Welcome to Grade 4/5 PLP!
Mrs. Morrow, teacher
Mrs. Hadcock, EA
Mrs. Gordon, EA
Dear Families,
Another school year has started, and I wanted to let you know some of what to expect for this year.
Our class does a daily agenda on our classroom website. To access this, please go to
http://schools.cbe.ab.ca/b250/ and click on the classroom website button on the bottom left side, then click on the Room 7 button. We update our class agenda each day as our closing exercise. If you do not have access to the Internet, please let me know. We do use communication books in our class, but this is used primarily for spelling words, and for sending quick notes to and from school. Going over the agenda each night will help you to know what is going on at school, and to have a chance to talk with your child about their learning.
The number at the school is 403-777-8240. It is best to call between 7:30 and 8:00, or after 3:15 until 4 pm if you need to speak with me. It is easiest to connect with the office administrator Ms. Haniak, and she will page me. If you need to let me know that your child will be picked up through the day, it is best to leave a note in their communication book, or to call the office.
Shoes and Clothing
Indoor shoes: Please send your child with shoes that are appropriate for running in gym. Running shoes with laces are best. If your child doesn’t yet know how to tie their shoes, this is a great opportunity for you to teach your child. If we have wet weather, and throughout the winter, the students are asked to have outdoor footwear in addition to their indoor shoes. This helps to keep our school clean and safe.
Weather: Unless the temperature goes below -20C, we will be outside for recess breaks and at lunch. We will also go out in the rain on most occasions, so it is important for children to be prepared for it.
Labeling: Please label your child’s belongings whenever possible, including lunch boxes. It's much easier to locate lost belongings if they're labeled. Permanent marker works well.
Snacks and Lunch
Snack: Your child should bring a snack to school every day. The ideal snack is something that is healthy and will help to keep your child fueled between meals. Some examples of healthy, ready-to-eat snacks are:
-yogurt (with spoon) or yogurt tubes -cheese and crackers
-vegetables -granola bars
-fruit -hummus
Please limit sugared snacks.
Lunch: Students eat at tables in the front hall with a variety of other classes with supervision from one of our class EAs. Please note there is no microwave available in the lunchroom.
Water: We do not have a fountain in our class, but students are welcome to bring a spill-proof water bottle to keep on his or her desk. Please do not send juice in these bottles.
Homework
These activities should take no more than 15 minutes in the evening.
Home reading: Consistent reading practice is key to improvement. We will start sending home a book for your child to read with an adult Monday through Thursday, along with a record keeping form for a parent or other responsible adult to sign once the reading is completed. Every student will also have a Raz Kids reading account where they can read books at their level online. Students also will have access to the school library. However, the best resource is the Calgary Public Library, which has thousands of books and other resources and it’s free!! I strongly urge a weekly visit.
High frequency word drills: Some students will bring home sight words for daily practice. We have found that consistent practice significantly increases reading skills when common words are easily and quickly recognized.
Spelling: We will begin spelling tests in a couple of weeks. Students will receive their spelling words in their communication book. Words that are incorrect on the test will be forwarded to the next week, until they’re able to spell them correctly. You can help your child by having them to review their words a few times through the week. We have the spelling test on Friday mornings.
Ideas for Further Work at Home
I encourage you to go to the website daily to see what we have done through the day. This is a great opportunity for you to talk to your child about what they learned, and reinforce these concepts.
Board games are an excellent way to develop counting and problem solving skills, as well as develop social skills.
Playing outside and going out into the community to try out new experiences will help to develop your child’s understanding of the world, and helps then with their learning at school. The more you talk with your child, the more their language skills will develop.
There are a number of websites that can be of benefit to your child’s learning. There will be links on our website in the near future. I do not recommend spending too much time on computers; however, for short periods, there are some excellent sites. Here are a few that you can check out:
www.aaamath.com www.storybird.com
www.starfall.com www.learningplanet.com
www.canadiangeographic.ca/kids www.abcya.com
www.readwritethink.org www.literacycentre.net
www.playdoughtoplato.com www.mathletics.com
http://www.education.com/games/
If you have any questions, please contact me at the school.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Morrow
Mrs. Morrow, teacher
Mrs. Hadcock, EA
Mrs. Gordon, EA
Dear Families,
Another school year has started, and I wanted to let you know some of what to expect for this year.
