I had a great first week with your kids! They have been very helpful to each other and me as we establish routines and get up to speed with Google Classroom. Many of the kids have way more experience with this than I do!
Thank you for all the mail. I've enjoyed reading your letters and I have just about all the forms we need. I hope to start posting pictures on this blog soon! Thanks also for your patience with the unfortunate changes of information that have been outside my control. I've sent the kids home with detailed messages for you, and since I'm not getting a bunch of confused emails, I believe they are doing a great job of communicating everything to you.
I have been watching excitedly as the kids quickly started joining Google Classroom and began adding to their reading log and Me Voici slide. When I've given them math questions to ponder in their groups or with a partner, they are on-task and engaged in figuring out strategies. On Friday when we visited the library for silent reading, it was quiet and everyone was focused on something they were interested in. It seems like our class is enthusiastic and eager to learn. I could wish for nothing more!
On the first day, we defined our class and school rules together. Each group worked to outline and present one rule (we only have 4), and we signed a contract signifying that we will do our best to abide by these agreements. They were mentioned in my first day letter, so feel free to review that and ask how we might show through words or action that we are respecting each rule.
On the first day, we also assigned our first round of classroom jobs. Some jobs need to be done every day, others are done as needed, others might be done only once a week, or when time allows. Some students don't have a job yet, but will get their turn. Please ask your student what they are helping with right now. One job is to be our journalist. This student gets to use any spare time they have to write a little blurb for this blog, so that I'm not the only one you hear from. Impressively (since it's the weekend) I've just received a message from our first class journalist, who has written a recap of our first week. I'm very pleased to share that with you now. Merci Finn!!
Last note: If you haven't yet checked out this blog from a computer screen (as opposed to your phone), please consider doing so. You can input your email address in a field at the top right of the screen and sign-up for emails each time there's a new post. This is super handy! As I've told the kids, this blog is primarily information for YOU - to keep you involved and updated, and Google Classrooms is primarily for them - although they are welcome to read this, and I will invite you to check out GC as well.
FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL A SUCCESS!
Hello 317 parents. I’m a student in Mlle Mitchell’s class
and I will be writing about the first week of school. The
class journalist will continue to write about the school week
until the end of the year. I hope you will be able to see what
your child will put on the blog this year.
On Tuesday, the school had set up a new system for finding your
teacher on the first day of school. Each teacher had a bright pink
balloon with the room number on it, and if you needed help you
could just walk up to a teacher with a help balloon. However,
since the balloons had helium, one of them escaped and floated
away, never to be seen again. We went inside, hung our stuff up
and chose our spots for the year. Then Mlle Mitchell told us the
rules and gave us a tour of the class while telling us the
routines. Then after we were done she gave us jobs such as the
doorman, secretary, assistant and of course the class journalist.
The general feeling in the class was probably happiness that
Mlle Mitchell was the teacher.
On Wednesday, we received our writing cahiers which we will keep
in our binders. In the afternoon, Mlle Mitchell had an appointment
and we had a nice supply teacher who ranked each table on a scale
of 1-4 for quietness. Mlle Mitchell left us with two different
pieces of work to do with the supply teacher and one of the was
making a postcard with one fun scene from summer break and the
other was writing letters to Mlle Mitchell about our interests,
what we did during summer break and our favourite subjects.
On Thursday, Mlle Mitchell handed out our math cahiers and we
worked on a math problem in our groups. Then inflation hit the
class and the price of the TUSC field trip to High Park increased
by almost 100%. At gym and in class we practised two fire drills
and a lock down and I believe that we did well in the three practice
drills.
On Friday, we had an assembly for school rules and almost got to
go out for lunch. Just one more week!
All in all, I think the class is getting along well. Thanks
for reading.
Finn