Kindergarten Class Connects Across B.C. Through Alphabet Exchange

For kindergarten students at Alexander Elementary, learning the alphabet came with an exciting announcement: “We got mail!” 

This fall, Ms. Siganakis’ class participated in an alphabet exchange with 25 other classrooms across British Columbia. Each class created one letter, mailed copies to the other participating schools and received letters in return to build a complete alphabet. 

For their contribution, Ms. Siganakis’ students created the letter C for “caterpillar.” They also helped decide what to share in an accompanying message about their class, community and favourite school activities. 

As letters began arriving, Ms. Siganakis opened each one under the classroom document camera. Students cheered at the arrival of new mail and eagerly guessed which letter would be inside. 

With limited wall space in the classroom, the completed alphabet was displayed on a bulletin board in the hallway. The location allowed students from across the school to enjoy the colourful letters and follow the display as it grew. 

The exchange connected the class with schools in communities including Galiano Island, Kamloops, Victoria, Kelowna, Vancouver, Fort St. John, Nakusp, Sparwood and Mission. 

Through art, letter recognition and the excitement of receiving mail, students strengthened their early literacy skills while discovering new communities across the province. After two successful years (the cross-district collaboration has been happening since 2018), Ms. Siganakis is looking forward to participating in the exchange again this coming school year.