Mrs. Tudjan's Classroom: September 2020

Sunday, September 27, 2020

Sunday, September 20, 2020

We continued to become familiar with class and school routines. Mrs. Hoye selected some students to help create a school wide video on "expected and unexpected" behaviours. We had a class discussion and followed up with one of my favourite stories, HaveYou Filled a Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud. This book talks about how everyone has an invisible bucket and we can fill it or dip into it. We want others to feel good or happy and we can do our part to help with that. Ask your child about this special book.

We continued with "Ways to Make" a special number and counting activities in Math. In Language Arts, we wrote about our weekend and continued with patterned sentences on other topics as well.

In the upcoming weeks, we will be starting "Our Five Senses" in Science and "Belonging to Our World" in Social Studies. Please let me know if your child has allergies, as there will be taste and smell tests later in the unit. We will be talking about what groups that your child belongs to, such as sports, school, family, worship, etc. in the next few weeks as well.

Homework will start this week. Your child will bring home a homework folder on Monday. Please check the homework page on this site for details. It is due on Thursday, September 24th, as there is no school on Friday, 25th.

Library books are due each Wednesday. Students will only receive one book in the upcoming weeks, as we are finding that we do not have enough books to hold for three days, before allowing students can choose new books.

Please find the French blog page. I will add it to my blog soon, so that you can access it more easily.

Saturday, September 12, 2020

September 8th-11th

We have had another busy week in room 11. We continue to practice all classroom and school routines. We were able to visit the Learning Commons on Wednesday and students bought home 1 or 2 library books. We will have library book exchange each Wednesday, so please be sure to return your child’s books, so that he/she can get new books each week.

Our new Physical Education teacher started having physical activities outside with all classes. Students have been having fun practicing Terry Fox laps and learning new animal poses. The French teacher has been focusing on greetings and colours. The music teacher has been teaching students how to sign O’ Canada in sign language and they have been using musical instruments to practice rhythm.

Students have been working on a Social Studies activity “All About Me” where they share how old they are, and their favourite animal, colour and thing to eat. We also created a self-portrait to add to our first day of school pictures. I will try and send you a copy of your child’s portrait throughout the week.

In Math, we worked on “Ways to Make” a number. Students are required to demonstrate understanding of a specific number by showing it in different ways. This has been teacher guided right now, but will become an independent activity soon. Students can use ten frames where they colour the correct number of squares, identify whether the number is odd or even, what number comes before and after, draw a picture of the correct number, draw a number line, dice, number of fingers up on the hand, and tally marks. More items will be expected as we learn new concepts, like addition and subtraction sentences. At this time of year, we also practice printing the number correctly and spelling the word.

Friday, September 18^th is our Terry Fox Run. You should have received an email from Mrs. Taylor. It is a casual day and students can bring donations.

Thanks once again for sending your child to class well rested and ready to learn. Have a great weekend!

Monday, September 7, 2020

September 1st- 4th

It has been a week of learning new routines and adjusting to our new school life. It is great to be back! Students are doing well, considering all the changes that are happening! I am certainly lucky to have such a great group of students!

There are a few reminders and things that can be practiced at home to make this transition more smooth.

· Students should not be wearing sandals, boots or crocks, etc. to school. We wear our outdoor shoes for Physical Education classes and we want students to be comfortable when we have fun outside. (Outdoor shoes need to be easy to run in.)

· Bring a pair of black athletic shoes or black dress shoes that have non-marking soles to wear with your uniform. Gym shoes are also required unless you have a pair of black ones to wear with your uniform. We may need them if we have a rainy day or when PE classes start in the gym again.

· Practice doing up zippers, buttons and other snaps at home so that students can be independent at school.

Also, practice opening containers, Ziploc bags, etc. that are in your child’s lunch kit.

· Practice tying shoes if your child has shoes with laces.

· Practice standing an arm length away from another person. We are trying to do “Zombie Walking” when going through the hallways and outside for social distancing. Students need to hold their arms out straight in front of them and to stay that distance the whole time.

· A leak-proof water bottle, as students can not drink from the fountain. They can refill only.

· Go to bed early to get lots of rest and eat a healthy breakfast before coming to school in the mornings.

· Bring your masks to school each day.

· Please have your child stay home if they are sick. If your child has a pre-existing condition, we need a letter from your doctor, otherwise, we will contact you to pick your child up if they show any signs of symptoms associated with COVID.

Next week, I will include more academic activities in my update. Homework will start during the week of the 21^st. I will send an email prior to it coming to describe details and how to find it on my blog. I am looking forward to a great year! Please do not hesitate to email me with questions or concerns. There is no school on Monday, September 7^th. Enjoy the rest of your weekend! See you on Tuesday, September 8^th.