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Nearly there...

It’s hard to believe that we’re almost done this school year!

May is assessment month here at Ecole Dufferin. We will be completing the Alpha Jeunes reading assessment.

The latest show and tell list is on the back of this letter.

Please remember that the agenda must come to school each day. Dictation lists, daily reminders and notes are written in the agenda. This is an important learning tool. Please make sure it is at school every day.

In this week’s Friday File there will be a permission form and information about our end of year trip. Please read and sign the form as soon as possible. We are going to the Royal Botanical Gardens! It should be a great day.

Our Roots of Empathy baby, John Russell is growing and changing so much. The children love seeing him every month and learning about his development and care. In so doing, they are also learning about empathy and respect for themselves and others. Our thanks to Marion and Fleur-Ange for facilitating this program in our classroom.

Curriculum:

Science: We are having a blast learning about liquids and solids. We have learned about dissolving and mixing, and which solids float or sink. Next week an assignment will be coming home, based on our learning for this unit. Thanks for your help with last week’s science homework. The students enjoyed reporting their findings with the class.

English: We have started writing folders, which were displayed at our Open House on Thursday. What great ideas and stories! Please note that the spelling dictation lists now contain two challenge words, and starting next week, we will be adding some review words as well.

French: We continue with our individual reading and writing activities, as well as our new French guided reading groups. Our new dictees, focusing on language structures and phonic structures, are going very well. Please note that accents and punctuation count.

Math: We are currently working on division word problems in our math journals, and learning the concept that division is "equal sharing", and multiplication is "grouping together". Our next unit of study will be tranformational geometry, followed by fractions.

Important Dates:

• Dictee: May 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
• May 16: Pizza Day
• Victoria Day: May 19
• New Orleans’ Pizza Nights: May 5, 6, 7

Happy spring everyone!

Here's hoping that we'll finally see some spring weather! Our lost and found basket is very full with orphaned winter gear. If your child is missing any articles of clothing please feel free to come search our basket.

We are still in search of some report card envelopes and signed third pages. Please return ASAP.

Good news! Dufferin's Food For Thought snack program has enough funding to run for the rest of the year_ The program runs on Mondays and Thursdays. The students are provided with healthy snacks at the first nutrition break. Please pack your child's lunch box accordingly.

Lots of our students are interested in participating in the choir which is preparing to compete in the Kiwanis Music Festival on April 15. We're having a great time preparing.

We still have quite a few students who are coming to school without agendas. This is an important part of your child's school day. Please make sure it comes to school daily.

Curriculum:

Science: Our cars were a great success_ The students really enjoyed building and testing their cars. There are still a few outstanding cars which need to completed and brought in for testing ASAP. Thank you for your help in preparing for this project. Next up: states of matter.

Math: We have had great fun gathering and graphing information. We made bar, line, and picture graphs individually and in our tribes. Our next unit of study in math are multiplication and division.

Language: Please remember to send back the reading logs by Wednesday of each week, so that they can be changed and sent home in the Friday Files. In French, we have put a big focus on journal writing this semester. The students seem to be enjoying the challenge. We will be extending this into writing longer stories. Also, our verb study is soon ending. Our next dictations will be short sentences focusing on language structures from the curriculum. This should be starting by the beginning of May.

Mlle. Mew

Happy March Break

Only a few more days to go until the break! I hope that everybody has a wonderful, restful holiday.

Some reminders:

We continue to have trouble remembering important items for school. Children cannot go without shoes inside the school (slippers are not recommended). Please make sure your child has a pair of indoor shoes each day. Also, agendas are not coming to school. We keep track of dictation lists, notes, homework and important dates in the agenda. It must come to school each day.

Our at home reading program is going very well. Please make sure that your child’s reading log is sent back to school every Wednesday. A new book will be sent home on Friday.

Dufferin’s Food For Thought snack program runs on Mondays and Thursdays. The students are provided with healthy snacks at both recess breaks. Please pack your child’s lunch box accordingly. Also, please make sure that your child comes prepared for the necessary utensils for eating his/her lunch. Our supply is limited.

Please read the school’s newsletter for important information regarding inclement weather, safety procedures, etc.

Our virtue for the month is Self Discipline.

Curriculum:

Science: We have learned about levers, pullies, wheels and axles, screws, wedges, and inclined planes. Now, after some unavoidable delays, we are finally ready to construct our cars. Starting Tuesday, March 4, bring in the beautiful junk you have been collecting...we need things to make wheels, chassies, axles, etc. We will be constructing at school starting Wednesday March 5.

