week 8

I hope that everyone enjoyed the fabulous Halloween Howl put on by our

week 6

I hope that everyone enjoyed a lovely long weekend!  The following is an update on what's happening and dates on the horizon...

International Women's Month
October is International Women's Month and students are working hard on their biographies about a fierce female.  We are wrapping up research and the final product will be a Google Doc.  Thanks to families for helping out at home by discussing how women have opened doors for others.  I can't wait to read what students have written!

Measurement
Thanks to everyone who returned their homework slip last week; this week's homework is an intro into our measurement unit.  Students are required to use a ruler at home for their work - if you need to borrow one, please let me know.

Social Studies
The Grade 5s are doing their due diligence and preparing to vote at the Federal Election.  Thanks to families for engaging in conversations about party platforms and issues that are important to your family.  We'll be holding a student vote at school; stay tuned for results!  Grade 4s are learning about Canada's region with Mme Hassanle.

Important dates:
Oct 17th - Cross Country
Oct 18th - Track & Field
Oct 21st - Cross Country
Oct 23rd - Clairlea Reads
Oct 24th - Cross Country
Oct 25th - Halloween Howl
Nov 11th - Progress Reports go home

Week 5

We have a lot of uncertainty ahead of us this week; I'm sure we're all glued to the TDSB homepage waiting for news about tomorrow.  While we wait, here's some info...

Marks for language project
Final marks were sent home last Thursday for the Grade 4 "Who Am I" project.  Hopefully students have shared their slide show with you at home; their work is really amazing!  I encourage you to talk about the rubric when you've seen their presentation in order to set goals moving forward and celebrate their successes.  Everyone did a really lovely job; thank you for helping students better understand the history of their names.  Signed rubrics are to come back to me ASAP.

Social Studies
Grade 5s are getting ready for the Federal election!  They're looking closely at party platforms and assessing them against what's important to them and you, their families.  My hope is that you'll take a bit of time to share the issues that are important to your family to help them assess candidates with a "real-life" lens.  Perhaps education, immigration, childcare or the environment are on your political radars?  Thanks for taking a bit of time to engage with them at home about the election.

Field Trip cancelation
While our valuable CUPE colleagues are negotiating contracts, we've had to cancel our upcoming field trip (October 22nd) to the Théâtre Français.  Once job action settles down and we're back to "business as usual", we'll look at putting some trips on the calendar in the near future.

Homework
Math work was sent home with every student on Friday with a note attached, reminding you of my homework policy.  This math work is optional; if you haven't already done so, please let me know if you'd like to participate in math work or not.  Having said that, a friendly reminder that daily reading in French is mandatory; at least 20 minutes a day at home. 

Thanksgiving
Next weekend is an extra long weekend with a PD day on Friday(11th) and Thanksgiving Monday(14th).  Enjoy the 4 days off!

Wishing everyone a good week; bonne semaine!

Week 4

It took 4 weeks but if finally feels like we're settling in!  Thanks to families and students for showing great understanding and patience with our reorganization this past week; our class is now a 4/5 split with 16 grade 4s and 6 grade 5s. 

Some info as we move ahead:

Curriculum night
A heartfelt thank you to families for coming to our Curriculum Night on the 26th.  It was great to meet new families and welcome back familiar faces.  For those who missed it, here is some important info:
- English is taught by Ms. Vlachos-Daskalakis
- Social Studies & Science will be on rotation throughout the year; Grade 4s will go to Mme Hassanle and Grade 5s will stay with me
- a revised schedule is available below
- instructions on how to join "Remind" app are also below

Clairlea Reads
Our school book club has officially started!  Students were given a copy of their books at our first meeting on Friday.  Our first goal is to get to page 70 by October 23rd; students will meet with Ms. Purvis, Ms. Vincent and myself at lunch for a fun meeting

Orange Tshirt
September 30th is Orange Shirt day; don't forget to wear orange to show solidarity for residential school survivors

Terry Fox Run
Last Thursday our school laced up for the annual Terry Fox run.  Students showed a huge amount of spirit and endurance during our run and pushed hard for over 30 minutes.  Fundraising ends for us on Thursday, Oct. 3rd; students had set a personal goal of $20 goal per person - thanks for your support at home in encouraging them to find creative ways to earn a few dollars.

Upcoming dates:
October 2nd - picture day
October 11th - PD day
October 14th - Thanksgiving Day
October 22nd - Field Trip (Théâtre Français)
October 25th - Halloween Howl (evening)
November 11th - Progress Reports

Have a great week!

week 3

We had a very busy week with lots of big things on the go.  Our language project exploring "who we are" was completed on September 20th; oral presentations will start on September 23rd in class.  Thank you for your help at home in providing family photos for these presentations.

