Welcome Salle 213 families!
I've enjoyed setting up our new classroom and can't wait to get to know you!
For now, here is our online First Day Newsletter.
A Day in the Life of a First Grader in Salle 213
Welcome parents and students of Salle 213,
My name is Tamara Mitchell, and I will be your child’s teacher this year at Dewson Public School. I started my education, like your child, in a French Immersion program in Bowmanville, Ontario. I also participated in an exchange trip to France. I come from a very musical family and look forward to sharing my experiences with the class.
I recently became a proud mother to my son, Wales, who arrived right as Covid hit, in March 2020. I came back this past March but we soon went back to online school. I’m looking forward to being back at school hopefully for the full year, learning about each of my students and creating a community of learners in our classroom.
Our school day will contain several components that are outlined in the following pages. In addition, we will be establishing a few routines in our classroom, which are discussed later in this letter. I thank you for taking the time to read and discuss this information with your child. Please feel free to contact me if you have questions or concerns. I welcome your communication and will respond as soon as I can.
This newsletter and more will be posted on our class blog (see communication). Please inform me if you cannot access the blog as I will try to limit my use of paper newsletters after today!
Yours in sharing the caring of our children,
Tamara Mitchell, B. Mus. (Hon), M. Ed., B. Ed. (OISE)
Subject Components
Français
All instruction will take place in French. Each day we will devote a large block of time to our literacy components (these include reading, writing, speaking and listening, with an emphasis on developing French vocabulary). We will use elements of a program called ‘The Daily 5’ or ‘Les 5 au quotidien’. The Daily 5 is a structured language program that helps students develop the daily habits of reading, writing, and working with peers that will lead to a lifetime of independent literacy. The 5 elements of the program are: Read to Self, Read with Someone (buddy reading, if possible), Listen to Reading, Work on Writing and Word Work. In September, we will begin establishing each of these components.
Once the components are established, students will be able to work independently or in small groups on an activity while I work with a small group on their particular learning needs. Conferences enable me to assess students’ understanding and abilities and give students more focused instruction.
*Please note that the references to small group work are dependent on Covid related regulations and may not be possible this year.
Math
Our math periods will include the following components:
Before the Problem Solving (Introduction to today’s work)
The class engages in an activity or solves a sample problem that will help them recall prior learning related to the concept being taught.
Once students are ‘warmed up,’ they are given a problem to solve or an activity designed to build their knowledge related to the unit of study. Before beginning, students discuss the problem or activity, paraphrase instructions and ensure that they understand the task at hand and their responsibilities. They may begin to orally plan the strategies that they will use to solve the problem or predict outcomes.
During the Problem Solving
Students work with a partner or in a small group, if possible, to solve the problem or complete the activity. During this time, I may confer with individuals to assess their skills, knowledge and needs, or I may support small groups of students with similar learning needs.
Students who complete the activity early are provided with an extension to the day’s work. For example, they may be asked to:
try to find another possible way to solve the problem;
draw or write a sentence explaining what they did.
After Problem Solving
Students share and discuss their solutions and approaches to the problem/activity. Students learn to evaluate critically (and kindly) the validity and efficiency of the range of approaches demonstrated by their peers. Together we summarize the main points of the discussion and ensure that everyone understands what was agreed upon. I may demonstrate a particular strategy at the end of the lesson and give students another opportunity to apply their learning the following day.
Science and Social Studies
Students work on Science or Social Studies activities related to the current unit of study. Both Science and Social Studies will be highly linked to our literacy component. I will make an effort to provide a wide selection of books related to our current unit of study for students’ use during literacy periods. There will be a great deal of hands-on exploration in science in particular.
The Arts & Physical Education
Visual art will be integrated into many units of study this year. Students will have opportunities to study the work of well-known artists, show feelings and understanding through art, and work independently on their own creative pieces. Gym, dance, drama and music will be provided by Mr. Lee this year. We will supplement these programs with music and drama activities in class and 20 minutes of daily physical activity (DPA or APQ) on non-gym/dance days.
The following schedule may help you pack for school each day, but know that our schedule may change if classes need to be rearranged. A complete and updated daily schedule will be provided ASAP. Please ensure that your child has running shoes at school every day (even on non-gym days). These can be left in Salle 113’s shoe bag unless you need them to be brought home.
If you are interested in learning more about specific curriculum expectations, please visit the Ministry of Education’s Website: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/
Other Routines & Information
Community “Circle”
Everyone in Salle 213, including myself, is part of a community of learners. It takes time to build a community that is inclusive, supportive and appreciative, but this is our goal. We will be participating in many fun community-building activities as a class, as well as daily discussions about how we are doing, how our routines are going and problem solving of any issues.
Expectations
On the first day of school, we co-created our own set of classroom agreements and signed a class contract that we will refer to throughout the coming weeks and school year. Our agreements center around the following principles:
attentive listening (on écoute)
active participation (on participe)
mutual respect (yourself, others, materials) (on est respectueux)
appreciation & positivity (on dit des choses gentilles)
We will continue to discuss what each agreement looks like. For example, attentive listening means eyes up, hands to yourself and we raise our hand to share. I would appreciate you taking the time to review these agreements with your child.