Math: We have started collecting and graphing information. We had a great time tracking weather and popcorn orders!

Social Studies: We have started talking about the different parts and types of maps. We’ve had a good time looking at maps of Canada.

Important Dates:

• March 6, 20, 28, dictees
• March 7- No school
• March 10-14 March Break
• March 20 Reports go home
• March 21-24 Easter Holidays

Have a great March Break!

Hearts and Flowers

We are getting ready for our next holiday celebration in our class. There will be a small party in the afternoon of February 14. If your child wishes to bring treats to share, he or she is welcome to do so. Please remember the health unit guidelines. The snacks must be commercially packaged and free of ALL types of nuts. Also, your child is welcome to bring valentine cards to share with the class. I have attached a list. Please make sure that all students are included.

We are having some trouble remembering important items for school. Children cannot go without shoes inside the school (slippers are not recommended). Please make sure your child has a pair of indoor shoes each day. Also, agendas are not coming to school. We keep track of dictation lists, notes, homework and important dates in the agenda. It must come to school each day.

Dufferin’s Food For Thought snack program runs on Mondays and Thursdays. The students are provided with healthy snacks at both recess breaks. Please pack your child’s lunch box accordingly.

Please read the school’s newsletter for important information regarding inclement weather, safety procedures, etc.

Curriculum:

English: Our class has moved up a level in spelling, which means that the dictation lists are becoming longer and more challenging. The students seem excited by the challenge. Spelling dictations are still every Monday.

French: We will be starting weekly dictations in February. Our at-home reading program will be starting shortly, thanks to our great volunteer. Thanks for your help.

Math: We’ve finished regrouping, and we’ve moved on to the study of patterns.

Science: Our study of simple machines continues. We’ve learned about levers and pulleys, next up is the wheel and axle. Keep collecting "beautiful junk" to aid in the construction of a car, which is our final project for this unit.

Important Dates:

• Feb. 1 PA day.
• Feb. 8 Weekly french dictations start
• Feb. 14 Happy Valentine’s Day!
• Feb. 18 Family Day, no school.

Valentines List

Hannah, Cassidy, Emma, Cole, Emily G, Zorya, Conner, Devon H, Kayanna, Josef, Devyn N, Angus, Benjamin, Olivia, Spencer, Emily R, Andrew, Keaton, Kyla, Chealsey

Have a great February!

Happy New Year!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful, restful holiday.

First up is an announcement about this year’s skating trip. Permission forms will be going home next week for our trip, which is Jan. 22.

Please remember that Dufferin’s Food For Thought snack program runs on Mondays and Thursdays. The students are provided with healthy snacks at the first nutrition break. Please pack your child’s lunchbox accordingly.

Our virtue for the month of January is justice. For each virtue we study we complete a poster showing what that virtue should look like and sound like, and how students feel when that virtue is put into practice. Our posters are on display in our classroom, and we add another each month.

We are once again in need of tissues in our classroom. If you have a box to spare it would be much appreciated. Our noses thank you!

Please read the school’s newsletter (sent home Jan. 8) for important information regarding inclement weather, safety procedures, etc.

Our Show and Tell roster will start again next Monday, Jan. 14. The list will come home in the Friday File.

There are lots of class members coming to school without shoes each day. Please remember that your child requires a pair of indoor shoes for the winter months.

French: The first dictation of the new year will be Friday, Jan. 18. Weekly dictations will start for the grade twos in February. I wish to start an at-home reading program, but require a volunteer to help me organize it. If you have completed the volunteer package and orientation (or are planning to) and have some time to help organize this program, just let me know

Math: We have started our unit on regrouping. We will be continuing to review telling time, as we seem to have difficulty with this concept. At-home practice with analogue clocks would greatly help the students.

Science: Now that the rush of Christmas activities is over, we are finally starting our unit. on movement. Please start saving any "beautiful junk" that you might have around the house. Students will need materials to construct an automobile.

Important Dates:

• Dictees: Jan 18, Jan 31
• Pizza Day: Jan 31
• Skating trip: Jan 22
• Scholastic orders due: Jan 18

Happy Holidays!

We’re getting very excited in the grade 2 room. We have already started preparing for Christmas. Our advent calendars are ready, our letters to Père Noel are sent, and our decorations are being put up. We can’t wait!

Thank you to all my students who did such a wonderful job of preparing for their Show and Tell based on family traditions. We learned some very interesting things about the members of our class. The new Show and Tell list will be sent home in January. The theme this time is our favourite book.

