September Newsletter

September Newsletter Bonjour et bienvenue à la deuxième année!  Hello and welcome to grade two! I would like to welcome everybody back to school.  I hope that everyone enjoyed their summer!  There will be lots of great activities and units which we will be learning about throughout the course of the year.  My name is Christine Kovach and I’ve been teaching at VW for 15 years!  This year I am back to full time, after teaching half time for five years while my twins were younger. Mme Sarah Baxter will be the Teacher Resource Link for the grade two F.I. classes and working as the IL2 teacher for French reading intervention. There will be a monthly newsletter coming out at the beginning of each month that will outline what we will be learning about in class.  The newsletters along with other important information will be posted on our classroom blog.  The class address is https://christinejkovach.blogspot.com Please keep in mind that the month of September is a very busy month and that students and teachers are establishing relations, routines and rules in the classroom/school, which are very important focuses. Here is what is in store for September: E.L.A. (English Language Arts): Our biggest goal this month will be establishing and putting in motion “The Daily Five” which is an English program used in the whole division.  “The Daily Five” program is very good and it covers a lot of essential skills in both reading and writing.  During this month, there will be a variety of activities which will focus on getting to know one another, variety of literacy activities and starting with a review of our vowel sounds.  We will also be doing some activities about autumn (little later in the month) and some tongue-twisters.  Français: We will focus on your child’s interests, family and hobbies.  We will also start talking about “l’automne” later this month.  Routines and activities will also be introduced just like in ELA. Sciences Humaines (Social Studies): We will be focusing on “Ma communauté” (My community).  We will be learning about what are the needs in our community and the different types of areas and jobs in our communities.  Sciences de la nature (Science): We will be starting the next science unit in November.  When we start the science unit, we will not be doing a social studies unit and vice versa.  Doing it this way, enables the children to focus better and retain more information about each unit since they are usually quite extensive and this way they are done in a reasonable time, instead of extending two units at the same time for weeks. Mathématiques: We will be graphing and sorting objects by using one or two characteristics.  We will be looking at place value and number sense.  A lot of focus is allocated to number sense and to teaching different math strategies, which are started right from the beginning.  We will be counting, reading and writing numbers 1 to 100 in French (counting in intervals of 1’s, 2’s, 5’s and 10’s).  They will also start to write the number words from 0-20.  Other math routines will also be introduced such as calendar, number of the day, estimation, math games, centres, etc. In grade two, the children need to know how to read and write the number words from 0-20.  They will be receiving a sheet later on to help learn these at home. A time table was sent home with your child that indicates when their Phys Ed, Music and Library classes are scheduled.  In grade two, the children receive agendas and will be writing in them daily.  English Home Reading will commence after Strong Beginnings (Sept. 13 and 16).  French Home Reading will commence in November.  More information will follow at those times about our Home Reading programs. All children need indoor shoes which are to be kept at school.  When the children enter the school, they need to take off their shoes at the entrance and carry their shoes to the classroom (all year round). When going outside, they put on their outdoor shoes at the entrance as well.  Children do not change for Phys Ed in grade two so no need for gym bags. (That’ll start in grade three) Snacks and lunches: The children will be eating a snack after first recess.  To promote a healthy lifestyle, I would like to encourage all children to bring a healthy snack and lunch to school. Toys: Toys and other fun items from home can be very distracting to young learners in the classroom.  For this reason, I ask that all non-essential items remain safely tucked away at home (ex. Pokémon cards, action figures, stuffed animals, etc.) I look forward to a great year and to meeting you at our Information Evening on September 12th with two sessions, one at 4:30 and the other at 5:00.  Please don’t hesitate to call me (489-0995) or write in the agenda if you have any questions or concerns.  If you prefer e-mail (I check it every day), here is my e-mail address: ckovach@pembinatrails.ca Merci, Mme Kovach