Hello!
I am sorry I have not been posting. I was on a sick leave because I was quite ill, and my doctors were trying to find a cause.
I hope you have all had a great start to 2020.
We are now almost halfway through the school year. Students need to settle in, and work hard to prepare themselves for middle school. They need to take on more responsibility themselves, without constantly being reminded by teachers of routines and what to do. Students also need to work on self-regulation, which means controlling their own behaviour, deciding what they need to do to succeed, independently following success criteria (a list of what they need to be successful on an assignment), and acting as a member of our classroom community.
I know that these students are capable of this. I hope to see improvement as the year goes on.
Sincerely,
Ms. Bordonaro
Thursday 30 January 2020
Wednesday 16 October 2019
We've been busy!
Hello!
I'm so sorry I haven't updated the blog recently. I am dealing with some health issues which make it very difficult for me to work on the computer for any length of time.
I was very happy to meet some parents at the Curriculum Afternoon. If you were unable to come, make sure to ask your child about the letter that was read, and gives important information.
Since the beginning of the year, we have been very busy. We have been on two field trips (one to the National Ballet School and one to the Book Bank/Riverdale Farm), we welcomed our Teacher Candidate from Queen's University, Ms. Philp, we had a character education assembly, did a Terry Fox walk/run, and have worked on many activities in class.
We had a good start to the year, but now students are having difficulties remembering routines, listening to instructions, and completing homework, and completing work in class. Students are also quite behind on the 30 Book Challenge and their Writer's Notebooks. Please check the homework page for information on these two very important homework pieces.
Photo day is approaching, we have a field trip to a hockey game, Progress reports go out in the middle of November, and then there will be parent/teacher meetings. Students must remember that EVERYTHING they say and do in class affects their learning and their grades.
Remember to ask your child what they have done during their day, and ask for specifics.
Thank you for your support of your child's learning.
Ms. Bordonaro
I'm so sorry I haven't updated the blog recently. I am dealing with some health issues which make it very difficult for me to work on the computer for any length of time.
I was very happy to meet some parents at the Curriculum Afternoon. If you were unable to come, make sure to ask your child about the letter that was read, and gives important information.
Since the beginning of the year, we have been very busy. We have been on two field trips (one to the National Ballet School and one to the Book Bank/Riverdale Farm), we welcomed our Teacher Candidate from Queen's University, Ms. Philp, we had a character education assembly, did a Terry Fox walk/run, and have worked on many activities in class.
We had a good start to the year, but now students are having difficulties remembering routines, listening to instructions, and completing homework, and completing work in class. Students are also quite behind on the 30 Book Challenge and their Writer's Notebooks. Please check the homework page for information on these two very important homework pieces.
Photo day is approaching, we have a field trip to a hockey game, Progress reports go out in the middle of November, and then there will be parent/teacher meetings. Students must remember that EVERYTHING they say and do in class affects their learning and their grades.
Remember to ask your child what they have done during their day, and ask for specifics.
Thank you for your support of your child's learning.
Ms. Bordonaro
Wednesday 4 September 2019
Welcome to 2019/2020
Hello parents and students of Room 204!
I am delighted to once again be teaching Grade 5 to this lovely group.
We are having a good start to the year, getting to know each other, and doing activities which set the environment for our classroom community. We will work on classroom agreements which are mutual respect, attentive listening, appreciation, right to participate, and will set goals for being more responsible as Grade 5 students (reading instructions, knowing what to do by looking at the daily Agenda, remembering our belongings and classroom jobs).
This blog is where you will find information about our classroom: reminders, important events, homework, challenges, and what we are doing in class each week. I update it either every week or every second week. Please check back to see what's happening!
I look forward to getting to know students better, and to meeting parents as the year goes on. It is important that we all work together so that your child can be as successful as possible.
Thank you for your support.
Sincerely,
Ms. N. Bordonaro
I am delighted to once again be teaching Grade 5 to this lovely group.
We are having a good start to the year, getting to know each other, and doing activities which set the environment for our classroom community. We will work on classroom agreements which are mutual respect, attentive listening, appreciation, right to participate, and will set goals for being more responsible as Grade 5 students (reading instructions, knowing what to do by looking at the daily Agenda, remembering our belongings and classroom jobs).
This blog is where you will find information about our classroom: reminders, important events, homework, challenges, and what we are doing in class each week. I update it either every week or every second week. Please check back to see what's happening!
I look forward to getting to know students better, and to meeting parents as the year goes on. It is important that we all work together so that your child can be as successful as possible.
Thank you for your support.
