To read and be read to
what a glorious time children sitting sharing reading staring laughing smiling listening caring Enthralled by the magical world they are entering Watching, as their love for the written word grows taking them to places unknown meeting characters with depth, goals, challenges, adventures Traveling to unknown places new cities new schools new countries new worlds As they sit and read and share these new found adventures They can close their eyes and visualize the places they've been the places they've read about the places that have been described to them This opens up a whole new realm in their existence shared with others, parents, teachers, siblings, classmates, friends. Their love and excitement blooms as they choose another book to read, discover, share, love. Growing their minds, their vocabulary, their experience, their love... of the written word. Poem #2 Oh all about the love of books it started with a simple look what was that on the cover story it was all about his life of glory the little boy with eyes so blue he did not know what he should do he the saw the book inside the door of the new and glorious book store It spoke to him, said "come read to me" you'll never know how this can be my story, it will speak to you I know, I know just what I will do he opened up the big glass door he wandered into the grandiose store he saw that book, that book so fine all he could think was "it should be mine" the words upon each page by page as though from yet another age through all the words, the story told a little boy in days of old he put his money up on the desk he felt that he had chosen best his heart was happy as he walked away with his brand new book to read today he found a place up in a tree and when to another land where he could be immersed in this whole story true it was so obvious what he should do he shared this book with all his friends but did not tell how the story ends his love for all the written word was flying like a soaring bird he just could not get enough his life was never ever rough his heart was living in these books a few magic words was all it took his love for reading grew and grew he shared this love with all who knew that he was just a little boy who once could not read for simple joy And now he likes to find a space to share words with the human race you'll find him sitting in the park and reading by flashlight in the dark his love for reading never wanes his vocabulary , it rains and rains and he will read these books to you he loves them thoroughly through and through this little boy who saw the light and picked up that great book one night he shares his love with all who will listen and closes each one with a tear that will glisten so help that child , give him the lines to open up his wandering mind and he will share this love for you as he reads, which never thought he'd be able to do.
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As you are now aware, I am on Educational Leave for the rest of the school year. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time teaching the lovely students in my class. My studies are well underway and I'm taking 6 graduate level courses.
A big welcome to our new teacher who will be replacing me from January to June 2018. Ms. Ellen Higgins has taught at Island View before and we welcome her back. She is an amazing teacher - professional, enthusiastic, knowledgeable, kind and very approachable. I know that the boys and girls are in great hands. I will still be popping in to the school occasionally and also checking my email so if you have any concerns you can contact Ms. Higgins or I. Have a great term! . I am so excited to be teaching a new grade this year. This will be my first year having a grade three homeroom and I am looking forward to working with the delightful boys and girls in my class as we share this grade three adventure. I am enjoying meeting and working with the sweet and pleasant boys and girls who now have two days of grade three under their belt.
This week we are focusing on getting to know one another, getting settled into the senior wing and learning our school and classroom routines. This is a big step for the boys and girls, especially with an extra hour of learning added to their day. I'm thrilled to say that they are settling in nicely and are keen and energetic learners. I just know that we're going to have an AMAZING year! Another school year is underway and we are off to a great start. The boys and girls have been discussing our IVS Code of Conduct with a focus on respect and routines. We have begun attending our specialty classes and have met all of our teachers. On Friday we had a guest teacher, Miss Hayward.
We have an amazing group of students this year and I can't wait to learn and grow with these wonderful boys and girls. Homework will start this week but keep in mind this will be 20 minutes of nightly reading and a reading comprehension activity. Parents are reminded to do their homework and please return the student information form, privacy policy, allergy police, early dismissal and computer use forms to the school. Thanks for your co-operation! We are beginning spelling this week. The boys and girls will have three spelling lists to choose from and they are encouraged to choose a list that will challenge them. We will also be doing some more writing this week and beginning our new health, social studies and science units for this term. We have lots to learn in grade 4! I can't wait to have a super year with this wonderful group of boys and girls!! It's hard to believe that it's already November! We have been very busy for the past two months and now we will move into a busy schedule as we prepare for Report Cards, which includes demand writing and District Math Benchmarks. Students should be reading nightly and practicing their basic math facts. We have been working on many different mental math strategies and there will be a mental math component on the District Math Benchmark. I enjoyed reading the student recounts of our train trip and these Quick Write activities will be sent home for you to see a sample of your child's writing and to also let you know how they are doing with respect to organization and basic conventions in their writing. In grade 4 students should be adding many details to their writing and they should also be using uppercase letters at the beginning of sentences as well as appropriate sentence endings in all of their writing work. A note will go home this week indicating our parent teacher interview times. Please fill out this form and send it back by the end of the week. Report cards will go home on Monday November 23rd and our Parent Teacher Interviews will be held be held on Thursday November 26th from 3:30 to 6:30 pm and again on Friday November 27th from 12:30 to 2:30 pm. I look forward to meeting with you during this time. Have a super week!
