Welcome to Clayburn!

September Newsletter

Introductions

Welcome to Clayburn students and parents!

I’m pleased to be at Clayburn again this year, and look forward to teaching and learning with a great pod.

Your child will have two homeroom teachers as well as four Explorations teachers throughout the year. Students will have one Explorations class/teacher per term.

In middle school both homeroom teachers teach the curricular classes. I will teach 3 curricular classes and Mr. Muller’s replacement will teach the other 3 curricular classes.

Ms. Burrows’ Subjects:

Language Arts, Socials, Careers

New teacherSubjects:

Math, Science, French

(subject to change)

Together we will teach:

PE

Fitness

As Pod teachers, we will be in contact with each other on a daily basis to keep up with our students. We look forward to working together with you this year!

Reversing the Summer Slide!

It’s common for students’ skills to slip slightly over the summer. Help your child regain ground, using these strategies:

  1. Find Your Groove. Getting back into a routine can be difficult after a summer of staying up late and sleeping in. We all feel it the first week and it shows up on our faces and in our work if we don’t tackle it on the spot. So, set those schedules and alarm clocks! We’re back.
  1. See What’s for Homework. Get text notifications for Ms. Burrows’ subjects. Text the message @pod6c to the number (289) 270-0887. Students are also expected to write homework in their Student Planners each day as a back-up. Homework will be posted specific to their homeroom (C1 or C2) and can sometimes be different from one homeroom to the other.
  1. Taking time – even just 10 minutes – to go over your child’s planner and assignments will let your child know you care about their work and help keep you in the loop on projects, school events, and any missing assignments. Ask your child questions – they know what’s up! Students will also be using GOOGLE CLASSROOM. You will be given a parent code in the upcoming weeks so that you can check what’s up in GOOGLE CLASSROOM. It allows you to have a look at our online work and their work/progress on some assignments.
  1. Get Involved. It’s been proven that when parents are actively involved in their child’s education, reading and writing skills improve. Check planners daily and the quality of your child’s homework before signing!
  1. Read, Read, Read. When parents read, children are more likely to read. Allow your child to choose their favourite reading material, whether its magazines, comics, or novels. Our goal is to see all students reading levels increase this year. We need your help to make this happen.

Term 1 –

Unit Plan Overview

Ms. Burrows’ subject areas:

Language Arts:

Writing: Sentence structure, daily grammar, and paragraphing. We will start with the first of the 6 Traits of Writing: IDEAS.

Reading:

Various short stories and excerpts

Vocabulary Building:

Weekly Word Wall

Social Studies:

Mapping / Human Geography

-Why do the majority of people in the world now live in urban centres?

-What are the advantages and disadvantages of urbanization?

Global Poverty and Discrimination Issues

-How does discrimination and prejudice in modern Canadian society compare with that during other periods in Canada’s past or in other societies?

Careers:

Self-Regulation

Project School Wellness (Emotional and Mental Health – Inside Out)

Goal Setting

Classroom Plan – parents please review. Rules are meant to provide a guideline for students, with exceptions made for students with different needs. If your child talks about how “Jimmy” always gets away with things they don’t get away with, it may be because “Jimmy” hasdifferent abilities/needs/etc that students are not privy to. We have to remind kids that FAIR isn’t always EQUAL.

Rules:

  1. Have all materials ready to use when the bell rings.
  2. Listen to instructions. Raise hand to speak.
  3. Allow classmates to learn and share ideas in an active, collaborative environment as well as in an independent, self-directed one.
  4. Work quietly when instructed to.
  5. Be honest and kind. No put-downs.
  6. Have our planners signed and at school daily.
  7. Homework completed and handed in on time.

If Studets Choose to Break a Rule

Think of consequences as a series of steps. We never head straight for the end zone ie: office. Self-regulation is the goal. Your kids will learn the Zones of Self-Regulation. Check it out online and ask them about the zones. They’re great for everyone to use and understand.

Unless direct defiance or a safety concern arises, students are given second and sometimes third chances. If kids aren’t turning things around by then, we know its unlikely they’ll start to self-regulate in the classroom. They’ll need a ‘time out’ or redirection provided outside the class which doesn’t interfere with other students’ learning. This is a typical series of consequential steps

3. Student will be sent to LSS or the office

2. Sent out of room to work independently

1. Warning or redirection x 2

Homework

Please sign planners dailyand check the REMIND message for Ms. Burrows’ homework. You can also visit our GOOGLE CLASSROOM when its up and running. Please allow time for approx. 30 mins of homework each day, and sign up for the REMINDhomework text messaging system one of two ways

  1. Text the message @pod6c to the number (289) 270-0887.
  2. open your web browser and go to the following link: rmd.at/pod6c

**Remind is a one-way means of communication to relay homework. Please email me at the address below if needed, not on Remind.

How do I touch base with teachers? The best way to reach us is by email, rather than calling the school, as we are able to check it throughout the day. Also, please email or cc both teachers whenever sending an email, even if it is teacher-specific. To settle any confusion, my maiden name is Crozier and my married name is Burrows. My email is still under my maiden name . Lastly, please send me an email with your child’s first and last name in the Subject line, with a note about them, or anything you think I should know to help us get off to a great start at Clayburn Middle!

All the best,

Ms. Lesley (Crozier) Burrows