Wishing You All The Best!

Hello students & parents!

I hope that you are all enjoying your summer! I would like to thank you all for such a wonderful year- I really enjoyed being your teacher this year. Students, I wish you the best this coming school year as intermediates! Parents, thank you for your support during the year! I am looking forward to visiting you all sometime during the school year. 

Introducing Maxwell Massaro- born July 4th! Maxwell is now 5 weeks :)

Take care everyone!

Mrs Massaro :)

EQAO UPDATE!

Hello students & parents!

Please note that we are in EQAO prep mode now, so it is very important that the students are at school this week.

EQAO will be taking place next week & the week after, so please make sure your child is at school as it can be difficult to find make-up time to write the test & there is a deadline in 2 weeks!

We have been preparing for EQAO in class, and your child has an EQAO duo tang with previous EQAO test questions that they can also practice at home. EQAO tests the students on their Language & Math skills.

If possible, please write in your child's agenda or send a note stating that you are aware of the upcoming EQAO dates- thank you!

Thank you for your support!

Mrs Massaro

EQAO PREP!

Hello students & parents!

As you may have already noticed, we are starting our EQAO prep as EQAO will take place the last week of May. There will be practice EQAO questions taken from previous tests of EQAO in both Language & Math and these practice questions will be posted on EDMODO each week. As a class, we will go over the practice questions for the week and I will show them sample answers & grades that were actually given on these tests. Please support your child by making sure they go on Edmodo often & work in these EQAO Language and EQAO Math groups! Students, this is your second secret quest to make sure you are reading the blog carefully- send me a private message on Edmodo telling me what chapter we will be studying in Math the week of May 12. These practice questions on Edmodo are also graded, so please encourage your child to do their absolute best!

We will also be focusing thoroughly on 1-2 chapters of Math each week until end of May and small assessments will take place each week, so please take a look often at what your child is learning & how they are doing. The schedule will look something like this:

Week of April 14 & April 21:  complete chapter 6 & work on chapters 9 & 10

Week of April 28- chapter 11

Week of May 5- chapter 12

Week of May 12- chapter 13

Week of May 19- chapter 14 & review

For the reasons above, it is so important that your child be at school if they are able to during the next few weeks! Thank you for your support always! 

Mrs Massaro

Spring is here!

Hello students & parents!

I hope you are enjoying the warmer weather and sunshine- let's hope it stays! Please take a look at our updates/reminders for the next month.

REMINDERS/UPDATES:

- thank you for sending EXACT CHANGE for pizza, sub orders and trips- it really helps!

- I will be absent this Thursday & Friday, as well as April 22 for workshops.

- Subway lunch is April 11th & Hot Dog lunch is April 25th for those who have put in orders- enjoy!!

- School Mass April 15th at 10:30am, Holy Rosary April 17 at 10:30am and May 2nd Month of Mary Mass.

- please note that Good Friday is April 18th & Easter Monday is April 21st. Please enjoy your Easter long weekend with your family!

- we have 3 trips planned:  the Science Centre on Monday April 28 that is FREE thanks to the generosity of CSAC and we are also watching a Passion Play at Don Bosco high school on Monday April 14th in the morning- permission forms will be sent home this week- please look out for them! We will need volunteers for the Science Centre so please indicate on the permission form if you are able volunteer for the day- thanks! The students will also be going to the Black Violin Concert at the Living Arts Centre May 1st in the AM!

- Scientist in the Schools for Electricity May 8th in the PM!

- please continue to check out your child's blogging at http://kidblog.org/MrsMassarosClass-2/ and leave comments!!

- if you haven't done so already, please follow St. Marcellus on Twitter at @MarcellusTCDSB!

- in Math, we are working on Chapter 6- Multiplication! Students have been working on multiplication drills at the start of each lesson. It is SUPER IMPORTANT for students to know their multiplication table up to 12 very well as multiplication is the building block for many upcoming Math chapters! If possible, please test your child on their multiplication tables by verbally asking them questions or using flash cards, which you can get at the Dollar Store. We also hope to cover Chapter 9 & 10- Multiplying & Dividing Decimals this month.

- in Media, the students continue to work on creating their Digital Footprint videos in groups. Please see the previous blog post in March for more details. This project will be due in May.

- Students, if you have read this line, message me privately on Edmodo & tell me one thing I shared in this blog post! :)

- in Language, we have completed working on making predictions & making connections with Black History texts and will be moving on to POETRY and making inferences! Students are also continuing practicing their writing process by completing their persuasive paper on an influential Black History key figure. Soon, students will also be creating their own poetry!

- in Science, we are completing Space & students will have a final test in a few weeks and are working on a project about a Space topic of their choosing, which they will present using Blendspace- an online presentation tool on Thursday April 24. When we visit the Science Centre, students will also be checking out various exhibits that connect to our different Science strands this year.

- in Social Studies, we are beginning our First Nations unit! Much of the work & assessments will be done on Edmodo, so please check your child's Edmodo account often!

- in Health & Fully Alive, we continue to explore our SELF IDENTITY by participating in discussions about our body & mind.  I have been meeting with the girls and boys separately so that they are comfortable asking questions and contributing to discussions.

- in Religion, we also continue to explore different virtues each month and at times incorporate drama to demonstrate the virtues. April's virtue is JUSTICE.

- in Art, the students have been taking the lead on Art lessons in pairs each week! I have been very impressed with the artistic talent in our class! In this Project Based Learning, students teach a lesson that has a moral lesson and a follow up Art activity.

As always, thank you for reading! 

Mrs Massaro

Welcome March!

Hello students & parents!

We are already in March- I can't believe it!! Although we hope Spring is around the corner, it is still quite cold, so please ensure you dress warmly!

