We’ve kicked off the new year by looking ahead and thinking about our goals, aspirations and dreams for 2019. We created vision boards, a visual representation of all things you want to do, be and have this year, setting positive intentions for 2019.
In Language Arts, Mrs. Devine is working with non-fiction text. This involves note-taking and studying non-fiction text features. The class is off to a good start and becoming quite the note-takers! This unit will be followed by an author study. Mrs. Roberts is working on writing, using the 6+1 Writing Traits. We’re starting off by focusing on word choice, adding powerful words and lots of detail to our writing. Our class is taking part in a "Meaning of Home" contest in support of Habitat for Humanity. The Meaning of Home contest is a unique and meaningful way to engage our students in the creative writing process while teaching them the importance of giving back to our community.
For Math, Mrs. Roberts has started the exploration of angles in Math. That’s right, at the end of this unit your child will have an acute understanding of angles and hopefully he/she won’t find it too obtuse. 😉 Be sure to check out the subject tabs on our website to see a little of what we’re learning in class. There are helpful videos that students can look back on to review concepts if they need to. Mrs. Devine will continue teaching factors, multiples, prime and composite numbers. Afterwards, she will move on to division strategies.
In Science, we are doing a unit on mixtures and solutions. The class has been exploring how homogeneous and heterogenous mixtures differ and how they are a big part of our everyday lives.
In Social Studies, we will learn about media in the digital world and the power of media. Our main point of inquiry will be “How does the media influence us?”
Our focus in French will be on Québec culture. We’re learning about Québec city’s annual winter festival, Carnaval. It’s always a fun topic to explore. The students of Division 12 are currently working on presentations on Carnaval. We will also learn about traditional Québec folk music and Mrs. Roberts will teach the kids how to play the spoons – so fun!
January means it’s basketball time in PE! We’ll be working on the fundamental movement skills of dribbling, shooting and passing. This group of kiddos are sure to impress us once again with their enthusiasm and athletic abilities in the gym. We’ve also been playing games with our Kinball. It’s super fun! Ask your child about it.
Feel free to explore our website with your child to see some of the things we’ve been working on in Division 12!
DIVISION 12 NEWS! September 2018
Hello parents of Division 12!
We’re off to a great start so far! We are so pleased to be working with this fabulous bunch of kids and we are excited to learn and grow together this year. As you probably already know, we sent home a couple of “getting to know you” forms. These will help us have a better understanding of your child, so we can provide the best support we can. Thank you for taking the time to look over these forms and share your thoughts with us.
Meet the Teachers! We are so thrilled to be sharing a class together this year. We share a similar teaching style and philosophy, with a focus on creating a positive, encouraging, safe and engaging environment in our classroom. We are confident that our students will have a fairly seamless experience in transitioning between the two of us. We communicate regularly, giving each other updates on the goings on in our classroom, keeping us prepared and responsive to students’ needs. Mrs. Roberts will teach Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesday mornings and Mrs. Devine with teach Wednesday afternoons, Thursday and Fridays.
Planners Your child will be using a planner daily as a tool for organizing, planning and communicating between students, parents and teachers. Students are responsible for recording their homework, assignments, important dates, etc. Every student is expected to bring their planner home to share with you and return it the following day. Each morning students in Division 12 are responsible for being prepared for the day with our “7 Points” system. They must have 2 sharpened pencils, an eraser, a filled water bottle, a planner ready, their jacket and backpack in their locker and a chair at their desk. We ask that you take a moment each day to look over the planner and sign your initials to let us know that you’ve seen it. If you like, you could leave us a note and/or comment in your child’s planner as a way of communicating.
Physical Education Each school day we will have at least 30 minutes of Physical Education. Students need to be prepared by having gym strip in their lockers. This includes a pair of shorts or jogging pants, a t-shirt and a pair of running shoes (no skate shoes please, they don’t have the proper grip and slip on the gym floor). It’s also a good idea to remove any jewellery that may cause injury to self or others during physical activity and we suggest that those with long hair have an elastic to put their hair up. We really encourage students at this age to start getting in the habit of changing clothes for PE so they feel (and smell 😊) fresh after being physically active. Healthy Eating We encourage our students to make healthy eating choices in order for them stay focused and be more successful in school. We will be learning about good nutrition and how healthy and not so healthy foods affects our bodies. We recommend water, rather than juice or other drinks. If students have juice, they must drink it during lunch and will not be allowed to drink during learning times. If students have a treat in their lunch, they are asked to eat it at lunch time, after their healthy food, and not at recess snack time.
Family Travel and Holidays Should you go on a family holiday during the school year, please touch base with us to let us know the dates your child will be away. We will not prepare work in advance, but we will let you know what your child will miss during his/her time away from school. We encourage students to read and keep a journal during their vacation and share it with us when they get back.
Family Happenings If there are any significant family events that may affect your child in school (death of a family member or pet, change of living situation, separation or divorce, prolonged parental absence, job change, etc.) please feel free to contact us and let us know if there is anything we can do to support your child at school.
If you have any comments, suggestions or concerns please don’t hesitate to email or call. We can be reached at school by phone (250-339-2232) or by email: [email protected] and [email protected] We are happy to make appointments if you need a longer time to chat. After school is preferable to mornings, as there is a lot to do to prepare for the day.
We are looking forward to a great year with the kids of Div. 12!