My apologies! This was written and sitting as a draft since the beginning of January. Apparently I never published it. I am sorry!!!
Hello and Happy Winter!
What a weekend that was! So much snow! I hope that everyone
was able to stay warm and have a little fun in all that snow.
Well, we are right back into the swing of things. After just a few weeks,
Christmas seems like a distant memory! I hope everyone had an enjoyable
and restful Christmas break. I have noticed the children have returned
refreshed and ready to go.
In Our Class
As the New Year has just begun, we have taken some time to discuss
resolutions. We discussed about how people use the turning of the New Year
to set a goal for themselves, to try and improve on something. Some great
examples were learning to play an instrument, reading more and practicing a
sport.
Throughout the past two weeks, each student set a few goals for him/herself.
The idea is to discover how each student will shine!!! We really want to focus
on looking at steps they need to take to meet their goals. Ask your child about
what they are looking to improve on.
We are currently reading the story, The Mitten. It is a lovely story written by
Jan Brett. We are using this winter text to discuss sequencing, comprehension,
vocabulary and elements of a story. The students have done a great job looking
at the characters, the setting, the events of the story, and how the story begins
and ends. We will also link this book to some fun writing!
As this week is fairly busy already and we have many learning activities
planned throughout the week, we will continue to practice our word wall
words from last week. We did not give them enough time last week, and I feel
like one more week would be beneficial in learning to read and spell these
words. If your child has mastered their weekly words, please feel free to review
previous words as well. We have spent some time reviewing many of the word
wall words that we have learned throughout the year. We will have new words
to focus on next week.
Report Cards and IEPs
Shortly, (mid-February) you will be receiving the Term One report card. Don’t
forget to look for the Language development and Self-Advocacy comments
that are directly on the IEP.
Next Year
If I have not yet already, will soon be speaking to each family about plans for
next year. I will leave it to parents to discuss our decision with their children at
home, as parents tend to discuss this at different times. Some children will
however be talking about this issue at school, so don’t be surprised if the
children come to you with questions. As the paperwork comes home, please
sign and send it back as soon as possible. Thanks!
More Learning!
Many people have asked about different apps for iPads and tablets for the
students to work on at home. Here are some that I think are useful tools.
Some are free and are to be purchased, although they usually have a free
version!
- ABC Pocket Phonics
- Farm Phonics
- Phonics Genius
- Starfall
- ABC Ya Games
- Raz Kids (same login as on the computer)
- Sentence Maker
- Sentence Constructor
- Draw, then WRITE
- Say that thing
- Pixwords
- Word Match
- Please ask me if there is something specific you would like help looking for! I am always happy to search for new apps and try them out!
Just a reminder that winter weather is cold and wet! Please make sure that
they children are dressed appropriately.
This will be a busy month, so stay tuned for more information!
Again, I wish you all a Happy New Year!
Stay warm and dry!!
Sarah Faloon
