Division 4s Handbook

2013 / 2014 School Year

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Introduction
Welcome to the 2013 /2014 school year at Sunnyside. We are scheduled to be a Grade 4/5/6 Montessori again class this year. At the moment we are hovering around 26 children. I have been an elementary school teacher since 2000. Before that I was an ESL teacher, an administrative assistant for an educational institute in England, and a proofreader for the educational department of an accounting association. In my thirteen years with this district, I have taught all of the intermediate grades, as well as French as a Second Language. This is my seventh year at Sunnyside. I have taken several courses in Montessori theory with the Western Montessori College. I am married and have no children. In my spare time, I enjoy working on craft projects, golfing, and working in my garden. My husband is a teacher as well as a captain in the Canadian army. Occasionally, he is away for extended periods of time serving our country. I am looking forward to meeting all of you this year and to working with you to further your childs education. Please make sure to stop by the school and introduce yourself at your earliest convenience. This year we are also privileged to have a student teacher join us until December. Mrs. MacKay will send home her own letter of introduction at a later point in the month.

Contact Information
Our school district has a parents as partners philosophy and we would like you to think of us as partners in facilitating your childs education. As partners, we need to communicate frequently. I will communicate with you through: five report cards a year (three formal and two interim) daily website notices http://mrsyoosfroglets.weebly.com/ notes in your childs planner a copy of many assessments (quizzes, etc.) sent home for your signature phone calls

Please feel free to communicate with me. Here are some good ways: notes in your childs planner drop by after school phone calls to the school. Please note that Sunnyside does not have voicemail, so please leave a message with the secretary during school hours. Email [email protected]

I will make every effort to speak with you as soon as possible. Please be patient and realize that some times are better than others (due to staff meetings, committee meetings, etc.). If I take a few days to return your email, I apologize in advance.

The Montessori Philosophy

Maria Montessori developed an ingenious educational philosophy a hundred years ago. She did extensive research and implementation with children, especially those in the First Plane of Development (0-6 years old). Our Intermediate Program at Sunnyside is based on the philosophical beliefs of Maria Montessori, combined with what professional experience has taught us about children in the later half of the Second Plane of Development (712 years old). Here are some of the hallmarks of our program: 1. A prepared environment. I have endeavoured to create a rich, stimulating classroom environment. Students are encouraged to explore the materials set out in the various centre areas, participate in hands-on activities, and choose from our extensive classroom library. 2. An awareness of the cosmos and our place within it. We begin the year by looking at the Big Picture. We will talk about the Big Bang, the coming of life, and the development of human language and mathematics. 3. A choice of work to do, but not the choice of doing no work at all. Students are given choice of activities, within prescribed limits. As the schedule allows, we work towards having extended periods of centre/choice time in the afternoons. Some students choose to use this time to read, to do homework, or to explore the centre areas. 4. The option to use concrete materials, while working towards being able to work abstractly. Intermediate students receive math worksheets for several reasons. One of them is to acknowledge their readiness to move to a more abstract level of working. Another is to begin preparing them for high school. Finally, students often require more practice than time at school allows and worksheets enable them to take their work home. 5. The ability to explore a desired subject in depth. I provide the minimum that students must do, the child determines the maximum that they

wish to pursue. 6. Respect and care for the environment through participation in regular duties and proper use of the Montessori materials . Students are expected to do daily chores to take care of our classroom environment. These chores are changed every two weeks, and students can expect to do all duties at least once through out the year. 7. Development of graceful courteous manners and culturally appropriate social skills. We acknowledge each other at the door daily because this is an important life skill. We teach students to greet all visitors to the school and classroom. We focus on nine essential Virtues Clusters as a school. 8. Development of discussion, problem-solving, and analysis skills . We have weekly class meetings. In these meetings students have a chance to make decisions about the way our class is operating and to resolve issues. These meetings start out highly structured in September, and become very student-centered by May. The format is always the same. An issue or idea is presented. Students speak about the issue. They say whether they are for or against it and why. A vote is taken (secret or not is determined by the class). If the idea is passed, then the class decides how to implement it. Students have a chance to propose topics throughout the year. Some of the things previous classes have discussed and implemented have been Multicultural Days, Homework-free Weekends, solutions for various student friendship issues, etc. I firmly believe that these meetings help to promote life and leadership skills in students. They feel empowered and begin to take a more active role in their education.

