Good evening!
Where has time gone?! If we aren't freezing our tails off, we are digging ourselves out from under the mounds of snow that just keep coming. Who invited winter anyway?! We have been trying to keep our regular routine as much as possible between the deep freeze temperatures and the bus cancellations, but it is proving to be tough to get it all in in a continuous manner. Since the holiday break we have returned our focus to teaching routines and expectations while moving along with the curriculum expectations. Unfortunately today, as a consequence of repetitive, and damaging behaviours, the classroom library has been closed. Students had access to hundreds of books that were appropriate to their age and reading level from my personal book purchases, however due to continuous damage beyond repair and disrespectful behaviours the books are no longer available for students to borrow. Please ensure to send your child's library book back tomorrow so that they have something to read in class. I hope as students mature and understand the importance of reading we will be able to reopen the classroom library to continue our reading journey together. Language Update: We are revisiting a number of reading comprehension strategies before, during and after reading. The strategies include retell, beginning/middle/end, text-to-self connections, and visualization. All of these strategies help us understand what we have read or been listening to because reading is not just about being able to say the words, but to understand what is being said within the context. We have also returned to the basics of writing with a writing bootcamp. We have been working on taking a big topic and narrowing it down to something smaller or more specific. For example, Snow is a big idea or topic, but Sledding with my Family is a much more specific topic that helps us focus our ideas around. Math Update: We have been dabbling here there any everywhere each day between addition & subtraction, place value, placing numbers on a number line, graphing & data management. I have been emphasizing the importance of using strategies to learn our math facts vs memorizing facts that have no meaning to us. By using strategies, students become more flexible with the numbers that they are presented with. Other Reminders: 1. Snow day policy: When bus transportation is cancelled by the Student Transportation Authority, schools are usually still open for students to attend. If you drop your child off in the morning please note that supervision is not available until 9:00 am and finishes at 3:45 pm. Please plan accordingly to pick up your child by 3:45 pm if they come to school on a snow day. 2. Makerspace/STEM items: We have started visiting the makerspace to work through some STEM challenges. These challenges have students use different materials to build, construct and code within small groups. We are often on the look our for materials such as apple sauce screw on/off tops, bottle caps (off water bottles, milk cartons, pop bottles etc.), toilet paper & paper towel rolls, egg cartons, large yogurt, sour cream, margarine, cream cheese, baby wipe containers with lids (plastic ones) and newspapers. If you can collect any of these items and send them to school it would be greatly appreciated. 3. Popcorn & library day this Friday... $1.50/bag and please return the library book in order to be able to choose a new one. 4. RAZ Kids: I hope that everyone is taking advantage of the RAZ kids reading program that School Council very graciously purchased for each student in grades K-6. If you are having difficulty accessing the books or need your child's login information again, please do not hesitate to reach out. I am able to follow each student's progress online and as I learn more about the capabilities I will demonstrate them to students in class. 5. Report Cards: We are in the thick of report card writing season (again)! Report cards will be sent home with students on Thursday, February 14th. I will be in contact with parents via email over the next week and a bit about concerns I have going into Term 2. I welcome your feedback and goals for your child at any point. 6. Student Teacher: We are lucky enough to have a student teacher/teacher candidate starting in our class this week. Ms. Marklew is studying at the State University of New York (SUNY) Potsdam and will be working in our classroom every Friday. I will be working with and mentoring Ms. Marklew though her teachers candidacy over the next 8 weeks. Stay warm...drive safe if you are going out tomorrow. Stephanie :)
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February 2020
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