September 8

th
, 2014


Chers Parents:

We are into our second week of school and I hope you are beginning to settle into the routine of things!


Reminder

Please send me a note at your convenience with your email address should you wish to receive classroom
newsletters and updates via email.


Important Dates

Please mark your calendars for Thursday, September 11
th
, the date of our Open House. Teachers will be
available in their classrooms from 5:30-6:30. Parents will have the opportunity to meet teachers, have a look
around the classroom and ask questions about the curriculum. Unfortunately, due to the lack of privacy, I am
unable to answer questions about individual students progress on this evening.

On Wednesday, September 17
th
at 9:20 a.m. we will celebrate our first school mass. You are welcome to
join us next door at Our Lady of Czestochowa.

Thursday, September 25
th
is our annual Terry Fox Run. Please send students to school dressed
appropriately to run outside. We are once again collecting Toonies for Terry.

Friday, September 26
th
is a Professional Development Day. Please make alternate childcare arrangements.


Classroom Behaviour

In our class, I use a color-coded stoplight system for tracking student behavior. Students begin their day with a
green light. If a student breaks a classroom rule and receives a warning, s/he must change to a yellow light. If
a student receives a second warning in a day, s/he must change to a red light. Should a third warning be
received within that day a privilege will be lost. Each afternoon, students will be responsible for recording
in their agenda the colour of the light they landed on. Please discuss any incidents at home with your child.



Homework

Today, I will begin assigning weekly packages of activities to practise French letter sounds. Students will be
introduced to the activities on Monday mornings and will have the opportunity to begin the activities in class
with my guidance. Incomplete work is to be completed at home and returned to school the following Monday.
You will find the package in a duotang entitled Les sons.

Next Monday (September 15
th
) we will begin our weekly French spelling dictations (dicte). 3-4 words will be
assigned each Tuesday. The dicte will take place the following Monday. We will practice these words at
school, however students are also expected to review them at home. The first series of spelling tests will
review the spelling of numbers. Please find this weeks dictation list attached in your childs agenda tomorrow
(September 9
th
).

I am also providing you with a list of English sight words that students should know by the end of grade one.
Due to limited English instruction in a French Immersion setting, I ask that you please review these words
regularly with your child. These words are no excuse words. Students should be using them correctly in
written tasks. It is helpful to point these words out when you are reading with your child.

Curriculum Update


Math: For the next while, our focus in Math will be on exploring numbers to 30. Students will read and print
numbers and number words, count objects, compare quantities, and describe numbers. We will also look at
numbers around us on our calendar, on book pages, and in many other places in our classroom and at
school. You can support your child at home by trying some of these activities:

Read counting books together
Let your child count the utensils you need to set the table for dinner.
Play card games such as Go Fish and War, where players need to match and compare numbers.
Build towers out of blocks and count to see how many blocks are in each tower. Which tower has
more? How many more?

Language: In French, we will be reviewing vowel sounds and colour vocabulary through song and shared
reading of short texts and poems. Students will also practise introducing themselves during oral language
centre activities. In English, students will be working with groups of words that have a common feature or
pattern, called Word Families. We will also be reading a shared text. During French and English Language Arts
instruction, students will meet our first reading buddy, Peter Peguin, who teaches us to predict the content of a
text based on the illustrations. Students will also be introduced to our second reading buddy, Eagle Eye, who
reminds us to look at the pictures in a book to find clues to help us read unknown words.

Religion: Students will explore the theme of belonging. Through play, discussion and story, students will enjoy
the newness of being together, discover more about one another, create a space where they feel at home, and
give thanks for our special place.

Family Life: In the first theme, we will explore the gifts of creation, and, especially, the gift of people. Students
will discover that each person is unique and has likes and dislikes. They will also learn that we all have feelings
and that we all grow and develop.


Book Orders

You may wish to order reasonably priced books for your child in English or in French, using the flyers sent
home monthly. Cheque is the only method of payment accepted and should be made payable to Scholastic
Canada Ltd. A reminder will be sent home via the agenda as to when book orders are due.

Please feel free to email me at aspence@office.ldcsb.on.ca with questions or concerns that are not time
sensitive (ie: please do not email me in regards to absences, changes to regular drop-off/pick-up routines, etc.)
as I may not have time to read my emails before the end of the school day. Alternatively, you may contact me
by phone at the school (519-675-4420).


Thank you for your ongoing support and communication.


Mme. Spence