Happy September to the students and families of Room 207, class of 2022-23! You are receiving this email because your child is going to be joining us on our academic adventure, with our class of grade 4/5 students in Room 207 this year.
This is an exciting time of year for everyone involved in the life of a school aged child, and it is also a busy time, so take a look over the items in this letter, or refer back to it on our blog (see below for info on that) as it is easy to overlook things in the chaos of the first days of school. This year is shaping up to be one that is filled with learning adventures, and I can’t wait to get going on our journey together.
The past summer seems like a blur to me as my three young boys (12, 10, and 7.5 years old) kept me moving from sun up to sun down every day. We did a lot of day treks in places like the Luskville falls, Gatineau Park, and a trip to PEI for a week. We also kept ourselves busy with projects around the house, as we have ripped the back off of our home over the past two years, and I am in the process of finishing up a rather large addition we have built on. Of course I managed to squeeze in enough time to read a few books, and play a bit of guitar along the way.
Getting back to the structure and routine of the regular school routine is something I am very excited about after the past couple of pandemic influenced school years, and I am sure that you are all equally interested in transitioning back to some regular routines. The coming days and weeks will see us rolling into some familiar Churchill clubs, and we have several field trips on the horizon as well.
I am looking forward to hearing about all the summer adventures from the students in the coming days.
To get a quick run down of some important items to be aware of in the opening weeks of the school year please read the following, or check it all out on our class blog at www.alternativeschooladventure.blogspot.com, and contact me if you have any questions.
Class Blog – www.alternativeschooladventure.blogspot.com
Our class blog is one of the most effective ways to stay informed with what is going on in our class (short of stopping in regularly). On it the students and I will post everything from important dates and assignments/handouts, to artwork and pieces of the student’s writing. I will try to send out reminders to check the blog when info has been posted, but you may just want to add it to your “favourites” folder and check from time to time. This will take the place of regular newsletters for the most part. Please let me know if you cannot access the site, or if you do not regularly have internet access and I can make alternate arrangements.
Class Meeting
We all know that education at Churchill relies heavily on the partnership between the school, the student, and the home so in order to start the year off on the same page, parents are strongly encouraged to attend the class meeting. We will be holding ours online, and the date for this is being confirmed with CASC, so stay tuned for more on that.
Communication
If you have information/questions that absolutely must be acted upon in a timely manner, I encourage you to send a note in with your child. Phone calls to the office are a second line of communication, but know that they will not call up to interrupt class unless it is an emergency, and this means I might not collect the message from the office until a break in the day, possibly even the end of the day. When it comes to emails I am generally able to respond to most within a couple of days, and I will not check after the start of the school day until recess or later.
Nut Restricted
Just a reminder that Churchill continues to be a “Nut Restricted” school, in an effort to create a safe environment for a number of seriously allergic members of our school community. More information is available through the office concerning the details of this policy, but basically the main item to be aware of are that students are asked to not bring food to school that contains nuts (especially peanut butter).
Terry Fox Day
The Terry Fox Run is one of the most exciting, and memorable dates on the Churchill calendar. It is typically a great community event that families always enjoy participating in, but this year we will again be holding it on site, and parents will not be allowed to join due to COVID protocols. Even still, please look for forms and pledge sheets coming home. Help us reach our goal. This year we will hold our Terry Fox run on Thursday, September 29th , with a rain date for the following Tuesday. More information will be on the way.
Shoes and Gym
Students will need to have a pair of indoor shoes to wear in class, and the gym starting from the first days of school. Proper footwear for running and playing in the gym is needed from a safety perspective, and in class we prefer not to have outdoor shoes tracking sand, and dirt in our working space, so having footwear that they can switch out of for outdoor time is important. If you can send that along with your child on the first day, it would be appreciated. We have space in our cloakroom area for students to keep their indoor shoes.
Important Dates to Note
Thursday, September 29th - Terry Fox Run @ Churchill
Friday, September 30th - Orange Shirt Day (Raising awareness of residential schools)
Tuesday, October 4th - Photo Day
Friday, November 4th - PA Day
Wish list
Not everyone can make it in-to volunteer for various reasons, but often I am asked if there is anything else that they can do for the class. Here are a few roles that need filling and items that we could benefit from. Let me know if you are able to take care of any of the following “wishes”.
Class virtual guest visitors - The next best thing to a field trip is a virtual guest to the classroom. If you are (or know) a musician, author, journalist, known athlete, work in an interesting profession, or have an expertise you would like to share with the class please let me know and we can arrange a virtual visit.
Public Library Contact - Go online or in person to the Ottawa Public Library every few weeks and sign out/return books for class use based on the subjects being covered.
Regards Ray Kalynuk
and the students of Room 207