On December 21, we will be holding our class Christmas party. If your child wishes, he or she may bring a treat to share with the class that afternoon. Please remember the Health Unit guidelines. Also, during this party we will be exchanging our "Secret Santa" presents. We will be drawing names and choosing small treats to give each other. All materials/treats will be provided for this activity.

Now that the colder weather is here, keeping track of mittens, gloves, scarves, etc. becomes a problem. Please make sure that all your child’s winter gear is labelled, so that we can keep track of it. Each child must have a pair of shoes to wear in the school. Also, shoe tying is quickly becoming an issue. Please spend a few minutes teaching your child to tie his/her own shoes.

So far this year, we have been learning about and practicing the virtues of respect, gratitude and tolerance. The virtue we will be practicing in December is compassion.

Please make sure to have the third page of your child’s report card signed and returned as soon as possible. Also, please return the bright green form regarding emergency early dismissal information. Thanks!

Our Roots of Empathy baby, John Russell, is a great addition to our class. So far, we have had two visits with him, and we track his growth and development. We have also learned about why babies cry and how they cut teeth. We have one more visit with John Russell before Christmas, and we can’t wait!

Curriculum:

Math: We are getting pretty good at telling time. It would be a big help to have your child practice reading both digital and analogue clocks at home. Our next unit of study is patterning, and then we move on to making graphs.

Social Studies: Our current mapping units will be put on hold during December as we study different celebrations and traditions such as Kwanzaa and Hannukah, how Christmas is celebrated in other places in the world, and how it was celebrated in the past. If for any reason you do not wish your child to participate in these activities, please send me a note in the agenda.

Language: Our reading and writing activities during the month of December will be based on our Holiday themes.

Important Dates:

• Dec. 6/7 Student Led conferences
• Dec. 14 Dictation
• Dec. 20 Open House
• Dec 21 Last day of School!

Have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Lest We Forget...

Since September, Ecole Dufferin has been participating in the Virtues Project. Each month we have chosen a virtue to highlight and practice. In September, our virtue was Respect. During October our virtue was Thankfulness. For the month of November the virtue upon which we will be focusing is Tolerance. This will fit in very well with Remembrance Day.

Our Pumpkin Contest was a great success. Congratulations to our winners Emily, Zorya, Devyn Ben. What a great job everybody did!

After practicing our community agreements and going through our "Tribes Training" we are finally ready to move into our groups. There are four new Tribes in our classroom, and the first month of working together has basically gone well. We are still practicing how to work together without conflict.

Our Food For Thought snack program is finally beginning. Dufferin will be providing healthy, nut-free snacks during the first nutrition break on Mondays and Thursdays. Please pack your child’s lunchbox accordingly. Also, please make sure that your child is sent with any necessary eating utensils. Our supply here at school is very limited.

On Monday, November 19 we will be starting our Show and Tell rotation. The list will be sent home in the Friday Files this week. In keeping with the Social Studies theme of Families and Traditions, we will be sharing an object that demonstrates our family’s traditions and/or culture. Past items have included a traditional native dress, dolls in costumes from various countries, or an item that shows a favourite family activity.

Math: We are currently studying place value.

French: During the month of October we did many reading and writing activities based on Hallowe’en and Thanksgiving. Our dictation results continue to be strong. For the grade two students, dictations continue on a biweekly basis.

English: Now that our diagnostic reading testing is complete, we will now start our leveled guided reading groups.

Science: We have invented our own animals to finish our unit on different animal families.

Social Studies: We have started on unit on Families and Traditions. So far we have designed our family shields and we’re currently working on our timelines of important family events.

Don’t Forget!

• Dictations: Nov. 16, Nov. 30

• Scholastic Order Due: Nov. 19

• Photo Retake Day: Nov. 19

• Remembrance Day Assembly: Nov. 9

• Pizza Day: Nov. 21

• Trip to Safety Village: Nov 21.

Happy Thanksgiving!

It’s hard to believe that this is already the second month of school. We had a great September here in our class.

W e have worked very hard in our daily community circles to learn and practice our four agreements. The students have almost completed their "Tribes Training" and I will soon be changing the seating arrangements so that the students will work together in groups (Tribes).

Please make sure that the Friday Files are sent back every Monday emptied.

During the month of October we will be completing reading and writing activities (both in French and English) based on Thanksgiving or Hallowe’en themes. If for any reason you do not wish your child to participate in these activities, please send me a note in the agenda.

