School Supplies List - 2011-2012

Welcome! If you've read this far it's either because:

1) You are curious and have no real reason to be here,

2) You are a former student who continues to read this blog,

3) Your child is in my class for the 2011-2012 school year and you need to find out what to get him/her for next week.


Either one of these answers is fine with me! The more people visit this blog the more I will be inclined to write.


This is what students will need for the 2011-2012 school year:
-One 1 inch binder- if you have something else at home that isn't of that size I'm sure it will be fine - reusing is best!
-One set of dividers, 8-10 subjects - can be homemade
-A flash drive - very helpful for school projects
-A basic calculator - should not cost more than $6
-A clip board - $3.99 for 2 - share the cost with a friend!
-A pencil case - reuse the one your child had last year
-One black Sharpie (fine point)
-A reusable water bottle
-Two Kleenex boxes
-One pair of indoor shoes
-A pair of gym shoes - these need to be left at school at all times as we will be active every day
-A library bag that can be sealed to protect books from water, juice and rain

I will provide your child with the following supplies:
-notebooks (math, science, writing, etc.)
-lined paper
-graph paper
-pencils
-pens (red and blue)
-a purple highlighter
-coloring crayons
-markers
-an eraser
-a ruler
-a pair of scissors
-a glue stick


School and agenda fees will be determined soon. I will let you know of the amount as soon as I have more information on this. 


Please take the time to also read the first day of school letter that is in your child's backpack.  


Thank you and have a great weekend!

Family Grouping aka Multi-Age Grouping

I only have good things to say about multi-age grouping. There are many sites discussing this issue so I'll let you do your own research if you are still unsure what to think of it.

When asking my group, which consisted of 26 Grade 3 to 7 students, what they liked most about their day, one Grade 7 student responded:

"Meeting (insert student's name) and getting to know him more".

Another Grade 3 (or 4?) girl was also very excited to say the same about two older girls sitting at her table.

I had specifically asked that students mix up and not sit next to their friends. These students who felt comfortable enough to share their feelings never had a chance to sit and hang out so today was their real first day together. Yes, some knew of each other but the majority of them had never taken the time to spend time together to learn, talk and play.

I also asked how many only had friends of the same age. No one raised their hand. They then started sharing amazing personal stories around friendship. Today I learned that a 12 year old student can be friends with a 30+ year old person.

This might sound ordinary to you but it was the highlight of my day. That's one of the many reasons why I like teaching.

La rentrée

Bonne rentrée à tous! Quelle belle journée pour ce début d'année scolaire 2011-2012!

J'ai été ravie de revoir quelques-uns de mes anciens élèves cet après-midi. Encore plus ravie de constater que beaucoup d'entre eux sont à présent au secondaire.

Merci à Maddie, Sébastien, Bonnie et Emma! Nos portes seront toujours grandes ouvertes, même si ce n'est que pour dire un petit bonjour rapide en passant. 

Amusez-vous bien au secondaire! En espérant que vous continuerez à visiter ce blog de temps à autre...

:-)

School Supplies List - 2010-2011

This is what students will need for the 2010-2011 school year:

-One 1 1/2 inch binder- if you have something else at home that isn't of that size I'm sure it will be fine - reusing is best!
-One set of dividers, 8-10 subjects - can be homemade
-A basic calculator - should not cost more than $6
-A clip board - $3.99 for 2 - share the cost with a friend!
-A pencil case - reuse the one your child had last year
-A reusable water bottle
-One Kleenex box
-One pair of indoor shoes
-A pair of gym shoes - these need to be left at school at all times as we will be active every day

I will provide your child with the following supplies:
-notebooks (math, science, writing, etc.)
-lined paper
-graph paper
-pencils
-pens (red and blue)
-a purple highlighter
-coloring crayons
-markers
-an eraser
-a ruler
-a pair of scissors
-a glue stick

School fees are $25 and the agenda is $10. One $35 cheque per student please.

**Let me know if you need a subsidy. We will cover the cost of any of these supplies, the school fees and/or the agenda. All subsidy requests remain confidential.

Your child is very lucky to be in a combined class!

I couldn't say it better. How many of us only work and spend time with people our own age? One of my best friends is 53 and if I had limited myself to that rule, I would not be where I am today.

Here is a good article I found in Today's Parent magazine on the subject.