le bulletin - La Coccinelle

 LE BULLETIN
La Coccinelle French
Immersion Preschool
THIS
ISSUE:
1
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Back
Parenting
2
your pre-‐
schooler:
tips
Excursion:
3
Fired Up!
Snacks:
3
Healthy
Muffins
Madame
4
Guylaine:
vocabulary,
messages
Birthday
Wishes
1 ,
I S S U E
1
O C T O B E R
2 0 0 9
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INSIDE
Feature:
V O L U M E
5
MOST of these 3-­year-­olds have only recently mas-­
tered their first language. Thanks to you, their parents, they are now work-­
ing on their second ± a process experts say will boost problem solving crea-­
tivity and emotional intelli-­
gence. ³,W¶VZRQGHUIXOWRZDWFK
them -­ how much they learn DQGKRZIDVW´VD\V0D
dame Guylaine Duhaime, head teacher at La Coc-­
cinelle. ³%\&KULVWPDVWKHUH
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be singing songs in French -­ LW¶VXQEHOLHYDEOH´ Last month La Coc-­
cinelle started the school year for the 29th time since it first opened in 1981. From lesson to lesson, children could be seen dressing as princesses, ducks and unicorns, playing with sand, making crafts and ± literally -­ jumping for joy. Parents were happy too. ³,W¶VVXFKDZRQGHUIXO
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Shona Robichaud, whose daughter Scarlett is return-­
ing to the three-­year-­old morning group. µ,WKLQNOHDUQLQJ)UHQFK
will open up opportunities for Scarlett that might other-­
ZLVHSDVVKHUE\´VKHVDLG Saut: Children in the 3/4 afternoon class learn to jump in French Other parents say com-­
municating with French-­
speaking relatives, interna-­
tional travel and future life opportunities prompted their decision to enrol their kids at La Coccinelle. More than 1000 Calgary kids have attended the pre-­
school over the years. This year 27 children are enrolled in four-­year-­old pro-­
grams, with most returning from last year. Seventeen have joined the three-­year-­old morning class, with 17 kids taking part in the blended class in the afternoon. According to academics, children who learn a second language have better cogni-­
tive abilities and enjoy supe-­
rior skills in both languages. They are generally more perceptive and are better at coping with uncertainty. Calgary Catholic School District French program super-­
visor Esther Di Gianvittorio said despite the myths, learn-­
ing through French immersion does not adversely affect a FKLOG¶VPRWKHUWRQJXH ³,QIDFWWKHRSSRVLWHKDV
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she said. According to research, the brain of a bilingual child devel-­
ops differently ± and looks dif-­
ferent -­ to that of a monolin-­
gual, University of Calgary pro-­
fessor Sylvie Roy says. She believes French im-­
mersion preschool should be mandatory for every child who goes onto French immersion school. ³7KDWZRXOGEHDGUHDP´
she said. ³7KUHHDQGIRXULVDJUHDW
age to learn. They like the lan-­
guage, they play with it. They absorb it. (continued pg 2) PAGE
2
Parenting your Pre-‐Schooler
JULIE Freedman Smith says setting your preschooler routine tasks is a worthwhile chore. HAVE you ever seen your child tidying up at pre-­
school and wondered, µ+RZFDQ,PDNHWKLVKDS
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founder Julie Freedman Smith says preschool-­age children, who are clamour-­
ing for control over their world, love the sense of responsibility that comes with chores. ³:LWKFKRUHVZHKDYH
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responsibility, they begin to see themselves as ca-­
pable. ³7KDW¶VZKHQWKH\JDLQ
self-­esteem and start to EXLOGWKHPVHOYHV´ Julie Freedman Smith
(right) and Gail Bell of
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Parenting Your
Preschooler:
Each month
local parenting
and education
experts will
offer their tips
and points of view
on topics you might
find helpful
Role-­playing
: A royal edu
ca
LE
Freedman Smith says children who try something and succeed are more will-­
ing to try a new activity or task and work at it to im-­
prove. She suggests holding a simple family meeting to talk about the importance of helping the whole family through chores. Start small with two or three tasks, she says. Give your child an op-­
tion of suitable tasks and ask for their ideas. At three, for example, a child might be expected to put their dirty clothes in a hamper and help clean up their messes after eat-­
ing. At four, they might help unload the dish-­
washer and spread butter on sandwiches. Freedman Smith suggests setting a day and time to help your preschooler get started. Show them what to do and do it alongside them, before stepping back and letting them go. She suggests putting a reminder on the fridge and checking it off when the chores are done. But Freedman Smith recommends against giv-­
ing money for day-­to-­day tasks. ³6RPHFKRUHVDUH
expected as part of living in a family. You can get yourself into a situation if the monetary reward fails to motivate them over WLPH´ For a complete list of age-­appropriate chores email: Julie@parentingpower.