Our class does a daily agenda on our classroom website. To access this, please go to
http://schools.cbe.ab.ca/b250/ and click on the classroom website button on the bottom left side, then click on the Room 7 button. We update our class agenda each day as our closing exercise. If you do not have access to the Internet, please let me know. We do use communication books in our class, but this is used primarily for spelling words, and for sending quick notes to and from school. Going over the agenda each night will help you to know what is going on at school, and to have a chance to talk with your child about their learning.
The number at the school is 403-777-8240. It is best to call between 7:30 and 8:00, or after 3:15 until 4 pm if you need to speak with me. It is easiest to connect with the office administrator Ms. Haniak, and she will page me. If you need to let me know that your child will be picked up through the day, it is best to leave a note in their communication book, or to call the office.
Shoes and Clothing
Indoor shoes: Please send your child with shoes that are appropriate for running in gym. Running shoes with laces are best. If your child doesn’t yet know how to tie their shoes, this is a great opportunity for you to teach your child. If we have wet weather, and throughout the winter, the students are asked to have outdoor footwear in addition to their indoor shoes. This helps to keep our school clean and safe.
Weather: Unless the temperature goes below -20C, we will be outside for recess breaks and at lunch. We will also go out in the rain on most occasions, so it is important for children to be prepared for it.
Labeling: Please label your child’s belongings whenever possible, including lunch boxes. It's much easier to locate lost belongings if they're labeled. Permanent marker works well.
Snacks and Lunch
Snack: Your child should bring a snack to school every day. The ideal snack is something that is healthy and will help to keep your child fueled between meals. Some examples of healthy, ready-to-eat snacks are:
-yogurt (with spoon) or yogurt tubes -cheese and crackers
-vegetables -granola bars
-fruit -hummus
Please limit sugared snacks.
Lunch: Students eat at tables in the front hall with a variety of other classes with supervision from one of our class EAs. Please note there is no microwave available in the lunchroom.
Water: We do not have a fountain in our class, but students are welcome to bring a spill-proof water bottle to keep on his or her desk. Please do not send juice in these bottles.
Homework
These activities should take no more than 15 minutes in the evening.
Home reading: Consistent reading practice is key to improvement. We will start sending home a book for your child to read with an adult Monday through Thursday, along with a record keeping form for a parent or other responsible adult to sign once the reading is completed. Every student will also have a Raz Kids reading account where they can read books at their level online. Students also will have access to the school library. However, the best resource is the Calgary Public Library, which has thousands of books and other resources and it’s free!! I strongly urge a weekly visit.
High frequency word drills: Some students will bring home sight words for daily practice. We have found that consistent practice significantly increases reading skills when common words are easily and quickly recognized.
Spelling: We will begin spelling tests in a couple of weeks. Students will receive their spelling words in their communication book. Words that are incorrect on the test will be forwarded to the next week, until they’re able to spell them correctly. You can help your child by having them to review their words a few times through the week. We have the spelling test on Friday mornings.
Ideas for Further Work at Home
I encourage you to go to the website daily to see what we have done through the day. This is a great opportunity for you to talk to your child about what they learned, and reinforce these concepts.
Board games are an excellent way to develop counting and problem solving skills, as well as develop social skills.
Playing outside and going out into the community to try out new experiences will help to develop your child’s understanding of the world, and helps then with their learning at school. The more you talk with your child, the more their language skills will develop.
There are a number of websites that can be of benefit to your child’s learning. There will be links on our website in the near future. I do not recommend spending too much time on computers; however, for short periods, there are some excellent sites. Here are a few that you can check out:
www.aaamath.com www.storybird.com
www.starfall.com www.learningplanet.com
www.canadiangeographic.ca/kids www.abcya.com
www.readwritethink.org www.literacycentre.net
www.playdoughtoplato.com www.mathletics.com
http://www.education.com/games/
If you have any questions, please contact me at the school.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Morrow