June 08, 2010
Dear Parents,
The final weeks of school are upon us. June is a very busy month for everyone. The students (and their teachers) will certainly be ready for the summer vacation to begin.
Thank you for making sure your sons and daughters were present every day for E.Q.A.O. We are pleased to say it has all been packaged up for return to the Ministry of Education. Results of the assessment will be available in the fall.
On Wednesday, June 23 we will have Play Day during the first three periods. First nutrition break will need to begin a bit later so that we can complete the activities. Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather conditions. If it is a sunny day, sunscreen, hats and water bottles will be necessities. Raindate is Friday, June 25.
Our parties will be on Monday, June 28. They will start at 11:27. We will provide drinks for everyone. Students who have not previously brought treats this year are asked to bring snacks for their respective classes. Please remember that any treats need to be tree nut/peanut free. Thank you.
If your son or daughter has any books belonging to the school (library or classroom) please have them returned as soon as possible.
We have thoroughly enjoyed teaching your children this year. Thank you for all of your support with homework, volunteering in the classroom and on trips and working with us to ensure a good learning environment for the classes. Enjoy your summer!
Sincerely,
C. Grantham - cairine.grantham@hwdsb.on.ca
S. Hill - susan.hill@hwdsb.on.ca
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Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Dear Parents,
3G was sad to say farewell to Miss Beach who finished her practice teaching placement on Friday, April 30. We wish her well in her quest for employment and know she will be a great teacher for future students.
May will pass by very quickly as we have many events and activities scheduled. This week the primary choir members are going to Choir Fest on Wednesday. Thursday will be the annual Open House. Please join us between 5:00 and 6:30 p.m. The Optimist will be here to sell fries and hot dogs/hamburgers. The Primary Choir will perform on the front steps of the school at 6:00 p.m. Book Fair and the French Cafe will be taking place during the entire time. We will be helping out with these events so if you miss us in our classrooms, please say hello if you see us at the cafe, the book fair or the choir presentation. On Thursday, May 13, those boys who are part of the Boys' Book Club will be taking part in the Boys to Men celebration. Our school track and field day will take place on Tuesday, May 25 (the day we return to school after the long Victoria Day weekend). Students will need to dress for the weather that day (sun hats, sunscreen, and water bottles are required). The raindate for track and field is Wednesday, May 26.
It is also the time for board and provincial assessments. All students in grade three will be given the DRA which measures their reading level. EQAO testing is set for Tuesday, June 1, Wednesday, June 2, and Thursday, June 3. Parents are asked to avoid booking any appointments for their child on these days. It is very important that all students are present as they are required to complete the testing. We ask that the children prepare for E.Q.A.O. by getting lots of rest. We will try to make the testing as stress free as possible. Thanks go out to our Home and School Association who will once again provide small treats for the grade threes to enjoy each day.
In math we are finishing up geometry and will move on to probability. Then we be doing a brief review of as many concepts as possible in order to be prepared for the E.Q.A.O. Testing. Periods 4 and 5 are set aside for E.Q.A.O. Practice. We are recreating the testing situation and having the students work on last year's test so that they feel comfortable with the process in June.
Due to many students participating in baseball and soccer and simply enjoying the extra daylight by playing outside, we will not be sending home any homework after May 17. One exception to this is sharing. Having the students share only once during the month of April was very successful and several students commented on how much they enjoyed it. We will continue this during May. Please check your son/daughter's agenda for his/her sharing day. It is also important for the children to continue their At Home Reading. Daily reading is essential for them in order to keep up and improve their reading skills. Thank you for all your support in making sure your son/daughter completed their work through the year. Please contact us at the school if you have any questions or concerns regarding E.Q.A.O.
Sincerely,
C. Grantham, S. Hill
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Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Dear Parents,
Spring has certainly arrived in a big way this year. We hope that everyone enjoyed the beautiful weather over the Easter weekend. It is strange to see students with sunburns so early in the season.
Miss Beach (3G) started her four week placement in 3G, room 3 today. She will be part of our teaching team as we work on our TLCP Cycle 3. The big idea for this cycle is ' How can one person improve the world around them?' and the students will complete a diagnostic assessment first. Then there will be several lessons based on the diagnostic data. At the end of the cycle the students will be creating a graphic t-shirt that conveys a message of how one person can improve the world around them. This will be part of the culminating task for the unit. We are looking for samples of shirts with a message on them that is appropriate for school. If your child could bring one in we will be able to discuss the messages and the shirts will be returned. On Monday, April 12, all the students are asked to wear a shirt with writing on it. We will read the shirts and discuss the text. We are also asking all the children to bring in a plain white t-shirt that they can use for the project. Your child will be using fabric paint to complete the t-shirt. Thank you for providing the shirt.
Both classes have presented their Flat Stanley booklets and we enjoyed hearing about the adventures our Flat Stanleys and other flat friends had. Thank you for making sure that your children completed this assignment. There are still one or two students who have not brought their journal in. Please encourage your child to do so if his/hers is one of the ones we have not yet seen. Our Sharing will be changing again for April. Each student will be asked to sign up to share only once this month. They are to bring visual aids and a paragraph about the item to be shared. They should practise the presentation at home and be ready to do it without looking at the written work. It will be handed to the teacher before they begin. Again, we thank you for your support with this work.
In math both classes will be working on division and fractions for the next month. Homework will be based on the skills they are learning in class.
Preparation for the E.Q.A.O. assessment will also be taking place. Students will continue practising the types of questions that have been used in previous years so that they feel at ease with the format of the assessment in May.
This time of year traditionally brings many events and activities. The list of upcoming dates that we sent home in the March newsletter did not include the P.A./Learning Community day that is set for Monday, April 19. Please add it to your calendar. Grade 3 students are permitted to participate in the annual Talent Show. Talk to your child about whether they are interested in doing an act for it. Mr. Carle held a meeting today for interested students. If your child expressed interest in performing, he or she will have a letter with them tonight.
The students were given letters last week about the special assembly to take place this Friday, April 9. It is to honour all of the veterans of the First World War. If you have a relative whose name you wish to be included in the list, please have your child bring the information a.s.a.p. Thank you.
Time will continue to fly by. We will do our best to keep you informed of all the upcoming dates. Please check your son or daughter's agenda daily for information.
Thank you for all your help and support.
Sincerely,
S. Hill - susan.hill@hwdsb.on.ca
C. Grantham - cairine.grantham@hwdsb.on.ca
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Monday, March 8, 2010
Dear Parents,
It is nice to write March at the top of this newsletter and know that spring cannot be too far away. The recent weather and the time change coming up next weekend will certainly give the students hope that they have shed the dreaded snowpants for the season. However, we adults all know that winter may have another surprise or two for us. Let's hope that the upcoming March Break brings some warmth and drier conditions that will let the children enjoy outside activities.
During literacy time this week, we will be introducing the students to Flat Stanley. He is a character in a series of books that deal with the adventures of a boy who is flattened by a bulletin board. They will then create their own Flat Stanley and a journal to record his/her adventures in. Flat Stanley will be coming home with your child on Friday and spending March Break with your family. Students are asked to complete the journal and tell about Flat Stanley's adventures. Please encourage your child in this writing task. After March Break, these journals will be shared during each student's regular sharing time. That will be finishing off sharing for the month of March. Beginning the first week of April, each student will be asked to sign up on a monthly basis to bring in a special sharing. They will be required to have audio-visuals and a written paragraph. We hope to enjoy more detailed presentations.
This Wednesday, March 10, all the grade threes will be having a presentation by McMaster University students. It will encourage healthy living and how to avoid diabetes by eating properly and exercising.
We have some dates that we would like you to be aware of as we approach the busy spring season.
| Monday, March 15 - Friday, March 19 | March Break - enjoy! |
| Tuesday, March 30 | Literacy Evening |
| Wednesday, March 31 | Reports Home |
| Friday, April 2 | Good Friday holiday |
| Monday, April 5 | Easter Monday holiday |
| Thursday, May 7 | Open House |
| Tuesday, June 1 | E.Q.A.O Assessment |
| Wednesday, June 2 | E.Q.A.O.Assessment |
| Thursday, June 3 | E.Q.A.O. Assesssment |
| Friday, June 4 | Fun Fair |
Please keep the three bolded dates in mind and try, if at all possible, to avoid making appointments for your child on those days.