Sincerely,
Ms. N. Bordonaro
Friday 17 May 2019
Time is moving quickly!!!!
Hello!
Wow! It's getting close to the end of May. We only have 6 more weeks of school, and then these students will be off to middle school.
We still have a lot of work to do, and students should continue to work hard, and not get the attitude that school is over.
Over the last few weeks, we have had our wonderful Teacher Candidate, Ms. Gordon, back with us. She has done wonderful lessons for probability, and is now doing a novel study. She has one more week with us and then will be going back to Queen's to finish her course work.
We have some exciting things ahead of us, but students need to remember that how they behave affects what we do in class. We have had a lot of issues with people being mean to each other!!!
I hope that the next few weeks are productive and fun, and that we will have great memories of Grade 5.
Sincerely,
Ms. Bordonaro
Wow! It's getting close to the end of May. We only have 6 more weeks of school, and then these students will be off to middle school.
We still have a lot of work to do, and students should continue to work hard, and not get the attitude that school is over.
Over the last few weeks, we have had our wonderful Teacher Candidate, Ms. Gordon, back with us. She has done wonderful lessons for probability, and is now doing a novel study. She has one more week with us and then will be going back to Queen's to finish her course work.
We have some exciting things ahead of us, but students need to remember that how they behave affects what we do in class. We have had a lot of issues with people being mean to each other!!!
I hope that the next few weeks are productive and fun, and that we will have great memories of Grade 5.
Sincerely,
Ms. Bordonaro
Thursday 28 March 2019
Exciting project!
Hello
It has been a very busy and exciting couple of weeks since March Break!
Our class has been lucky enough to be working with a documentary filmmaker, Mr. Buffin to make mini documentaries about truths in the world and in our life.
So far, Mr. Buffin has been in 3 times. He has taught us skills such as how to do an effective interview, and how to properly film an interview. He has also begun to show us how to edit together the footage, so that we tell our stories about our topic.
Mr. Buffin has been very impressed by the work that has been done so far, and we can't wait to see how the documentaries turn out.
Students have been well behaved while he has been here, and have been good listeners and active participants.
I would like students to take this excitement and engagement, and apply it to all aspects of our learning. We have been having difficulty with students not working properly in class, not completing and handing in homework (especially Writer's Notebooks), and being disrespectful to both students and teachers. This needs to change, since they only have a few months left at Thorncliffe Park.
Once the films have been completed, we are working on a way to have a wider audience to view them. I will let parents know if there is an opportunity for them to come and watch.
As always, thank you for your support.
Ms. Bordonaro
It has been a very busy and exciting couple of weeks since March Break!
Our class has been lucky enough to be working with a documentary filmmaker, Mr. Buffin to make mini documentaries about truths in the world and in our life.
So far, Mr. Buffin has been in 3 times. He has taught us skills such as how to do an effective interview, and how to properly film an interview. He has also begun to show us how to edit together the footage, so that we tell our stories about our topic.
Mr. Buffin has been very impressed by the work that has been done so far, and we can't wait to see how the documentaries turn out.
Students have been well behaved while he has been here, and have been good listeners and active participants.
I would like students to take this excitement and engagement, and apply it to all aspects of our learning. We have been having difficulty with students not working properly in class, not completing and handing in homework (especially Writer's Notebooks), and being disrespectful to both students and teachers. This needs to change, since they only have a few months left at Thorncliffe Park.
Once the films have been completed, we are working on a way to have a wider audience to view them. I will let parents know if there is an opportunity for them to come and watch.
As always, thank you for your support.
Ms. Bordonaro
Tuesday 26 February 2019
Good news/bad news
Hello!!
Wow! There is only about a week and a half until March Break. I bet the rest of the year will fly by after that.
The good news is that behaviour in our class has improved. Students are thinking about what they say and do before they act. They are being kinder to one another, and they are working more cooperatively. These skills will serve them well in the future, and I am happy to see this. I hope this will continue for the rest of the year.
The bad news is that submission of work has gotten worse. Students are missing deadlines, not handing things at all, or not following the success criteria given, and getting lower marks than they could. The class is especially forgetful of their main pieces of homework: reading for 30 minutes every day and recording it, and writing their OWN pieces of writing in their Writer's Notebooks twice a week, and submitting it on their day for teacher feedback. Both of these activities will help students improve in EVERY subject.
More good news! We had a wonderful trip to the Aga Khan Museum on February 19 where students explore the gallery for patterns, and then got to make their own clay tile with patterns. The guides at the museum commented on how well behaved the group was, and how insightful their answers and questions were. They were also extremely well behaved on the bus. I am so proud!!! Thank you to the parents who accompanied us.
