Friday, September 29

Math Quiz ...

• Has been marked and I have gone over the problem areas with the class. I will send it home next week. These are formative assessments (a quick quiz to see how the class is doing and to see where I need to focus for the next week or two).  These marks will not be on report cards. 
• Mostly, the issues are around students not reading the questions fully / completely / carefully and not checking their work. We will continue to work on this in class. 
• As well as Math homework every week, I will now be sending home Reading and / or Writing. Stay tuned.  

Just a reminder that the next pizza lunch is Wednesday, October 11 - and payment for pizza is only through Online payment - Cashless Schools. A note was sent home as a reminder - if anyone is still having problem accessing or using Cashless Schools, please call the office. 416 396 6165. (Not sure if President's Choice Mastercard is now a payment option.)

Have a great weekend, everyone! 

Thursday, September 28

Today was a great day in Room 206!

All the Grade 4s took part in a coding workshop this afternoon and worked with the programming language Scratch, building an animation story, choosing characters, creating what the characters say (they chose a comedian to tell a joke), when the character tells the joke, and a laughter soundtrack. Ask your kids to tell you all about it!

After recess, Clairlea staff and students took part in a community Terry Fox Run.  How many laps around the school and neighbourhood did they run? Better ask them! Thank you for the generous support (way to go Matthew!) for the Terry Fox 2017 campaign. Some students gave so generously from their own pockets (wow!) and some students are still interested in donating. You can donate online or send in a cash donation until next week. Thank you for your support! 

Orange Shirt Day Reminder - Every Child Matters

Just a reminder that Friday (tomorrow) is Orange Shirt Day at Clairlea where we continue the ongoing discussions around residential schools. We remember the First Nations children who were removed and isolated from their families and forced to attend government-sponsored religious schools. Looking forward to seeing you all in orange tomorrow. My shirt is ready. 

Tuesday, September 26

Hi all

Another date for your calendars.

Wednesday, October 4th is Picture Day. 

Thanks

Ms V. 

Hot and Sticky Monday

Homework for this week:

"Friendly Numbers" - Strategy for adding three-digit numbers. Introduced this morning in class and we will continue to work on addition strategies this week.

Also, I will be sending home 3x tables for memorization. I will help kids with memory work as there are a couple of strategies they can use for remembering their multiplication tables. While there are many opinions about whether kids should be memorizing times tables, I tend to side with the opinion that if kids have these tools in their back pockets, solving math equations and problems becomes a little bit easier.

For your calendars:

Thursday afternoon is our Terry Fox Run. Please have students come to school dressed for the weather with water bottles, sun screen/hats and running shoes.

Wednesday is Pizza Lunch Day. 

Friday is Orange Shirt Day. I will be helping our class to understand the relevance of orange shirts as it pertains to First Nations, Residential Schools and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC). If your child has an orange shirt, Friday is the day to wear it for a specific meaning. Thank you.

Our classroom continues to be very, very hot. Please ensure you send water bottles to school.

Behaviour was exceptional this afternoon. I'm thrilled at the effort our kids have put into following routines quickly and listening to instructions. Thank you for your support on the home front.  I forgive them the last 20 minutes of the day. It was hot and we were all desperately waiting for the final bell. Great job, everyone!

Freezies for everyone on this very hot afternoon!

Good to Meet You!

Hi everyone - so great to meet you on Curriculum Night!

As we discussed, to have three classes (Vincent, Gr. 4; Purvis, Gr. 4 and Home School Program) merge into one large class in the afternoon has proven to be challenging because the kids are always so excited to see each other for the afternoon. The energy level is exactly what I LOVE about this class but it can get out of control.

Our Friday afternoon class ran so well and students promised me that they would work harder at active listening and focus in the afternoons.

Once again, thank you for working with me on this.  Please do not hesitate to contact me.
 416 396 6165 or carol.vincent@tdsb.on.ca

Next Week

I will be taking Room 206 to the bookfair during the week to preview or purchase!

Looking forward to seeing you all on Curriculum Night! 

Tuesday, September 12, 2017

Good afternoon.

A quick update:

• This is the second afternoon of having all of the Grade 4s together with me as their afternoon teacher. We are getting used to routines, active listening, participating and following instructions promptly. 
• Homework: Orange homework duotangs have been sent home today. Homework is due on Thursday of every week.  There will be practice questions for the current strand of math. In addition, students should be reading 20 minutes per night. 
• Thank you for the returning of 1st day packages of signed permission forms, medical forms, etc. There are still one or two outstanding. Thank you. 
• School Cash Online - Going forward, all activities that require payment will be done through our new School Cash Online. Please register online (takes about 30 seconds!!).  Below is the link and instructions that have been forwarded via Office Administrator, Michelle Carson. 

School Cash Online - please see below email and link regarding paying for agendas, school trips, school fees, pizza lunches, etc. online. 

Hello Clairlea parents/guardians,

The TDSB is launching Cash Online for school fees, pizza lunches, field trips, etc.  Attached is the letter & step by step instructions. Please register over the summer so your child doesn’t miss out on any of the items mentioned above.

Please register online over the summer & if your child is changing school’s it will go with them at their new school.

 and here is the link.    https://tdsb.schoolcashonline.com 

• Reminder that Curriculum Night is Thursday, September 21st. Looking forward to seeing you all there.

Wednesday, September 6 Update

Hi everyone!

Just a quick update on this second day of school!

I'm having a great time with this Grade 4 class! They are a lot of fun and have tons of energy! We are continuing the practice of routines: community circles, quiet line ups, following instructions quickly and eagerly, being kind and inclusive.

We have started our Number Sense Math unit, and have been thinking about the number 1000 - working our way to 10 000. This afternoon, I did reading comprehension assessments that will help me plan for teaching Reading this term.

Thank you to those of you who have returned the first day packages with paperwork signed. Looking forward to receiving the balance - please try to have them in as soon as possible.

Thank you to those who have sent in indoor shoes.

Snack program envelopes and Scholastic book orders will be going home by the end of the week.

We have had a productive start to our Grade 4 year!

________________________

School Cash Online - please see below email and link regarding paying for agendas, school trips, school fees, pizza lunches, etc. online. 

Hello Clairlea parents/guardians,

The TDSB is launching Cash Online for school fees, pizza lunches, field trips, etc.  Attached is the letter & step by step instructions. Please register over the summer so your child doesn’t miss out on any of the items mentioned above.

Please register online over the summer & if your child is changing school’s it will go with them at their new school.

 and here is the link.    https://tdsb.schoolcashonline.com 

Here are a few pictures of our Grade 4s working on their Math problem this morning. 

Number Sense in Partners - How can you show 1000 in equal amounts? How many ways can we build the expression? 

Welcome!

Welcome back to school, everyone!

I've created our blog for families and students to get a glimpse of some of the things we like to do and learn about during the day, here in 206 - it's a great way to share information and pictures. I'm hoping to post a couple of times per week, so put the blog URL in your device or bookmark it on your computer and be sure to visit regularly.