We thank you for your continued co-operation and support.
Sincerely,
S. Hill
C. Grantham
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Monday, February 1, 2010
Dear Parents,
February may be the shortest month of the year, but it is always a very busy one at school. On Thursday of this week grades three and four will be going to see a production of The Down. Information about this will be sent home separately. Next week we will have a simple celebration for Valentine's Day (Friday, February 12) when we open our valentines. The children will be making holders for their valentines at school and these will be put around the room in alphabetical order by first name. Please see the list of our class names below. If you could help your child to make out their valentine cards and place them in the following order, it is very easy to distribute them properly. Cards may be brought to school beginning Monday, Feb.8
Mrs. Hill's class :
Alex - Brandon - Caroline - Chris - Ciara - Colin - Eve - Finn - Jacob - Kelsey
Kendra - Logan S. - Logan V. - Lucas - Megan - Olivia - Quinton - Shaelyn
The following students are asked to bring treats this time, if you wish. I will supply the drinks.
Eve, Finn, Jacob, Kelsey, Kendra, Logan S.
On Tuesday, February 9 those students on the swim team will be taking part in the Swim Meet for the afternoon. On Thursday, February 11 the grade three students will be attending the presentation of grade four and five students' speeches in our gym. Top speeches from 4A, 4/5P and 5K will be given and the winner will represent our school at the Oral Communications day for our district. Mrs. Grantham's will join with the 2/3 class to organize the assembly for Friday, February 12. Monday, February 15 is the Family Day holiday.
We have decided that Sharing in both rooms will be changing. We will no longer be sending home the graphic organizer. The students have been working on paragraph organization. Each child will be required to write a paragraph about their presentation for sharing and to have the paragraph ready to hand to his/her teacher when it is his/her day to share. Please remember that each student is required to bring sharing every other week. We would like to hear about any hobbies they have, a book they have read, honours or awards that they have been given, collections they enjoy, trips they have been on and other like activities. Individual sharing days will be recorded in the agenda. Each child needs to be prepared to present on his/her day or, if absent that day, on the next day he/she comes to school.
We are currently working on 2D geometry in math. Our next science unit is forces and movement. We will be investigating urban and rural communities in social studies. In reading and writing the focus has been on our second Smart Goal. Students are reading silly stories and are working on the skill of inferring. They will be given opportunities to practice writing their own stories. The final task for this will give them a chance to show us what they have learned.
We are also beginning to work on questions in reading, writing and math that are similar to those students will encounter on the E.Q.A.O. tests in early June. Starting this week, Period 4 on Wednesday will be used for specific practice sessions. All of the grade three students in the school will be divided into small groups. Mrs. Grantham, Mrs. Hill and Mrs. Salciccioli will be working with the groups. The students will be given exposure to the types of questions, answer forms and the vocabulary used in the phrasing of questions. We have discussed this with our classes and shown them some sample questions so that they are aware of what they will be seeing on the tests. It is our hope to keep the children confident in their abilities and avoid any stress.
Please remember that Monday, February 15 is the Family Day holiday so students will be off school. March Break is the week of March 15 - March 19.
Thank you for all of your support.
Sincerely,
C. Grantham e-mail address: cairine.grantham@hwdsb.on.ca
S. Hill e-mail address: susan.hill@hwdsb.on.ca
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Thursday, January 7, 2010
Dear Parents,
Welcome back! We hope that you all had a very enjoyable holiday time. It did seem to pass by very quickly and the rain was not very seasonal. Now the cold weather has taken over but at least we are not dealing with a lot of snow.
Due to changes in staffing for January, we have had some changes in our timetables. 3H will be having gym on Monday, library on Tuesday, music on Wednesday, gym on Thursday and computers on Friday. 3G will have library on Mondays, gym on Tuesday, music on Wednesday, library on Thursday and gym on Friday.