We are continuing to enjoy Ms. Browne's presence in our classroom. She is doing a great job of teaching Math (patterning) and Language (a biography unit) under my guidance.
I'm sure the next two weeks will be filled with incredible learning, and then we can all enjoy a well-deserved break.
As usual, thank you for your support of your child's education.
Sincerely,
Ms. Bordonaro
Wow! There is only about a week and a half until March Break. I bet the rest of the year will fly by after that.
The good news is that behaviour in our class has improved. Students are thinking about what they say and do before they act. They are being kinder to one another, and they are working more cooperatively. These skills will serve them well in the future, and I am happy to see this. I hope this will continue for the rest of the year.
The bad news is that submission of work has gotten worse. Students are missing deadlines, not handing things at all, or not following the success criteria given, and getting lower marks than they could. The class is especially forgetful of their main pieces of homework: reading for 30 minutes every day and recording it, and writing their OWN pieces of writing in their Writer's Notebooks twice a week, and submitting it on their day for teacher feedback. Both of these activities will help students improve in EVERY subject.
More good news! We had a wonderful trip to the Aga Khan Museum on February 19 where students explore the gallery for patterns, and then got to make their own clay tile with patterns. The guides at the museum commented on how well behaved the group was, and how insightful their answers and questions were. They were also extremely well behaved on the bus. I am so proud!!! Thank you to the parents who accompanied us.
We are continuing to enjoy Ms. Browne's presence in our classroom. She is doing a great job of teaching Math (patterning) and Language (a biography unit) under my guidance.
I'm sure the next two weeks will be filled with incredible learning, and then we can all enjoy a well-deserved break.
As usual, thank you for your support of your child's education.
Sincerely,
Ms. Bordonaro
Thursday 7 February 2019
Hello Again
Hello
I am so sorry for not posting. It has been a very unusual couple of weeks with the weather and with very few students showing up for school. It has been difficult to continue with regular programming, so I was waiting for all students to return.
Students seem to be struggling to settle back into routines and work. It is very important that we focus during class time. We only have 4 1/2 months left here at Thorncliffe, and we still have a lot of work to do.
On Monday, January 26, we attended a really fun hockey game between York University and University of Toronto. Students watched the game, cheered, and generally enjoyed the outing. They also behaved wonderfully, and were terrific representatives of our school. I hope they also related it to their hockey unit in Gym.
On Monday, February 11, we welcome Ms. Browne to our classroom. She is a Teacher Candidate with Queen's University, and she will be with us until March Break (4 weeks). Ms. Browne will spend the first few days observing and getting to know the students, and then will be teaching Math, Language, and possibly some Social Studies and Art. I know the students will treat her with the same respect they would treat all teachers.
Report cards go out next week, and I am only contacting parents who I feel I need to see because of academic or behavioural issues. If you do not receive a letter, it means I am happy with your child's progress.
The rest of the year will probably go very quickly, so we need to focus and work hard.
Thank you again for supporting your child's learning. Don't forget to ask your child specific questions about their school day. For example, ask "What did you do in Math?" or "Tell me about an activity in Language", instead of asking "What did you do at school today?"
Sincerely,
Ms. Bordonaro
I am so sorry for not posting. It has been a very unusual couple of weeks with the weather and with very few students showing up for school. It has been difficult to continue with regular programming, so I was waiting for all students to return.
Students seem to be struggling to settle back into routines and work. It is very important that we focus during class time. We only have 4 1/2 months left here at Thorncliffe, and we still have a lot of work to do.
On Monday, January 26, we attended a really fun hockey game between York University and University of Toronto. Students watched the game, cheered, and generally enjoyed the outing. They also behaved wonderfully, and were terrific representatives of our school. I hope they also related it to their hockey unit in Gym.
On Monday, February 11, we welcome Ms. Browne to our classroom. She is a Teacher Candidate with Queen's University, and she will be with us until March Break (4 weeks). Ms. Browne will spend the first few days observing and getting to know the students, and then will be teaching Math, Language, and possibly some Social Studies and Art. I know the students will treat her with the same respect they would treat all teachers.
Report cards go out next week, and I am only contacting parents who I feel I need to see because of academic or behavioural issues. If you do not receive a letter, it means I am happy with your child's progress.
The rest of the year will probably go very quickly, so we need to focus and work hard.
Thank you again for supporting your child's learning. Don't forget to ask your child specific questions about their school day. For example, ask "What did you do in Math?" or "Tell me about an activity in Language", instead of asking "What did you do at school today?"
Sincerely,
Ms. Bordonaro
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