Thank you for reviewing your child's marked work and returning the work initialed in the left hand pocket (unless it needed review). I will send home every few weeks work for you to see. Also a BIG thank-you to volunteers who will join us on Thursday afternoons starting this week at Ray Friel so that students can develop life-saving skills in the water, while others improve theirs. A few grade 3 students (and parents) from other classes will be joining us!
Power to the Parents
Classcraft allows parents to award gold pieces to their children for good homework or home work. As a teacher, I have no access to this, and therefore cannot award any gold pieces. As a parent, you can use the code your child brought home to sign up. As soon as you are approved, you can start awarding gold pieces at the click of a button. Your child can take care of a pet baby griffon avatar with the gold pieces s/he earns!
Our Elected Party
In the spirit of our Canadian elections, this week we elect our Class Government! Five students will be voted by the class into a committee that will make decisions, plan activities, and develop many skills along the way, such as leadership, cooperation, initiative, and problem solving skills. We may elect a second government in the next term.
It's a Goal!!!
Each student has now developed a personal goal (brought home in the "Marked Work" folder) with a measurable step to help him or her improve in a specific area. Your child should be able to tell you what the goal and step(s) are any day you ask. Encourage, suggest, and praise your child to support his or her progress in this area. For example, if the goal is to write more detailed answers, ask how s/he has or can improve a piece of homework, perhaps give a further suggestion, and then praise him or her for putting forth a strong effort. If the step is done usually at home, watch and prompt if your child is forgetting.
More Goals!!!
Some of the goals we have had as a class have been expressing oneself clearly (using words from questions, and avoiding unclear words such as ‘it’ ‘he’ thing’); organizing work neatly and carefully; showing one’s thinking in work; and reviewing work for errors and possible improvements. We have now added a few about our focus learning skills. For example, students are expected to take responsibility if unsure about work by using classroom tools or by asking for help with a raised hand or name in my conference appointment pocket.
What?! Extra Work Wanted???
Some students are proudly putting to use their newly learned cursive writing skills; one student even asked me tonight if he could take home his cursive duotang to practice it at home. While I wouldn't want a student to feel overwhelmed with work, students wishing to are always welcome to extend their learning at home, as long as all materials are brought back to school each day. (psst... this could be a dinner topic).
Dinner Topics
Topics you may want to discuss at supper or any time are: In Religion the Grade 3s learned of St. Vincent and how this poor boy grew up to care for others in spite of his falling into the hands of pirates! Grade 4s will continue to explore their bibles through scavenger hunts. You can reinforce this by asking your child to look up a book, chapter and verse John 2:4 . In Math the Grade 4s are developing skills at using number patterns to add and subtract. Give your son or daughter similar problems to those on the practice sheets in his or her duotang. The grade 3 students have discussed the parts of the plant and their functions, and you can look at real plants outside to review this. The grade 4s are noting how needs are met in specific habitats, like that of a beaver. Can you find a habitat to look at (squirrel's ant's, spider's)? We continue listening to The Magical Land of Staff, a story of "note" people that teach through musical adventures the notes and their values. The Super Three Fours have already learned what a whole, half, quarter and eighth note. Grade 4s will soon demonstrate this playing recorders. In Health we have started discussing healthy foods and their origins (grade 4) and nutrients (grade 4) being (fats, carbohydrates, proteins...) Soon, how we make choices will be discussed through discussion, and diet logs and self-assessments in Grade 4. This week our Language study moves from recount to procedural texts. The students will write disgusting recipes which will be presented at the end of the month. Show your son or daughter a recipe, how it is written, and discuss how that helps to cook successfully.
Learning Skills
It won't be very long now before you will be receiving a Progress Report which will indicate in general terms your child’s academic level and learning skills. Please note that we are currently focussing on two learning skills: Responsibility and Organization . Your child is developing strategies to manage his or her own behaviour and assist others by way of example or by helping them. S/he is learning to prepare space and materials to be able to do work on time by participating in discussions and lessons on topics such as how to keep a clean desk, organize a duotang, or set up pages for easy reference. S/he is also learning how to plan his or her time (eg recording in the agenda future events). I am letting you know now so that you may ask your child how s/he is planning to improve in these areas and perhaps support him or her in this. At some time, I will most likely ask your child to assess his or her own progress.
Brrr!
On a final note, as the colder weather approaches, children need warmer clothes in case of a sudden drop in temperature. Please make sure that your child has a hat, mitts, warm coat, etc. Your child is always encouraged to keep with his or her emergency bag of clothes extras of these articles of clothing. If you send your child in with a coat, I have them wear it outside - the teacher on duty can make the decision that it has warmed up enough to play without the coat. I figure it is easy enough to remove a coat if hot, but it is awfully difficult to put on a coat left inside if cold.
Once again, thank you for your dedication to your child’s education.
Mr . L.
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