It was a pleasure to meet so many parents during the parent-teacher interviews.

One thing that came up a lot was that students are not reading at home.  The most important homework to do is 20-30 minutes of reading, and writing in the Writer's Notebook at least twice a week.  I am finding that students are struggling with Grade 5 level reading, and their writing lacks the mechanics (capitals, punctuation, paragraphs) that they should be showing at this level.  We will be working hard at this for the rest of the term.

Winter Holidays are in a few weeks.  I hope that students will remember that we still have a lot of work to do!

We have been doing some interesting things in class.  Ask your child about the books we have been reading on the theme of change, the data management project, the Wampum strings we made, and the ideal classroom they made in French.  It's important that you share in their learning.

Tomorrow is December, and soon it will be the New Year!

We still have so much exciting learning to do this year!

Ms. Bordonaro

Where is the year going?

Wow!

October is almost over!  Today is photo day, and students are looking great.  I can't wait to see what the class photo will look like.

Tomorrow, we will do some pumpkin related activities to recognize a Canadian tradition of carving pumpkins.  Students are invited to wear costumes in the afternoon, if they wish, but it is not mandatory.  We will also be having some fun, and sharing some treats.  Students are asked to bring a peanut-free treat to share.

Progress reports will soon be here, and then parent/teacher interviews.  The year is flying!

One thing I have noticed is that many students are not reading daily, and are not doing their twice weekly writing.  THIS is their homework.  This is the most important thing they can do, not worksheets or extra questions.  PLEASE encourage your child to read EVERY day for at least 30 minutes, and to write on their own in their Writer's Notebooks twice a week.

Ask your students about the media unit Ms. Martin, our Teacher Candidate, is teaching.  See if they can tell you about the books we have been reading in class.  Have them explain the different graphing activities.  Find out what they are doing in class, not just from this blog, but from them.

The weather is colder now, so make sure your child is dressing properly, and don't forget those indoor shoes!!! They must have clean, dry shoes to wear inside, especially in the gym.

The way the year is going, it will be Winter Break in not time.

Thanks for your on-going support.

Ms. Bordonaro

Update

Hello!

I'm so sorry that I haven't updated the blog lately.

By now I'm sure you've heard that we welcomed Ms. Martin, who is a Teacher Candidate from Queen's University.  Ms. Martin is in her first year of a 2 year programme, learning to be a teacher.
She will be doing some large group teaching, working with small groups, and teaching students one-on-one.  It is so wonderful to have her in our classroom helping our students.

Students have been working hard, but they love to chat, and are taking a long time to do tasks.  I hope that as the year goes on, we will complete assignments more quickly.

Although it is now fall, we have had some unusual weather.  Make sure you and your child check the weather in the morning, and that students dress appropriately for the weather.

Many students are not doing their nightly reading.  By now they should have about 4 or 5 books read and recorded in their Language notebook.  They should also be writing twice a week in their Writer's Notebooks on their own, in addition to what we do in class.  This is their most important homework.  Please ask them about it.

Next week, we will be participating in a Terry Fox Walk/Run event.  We are asking students to bring loonies and toonies to donate towards cancer research.  I'm sure the students have learned about Terry Fox.  Ask them to tell you who he is.

Progress Reports and interviews will be coming up in November.  Keep an eye out for information on that.

Enjoy the fresh autumn air!

Ms. Bordonaro

Welcome!

Hello parents and students of Room 204, 5C:

We have been together for 3 weeks, and the year is starting off right.  We are learning routines, starting curriculum, and getting some work done.

I am enjoying getting to know everyone, and look forward to learning even more.

I consider our classroom community as a 3-way partnership with student/teacher/parent.  Please let me know if you have concerns by writing me a note.  I will respond as soon as I can.  Students should also know that they can come to me with problems or questions.  I want this to be a wonderful year, and I want all students to feel safe, and experience success.

I had technical problems with this blog last year, but I have now figured out what went wrong, and I hope to update the blog weekly, or at the very least, bi-weekly.

If you follow the blog, you will be e-mailed when changes are made.  I try to post reminders, what's going on in class, homework, websites to use, challenges, special events.  Students can make comments (as long as they are respectful and appropriate) and ask questions.

I am looking forward to a wonderful year of learning and growing.

All the best,

Ms. Bordonaro

Technical Difficulties

Hello Parents and Students of Rm. 204:

I am having difficulty accessing the class blog. I will update the whole blog when I solve the problems.

We have had a good start to the new year, and I will let you know what's been happening when I can.

Thank you.

Ms. B