Classroom Communication
In terms of communication I am a big email guy and if you are wanting to reach me guaranteed email will likely reach me the fastest. I do have an open door policy and if you are ever wanting to swing by the classroom you are of course more than welcome to visit. Be warned though if you visit you may find yourself working with students, as I am always keen to snag would-be reading and/or writing partners for students. If you are needing to meet with me personally by all means shoot me a message or call the school and I will definitely try and accommodate you. I am a firm believer in two way communication and recognize the value of such especially being a parent with three kids of my own in school. It is always nice to know what is happening in class.
Inevitably questions regarding assignments, important dates, or expectations arise - so by all means if they do, just message me and I will try and help! My email address is trevor.henderson@blackgold.ca and the school number is (780) 986-5991. In the everyone's agenda today you will find a "Parent Contact Form" whereby you can list your email addresses and contact phone numbers - it is always easier to contact people when I have the correct information.
As with everything in life people only tend to improve at something with consistent and meaningful practice. And so it is with school and learning, so please endeavor to get everyone to school on time and regularly. Our morning attendance bell rings at 8:30AM and the afternoon attendance bell rings at 12:45PM immediately following the students' lunch break.
Inconsistent attendance and missed lessons are a sure fire way to make learning more challenging than it has to be, as there is always that element of playing catch up involved. If you know in advance that your child will be absent for the day (i.e. scheduled appointment, family vacation, sports tournament) please let me know and I can make arrangements to send home any missed assignments.
Parent Volunteers
If you are interested in volunteering at the school, in the classroom, or on any of school field trips you are of course more than welcome to join the fun. Prior to coming in simply stop by the office and complete a volunteer information form, once this is on file you are good to go. With our crew this year we have a number of field trips in the works. If after receiving notice of any of trips you are interested in attending simply shoot me an email and I will mark you down as a wanting to attend.
Homework?
As I mentioned earlier I am not really an advocate of homework and believe that everyone's lives outside of school are busy enough without adding in another challenge which may provide little educational value. With our daily schedule I plan purposefully to ensure that there is ample time for students to apply their learning and practice their skills during class time. In the event there is student work that is left uncompleted during the allotted class time, or review work in preparation for upcoming exams, this will be sent home. Incomplete assignments sent home with students are to be returned the NEXT DAY unless another date is clearly specified.
Our Weekly Spelling Program
About the only thing coming home regularly with students weekly will be our vocabulary spelling words which will be given out every Monday and tested every Friday. These lists will be words that the students will be using throughout that week in a variety of different Language Arts activities. Our initial lists will consist of fewer words, with each list focusing on a different language feature or theme. With our spelling program we be using an online website called "SPELLING CITY". The site allows students to interact with their words and practice their skills in preparation for their weekly spelling tests. The URL for the site is also glued inside the front cover of your child's agenda just in case it is forgotten...
The internet URL for our weekly spelling lists is https://www.spellingcity.com/MrTHenderson4H/
I trust that everyone received the classroom welcome/information letters in a timely fashion and hope that the kids are as excited about their homeroom as I am. In the welcome letter I had explained a little bit about the 5 Rs and how I really try and get the kids involved in their learning by being accountable and responsible for their own performance. Within the class we will be doing a variety of different activities throughout the year and some of these involve a certain degree of choice in terms of how they will reach their desired outcome...thus hopefully mirroring real life where there is usually more than one way to reach a target goal. It is within this respectful learning environment that I want to see my students being able to work not only independently, but also cooperatively with their peers; being able to actively ad creatively problem solve for themselves; and being able to demonstrate perseverance when facing challenges and not being quick to become flustered or simply quit the task.
With these desired outcomes/goals my students will quickly become leaders in the school for others to emulate as they will come to recognize that their behaviour, level of effort, and their attention in class are all indeed connected to their personal performance - and ultimately their success or failure as a self-guided learner.
School Pictures
Student pictures will be taken on Tuesday, September 19th by Country Nuts Photo. Weather permitting, pictures will be taken outdoors.
Important Upcoming Dates
September 14 - Week 1 Spelling Test
September 15 - No School: PD Day
September 19 - School Pictures
Well that is a good start and I am sure there will be more to pass on once my mind fully transitions from summer mode to school mode.l If you have any questions please free to contact me. Thank you!
No comments:
Post a Comment