At-home-work
While there will be no “homework” in the traditional sense this year, there are many ways that you can support your child’s learning at home. Many children are excited to start school and have homework. If you’d like to say, “Mme Mitchell gave us this homework”, that’s fine by me!
First, it is crucial that all students develop a consistent reading routine at home. Students are welcome and encouraged to take a book home everyday to read with a parent or guardian. Reading at home makes a huge difference in a child’s development as a reader, and reading together with a loved one helps children develop an enjoyment and love of reading! There are tips for establishing a reading routine, as well as a link to the TDSB Homework Policy, posted on the class blog. In November, we will begin our formal borrow-a-book system and I’ll provide information about it at that time.
In addition to reading, children will have 5 words of the week beginning next week. These will be high frequency words which children should be able to recognize quickly, regardless of the context (like jumping-off points for reading). Grade 1 words will match the sound we are focusing on at school so that students can practice what they are learning. Words will come home every Tuesday and will be posted on the blog as well. This week, and regularly on the blog, I will provide ideas for how to work with these words at home. The goal is to spend a few minutes playing with these words every day so that your student would be able to recognize them quickly in a sentence.
Finally, I think it is very valuable to talk to your child about what they have done at school. You may want to expand on what we have done, or review it. I hope that you will find my blog to be an excellent tool for keeping up with the class. I will make every effort to give you conversation starters and specific questions you can ask to get your child talking!
Bravo!
I believe in recognizing students for the great things they do at school. The Bravo! note gives me an opportunity to write a short note to students to thank them for an act of kindness or particularly good behaviour (for example, helping a friend or helping to tidy up even when it wasn’t their work area). I will send these notes home, and I hope you enjoy reading them with your child!
Class Blog & Communication
I have created a blog for Salle 213. This will enable me to provide parents with current information on what we are working on in class, special events happening at Dewson, and other reminders! You can access the blog at www.mllemitchell.blogspot.com. I update it frequently so please check at least once a week.
Another valuable form of communication between yourself, your child and me, is the communication pochette. I have provided each child with a zipper pocket that they can keep and hopefully reuse next year. All I ask is that you replace it should it ever get lost (they are available for $1.50 at the dollar store). Any notes, forms or work will be sent home in the pocket, size permitting. Please return forms or send notes to me via the pocket - I will teach students how to use their pocket and place any mail for me in my mailbox each morning. Please ensure that any forms or money you are sending has your student’s name on it, as there is usually a delay between when I receive mail and when I can go through it with a checklist. Try to make it your child’s responsibility to unpack his/her pocket every morning at school and evening at home, and put it in his/her bag for the next day. This is a great way to start teaching your child how to stay organized.
The best way to reach me is via email at tamara.mitchell2@tdsb.on.ca (don’t forget the 2). I will return emails as soon as I have a minute during school days. You can also send a note in the communication pocket or leave me a message at the school (416-393-9120).
At this time, I am not able to welcome parents into the classroom to support our students. If this changes at some point in the year, I will let you know. This is one thing I really miss!
Allergies
Please inform me of any allergies or medical conditions your child has, and if they are bringing a puffer, Epi-Pen or other medication to school. All students are to refrain from bringing any products containing peanuts to school. Some children in our class and school have severe allergies to these products. Thank you in advance.
Getting ready, labeling & supplies
To limit lost items at school, please remember to label your child’s belongings (e.g., lunch bag, hat, boots & shoes). Thank you! I will provide supplies for every student, however as we are still attempting to reduce sharing and contact, students are welcome to bring a pencil case with extra pencils, erasers, crayons or other writing or drawing materials they like or might go through quickly. Please remind your student to leave other home things at home.
In grade 1 we expect students to prepare themselves for recess with very minimal assistance. Please practice shoe-tying and zippering skills at home. This will help your child, and our class, get to recess and pick-up on time. On rainy days, an extra pair of socks (or even two) is a great idea. If you like, your child can keep a little bag of clothes on their hook in case they need them. Finally, please send a (labeled) reusable water bottle to school as we are no longer drinking directly from water fountains. I will insist that these come home at least every Friday to be washed. Thanks!
Covid Considerations
While we hope to have as normal a year as possible, we need to stay safe and remain prepared for changes. Here are a few Covid-related safety measures and routines:
Daily health screening, which you may do on the app or with a form (beginning tomorrow).
We must ALL wear masks indoors unless we are eating.
During lunch in class, we will remove masks, but MUST remain seated and silent. I will show great French videos to support us in following this rule and making lunch time more engaging.
We must all sanitize or wash hands when entering the classroom, before and after eating or sharing materials.
Any shared materials (such as books) will be sanitized or removed from use for a week,
As much as reasonably possible, we will limit contact, especially with other cohorts.
Please keep your child home if they have any of the symptoms on the updated list. I know this is difficult - I have had to keep my son home a few times and it’s no fun to get him tested and is inconvenient for my work life, but the more careful we are, the more likely we can keep each other healthy, and schools open.
In the case that we do need to go online, we will use Google Classroom and Meet. Once I have this set up, I will post instructions on how to get there. I currently don’t plan to use our Google Classroom unless needed, as I think it will be more convenient for you to just check the blog for in-class updates.