Mrs. Hutchinson’s Grade 4/5 News

September 5th, 2017Dear Parents and Guardians,

Welcome to Grade 4/5! My name is Mrs. Jessica Hutchinson and I am very excited to be your child’s teacher this year. I am new to Sacred Heart and am very much looking forward to being part of your community. Before making Rockwood my new teaching home, I taught Grade 2/3 at St. John in Arthur, Grade 2 at St. John in Guelph and Grades 3 and 6/7 at St. John Brebeuf in Erin. I have a zest for teaching and am looking forward to all of the wonder and joy that children bring to school each day. This year is going to be great.

It is my goal that your child’s 4th or 5th grade experience be filled with personal growth as a thinker and a learner. I will encourage their talents and strengths and help them find ways to problem solve areas with which they face challenges. In order to help me get to know your child better and to help guide my instruction, I am asking for your help. I would like to know as much about your child as possible. I would really appreciate it if you could fill out the parent questionnaire attached to this newsletter and share any information that you feel would be important for me to know. This may include your child’s talents as well as any special needs or concerns you may have. Please return the completed questionnaire in the envelope provided as soon as possible. I recognize that there is a lot of paperwork that goes home the first week of school and appreciate your time and effort with regard to this. Thank you.

On Thursday September 14th, 2017 (@ 5:30pm), Sacred Heart School will be hosting an Open House. This is a fantastic opportunity to come and check out our learning space as well as find out what your child has been up to the first couple of weeks of school. I hope you and your family can join us and I’m looking forward to meeting you.

Sincerely,Mrs. J. Hutchinson

Student Name: ________________________

Parent Signature: ______________________

PLEASE SIGN & RETURNI have read this month’s newsletter.

School Supplies

Basic school supplies are provided for your child. Some additional items that students should have to help keep them organized and prepared throughout the year are listed below:

• Indoor running shoes with non-marking soles• Change of clothing for Phys.Ed• 2 pencil cases (one for school and one for home)• Ear phones (for listening centre)• Extra pencils – erasers (white is preferable)• Colouring supplies (crayons, markers, pencil crayons)• Glue sticks

I am requesting that all students keep a pencil case at home and at school to reduce what students are bringing back and forth each day.

PLEASE SIGN & RETURN THE FRONT OF THIS SLIP.

Assessment, Evaluation & Friday Folders

Teachers use a variety of assessment strategies throughout the year to monitor student learning and to guide instruction. Assessment tasks will be sent home each week using the teal Friday Folder. Please review and initial these assessments every weekend and return the folder and assessments to school on Monday. I will store all student assessments in their learning portfolio.

Assessments may include:• Exit slips (a quick check-in completed after a lesson)• Checklists with descriptive feedback (to provide students with next steps)• Reading responses• Word Work activities• Written Work• Unit Tests• Rubrics (leveling student work)

What are the homework expectations of my child?

Generally speaking, students in grade 4/5 should be doing about 20 minutes of homework per night. The focus is on building STAMINA as well as developing their love of learning. I do recognize that evenings can get jam-packed with activities, but ask that you make a concerted effort to fit in the time.

Regular scheduled homework for my classroom will include:

• Nightly reading (student choice)• Word Work (spelling practice)• Math practice and review

Some additional homework may be sent home periodically including:

• Finishing incomplete work• Project work• Studying for a test

Agendas

This year, students will be getting agendas! They will be expected to write in their agenda almost daily. It is excellent writing practice as they are responsible for copying down any reminders or homework they may have.

I will sign the agenda daily and I ask that you also initial your child’s agenda every night to show you have checked it.

Please check or remove any notes from the front pocket of the agenda as well.

This is an excellent communication tool for you too. Please feel free to write to me in the comments section. I have an open door policy too, so if you’d rather pop by the classroom, feel free.

Thank you.

Returning Forms & Money to School

When you are sending permission forms to school, please ensure that they are tucked in the front pocket of the agenda or attached to the particular day with a paper clip or staple.

Sacred Heart is striving for full participation using School Cash Online. Please make all payments for anything school related to this site.

Growth Mindset & The Power of “Yet”

Learning can be a challenge and that is okay! At Sacred Heart, we celebrate all parts of learning.

As a team, let’s worktogether to help buildyour child’s resiliency.

We can:• Model flexibility• Be optimistic!• Use Growth Mindset praise statements (see picture ➡)• Help children find their niche• Encourage risk-taking• Learn from our mistakes• Ask “What did we learn from that?”

Scholastic Book Orders

Scholastic Book Orders will be sent home monthlly. If you would like to purchase any items, please remember that they will not accept cash. Cheques or Online payment only please!

Cheques can be made out to: Scholastic Canada Ltd.

Classroom Donations

Please consider donating the following items to our classroom throughout the year:

• Facial Tissue (Kleenex)• Hand Soap

Classroom Blog (Yes/No/Maybe)?

I am in the process of creating a classroom blog to reduce the amount of paper that is used and to give parents electronic access to important information. The blog would include my monthly newsletter, pictures of what we are learning about, reminders and helpful hints as well as fun websites, videos and games that I’ve found which go along with and extend what the children are learning about in the classroom.

Please check off the box below the parent questionnaire if you’d be interested in receiving electronic content from a classroom blog.

Reminders & Newsletter Checklist

ü I’ve read through the newsletter and have signed and detached the return slip on the front page.

ü I have made a note of the suggested supplies.ü I have reviewed the classroom donations.ü The parent questionnaire and parent volunteer form are filled out and placed in the

return envelope provided.ü I’ve made a note of the Open House on Thursday September 14th, 2017.

I sincerely thank you for reading this newsletter thoroughly and am looking forward to this year. Should you have questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to send a note in your child’s agenda, call me at the school, or schedule a time to meet with me to discuss your child’s progress. Happy September!

PLEASE COMPLETE & RETURN BOTH PAGES OF THIS SLIP.

☐ Yes! I’m interested in the Grade 4/5 Classroom blog.

Parent Volunteers in the ClassroomThere are a number of opportunities for parents to volunteer throughout the year. If you are available to volunteer, please let me know what your preference would be.

q I would like to volunteer for a full-day field trip this year.

q I would like to volunteer for a half-day field trip this year. (River Run Centre performances, Scientist in the School, etc.)

q I am interested in volunteering on special occasions when students are working on arts and crafts projects.

q I am available to offer regular classroom support in the area of reading and/or math

What day of the week and time works best for you? Please circle the day of the week and either AM or PM.

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

AM OR PM

Additional Information About My Child: