Division 12 News -start of October
***Thanksgiving Holidays are coming up...we have so much to be thankful for! Monday Oct. 8th will be a school holiday.
Later in the month, a professional development day will be held on Friday, October 20th -school will not be in session for students.
Educational highlights this month: studying marine invertebrates such as coral and squid, building our google doc slide shows, getting our fertilized salmon eggs, creating maps, surveying and trying out orienteering, autumn fun with our little buddies, Green Thumb Theatre presentation
We had a wonderful time trying out Japanese drumming this past Friday. The students sounded great and even got a bit of a workout!
Opening Newsletter
Start Up
Welcome! Our classroom has gotten off to a wonderful start and I am looking forward to getting to know your children and helping them grow their skills and explore their interests. I would like to take a moment to explain some of our class routines and up-coming units:
Week Schedule: our usual plan (things can and do change...)
Gym times: Monday and Wednesday, but students will do physical activity blocks every day. They should have suitable clothing and footwear at school throughout the week.
Music classes: Tuesday and Thursday
Library exchange: Wednesday
Spelling: set up on a weekly schedule, with words in agenda books on Monday, written activities through the week and a quiz on Friday.
Team Work
Families are a vital part of a successful teaching team. I look forward to being able to meet a number of families at school or connect with them by agendas, email (jjohnston@sd73.bc.ca) or over the phone. Our school has school-wide interview blocks set up in mid-Fall and further times available later in the winter and spring. Parents are more than welcome to casually stop by the classroom or to book a more private time. To help me get to know your child, please complete and return the attached questionnaire.
Agenda Books & Homework
Students complete agenda books at the end of each day, individually recording important reminders, upcoming quizzes and events and due assignments. The goal is to have students effectively use their agenda for short and long term planning, as well as keeping parents informed. Homework will usually consist of home reading, math fact practice, studying spelling words and finishing some incomplete work. Ask your child questions about what they learned and look over their homework. Feel free to add notes in the agenda book regarding appointments, planned absences, permission slips, difficulties with homework, etc. Agendas will be checked every morning. The front plastic pocket is great at keeping smaller papers from being lost.
Home Reading: a goal of reading 15 or more minutes, 4X a week (more is great!). Students should record their reading in their agenda (H.R. ___ minutes). Parents initialing the minutes will help keep track that the reading is completed.
Math Facts: a goal of practicing at home 3X a week (or more!). Flashcards, games, skills books, math websites are all great extra ways to practice.
Units
It's hard to leave summertime fun – so our class is going back to the beach!
**Students will be looking at a wide variety of ocean life in science, so we would appreciate loans of sponges, coral, shells, skeletons, etc. Please label the container the items come in and indicate if the loan is one-day only or for the unit duration, teacher display only or if it is able to be handled by students.
School Supplies
JRES encourages students to purchase supplies through the school, as this ensures consistency and ready availability. If families choose to purchase supplies on their own, I can provide a list of the required school and art supplies that will need to be brought in. We will store them in a marked box, easily available for use. Students are certainly welcome to bring in some of their own special supplies – pencil cases and pencil sharpeners that catch shavings are great!
**I have kleenex available in the room. If each family could donate a box, we should be set for the inevitable colds throughout the year.
I am looking forward to working with your child this year and creating a positive, supportive classroom that will encourage success.
Sincerely, Mrs. J. Johnston
***Thanksgiving Holidays are coming up...we have so much to be thankful for! Monday Oct. 8th will be a school holiday.
Later in the month, a professional development day will be held on Friday, October 20th -school will not be in session for students.
Educational highlights this month: studying marine invertebrates such as coral and squid, building our google doc slide shows, getting our fertilized salmon eggs, creating maps, surveying and trying out orienteering, autumn fun with our little buddies, Green Thumb Theatre presentation
We had a wonderful time trying out Japanese drumming this past Friday. The students sounded great and even got a bit of a workout!
Opening Newsletter
Start Up
Welcome! Our classroom has gotten off to a wonderful start and I am looking forward to getting to know your children and helping them grow their skills and explore their interests. I would like to take a moment to explain some of our class routines and up-coming units:
Week Schedule: our usual plan (things can and do change...)
Gym times: Monday and Wednesday, but students will do physical activity blocks every day. They should have suitable clothing and footwear at school throughout the week.
Music classes: Tuesday and Thursday
Library exchange: Wednesday
Spelling: set up on a weekly schedule, with words in agenda books on Monday, written activities through the week and a quiz on Friday.
Team Work
Families are a vital part of a successful teaching team. I look forward to being able to meet a number of families at school or connect with them by agendas, email (jjohnston@sd73.bc.ca) or over the phone. Our school has school-wide interview blocks set up in mid-Fall and further times available later in the winter and spring. Parents are more than welcome to casually stop by the classroom or to book a more private time. To help me get to know your child, please complete and return the attached questionnaire.
Agenda Books & Homework
Students complete agenda books at the end of each day, individually recording important reminders, upcoming quizzes and events and due assignments. The goal is to have students effectively use their agenda for short and long term planning, as well as keeping parents informed. Homework will usually consist of home reading, math fact practice, studying spelling words and finishing some incomplete work. Ask your child questions about what they learned and look over their homework. Feel free to add notes in the agenda book regarding appointments, planned absences, permission slips, difficulties with homework, etc. Agendas will be checked every morning. The front plastic pocket is great at keeping smaller papers from being lost.
Home Reading: a goal of reading 15 or more minutes, 4X a week (more is great!). Students should record their reading in their agenda (H.R. ___ minutes). Parents initialing the minutes will help keep track that the reading is completed.
Math Facts: a goal of practicing at home 3X a week (or more!). Flashcards, games, skills books, math websites are all great extra ways to practice.
Units
It's hard to leave summertime fun – so our class is going back to the beach!
- Science will focus on ocean habitats and the huge range of adaptations of marine life. We will look at how humans use ocean resources and can help conserve habitats and species, especially salmon. We will stock our aquarium with fertilized salmon eggs around the end of October.
- Social Studies will begin with some world and local mapping, plus some basic ocean and shore land forms. We will use nonfiction mapping features to locate or record information. We will explore the rich traditional cultures of the Pacific Coast First Nations and look at how the environment shaped their lifestyle.
- In Math, our class will review and extend concepts of patterning, numeration and place value, large number addition and subtraction and then progress to simple multiplication and division.
- Language Arts: Students will actively listen and orally share ideas and form plans in a variety of situations. We will be practicing language skills using the Daily 5 and CAFE formats. We will also explore and utilize the strategies of Connecting and Visualizing (Reading and Writing Power) and participate in literature circles later in the fall.
**Students will be looking at a wide variety of ocean life in science, so we would appreciate loans of sponges, coral, shells, skeletons, etc. Please label the container the items come in and indicate if the loan is one-day only or for the unit duration, teacher display only or if it is able to be handled by students.
School Supplies
JRES encourages students to purchase supplies through the school, as this ensures consistency and ready availability. If families choose to purchase supplies on their own, I can provide a list of the required school and art supplies that will need to be brought in. We will store them in a marked box, easily available for use. Students are certainly welcome to bring in some of their own special supplies – pencil cases and pencil sharpeners that catch shavings are great!
**I have kleenex available in the room. If each family could donate a box, we should be set for the inevitable colds throughout the year.
I am looking forward to working with your child this year and creating a positive, supportive classroom that will encourage success.
Sincerely, Mrs. J. Johnston