3G will again enjoy having a student teacher in their room. Miss Beach is spending this week at Greensville and then every Monday and Tuesday from Jan. 12 until April 7. On Tues. April 14 she will start her four week teaching block. We look forward to having her help and expertise in planning our grade three curriculum units.
Homework started up again this week. We will continue to have math on Monday evening and sharing organizers will come home on Wednesday. Two nights are allowed for the completion of the math assignments.
Sharing is being revamped. Starting next week each student will bring something to share with the class every other week. Please check the agenda for the date your child is presenting.
Some changes have also been made to the At-Home reading program. Students will no longer be required to use a sentence starter and tell something about the book they have read. They simply need to record the date, title and author. Please encourage your child to return the reading folder at least once during each week.
We have changed our Independent Reading at school. The children will now be writing their teacher a letter once a week to tell about a book they have read. They are being encouraged to explore different genres by the use of a Book Bingo sheet. Please ask them about these changes and how the new system works.
In literacy, our focus will be on silly stories, both reading various types and creating our own. We will continue using the Nelson series of books which feature stories closely connected to our curriculum expectations. Social studies will find us looking at urban and rural communities and what composes various types of communities. Science lessons will introduce the students to forces causing movement. This includes work with magnets which is always a popular topic. Math will start with a review of measurement and perimeter, introducing area, addition and subtraction using three digit numbers, 2D shapes, right angles, and patterning. Both classes will be involved with the grade three math lesson study provided by the HWDSB.
Thank you also to the parents that regularly volunteer in the classroom. We appreciate your flexibility in dealing with the changes in our timetables. Your help is greatly appreciated by both the students and the teachers.
Sincerely,
C. Grantham, S. Hill
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December 8, 2009
Dear Parents,
Christmas is only three weeks away and the excitement is building! There are many things happening at school and also a few changes.
This week will be an extremely busy one. We did not send math homework yesterday but will still send the graphic organizers for next week's sharing. They will also be given a graphic organizer next Wed. (Dec. 16) so they can fill them in and share a special Christmas gift the first week of January. Some changes will be taking place for sharing in January and that will be explained in our January newsletter.
The concert practices and presentations will take up a great deal of time. Please have your children at school for 6:30 both evenings so that we are ready for the concert to begin promptly at 7:00 p.m. The students have been asked to wear green clothing if possible.
The grade three classes said farewell to Mr. Allin and Mr. Weldon on Thursday of last week. Both of these student teachers had become important members of our classes, and we will miss them. We wish them much success in their next teaching block. In January we were supposed to welcome two other student teachers from Charles Sturt University.
Unfortunately, only one will be able to come to Greensville for grade three. Her name is Miss Beach and she will be in Mrs. Grantham's class.
In math we have finished up multiplication to 7x7 and are now working on linear measurement (cm, m, and km) and an introduction to perimeter. Literacy was centred around the use of visualizing to help read unfamiliar texts. This week we are continuing to work on that skill using various seasonal stories. Our science unit of plants is almost completed.
Next week we will be having our little celebrations in our classrooms on Thursday, Dec. 17. We will supply drinks for the classes and ask that the following students bring treats, if you wish. The rest of the children will have an opportunity to bring in treats for Valentines Day and the end of the year. Please keep in mind that we are a peanut-free and tree nut-free school. For Thursday, in 3G it is Abbey, Aerial, Amy, Ashly, Christine, Courtney and in 3H, Alex, Brandon, Caroline, Chris, Ciara and Colin. There are 19 students in 3G and 18 in 3H.
Skating will be taking place on Friday, December 18 in the morning. 3G will be skating with the junior classes from 9 until 10 a.m. and 3H will be there from 10 until 11 a.m. with the primary classes. All parents are welcome to join us at the North Wentworth Arena to skate with their children and to help with tying skate laces.
All of the children were given class pictures. This year we changed companies and the names are not written on picture folders. We have included our class lists with the correct spelling of first names and last name initial in order to make it easier. Due to privacy laws we cannot send home last names.
We are wondering if it is possible for all the students to have a pair of indoor shoes at school. The unseasonably warm weather has meant there is a lot of mud on the playground which is being tracked in to the classrooms. Your help in providing shoes or slippers and mentioning to your child the importance of changing after recess times is much appreciated.
