Welcome Back to School

As we leave summer in our rear view, we are transitioning back into fall routines. I know this is bittersweet for some students, and i love summer, too, but i am really looking forward to teaching you all this year and am excited for us to get started!

My summer sighting of a swallowtail butterfly at Highline Park in New York.

PHOTO REQUEST

BSLS students are encouraged to have parents email photos of  students’ summer fun to pictures@bsls.ca for display on the closed circuit display in the school entranceway. You can help dramatically with ease of upload if you include the following in the email subject line:  pic-[student name]-[grade]. Mrs. English, our media promotion “guru”, thanks you for being so considerate!

MORE PHOTO REQUESTS

Grade 7/8 students are also asked to bring a hard copy of a selfie or photo taken by their parents.  Students’ first “Profile” project of the year will use the photo right at the start of school!  

As advanced warning, students will be asked in September for copies (no originals, please!) of photos of members of their families:  siblings, parents, grandparents, and even aunts, uncles, and cousins, if photos are available.  (More on that later in September, when the photos will be needed...but the photos will be part of an individual project designed to refresh student knowledge about the use of visual organizers,  essay planning, research and writing. Students will be asked to complete a family tree and a research project related to their family’s history in the first weeks of school).

LEARNING THE “ROPES” 

Grade 8s will be strengthening their knowledge and learning new things, and will be able to show the ropes to the Grade 7s, who will likely notice new routines and expectations that go with middle school:

• Shops classes that all BSLS Grade 7/8 students will take at Nelson McIntyre Collegiate will be sent home for parents.
• Assignment of a Tablet and use of web-based Office 365 to save and share assignments (no USBs required!)
• New agenda formats
• Increased independence expected in organization and management of belongings, homework
• Longer writing assignments and freedom to choose creative writing opportunities
• Volunteer requirements for:  taking the mentor role in the BSLS Canteen and during Lunch Buddies with a grade 5/6 student, assisting at Chapel service as a reader (in addition to previous leadership opportunities such as acolyte, prayers, and song leaders or presenters)
• There will be many others, but these will be the firsts you will notice first!

After the conclusion of beginning projects, I have several field trips and guest presenters that hardworking students who exemplify Excellence in Education Under the Gospel will be attending this year.  (Psst...for hardworking Grade 7 & 8 BSLS students who are reading this, that means YOU!)  Field trips will be used to ACTIVATE learning before we begin a unit, to ACQUIRE new information related to a unit of study, and to EXTEND learning and reward students for hard work and exemplary cooperation in the classroom.

NOVEL STUDY

The first novel study will be undertaken by the whole class.  As the year progresses, the students in both grade 7 and grade 8 will have an opportunity to be part of “Literature Circles” in which they will be able to choose from a selection of novels.   Living near water such as that of the “Mighty Red [River]”, the novel and the students’ later science project will be looking at our local watersheds, availability of fresh water in our country and in others across the globe, and examining the impact of access or lack of access to drinkable water.

Students are welcome and encouraged to use the classroom library, which has many new titles and some great classics and books from our previous collection.  The library is used on a honour system, and I ask that students have no more than two books off the shelves at any one time, and that books be returned as soon as possible to be enjoyed by other students.  Time for silent reading will be built into the school day, but is also encouraged 

1) between assigned work as an independent activity

2) at home every day/evening after school

This independent reading can be any book that the student finds interesting - fiction genres and non-fiction genres are all encouraged.  Students will get a mix of both fiction and non-fiction in assigned work, including three book reviews throughout the school year, so reading what they are crazy about is the best way to encourage reading.  Time exploring what they are crazy about reading is made easy by trips to the public library, used and new bookstores, and use of the Winnipeg Public Library app that gives access to a plethora of titles (students can look that up, if the word is new!)

Here’s to an amazing year ahead!