January News
January 2026 News 
Bonne année! I hope that you all had a relaxing holiday. Thank you so much for the thoughtful Christmas presents and cards! They were very much appreciated.
January Themes
For the month of January, we will be learning about Winter, and places that are cold in the world- specifically the polar regions. We will be learning about polar bears and inukshuks, and the Aurora Borealis (Northern lights). I'm waiting on confirmation, but the last week of January might be Keating's Carnaval week, where we will be learning about le Carnaval de Quebec. Stay tuned! Towards the end of the month, we will start a Science unit on the States of Matter. In PE, we will doing badminton for the first 2 weeks of January. Children will have the option of using balloons or shuttlecocks/birdies.
Literacy/Numeracy
We will be starting Module 4 of the Je sais lire en francais program (I Can Read In French) this month. As the modules are becoming harder, I won't be introducing a new module for a while, but will continue to practice and review words/sounds and concepts taught in the first 4 modules. We continue to work on memorizing letter sounds- individual letter sounds for Kindergarten students and digraphs or complex sounds for Grade 1 students. Please continue to practice these at home. Kindergarten students will be starting to segment words into individual sounds in order to do "best guess spelling". Grade one students will continue to be encouraged to segment words into individual sounds in order to write complete sentences. Instead of just writing one sentence, Grade One children will be encouraged to write 2-3 or even more sentences! We will continue to focus on printing using correct letter formation, as well as starting sentences with a capital letter and using correct punctuation. In math, both Ks and ones will be reviewing subitizing (recognizing quantities without needing to count) and number recognition (to 10 for Ks and 20 for 1s). We are continuing to work on addition (Ks to 6, and ones to 12.) The goal is to have the children be able to not only understand the concept of addition, but to be able to do addition facts quickly and accurately. This a very exciting term for me as a teacher, as now until March is when we see a huge growth in the children's language and overall skills.
Home Reading
Keep sending in the completed Home Reading pages. The children are very keen to get prizes! Remember K children "get credit" for listening to stories, while grade one children are expected to be doing the reading. You can have your child read any of the little booklets or pages from their duotang, or they can read other beginning reading books you have. Although I encourage them to try to read French books, if you don't have any, English books are fine as well. Consistent daily reading practice is the best way to ensure your child's success at school! If you need a new recording sheet, let me know!
Kindergarten Registration
Kindergarten registration (for September 2026) is happening in January, so if you have a child or know other children that will be starting Kindergarten in the Fall, please spread the word! French Immersion K registration starts January 13th. There will be a Zoom K Information meeting on the evening of January 8th. For more information, please see the school or district websites.
Preschool Storytime
One of our lovely librarians, Ms. Windle, leads a preschool story time for preschool children and their caregivers once a month. She reads story, sings a song, has a snack and a short playtime. This is a great opportunity for prospective K children that may be a little nervous about coming to school, to get to know the environment and make a connection. The upcoming dates are January 9th, February 6th, March 6th, April 10th and May 1st, from 9-9:30. Please pass this information on to any parent of a preschooler that you know.