On Thursday, December 17, we will be having a Spirit Day. The school-wide elections took place last week and the winning event was Pyjama Day. Students will be allowed to wear their pyjamas to school for the day. Period 3 we will be having our December assembly which 3H will be in charge of. Mr. Gerry Smith, principal of Roxborough Park School will be attending to collect our Mitten Tree donations and to tell the students a little bit about the situation in his school neighbourhood. Thank you for your help with this project.
Thank you for all your support during these first four months of school. Wishing you all a safe and happy holiday time,
Merry Christmas! Best wishes for the coming year.
P.S. Please remember to continue saving Campbell soup labels and labels from any Campbell's products. We can exchange these for sports equipment, DVDs etc.
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November 17, 2009
Dear Parents,
As children, we always found the month of November seemed like the longest month of the year. As adults, we have decided it is probably the shortest. The 30 days seem to be gone in a moment. The Professional Development Day on Mon. Nov.16 has added to the swiftness of time passing. We are now in mid November, looking at the coming holiday season already. Are you also rather surprised by the way it has come about so quickly?
We have finished our data management unit and are beginning multiplication in math. Mr. Weldon will be working with these concepts in 3H and Mr. Allin in 3G. Both Mr. Weldon and Mr. Allin began their three week placement in our classrooms on Monday. In Literacy time both classes have worked on improving reading skills by making connections and using the table of contents, title, and captions to help understand non-fiction texts. Use of graphic organizers helped the students create personal stories. They have also been writing paragraphs and letters. They enjoyed writing postcards to veterans as part of our Remembrance Day observations. Their cards were mailed to the Veterans' wing of Victoria Hospital in London. We continued remembering our Armed Forces troops by writing letters to enclose in Christmas cards to soldiers serving in Afghanistan. Hallmark card stores offered these cards free of charge from Mon. Nov. 9 to Wed. Nov. 11. We were fortunate to be able to obtain class sets. The students in 3H also ran the Remembrance Day assembly on November 11 and 3G told us about what Remembrance Day was all about in a presentation at the assembly. Both classes are to be congratulated on their fine work.
Sharing time has been quite interesting. Most students have their graphic organizers with them, bring items to show us and are improving their speaking skills. We are hoping that they will begin to rely less on their organizers (cue cards may be helpful) for doing the presentation. Please encourage your child to be ready to present on the day assigned to him/her. These presentations are part of their mark for homework completion and oral communication on the report card.
We are also pleased with the At-Home Reading Program. Several students have completed 10 books and will be achieving 25 books very soon. One student has already reached the 50 book mark. Congratulations to Aerial! Please encourage your child to return their book bag at least once a week. A few have not been very consistent with this project.
We are very fortunate to have Mrs. Jennifer Vince as a guest music teacher. Thank you for returning the forms so promptly. Due to Mrs. Vince's various commitments, music class will not always be on the same day. Please watch your child's agenda for any changes. The students need to have their recorders and music books with them each week.
Thursday, December 3 (evening) and Friday, December 4 (morning) are interview times. Please use the attached paper to book a time that works well for you.
There will be a school Book Fair during the week of Dec. 7 - Dec. 11. Our annual holiday concert will also take place that week. More information will be coming home soon regarding dates and ticket availability. Our classes will begin work on our concert presentation very soon. The concert evenings are Thursday, December 10 and Friday, December 11. Please mark those dates on your calendars. If your child will not be attending either performance, please put a note in the agenda. There will be a few individual parts and we will need to know if the students will be participating. Thanks very much for your help with this.
Please contact us if you have any questions regarding the upcoming events.
Sincerely,
C. Grantham (3G) and S. Hill (3H)
e-mail addresses:
cairine.grantham@hwdsb.on.ca
susan.hill@hwdsb.on.ca
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Monday, October 5, 2009
Dear Parents,
It is hard to believe how fast the first few weeks of this school year have passed by. We enjoyed meeting many of you at Meet the Teacher on Sept.16. That seems like such a long time ago, although it has not been quite three weeks yet.
