As we begin another school year, I am thrilled to guide each of your children through an exciting year of learning. I cannot wait to see what each of your children will bring to our classroom. I believe that each of my students have unique God given gifts that will aid in their success at GCS. In Grade 1/2 we are a team. Daily, we will learn to encourage one another toward success. Our theme this year stems from 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT), which reads, “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” In our classroom we will aim to become the best version of ourselves in Christ through exemplifying the Fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
To stay up to date with our classroom and school-wide activities be sure to check out our weekly blog to stay up-to-date on important school events, special announcements, as well as your child’s weekly assignments, tests, and quizzes. Here are a few things to share with you already:
Your Child’s Teachers:
As the lead Gr 1/2 teacher, I will be responsible for teaching your child Math, Phonics, Spelling, and Social Studies. Mrs. Wainwright is our full-time classroom EA who will work one-on-one with each student to keep ensure that they are doing their best and are keeping up to speed with their learning. Your child will be blessed to have multiple teachers throughout the week for various content areas:
- Mrs. Biech: Library
- Mrs. MacNeill: Science
- Mrs. McGonnell: Bible
- Mrs. Bouter: Art
- Mrs. Wilting: Music
- Mrs. Laird: French & Gym
Important information about our daily schedule:
Gym: Tuesday and Thursday– Students must have running shoes on gym days. These can also be used for your child’s indoor shoes.
Library: Friday — students will be allowed to take out books from the library each week. Please ensure that these books get returned on the Thursday before library class. Students who have not returned their book by Thursday will not get to take a new book on Friday.
Computer: Tuesday and Thursday — We will be using a program called mathletics. Your child will receive a user name and a password for this online program and it can be used at home. It is a great resource to practice their math skills.
School essentials:
In-door shoes: At the beginning of the day each student must take off any outdoor shoes and replace them with their in-door shoes. This keeps our building clean and suitable for learning. Your child’s in-door shoes will stay in their numbered cubby at school. Students must find schools that have velcro straps and must always wear socks. Flip flops are not permitted.
Extra clothes: At the beginning of the school year, and throughout the different seasons, it is very important that you send a change of clothes with your child that we will keep in a safe space if a situation arises for this need.
Snack: Each day we have time allotted to snack time before recess. Please send a small snack with your child each day to assure that they are energized for learning.
Toys and other items:
Students are asked not to bring toys, money and other items from home unless it students have been asked to do so for show and tell or special events or field trips. We do not want your child’s personal items to be lost.
Lunch times:
Unfortunately the grade one and two classroom does not have a microwave. Please do not send items in your child’s lunch that need to be heated. Last year, a lot of parents would heat their child’s lunch in the morning and place it in a Thermos that would keep it warm until lunch time. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns about this.
School rules and classroom expectations:
To create the best possible learning environment for all students, GCS has school wide rules that are expected to be followed by all.
- Obey right away
- Show respect
- Be polite and helpful
- Be prepared
- Take care of our school
Our classroom also has some rules and expectations to make our day run smoothly:
- I follow directions quickly the first time.
- I raise my hand if I want to speak.
- I raise my hand if I want to leave my seat.
- Make smart choices.
Please encourage your child to follow these rules each day.
GCS Family Carnival:
All GCS students and their families are invited to the school grounds on Wednesday, September 13th, from 4:30 PM – 6:30 PM, to kick off a new school year. Grab a snack from our canteen area and try your hand a numerous carnival games. We can promise you that there will be fun for all ages- yes, even you too, Mom & Dad!
Admission to the carnival is free, however snacks can be purchased for $1.00 each (Hotdogs, Hamburgers, Cotton Candy, Snowcones Popcorn, Water).
Families are also encouraged to wear their GCS apparel to demonstrate their school spirit. Each family member wearing GCS apparel can enter their name into a draw for a fantastic prize!
GCS School Spirit T-shirt Orders:
GCS students and families will have the opportunity to purchase GCS Spirit T-shirts on Thursday and Friday after school from 3:00-3:30 pm in Room 202. While purchasing these t-shirts is completely optional, students will be asked to wear GCS t-shirts when competing in Track & Field, Cross Country, and other school-wide events. T-shirts are $15.00 each. Cash or cheque accepted.