Now that school is well underway we are working on creating routines in our classroom. We have an amazing group of 27 boys and girls. They are a kind and bright group who are very keen to learn actively in our classroom. We have now begun our weekly homework and this week you will find that students should be reading for 20 minutes each night. They are also asked to complete a patterns practice activity as well as a reading comprehension activity. In Math we will continue with patterns and number sense. We will be learning about standard form, expanded form and written form using numbers up to 1000. We will also work on addition and subtraction of 3 digit numbers. Students should know their basic math facts and be able to recall them quickly and accurately. We have also been working on narrative writing pieces. I'm looking forward to reading their wonderful and creative stories. Have a great week!
With a blizzard in the forecast, it's a great time to focus on Family Literacy Day, which is tomorrow. Our school plan is to promote daily reading by having multiple Drop Everything and Read sessions. Daily Literacy is an important part of regular routine and many children don't realize how many things they do that are considered literacy. Some of these are things such as making a grocery list, reading signs as you drive from one event to another, reading to a younger sibling or other family member. Reading is a lifelong skill, which I hope that you and your children will enjoy for years to come.
Today, with the Homework, two notices were sent home. One was a request for volunteer readers to come and share a favorite story or chapter of a book with our students. We would love to have you share this with our class at a time that is convenient for you. There is also a notice with suggested literacy activities. If your child completes 5 of these activities this week, their name will be put in a draw to win a book. Also this week, the second One Minute Book Talk is due. Students should all be reading chapter books for this and the presentations will begin on Friday. My hope is that we will all learn about some great books and that the boys and girls will become more comfortable sharing with their classmates. It is hard to believe that we are almost at the half way mark for our grade 4 year. We are having a wonderful time in grade 4 and I love working with your children. Happy Family Literacy Day! Mrs. Ruigrok As I listen to the wind and rain while I work on report cards, it is hard to believe that two months of school have already gone by. Time flies when you're having fun and I'm having a super time with these amazing boys and girls! We had a super time painting pumpkins this past week. Thanks to everyone for sending in pumpkins. The boys and girls really enjoyed it! This week we will start using our personal spelling lists and we will also continue with some more testing. Report cards will be sent home next Monday so please make sure that you filled in the Parent - Teacher Interview Form if you would like to meet with me. Interview times will be sent home with your child's report card on Monday.
We will have a Fire Safety Presentation on Tuesday of this week. This will include training with the Fire House where children will be shown how to get out a burning building. This week is also Career Week so we will be discussing different careers and a school based Career Fair will take place on November 12th. Keep warm and dry tonight! As we celebrate this long weekend with family and friends I am so pleased to see the friendships blooming in our classroom. Our grade 4 family is a group of very polite, friendly, talented and optimistic boys and girls. I am so proud of the work that they do each day and all of the wonderful things that I see them doing in our school and community.
What are you thankful for? I am thankful for the opportunity to work with such an amazing group of smart, talented and delightful children. Happy Thanksgiving! September is rolling along and we are covering many outcomes in our daily learning. Students are comparing and ordering numbers as well as representing numbers to 1000. Students should be practicing their multiplication facts.
Today we watched a Terry Fox movie in preparation for our school run which is being held tomorrow. We will be discussing heroes and setting goals. On Thursday we will go on our field trip to Crane Mountain Landfill. Students should bring a snack that is compostable or a snack that it is in a reusable container. |