ca Jump-‐VWDUWLQJNLGVEUDLQVFRQWLQXHG
tion BULLETIN
At nearby Banff Trail Ele-­
mentary, many youngsters have done just that. Principal Susan Brims says kids who start kinder-­
garten after learning French at preschool come with an ear for the lan-­
guage. ³7KH\RXQJHU\RXH[SRVH
children to a language, the EHWWHULWLV´VKHVDLG For Alex Bauer, who is now in Grade 1, learning at La Coccinelle where the teacher-­child ratio is one to HLJKWKHOSHGDYRLGD³SXVK
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ten, mom Su-­wan said. ³+HZDVQ¶WDSSUHKHQVLYH´ While some parents are committed to French immer-­
sion, others send their children to La Coccinelle to test the waters. Teague, who joined the 3-­
year-­old class this year, was enrolled by mom Michelle, to see if French immersion is a good fit for him. ³7KLVH[SHULHQFHZLOOPDNH
us feel more relaxed about our decision when it comes to kin-­
GHUJDUWHQ´VKHVDLG VOLUME
1,
ISSUE
1
PAGE
All fired up at station #17
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four-­year-­olds got all fired up at Fire Station #17. And while the tour was all about safety, the kids had a ton of fun too. ³,OLNHGWKHQRLVHVWKH
trucks made and I got to ring the bell (the fire hall DODUP´*LDQOXFDRQHRI
the students, said. Firemen, dressed in uniform, allowed the kids behind the wheel of their fire trucks and gave them heavy water hoses to hold. Each year the La Coc-­
cinelle organizes visits to the fire station to teach the kids about fire safety. 7KH\OHDUQKRZWRµVWRSGURS
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fire and when to call 911. *LDQOXFD¶VPRP6DQGUDVDLG
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WKLQJVZLWKRXUNLGV´VKHVDLG Photos of four-­year-­old AM class: Courtesy Jan O. Snack Salvation -‐ Banana Berry Muffins
Ingredients: 1 cup rolled oats 1/2 cup all-­purpose flour 1/2 cup of whole wheat 1/4 cup of bran 1.5 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 1.5 cups mashed bananas 2 egg whites 1/4 cup butter 1 cup fresh or frozen mixed berries 1/2 cup sugar (optional) Method: Combine dry ingredients. Whisk bananas, egg whites and butter until smooth. Fold dry ingredients in with banana mixture until consistently moist. Then add the berries. Bake in muffin pans for 20 minutes at 375° F. &RXUWHV\$QQDEHOOH¶V grand-­mère) 3
PAGE
4
Madame Guylaine
(above) and Ma-‐
dame Gillian are
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teachers
Chansons/Songs:
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&¶HVWO¶DXWRPQHF¶HVWO¶DXWRPQH Les feuilles tombent, Les feuilles tombent Les petites et les grandes Les petites et les grandes Dans le vent, dans le vent Pommes de Reinette
3RPPHGH5HLQHWWHHW3RPPHG¶$SL Petit tapis rouge 3RPPHGH5HLQHWWHHW3RPPHG¶$SL Petit tapis gris /D6RUFLºUH)DLW+HH+HH+HH
(London Bridge is falling down) La sorcière fait hee hee hee, Hee hee hee, hee hee hee La sorcière fait hee hee hee &¶HVWO¶+DOORZHHQ Le fantôme fait hoo hoo hoo Le chat noir fait meouw meouw meouw La belle Citrouille (Alouette)
La citrouille, la belle citrouille La citrouille, je te mangerai Je te mangerai les yeux, je te man-­
gerai les yeux Et les yeux, et les yeux ± ah ah ah ah (add on) Le nez, la bouche, les oreilles, etc 0LFKDXGHVW0RQW¹
Michaud est monté dans un grand pommier Michaud est monté dans un grand pommier La branche a cassé ± CRAC! Michaud est tombé ± BOOM Où donc est Michaud? Michaud est sur le dos Ah! Relève relève relève, Vocabulaire/Vocabulary:
Noir ± black Orange ± orange Mauve ± purple Chat noir ± black cat Citrouille ± pumpkin Fantôme ± ghost Chauve-­souris ± bat Sorcière ± witch Araignée ± spider Squelette ± skeleton Feuille ± leaf Pomme ± apple Dinde -­ turkey /¶$XWRPQH²Autumn 0DGDPH*X\ODLQHVPHVVDJHERDUG
HALLOWEEN PARTIES: (October 29 & 30) HALLOWEEN parties will be held for all classes in the last week of October. Please dress your little ones in costumes for the day. We are planning to have a group snack in each class and are LE
BULLETIN
asking parents to volunteer to make a fruit platter, a vegetable and dips plat-­
ter, cheese platter and Halloween cookies. A sign-­up sheet for each class can be found outside the classroom. Merci. :HUHRQWKHZHE
www.la-‐coccinelle.ca
La Coccinelle
Louis turned 3 last week
Carson was 3 last month
Brigitte turns 4 in October
Best Birthday Wishes
Happy Birthday to everyone who turned 3 or 4 last month and to anyone who will celebrate a birthday this month!
Lucas turns 4 this month
Luke turned 4 in September
Gavan turns 3 next week and will celebrate
by starting school!
Sebastian is 4 in October
Olivia was 3 last month