Meet the Teacher Welcome and Outline
Here is the grade 5A year at a glance:
THE PROGRAM
Christian Education: we will be focusing on the theme of “Walk with Jesus Our Living Hope”.
We are a community of God’s people, which is the Church, the mystical Body of Christ.
We participate in the celebration of the Paschal Mystery through the Mass.
As exemplified through the lives of the saints, we respond to the call to holiness by living out our vocation.
Community in Christ is fostered through prayer.
In English Language Arts we will use story and essay writing in order to continue to improve upon the students’ writing skills. We will look at several genres of fiction including Mystery, Historical and Realistic fiction. We will also read several novels as a class and the students will have the opportunity to complete several independent novel studies. As well, we will continue to focus on spelling, grammar, and vocabulary skills. The novels that Grade 5 students will be reading include Holes and Pit Pony.
In Math we will build upon the students understanding of number concepts and work to strengthen their basic operation skills. We will explore the topics of fractions, decimals, measurement, financial literacy, geometry, and data analysis. We will also look at different strategies involved in problem solving.
Social Studies: In Grade 5 this year the students will be learning about and focusing on Canada, in particular, Canada’s government and immigration.
Science: The grade five students will look at the complex system of the human body, as well as study about force and motion and the topic of renewable and non-renewable resources. Throughout each unit, the students will have many hands-on opportunities to explore science.
P.E., French and Music:
Skills based programs taught by specialist teachers.
USE OF THE STUDENT PLANNER
Used daily as an important tool:
to help establish and maintain a regular homework routine
to develop good time management strategies
to encourage responsibility for independent learning
to effect communication between parents and teachers
to promote parent involvement in student learning
HOMEWORK
homework is an important component of daily learning
homework will consist of extra practice such as Math Focus Workbook, Communicating Skills workbook (grammar and punctuation), cursive writing and reading.
All projects and assessment activities will be done in class only.
homework needs to have priority and be scheduled as part of the weekly routine, not merely something to be squeezed in among other after school activities
due dates need to be respected; all texts and student work must be brought to school each day
EVALUATION
evaluation is a multifaceted process
follow your child’s progress by talking about his/ her learning, and seeing student work regularly (students are encouraged to take home their books any time and will be posting items in their Seesaw Learning Journals)
students demonstrate their learning through interest, participation, daily and long-term assignments, homework, quizzes, and tests as part of their formative learning
major assignments and summative evaluations will be sent home on completion of units of study; they should be signed by parents and returned to school to acknowledge that you have seen current results
ONLINE LEARNING
Online learning opportunities will be through Google Classroom. The students are taught how to organize and complete assignments, to edit and format documents and other applications, and to understand and respond to evaluation.
Students will be maintaining an online Learning Journal using Seesaw.
Online research tools available to students include World Book Online and WebPath Express (through the School Library catalogue)
Typing Club will be used to practice typing speed and accuracy skills.
THINGS YOU CAN DO TO ENHANCE YOUR CHILD’S LEARNING
continue to foster their spiritual growth at home by helping them understanding and practice their faith daily – journey with them as they deepen their relationship with Jesus
discuss local, national, and international issues to make them more aware of their world and to help them develop opinions and take a Christian stand on current issues
help them become media savvy; take advantage of any programming or learning experiences which will reinforce material being studied in class
monitor internet use
discourage them from over scheduling themselves; although young people this age love to be involved in a variety of sports, cultural, and recreational activities they also need time to just “hang out” with their families and friends.
set up study/work area with necessary supplies
reinforce organizational skills at home by ensuring students develop responsibility for work and materials
ensure your child has a local library card and visit local library regularly for recreational reading and media loans as well as for research materials and homework helps offered by the library
Thank you for taking the time to read this. Should you need to inform me of any issues involving your child please email me at kwilliams@sosschool.ca or leave a message with the school office. I will get back to you as soon as possible. I look forward to a great year working with you and your children.
Sincerely,
Kathy Williams