In following with tradition, our school will be celebrating Hallowe’en on October 31. We will be having a small class party on that afternoon. More details to follow closer to the big day!

If you wish to volunteer for a school activity (in the classroom, or on any class trips) you must have completed the volunteer form and a Police Check. Forms are available in the office at the school. You cannot come into the classroom or accompany us on any school trips without this paperwork being completed. If you have any questions please contact myself or Mme. Peters.

Curriculum:

French: Biweekly dictations continue. Please remember the lists are written in the agendas. As mentioned, our reading and writing activities during the month will be based on Thanksgiving and Hallowe’en.

English: During October the students in grade two complete a diagnostic reading assessment. This will help give me an idea of their English reading abilities and help me place them in guided reading groups.

Math: We have completed our unit on 2- dimensional geometry and will be moving on to measurement.

Science: Our unit on animals continues. We will be needing pictures for an upcoming project. If you have old magazines, calendars, etc. with picture of different animals (amphibians, mammals, reptiles, etc.) please send them into the school to help us make our collages of the different families of animals.

Important Dates:

• October 3 International Walk to School Day
• October 5, 19 Dictees
• October 8 Happy Thanksgiving
• October 9, 15, 22, 29 Spelling test
• October 26 Pizza Day
• October 30 P.A Day
• October 31 Hallowe’en

Have a great month!

Mlle. Mew

Welcome back to an exciting new year at Ecole Dufferin! I am so happy to meet all my new students. We are going to have a fabulous year in the grade two room.

I am very excited about implementing the Tribes program in our classroom this year. This is a program that is getting rave reviews in schools all over Canada and the U.S. The program is a way of training the students to learn and work together as a community. It encompasses four Community Agreements:

1. Attentive Listening
2. Mutual Respect
3. The right to pass
4. Show appreciation/No put downs

This first week we have been working on the agreement "Attentive Listening". I am looking forward to working as a Tribe this year!

We have a new friend in our class. The students were very happy to meet Max, our guinea pig. The students will take turns caring for him during the year.

Agendas this year are $8.00. Please make sure that your child has his/her agenda each day. There will be notes, important dates, and dictation lists written in the agenda on a regular basis. If you need to send me a note, please write it in your child’s agenda. I ask that you sign the agenda each night so that I know it’s coming home. I will sign them at school each day.

Your child also needs to be prepared for our mandated Daily Physical Activity. It means that our students will be participating in twenty minutes of physical activity each day. In the fine weather, this will often take the form of outdoor activities, and could include walking around the neighbourhood. Please make sure your child has appropriate footwear for this important part of his/her daily program.

Phys. Ed will take place on cycle days 1 and 5 this year. Mme. Howey has already sent a note home indicating her expectations regarding dress/etc.

Each Friday your child will bring home a "Friday File" filled with corrected work, notes, or work to be completed. Please make sure that the File is emptied and returned on Monday, ready for the next week. This week there is a Scholastic book order form in the file. If you wish to order a book, please send a cheque. I cannot accept cash in payment for Scholastic orders. Thanks for understanding.

Please do not send your child with expensive toys or electronic equipment such as Gameboys, discmans, etc. Also, please leave all Tamagochi games at home. Your child should not bring large binders or a large pencil box, as desk space is limited. The students may bring water bottles to keep on their desks.

Curriculum:

French: To start our year, our dictations will be based on the required language structures for each grade (masculin/feminin, prepositions, etc.) As we move through the year, the dictations will be based on phonics and verb conjugation. The list of words is written in your child’s agenda to be practiced at home. The dictations will be held bi-weekly to start, and will move to weekly after Christmas. Next week in the Friday Files, your child will have a list of all the monthly sight words. We post and review these words in the classroom for use in our reading and writing.

English: As with the French list, the English dictation lists are written in your child’s agenda. These dictations will take place weekly. As the year progresses, the lists become longer and more challenging.

Math: We are starting with addition and subtraction. So far, we’re having fun!

Science: In grade two, we will be learning about the needs and growth of animals.

Important Dates:

• Sept. 14 PA Day
• Sept. 21 First French dictation
• Sept. 17 First English dictation
• Sept. 20 Meet the Teacher Night
• Sept. 24 Scholastic order due

As with the school newsletter, our classroom newsletter will be available on the internet: http://schools.gedsb.net/duf/index.htm

Starting in October, hard copies of the class newsletter will be sent home by written request only.

If you need to contact me, please call the school at 519-752-8232, or email me at lmew@fc.gedsb.net.

I’m looking forward to a great year.