More GCS Apparel & Online Store:
Visit our online GCS Clothing store to get all of your school and athletic apparel. Show your school spirit with high quality shirts, jackets, hoodies, and more. Shipping is free and most clothing is custom designed by you! Check it out: http://gracecs.entripyshops.com/
Class Schedule:
Students in Grade 1/2 are very busy throughout the week, and in efforts to make every day run smoothly, we ask that they come prepared for each of their classes. Please take note of their weekly class schedule being sent home in their school agenda.
Homework:
Our Grade 1/2 classroom has scheduled Math and Phonics seat work time therefore the homework given outside of Spelling, Reading, and Bible will be unfinished class work. We aim to keep all students on task during seat work time to keep unnecessary homework at a minimum.
Homework will ALWAYS be: Spelling & vocabulary review, reading for a minimum of 15 minutes, as well as Bible memory work. Any unfinished classwork in Math or Language must also be completed. Weekly Phonics quizzes will be given on Phonics and Math quizzes will be given every Thursday, with Spelling quizzes being administered on Fridays. ESL students will have additional homework from the ESL Department which will be written in their homework agendas.
Each night students will be expected to complete reading homework. The pages students will be expected to read each night will be printed off and stapled inside their agenda for the current week. Students should read through their pages once to themselves and twice to an adult. Repetition of the same passage is the best way to gain fluency in reading. Please listen that they are reading the correct words and are reading fluently. Reading should sound like they are talking to you. Reading homework will not begin right until next week.
Grade two students will start spelling home work next week. Each students will be given their lists and will be expected to write their list out twice each night in their spelling scribbler. Spelling homework is to be handed in every Friday to be checked. Spelling test will also take place of Fridays. Grade one spelling will start the first of October.
Homework folders:
Each student in grade one will have a green homework folder and each student in grade two will have a blue folder sent home every night. This is their homework folder. There are two pockets; the left side is for papers that have been completed in class and can be “left at home.” Please take out all papers on the left hand side every night. The right pocket is for seat work pages that have not been completed in class. Students are given time everyday to complete these pages in class, but for those who do not finish them they must be completed at home and brought “right back to school” to be corrected. Students that do not complete their homework will be asked to stay in at recess to complete it.
Homework bags:
Both of the items above will be found in your child’s green homework bag. When students get their readers and the spelling lists, they will also be located in the homework bag. Please ensure that all items go back in the bag every night as these items are necessary for class each day.
Agenda:
At the beginning of the week your child will write in their daily homework for the week (Spelling, Reading, and Bible memory work). To ensure that students are keeping up with new learning we ask that a parent or guardian signs off each night on the homework that their child has completed. Please do not sign or initial unless you have seen your child complete their daily homework.
Milk Orders & School Lunch Program:
We are pleased to offer the milk program again this year! Beginning next week (Sept 13th), students will have the option of ordering either white or chocolate milk. Orders must be placed a week in advance, with white milk costing $.50 and chocolate milk costing $.75. You may wish to pay for your child’s milk on a weekly basis or pay in advance, a month or two at a time. Milk ordered on Sept 13th will be delivered to the students the following week (Sept 18-22).
Because of our excellent volunteers, we are extremely blessed to have a School Lunch Program. Students may order food selections from various restaurants (soon to be announced) for their lunches. Also, every second Friday, Mrs. Barrett will be selling hot dogs to raise funds for special service missions.
For both milk orders and school lunch orders, we ask that you send money in a sealed envelope. On the envelope, please write the following:
- Name of the student
- The amount in the envelope
- The purpose of the money
Sending in money this way helps the teachers keep orders organized. In an effort to keep our morning routine running smoothly, we will be collecting money for both milk and lunches only on Wednesday morning.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns throughout the year. My email is cjenkins@gcspei.ca
I look forward to meeting each and every one of you. I am excited for what this year has in store and I am grateful for such a great group of students to share it with.
Ms. Jenkins