Our student teachers from Charles Sturt University have been very busy as well. Mr.Allin in 3G and Mr.Weldon in 3H are enjoying getting to know the children and teaching them. They will continue to be in the school for Monday and Tuesday until November 16, when they will begin their three week full-time placement. That will end on Friday, December 4.
Your child will be learning about pioneers and comparing what daily life was like for children back then to his/her days. We will be going on a special trip this month. Each class has to go separately because there is a limit on the number of students for the program. Mrs. Grantham’s class will be going on Wed. Oct. 21 and Mrs. Hill’s class will be going on Thurs. Oct. 22. The grade 3 students from Mrs. Reeves’ class will be joining Mrs. Hill’s class for the day. The trip is to the Jordan Historical Museum in the town of Lincoln. Your child will be participating in a full day program called ‘Strict but Nice: A 1908 School Day” at the museum’s historic schoolhouse. Through role-playing, children will recreate authentic lessons and daily routines experienced by turn of the century students, including the traditional “3?R’s, a spelling bee, work on slates, penmanship or a craft, memory work and traditional games. As part of an authentic historical schoolroom experience, students also have the option of participating in “God Save the King” and “The Lord’s Prayer” during opening exercises. We will be practicing these in our classrooms before we go on the trip. If , for any reason, you do not wish for your child to take part in the opening exercises and the reciting of the anthem and or prayer, please let us know. A note in the agenda will be fine. Because the success of “Strict But Nice’ stems largely from active role-playing, students, teachers and parent volunteers are encouraged to prepare simple costumes and historically correct lunches for their visit. Information was provided by the museum to assist you and your child with preparations. Please find that information on the page attached to this newsletter. Thank you for your co-operation and help in making this trip an exciting experience for your son/daughter.
Our Halloween costume parade will take place on Friday, October 30. Parents are welcome to come and enjoy this annual event. Other Halloween plans are not yet finalized as a committee is looking at some school-wide options. Watch for further information.
In math, we will continue to work on patterning, place value and numbers to 1000. Data management and addition with regrouping will also be focused on over the next few weeks.
We are trying something new this year to further the students’ listening, speaking and presentation skills. Each child will be given a weekly opportunity to share about his or her hobbies, sports involvement and personal interests. A Sharing Time outline will be sent home and the child is asked to complete it and return it to his or her teacher each week on the day they are to share. Doing some pre-thinking and completing the outline will provide a way for the student to organize his or her information that will result in an informative, interesting ‘talk’.
This time will give the children an opportunity to listen in order to understand and respond appropriately to others. They will also develop their speaking skills to communicate with audiences. We will be introducing our classes to the graphic organizer this week. It will be sent home on Wednesday as their language homework. The day they are to present will also be recorded in the agenda. Thank you for your help with this new activity. Please encourage your child to participate each week.
Thank you to all of you for your support with homework assignments and the read-at-home program. We have noticed that some of our students have not returned their reading folders at all and ask that you encourage them to do so.
Sincerely,
C. Grantham, S. Hill
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Greensville School,
September 8, 2009
Dear Parents,
Welcome back! We hope that everyone had a safe and happy summer. For teachers and students this time of year brings change and new beginnings - new friends, new expectations, new skills and new challenges. We look forward to getting to know the children this week.
Your child is either in Room 3 ( Mrs. Grantham ,3G) or Room 5 ( Mrs. Hill, 3H) this year. Mr. Carle will be teaching our computers and library skills. Library book exchange days are Tuesday for 3H and Wednesday for 3G. Mrs.Kosempel will do gym periods and Mrs. Pipe will be the health teacher. We will be teaching the rest of the curriculum. Gym classes for 3G are on Tuesday and Thursday. Gym for 3H is Monday and Friday. Students should wear running shoes and proper gym attire to participate. Gym clothes could be left at school on their hook or left in their school bag. Please be aware that we will continue to have DPA (Daily Physical Activity) as mandated by the Ministry of Education. On days when the children do not have a regular gym class there will be15 minutes of physical activity done in the classroom. It is essential that students have running shoes at school every day.
