Friday, September 6, 2013

Grade 2/3 - Parent Newsletter - September 2013

Welcome to 2013-2014 school year! Thank you for the warm wishes and welcome back greetings. We have enjoyed meeting you over the past days. We look forward to meeting with you again, at the PAC BBQ and the Parent-Teacher Interviews, as well as in the halls of the school. We would like to take this opportunity to let you know some of the routines and schedules for our class. If you are interested in volunteering in the class, please let us know, and we will work out a time.

• Schedules:

Ms. Pawliuk – mornings – Language Arts, Math, HECE

Ms. Reilly – afternoons – Socials, Science, PE

Mrs. MacPherson – Tuesday & Thursday mornings - Music

• Gym is taught by Ms. Reilly on Wednesday and Friday afternoons. The students require gym strip on these days. We do Daily Physical Activity (DPA) for the remainder of the week. Students require inside running shoes to participate.

• Our Library Book Exchange is on Monday mornings.

• Scholastic Book Orders will come home throughout the year. This is a voluntary opportunity to select books for your home library at reasonable prices. It you choose to purchase books, cheques can be made payable to Scholastic Books.

• Kleenex: Unfortunately the Fall cold/flu season appears to have started early. If possible, we ask that families donate a box of Kleenex to be used throughout the year.

• Hygiene: With several students in our class having food sensitivities, students are requested to be vigilant in washing their hands throughout the day, especially before eating. Our focus also includes washing of desks. Currently, we are using Jay cloths with liquid dish soap. If you would prefer your child to use sanitizing wipes, we request that you supply fragrance free wipes.

• Food & Scent Sensitivities: McGowan Park is a scent free environment. We encourage students to use products provided by the School District or only scent free products at school (hand sanitizer, lip balm, etc). We also request that students bring nut free snacks and lunches.

• Homework is not generally assigned. Students are expected to read nightly (preferably with an adult, summarizing key points) filing in a Reading Log which will be coming home shortly, review spelling list words, and when necessary review study sheets for quizzes/tests or larger project completion. If your child is bringing home assignments, it is usually because they have not completed these tasks in class. Our preference is to have students complete tasks prior to leaving, but when this is not possible, they may be requested to take the work home.

• Students will start our class Spelling Program next week. Students will have practise work Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesdays with most Post Tests on THURSDAYS. Corrections and oral work will be done on Fridays. Shortened weeks will have some changes made to facilitate holidays or non-instructional days.

• Agendas are an important part of learning good organizational skills. Our class uses brief agenda entries that are supported by our CLASSROOM BLOG, which is located as a link on McGowan’s home page (www.mcgowan.sd73.bc.ca); click on link: Mrs. Pawliuk’s Blog to assist in family communication/planning. We try to sign the agendas daily. We request the students to fill the agenda in completely, show you their completed work, and have parents initial the agenda. Please help your child remember to bring the agenda to school each day. Thank you for your support in learning this valuable skill.

• Information and permission slips regarding field trips will come home as needed. We always appreciate parent supervisors and drivers when going on field trips.

• Art &  Cooking Donation:    Throughout the year we often are able to enrich our programs with art projects or cooking opportunities that compliment what we are learning in class.  We would appreciate any financial support that your family feels able to offer these enrichment projects.

We are looking forward to spending a great year with your child.

Ms. Pawliuk & Ms.Reilly