Reorganization - Sept. 25th
On September 16th, a letter was communicated to families explaining an upcoming reorganization of students in the junior division.  We are lucky to have been allotted a new French Immersion teacher in order to reduce class sizes in the junior division.  As a result, my class will become a smaller 4/5 starting September 25th, and a second 4/5 FI has been created.  It was a difficult process of selecting almost half of my students to move into a new class.  Academic and social needs were top of list when making these decisions.

I understand there was a mix-up with the letters sent home by the office on the 20th, confirming placements; if you're still unsure whether your child is staying with me or moving to the other 4/5, please email me at christine.trott@tdsb.on.ca.

Curriculum Night - Sept. 26th
In light of our reorganization, our Curriculum Night was moved to this Thursday, September 26th.  This will allow parents to meet with the correct teacher and get an overview of the year ahead.  I'm hoping to see as many families as possible; classroom presentations start at 6:00 & 6:20.  The evening will wrap up at 6:40.

Terry Fox Run - Sept. 26th
Our school Terry Fox Run is scheduled to take place during the afternoon of the 26th.  Students have set a personal goal of $20 in order to reach a target of $600 in our class.  Thanks for your support in helping them reach their goals!

Orange Shirt Day - Sept. 30th
On September 30th, we at Clairlea show our solidarity for Canada's Indigenous people by wearing an orange shirt.  This shirt is a symbol of reconciliation for the horrors that were Canada's residential schools.  For over 30 years, young Indigenous Canadians were forced into government-run schools where they were stripped of their culture, language, pride and human rights.  By wearing an orange shirt we take a stand against discrimination and show our respect for Canada's First People. 

Wishing you all a good week ahead!

Week 2

We had a very productive week, pushing ahead with our language project which we are trying to finish for our Curriculum Night on Thursday!  Thank you to those families who have sent in pictures and helped students better understand the history of their names. 

Some important info...

Curriculum Night
On Thursday, September 19th all families are invited to school for our Curriculum Night.  There will be a BBQ from 5:30 - 6:00 and then you're invited to come and meet me in room 205 where I'll talk about the year ahead.  First info session with me is from 6:00 - 6:20 and the second from 6:20 - 6:40.  I really look forward to meeting as many of you as possible on Thursday!

Clairlea Reads
A newsletter was sent home last week inviting students and families to sign up for our Junior/Intermediate book club.  The details on how our club works and the book pick are all on the form.  Please email me if you have any questions.  This is an exciting club for students and families from Grades 4 to 8.  Hope to see you there!

School Agendas
Every year students receive a school agenda which is used to keep track of our schedule and deadlines.  Our school agendas have not arrived yet so we're really behind.  This puts more responsibility on students to come prepared for library, assignments and various activities.  Please refer to our class schedule to help stay on track until agendas arrive.  Thanks for your patience.

French
The start of the year is always a transition for students and teachers.  The jump to the Junior division comes with increased responsibility and expectations.  A friendly reminder to talk at home about the importance of using French in class at all times.  This is key for success in oral language and helps build vocabulary.  In addition, as per my homework note, French Immersion students must be reading at home every single day for at least 20min.  Students have a chance to borrow French books from our school library every week.  In addition, the Toronto Public Library has a great selection of French books.  Finally, if you're interested in purchasing books that your kids enjoy, you may want to check out Renaud Bray.  Students will have a good sense of what books appeal to them and can help you navigate the site: https://www.renaud-bray.com/jeunesse.aspx  Thanks for your support!

STEM
We had our first STEM class with Mr. Farquharson this past week. We will working with him weekly to build our math and science skills with the help of our school robots.  Coding will be a big component and a great hook to get students engaged with all things STEM!

See you on Thursday!

Week 1

Félicitations - we survived week 1!  I hope that everyone feels good about the start of the year
and has recharged this weekend.

WHO AM I PROJECT

Students should be talking to you about a language project they are working on in class.
This will be a digital presentation to the class where they share their roots, their values and
the people & places that have made them who they are today. Your help in talking to them
about these things would be wonderful. Students will need to collect photos for their
presentation and have been assigned a TDSB Gmail account. Pictures can be sent from a
family member's account to your child's for Monday, September 9th.

The format of your child's email address is: firstname.lastname@student.tdsb.on.ca

If you run into trouble emailing photos, please send them to me: christine.trott@tdsb.on.ca

FIRST DAY PACKAGE

Each student received an envelope with the standard paperwork that is sent home every September.
Please read, sign and return all paperwork as soon as possible. Agendas will be sent home once the
school receives them.

CURRICULUM NIGHT

On September 19th, I'm hoping to meet as many of you as possible at our annual Curriculum Night. We'll have a BBQ at 5:30 and then teacher presentations start at 6PM.

GOALS

Students were asked this first week, what their goals are for Grade 4. Take a peak at their answers:

Have a great week!