Good Sunday Afternoon Parents,

Time is certainly going by quickly.  We are already heading into our third full week together.  It has been a pleasure working a long side each of your children and watching them as they are learning and growing together each day.

Here are a few things to keep in mind as we head into next week.

GCS Lunch Program

The GCS Lunch Program will run every WEDNESDAY with the exception of a new Kings BBQ option which will be available to students in grades 4-12 every Thursday.  Order forms will be sent home each Friday. All orders must be returned to your child’s homeroom teacher by the following TUESDAY by 10 AM. Although lunch forms will be sent home each week to indicate the options available, parents may also wish to check our online school calendar to plan ahead.

Menu items will include:

  • GCS Café: Popcorn Chicken & Ice Cream – $4.00
  • Little Caesar’s Pizza: Slice(s) of Pizza & a Cookie – $4.00
  • GCS Café: Rice & Meatballs – $4.00
  • Kings BBQ:
    • Option 1: Chicken Fried Rice & Spring roll – $6.00
    • Option 2: Shanghai Noodles & Spring Roll – $6.00

Spelling Homework: 

On Monday your child will be sent home with their first spelling list. Originally we were not going to start spelling homework until October, but your students are quite familiar with their short vowel sounds and  consonant sounds and are ready to begin practising spelling words.  However, we will not have our first spelling test until Friday, October 5th.  This will give students two weeks to prepare for their first test.

Spelling lists will be sent home in a white folder which includes all the spelling lists your child will learn this year.  For October 5th, students will need to know List # 1.  Each night, starting on Monday students will be required to review their spelling list.  Students may choose to write out their list twice each night in the blue notebook provided or they may choose one of the alternate ways at the bottom of the page to practice their list.   If your child chooses one of the alternate ways, please indicate in the blue notebook the date and the way your child practised their list that night.  Spelling homework notebooks will be checked each day to ensure your child is  practising their list.   A weekly homework grade will be given.

Milk Program

Orders for milk are also collected on Tuesday mornings. If your child is purchasing 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.

PD Day- No Classes

As important as it is for your children to be learning and growing academically, so to is the case for us teachers.  On Friday, September 28th, students will not have classes as the teachers from GCS participate in a professional development day.

Reading Group and  Assessments:

We have been working hard in reading group to review  short vowel words and blends and reading simple sentences that contain short vowel sound words.  In Grade One, one of our main goals is to give students the skills they need to accurately decode words quickly so they can read fluently and with understanding.  Throughout the year your child will have one on one assessments with me to help determine their level of accuracy, fluency and comprehension.  These assessments also allow me to see the kind of support or enrichment your child will need to help them grow in their reading skills.  The first one on one assessment will take place throughout this week.  It will be based on your child’s ability to read short vowel sound blends and words accurately and fluently,  as well as simple sentences containing one vowel rule words.  Reviewing the red pages in the Handbook for Reading will help prepare your child for this assessment.

Looking forward to a great week ahead.

Mrs. Barton