Here is an electronic version of this year's first newsletter.
Wow, September already! I hope that this letter finds everyone refreshed and energized after a safe and fun filled summer. It is going to be another exciting year here at Churchill and to get us off and rolling I thought that along with a quick welcome back letter I would send along a little rundown of important items to be aware of in the opening weeks of Room 308’s 2011/12 school year please read the following or check it all out on our class blog at churchill308.blogspot.com and contact me if you have any questions.
Class Meeting/Class Placement
We all know that education at Churchill relies heavily on the partnership between the school, the student, and the home so we are going to get things rolling with our class meeting next Monday,
Class Blog – www.churchill308.blogspot.com
Our class blog is the most effective way to stay informed with what is going on in our class. On it I will post everything from important dates and information on assignments/handouts, to artwork and pieces of the student’s writing. Most recently I have posted this initial newsletter. I will try to send out reminders to check the blog when info has been posted, but you should check the blog regularly for new information. No photos of the students will be posted there for security reasons. This will take the place of regular newsletters for the most part. Please let me know if you cannot access the site, or if you do not regularly have internet access and I can make alternate arrangements.
Agendas
The first line of communication between the class and home is through the use of your student’s agenda. All students are expected to bring their agendas to school each day, and to take them home again each evening. We will record all important dates, events, and any other pertinent information regularly, and I will check agendas each day. If you have any messages for me this is a great place to jot them down for me to read. This is great preparation for the years ahead as going into middle school students will be expected to use a daily planner.
Forms
Inevitably the first week or two will be a time to read, sign, and return countless forms. As repetitive as this seems it is a necessary administrative aspect of the start of school, and we need those forms to ensure that proper information is exchanged. Please return these ASAP so that we can get this out of the way and get on with the year.
Group Snack As is the custom here at Churchill the students of room 308 will be participating in a group snack program, which will be shared during the first nutrition break. The benefits to this are obvious in that you do not have to provide different snacks each day for your child, you just have to provide snack for the whole class once every 26 school days. However there are some concerns that must be considered with a program such as this. We will discuss diet restrictions in our class, but usually we have to consider that there are likely members of our class who are allergic to certain foods, or are vegetarian, etc. The following dietary concerns were shared in our first circle meeting:
Following the “Healthy Snack” policies that the school promotes the students in past years made up some guidelines to keep in mind when choosing snack for the class.
-low sugar items -healthy foods high in vitamins -variety -focus on fruits and vegetables
If a relatively “sweet” snack is being provided it should be combined with another item such as carrot sticks, fruit pieces, cheese and crackers, etc.
In the past we have had nearly one hundred percent participation in this program, but this does not mean that all must take part. If you would prefer to send you child with their own snack each day, and not have them take part in the sharing of snack simply let me know and I will make sure that your child’s name is not on the schedule. We will probably set a schedule from the second week of school, and try to arrange following months through the volunteer co-coordinators.
Nut Free
This is just a reminder that Churchill continues to be a “Nut Free” school in an effort to create a safe environment for a number of seriously allergic members of our school community. More information is available through the office concerning the details of this policy, but basically the main item to be aware of are that students are asked to not bring food to school that contains nuts (especially peanut butter).
Terry Fox Day
Terry Fox Day has been a growing success, and a popular event with our community over the past two years. This year we will hold ourTerry Fox run on Wednesday, September 28th. See permission form for times and location.
Volunteers and Volunteer Co-ordinator
Yes we still welcome (and need) volunteers in grade 5/6. It may not always be glamorous work, but it is always a valuable contribution that you make to our learning environment when you can find the time to join us in class. You are all encouraged to help out in class whenever possible. If you have a particular strength or area of expertise let Ray know so we can make use of it. We are in need of one or two people who are willing to take charge of our volunteer and snack schedule on a month-by-month basis. If you are able to help us out with this please let me know right away so we can start to organize the school year.
We are also looking for a math- strong volunteer who would be able to work with a math group once a week.
Our read aloud program is something that directly benefits the literacy of our students, and it relies heavily on our volunteers. I would really like to get this program going right away. If you are able to share some time with us please let Ray know at the class meeting.
Trip to Carlingwood Library
We are going to get our first chance to take a trip as a group with an introduction to our local Library when we take a tour of Carlingwood Library. The goal of this excursion is to get the students more familiar with research methods, and some of the resources that are available to them.
Students who do not have their own library cards are asked to return the library card packages, along with their permission form for this trip, as soon as possible. The library card applications will be taken to the branch this coming Friday so they can have our cards ready for the visit on Tuesday.
We will be walking to the Library, and stopping on our way to do some Phy-Ed activities at
Check the permission form for date and time.
Shoes and Gym
Footwear that students use outside on the yard is not to be worn in the classroom, library, or gymnasium. Many of the students play in the sandy areas of the schoolyard at recess and lunch hour, and they carry in a considerable amount of sand, dirt, and stones on and in their shoes. Outdoor shoes are left in the hallway during class hours, and they all have hooks, and shelf space in our classroom to keep their shoes. At no time are students to be walking without footwear in the school. Regarding “gym” shoes, they must be shoes that can be laced up, are not worn for everyday use outside, and have non- marking soles. This is standard practice for school gyms in order to provide a safe environment for participants.
Cross country If you see Churchill students running down the block in the mornings don’t worry. They are not running away from school, they are just out to run with the cross country team. Yes that season is upon us already and forms are available for everyone who expresses interest in taking part in the cross country training. The practices take place from
Scholastic
Our first Scholastic Book Club order forms will go home soon. By participating in the Scholastic program students get fantastic deals on popular books and Scholastic donates books to the classroom. The general practice in our class is that two weeks is given between when the forms go home and when the last ones have to be handed in, and delivery usually takes two to four weeks.
Dates of Importance
Class Meeting September 12th
Carlingwood Library September 13th
Terry Fox Presentation September 14th
Terry Fox Run September 28th
Movie Night September 30th
Field Day at Dovercourt October 12th
Family Breakfast October 13th
Thanksgiving October 10th
PA Day October 21th and November 18th
Phys Ed in the Field
Starting in October we will be walking to Dovercourt field for an extended Phys Ed period once or twice a month. A permission form will be going home soon with the dates and details included. This great chance for outdoor activity will depend largely on volunteers to walk us to and from the park. Please let Ray know if you are available.
Getting Involved
Not everyone can make it in to volunteer during regular hours for various reasons, but often I am asked if there is anything else that they can do for the class. Here are a few roles that need filling. Let me know if you are able to take care of any of the following “wishes”.
Feed the Frogs - Take on the role of bringing in a dozen crickets each week for our class pets.
Class visitors - The next best thing to a field trip is a guest to the classroom. If you are (or know) a musician, author, journalist, known athlete, etc. who would be willing to share with the class please let me know and we can arrange a visit.
Hand in Checks – Many forms go home and are collected. If you have time during the day to drop in count forms you can help students remember to get their forms in.
Public Library Contact - Go online or in person to the Ottawa Public Library every few weeks and sign out/return books for class use based on the subjects being covered.
Laundry Service- We have towels, cloths, and a sofa cover that needs periodic washing.
Math Group Volunteer- Work with a group every week on math related activities.
Read Aloud Volunteers– Give students in the class a chance to read out loud.
Looking forward to a great year together,
Ray Kalynuk
and the students of Room 308
No comments:
Post a Comment