Each child will be given an agenda book. As part of Greensville School's homework policy, students are expected to use their agenda to record any homework assignments. We will take a few minutes at the end of the day to fill in homework and other important things to remember. Your child's agenda should be signed or initialed by a parent each day so that we know that you have seen it. We will check the agendas each morning and initial them. This is also a good place to write any notes to us. Please send any bus notes on a separate piece of paper as they are sent to the office to be approved. If possible, have your child keep their agenda in a small 1 inch binder. Please do not send any zippered binders as they are very bulky and there is no place to store them in the classroom. Any newsletters will be three-hole punched and inserted into the binder.
We will not be having formal spelling tests this year. As in the past, there will be a Word Wall in the classroom. Each week the children will be given 5 new words to record in their agendas. Please review these words with your child. When they are doing their daily writing assignments, we are looking for 100% accuracy on word wall words. Please help your son or daughter to practise their words. Some ideas to help with this are:
- use scrabble tiles or paper letters to build the words ( paper letters are included with this newsletter - please help your child to cut them out and store them in a safe place)
- write the words with a stick in fresh snow, or in sand or soil, then read them
- write the words with sidewalk chalk on the driveway
- print the words on scrap paper
- use coloured chalk to practise the words on a chalkboard , or coloured dry erase pens on a whiteboard
Starting on September 14, homework books will be sent home on Monday and Wednesday of each week. Students will have two evenings to complete the homework. It is important that the books are returned on time, as they may be needed in class. Occasionally your child may also bring home assignments that were not completed during class time. Students should be able to complete their homework within a reasonable time frame. If your child is experiencing difficulty doing any work, please let us know.
Scholastic book orders will be sent home monthly. If you wish to purchase any of the books, please return the order form with a cheque made out to Scholastic by the date noted in your child's agenda. Every time you purchase books for your child, we are provided with reward dollars to be spent on books for our classrooms.
Thank you to those who have already sent in a box of Kleenex for class use. If each child could bring in one box, we would have an ample supply to last us through the school year.
Our school will have student teachers from Charles Sturt University in Burlington working with us during the first term. They will spend this week in the school and then every Monday and Tuesday from Sept.15 until November 14. Starting Monday, November 16 they will be here for three full weeks. Our school is pleased to work with Charles Sturt University in providing aspiring teachers with the opportunity to work as a team in providing the best learning environment for all the students. The children met Mr. Trevor Allin (3G) and Mr. Scott Weldon (3H) today.
Volunteers are always welcome in our classroom. Mr. Allin and Mr. Weldon will be here every Monday and Tuesday for term one, but both the children and teachers would welcome your assistance the rest of the week. Please contact us at the school if you are interested in helping out.
We are reading a chapter book titled Donovan's Word Jar. The story is about a boy who begins a collection of words that are of special interest to him. Each child in our classes has been given a recipe card to bring home today. They are to choose a word that they find interesting or special and print it on the blank side of the cardOn the lined back of the card they are to print a sentence using the word appropriately ( e.g., so that the meaning of the word is clear). We would like them to return the cards by Friday of this week so that we can begin sharing the words. Thank you for your support of this project. This is our introduction to million-dollar words. Students will be learning how important it is that they make good word choices when writing. Picking the "just right' word will get the message across clearly and precisely; too often, they have relied on overused words, such as "said". Students enjoy coming up with alternatives to tired , boring words. Please keep that in mind as you read aloud. Ask your child to listen for million-dollar words. Recognizing million-dollar words in books and in conversation and being able to explain why one word is preferable to another, will improve both your child's writing and vocabulary.
We will be using the Nelson Literacy series this year as the basis for our literacy program. Science and Social Studies will be part of literacy. Our first emphasis will be on making connections between what the children are reading and their own world.
In math we are starting with Patterning. The children will use shapes, colours and different sizes objects to create patterns then move into patterning with numbers and problem solving.
We are pleased to have your children in our respective classes and look forward to an exciting and rewarding school year. If at any time you have any questions or concerns, please write a note in the agenda or callus at the school. You may also contact us by e-mail at the addresses below. We look forward to meeting all of you at Meet the Teacher night if not before.
Sincerely,
C. Grantham / S. Hill
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