contact Morah Andrea. We will continue to use this program 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

IMPORTANT REMINDERS:

This Friday, Dec. 17th is a special Pyjama Dress Down Day for the ALS Society of Canada as chosen by Grade 6…. Don’t forget to bring a loonie or toonie for tzedakah!!

Dismissal this Friday is at 2:00 pm.

Don’t forget to let us know if you need to pick up your Rapid Antigen Testing kit before we send them home on Friday. We hope everyone has a wonderful winter break and we look forward to seeing you all back at school on Monday, January 3, 2022.

The SK Team