I've had fun setting up my new classroom and am excited to fill it with new students! I'm thrilled to have in my class quite a few siblings of former students (who are growing up so very quickly). For those of you who know me already, nothing much has changed in my routines, so much of this beginning of the year stuff will be a review. I'll try not to bore you!
For my brand new students and parents, I have found this blog to be a great way of staying in touch with families at home. I update often, so sign up for emails or check frequently for the most up-to-date information! I hope you find this to be a very useful tool.
On the first day of school, I will send home a detailed letter outlining some of the subject areas and routines for the year (copied below). You are also invited to write me a letter so that I can get to know your child better and faster! From now on, I will do most of my communicating via this blog in order to save paper. There is already a lot of (hopefully) useful information posted for you below, so when you get a minute, please scroll down!
Please note a couple corrections reflected in the online version, but not in your paper copy. Library and gym days are updated and you will notice that our room number has been changed. Dewson is transitioning to rooms rather than areas. This was JUST confirmed, so all of your beginning-of-the-year paper work still says Area 31 on it. Many students and teachers will surely continue referring to the old Area numbers, but since our students are fairly new to Dewson, I will try my best to get with the new system right away. Please excuse all the area 31s that you will see and replace them with room 211! Our new numbers accurately reflect the floors that the rooms are on - hurray!
Throughout the year, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns so that I can do the best job possible!
I look forward to meeting with you all very soon.
Sincerely,
Tamara
tamara.mitchell2@tdsb.on.ca (don't forget the '2')
Here's the First Day Online Newsletter - please keep scrolling to other posts containing tons of other information that may be helpful as we get started.
A Day in the Life of a First Grader in Room 211
Welcome parents and students of Room 211,
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. As well, I come from a very musical family and look forward to sharing my experiences with the class. I’m looking forward to 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 are: Read to Self, Read with Someone (buddy reading), 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.
Math
Our math periods will include the following components:
Before the Problem Solving (Introduction to today’s work)
The class gathers and 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 leaving the carpet area, 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 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 gather to 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
Students will investigate our science topics using books, the Internet and through many hands-on experiments. It is always beneficial to have some parents in to help with these activities!
Social Studies
This year, room 211’s Social Studies program will be taught by our librarian, Mme Marie-Chantal Gaudreault. Our students are very lucky to benefit from her experience as both a teacher and librarian and will have an entire library worth of books at their disposal for learning about our community and the world.
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. Music, Drama and Dance will also be integrated into our French language study. This year I’m very excited to be teaching these subjects myself. I look forward to sharing my own musical background with the kids! In addition, all grade 1 French immersion students will be going to an exclusive grade 1 choir as one of their special subjects!
Health & Phys. Ed. will be taught by a new teacher, whose name, at the time of typing this letter, is not known to me. We will supplement our gym program with 20 minutes of daily physical activity (DPA or APQ) on non-gym/dance days. Please see the “Dress for Success” information sheet for tips on how to dress safely for gym class.
This year, Dewson is using a 10-day (rather than 5-day) schedule. I will provide copies of our class schedule for all families as soon as we work out the kinks. At the moment, our gym periods are scheduled for days 1, 3, 6 and 8, but please ensure that your child has running shoes at school every day until our schedule is confirmed. These can be left in room 211’s shoe bin unless you need them to be brought home. (It is a good idea to leave running shoes at school even once our gym and dance days have been confirmed, so that they are never forgotten!)
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 room 211, 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. Community Circle is one activity that we will use regularly. It is an opportunity for us to share how we are feeling, discuss class agreements, solve problems as a group and celebrate successes. In grade 1 it is particularly important for children to become comfortable speaking French with their classmates. Community Circle is a great opportunity for this.
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, “Mlle 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 this 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). 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!
Library Exchange
Our book exchange period will occur with every Day 2 (starting Wednesday, September 9th), but books may be returned to our class bin at any time. Students are encouraged to sign out 1 French book on their library code. I appreciate your help in reminding your children to have their books ready to return or renew every other week!
Bravo!
I believe in recognizing students for the good 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 room 211. 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 http://mllemitchell.blogspot.com/
Another valuable form of communication between yourself, your child and me, is the communication pocket. 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 $1.25 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 the bin on my desk each morning. Please ensure that any forms or money you are sending have 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).
I will be in touch when we are in need of volunteers for trips or special classroom events. If you know that you are interested in volunteering in our classroom, or supervising on a field trip, please let me know by checking the appropriate box on the attached letter. You can also let me know how best to reach you.
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.
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! In room 211, all students share classroom supplies (pencils, erasers, markers etc.). Students are not required to bring their own materials, but may do so if they are prepared and willing to share with others.
Getting ready for school
All students will need running shoes for gym. Room 211 has a shoe bin where everyone is encouraged to keep a pair of indoor/gym shoes. 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.
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 gym on time. Thanks!
Scholastic
Room 211 participates in monthly Scholastic book orders. I encourage you to participate in this program whenever possible. The first order form is attached to this newsletter.