Our Theme for the Year

The Intermediate classes at Sunnyside are on a four-year cycle encompassing all of the provincial Science and Social Studies curriculum. The cycle is: Year One: Year Two: Year Four: Ancient Civilizations Canada First Nations/ Environmental Stewardship

Year Three: Cultures of the World

This year is Year Three of our cycle. We will be meeting our required curriculum, both provincial and Montessori, through this lens. Topics we will address include Canadas relations to other countries, the United Nations, other cultures, extreme environments, the Kingdoms of Life, and chemistry. As well, every second year we have an Intermediate Speech, usually in the second term. The months of January to March will be very busy as we prepare for this event by researching, writing, and presenting our speeches.

Homework
A little bit of planning now will reap huge rewards in the coming year. Here are some essential things to consider: Please account for a sixty-minute block of homework time 5 nights a week. It is NOT required that this is all in one sitting. If you have this in place at the beginning of the year, it will be easier to maintain throughout the year. Additionally, there will be less arguments about homework if it is the expectation that your child spend one hour a night either doing homework, or if none, reading.

A suggested break down looks like this: 5 minutes of basic math skills review ( +, , , ) if your child has not already mastered these facts. This can be done through flashcards (available at the dollar store), games, computer programs, etc. 10 minutes practicing weekly spelling words and doing language work 30 minutes to finish up any unfinished in-class work additional time for any projects READ!!! Anything! Many people have the idea that they should only encourage their child to read thick novels. We want your child to love reading. Comic books, the newspaper, cook books, bike manuals, etc. It doesnt matter! Please encourage your child to read. The best way is to be a model yourself. Let them see you engaged in reading and they are much more likely to read themselves.

*** If your child is facing more that this amount of homework regularly, there is a problem and we need to meet to discuss what is going on. Please contact me and we will find a way to solve the problem. Your child needs a quiet place to study. It needs to be away from distractions like the tv, computer, etc. Sit down with him/her and decide where that will be. Make sure it is equipped with the supplies they will need. Although our culture has this idea that studying must be done alone in a quiet room, often this is not the best idea. Some families have found that it works best for them to have an agreed upon nightly time when everyone is working quietly. Mom and Dad might be reading the newspaper or doing some work they brought home. Siblings are reading or doing homework. This models good habits for the students who are new to studying.

Your child needs a set time for homework everyday. This way he or she knows that this time is always reserved for homework and theres no getting around it. Everyone else in the family knows it too and there wont be any last minute pre-bedtime panics about homework. If your child has no homework that night, besides review, use the time to play a game or read a book together. You would not believe how many children tell me that they look forward to this scheduled time with their parent. Your child will write his or her homework in their planner daily. I will check and sign it. If there really is no homework, I will make sure the planner says No Homework before I sign it. Otherwise, your child has the homework that is listed in the planner. Please check and sign this every night. When your child has trouble, help him or her without giving the answers. Instead, give clues such as Reread the third sentence to find the answer or The question asks for a total. Does that mean the numbers all together or only the number left over?. Reinforcing these problem-solving skills will help your child become an independent learner. Have your child take three minutes nightly to pack everything they need to take to school into their backpack. That will save the morning panic and the I left it at home excuses that we hear in great abundance daily.

Additional Information
Backpacks Chiropractors are warning that students, even as young as elementary, are at risk of injuring their backs by carrying too much weight. We find that a lot of students carry too much unnecessary stuff. Spend a few minutes working with your child nightly in September to make sure they are only carrying what they really need. Getting them into this habit will go a long way to preventing back problems. As well, please take a moment to make sure that your childs backpack is properly adjusted. Students should always carry their backpacks with two straps, not just with the one. Computers We continue to be committed to incorporating technology into the students learning environment. Students will be working on laptops and ipads to word-process and create projects, research data, and learn to touch-type. This is why students need to have a minimum of 2GB memory stick to transfer data. As well, we will hopefully be setting up the students email addresses and access to the Surrey School District server this year. Fieldtrips As in every year, we will be going on fieldtrips, both related to our studies, as well as a few fun ones. As we rely heavily on parent-drivers for many of our fieldtrips, this requires that forms be returned early enough that I can co-ordinate rides, and give the drivers advanced warning if they are not needed. Therefore, I will be insisting that students have their permission forms returned 24 hours before the actual day of the fieldtrip. If this is not the case, then students will be remaining in the school in another classroom during the fieldtrip. If your child misplaces their form, you may always sign permission in your childs planner or send me an email to allow them to attend the fieldtrip. 9

Additionally, please make sure that you send any money for the fieldtrip when it is due. As you can imagine, no teacher enjoys nagging adults to send in money. Any time spent doing so takes away from what I can do in the classroom. If there is a financial reason why you are unable to pay immediately, or not at all, please contact myself or the principal. There are funds for such cases. It is traditional that students in the Montessori program go on an overnight experience yearly. Please watch for more information this fall on this opportunity. Food A healthy snack and lunch are very important for having enough energy to learn. We are encouraging students to pack lunches that have a minimum of artificial sugar. We are also asking that snacks be packed in reusable Tupperware, in an effort to reduce garbage found on our playground. We are also a peanut-aware zone. Please try to remember not to include peanuts and peanut-butter products in your childs lunch. Illness If you child is significantly ill, please keep him or her at home. Students cannot learn when they are feeling well, and other students are at risk of catching whatever your child has. If students are away due to illness, please phone the school Secretary to let her know. I am very open to accommodating additional deadline extensions for students who are legitimately ill.

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Indoor shoes Students need to have a pair of indoor shoes. Please send them with a pair of slip-ons. Students will not be allowed to wear only socks or bare feet this year. P.E. We will have P.E. twice a week. We will also participate in Circuit as often as possible. As well, the B.C. Government has decided it is important for all children to be active a minimum of 30 minutes a day. We will be attempting to meet this goal by running outside daily on nice days. Please ensure your child has appropriate shoes everyday. This especially applies to girls. If they are wearing flip-flops or dress shoes, they need to also bring runners. Schedule Students will be receiving two copies of a weekly schedule next week, after it has been confirmed. One copy will go in your childs planner and one will be available for you to put on the fridge or family bulletin board. This is useful to use nightly for planning for the next days activities, especially classes such as music and library that require supplies brought. Supplies At the beginning of the year, we collect a $5 planner fee. This year we have been instructed that parents are required to purchase supplies for their child. The supply list has been distributed. You can get another copy from myself or from the website. Please follow that list. Deviations will make it difficult for the classroom to function. The Montessori Primary program focuses on shared supplies as a way to

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teach teamwork and group responsibility. At this level, I firmly believe that students need the opportunity to take care of their own individual materials. However, I will be collecting some of the supplies to reduce the amount of supplies in pencil cases and desks. I will be distributing them throughout the year, as no child needs to have 20 pencils in their pencil case all year. Students are expected to take care of their supplies and to use certain supplies for the extent of their time with me. Please remind your child that this is an opportunity not only to practice responsibility for their own supplies, but it also fits in with our focus on environmental responsibility. Telephones Students are not permitted to use the classroom telephones for anything except emergencies. The Secretary will not forward your call during class time for anything other than an emergency.

Recommended Reading An excellent book to skim is The School Solution: Getting Canadas Schools to Work for Your Children by Paul Kropp and Lynda Hodson. It is available at the Surrey Library, with the call number of 370.1931 KRO. I would highly recommend that every parent read this book.

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