REMINDERS/UPDATES:

- thank you for sending EXACT change for pizza, subway, trips. It really helps out!

- tomorrow (Tuesday March 4th) is Shrove Tuesday so the students will enjoy a pancake treat! Thank you to all students who have brought in $3, which goes towards charity.

- we will be participating in a school mass on Ash Wednesday of this week.

- reminder that Friday is a P.A Day, so no school.

- March Break will take place next week (March 10th-14th). Enjoy your break & be safe!

-  the students are now blogging on:  http://kidblog.org/MrsMassarosClass-2/. Please check out the blog and comment on students' posts- they would LOVE that! If possible, please get other family members and friends to comment as well- thank you! Please talk to your child about the importance of EDITING their posts by checking spelling before they submit!!

- our school now has a Twitter account @MarcellusTCDSB. Please follow us for school updates! A media consent form has been sent home today regarding the release of photos for the use of this site.

- we are continuing our focus on Black History in Language for the month of March and will be using these sites often for lessons, discussions & assignments:  http://www.timeforkids.com/news/stamp-york/31486  & http://www.biography.com/people/groups/black-history.
The students are working in pairs on creating a Fakebook profile (similar idea to Facebook but not a real account) for a Black History key figure, putting in details about their life and achievements. During Daily Café, we are also reading various Black History themed books and working on a persuasive paper on an inspirational Black History key figure.

- in Media, students are working in groups on a culminating project focusing on creating a powerful video, which details what kind of Digital Footprint we want to leave behind. The video must include the topics we have discussed in our Digital Citizenship unit:  cyber bullying, your online identity, safe/smart searching, do you know who you are really talking to online, cyber gossip/drama and copyright.

- in Health & Media, we are focusing on self image and the students are currently working on taking a 'selfie'- a self portrait by using a camera. This assignment is intended to encourage positive self image as the students will be posting positive comments about each other. The students should print a coloured 'selfie' to bring to class for after March Break.

- In Math, we are completing chapter 7- 2D Geometry with a test tomorrow and moving on to chapter 8- Area and Grids. Please continue to sign your child's assessments & encourage them to use Nelson Online for extra reinforcement and attend extra help workshops when needed. Most students who attend our lunch workshops have a much better understanding of the lessons as it is a smaller group and they can clear up any questions they have. They also improve their grades so it is a win win!

- We will be beginning new units in our Social Sciences. In Science, we have started studying Space through a few educational and engaging movies about our universe and in Social Studies, we will be studying First Nations after March break once we have completed Canada's Trading Partners' final test on Edmodo this Thursday. For these subjects, the students have completed online Edmodo quizzes so please take the time to check how your child is doing! Also, please check Edmodo often for assignments and discussions.

- In Health, we are looking at positive self image and we use Edmodo for the majority of our discussion and assignments, as well as the 'selfie' assignment I mentioned above.


 - In Religion, we also continue to explore our virtues of the month and we link these to various drama activities. The students recently worked on a drama skit involving their puppets about courage. 


Thank you for reading as always! Mrs Massaro

February has arrived!

Hello students & parents,

Thank you for checking back in! Please read below for some important reminders & updates.

REMINDERS/UPDATES:

- I will be absent this week on Wed AM & Friday for workshops. Next week, I will be absent Tuesday & Wed AM for more workshops. As I am on a few committees, sometimes the workshops happen all at once. 

- pledge forms have been sent out for the Much Music dance on Feb 10! Thank you in advance for fundraising for our school. Thank you to CSAC for organizing this event!

- Reports go home Feb 11. As always, please feel free to contact me regarding any questions!

- Monday February 17 is Family Day, so no school. Enjoy your family time!

- thank you for sending EXACT change for pizza, subway, trips. It really helps out!

- the students are now blogging on:  http://kidblog.org/MrsMassarosClass-2/. Please check out the blog and comment on students' posts- they would LOVE that! If possible, please get other family members and friends to comment as well- thank you! Please talk to your child about the importance of EDITING their posts by checking spelling before they submit!!

- we are focusing on Black History in Language/Media for the month of February and will be using these sites often for lessons, discussions & assignments:  http://www.timeforkids.com/news/stamp-york/31486 & http://www.biography.com/people/groups/black-history. 

- In Math, we are moving on to Chapter 6- Multiplication & Division and Chapter 7- 2D Geometry for the month of February. Please continue to sign your child's assessments & encourage them to use Nelson Online for extra reinforcement and attend extra help workshops when needed. Most students who attend our lunch workshops have a much better understanding of the lessons as it is a smaller group and they can clear up any questions they have. They also improve their grades so it is a win win!

- We will be beginning new units in our Social Sciences. In Science, we will be studying Space and in Social Studies, we will be studying First Nations once we have completed Canada's Trading Partners. For these subjects, the students have completed online Edmodo quizzes so please take the time to check how your child is doing! Also, please check Edmodo often for assignments and discussions. 

- In Health, we continue to explore what healthy living means and we use Edmodo for the majority of our discussion and assignments. 

- In Religion, we also continue to explore our virtues of the month and we link these to various drama activities. The students recently worked on a drama skit involving their puppets about courage. 

It looks like we have 6 more weeks of winter so please dress warm students! Forget fashion!! Stay warm :)

Thank you for reading!

Mrs Massaro

January Update!

Hello students & parents!

We are fully back into the swing of things and I must congratulate the students for their positive attitude and hard work since they have returned from Christmas break. Way to go students and keep it up!

REMINDERS/UPDATES:

- thank you for sending EXACT change for pizza, subway, trips. It really helps out!

- the students are now blogging on:  http://kidblog.org/MrsMassarosClass-2/. Please check out the blog and comment on students' posts- they would LOVE that! If possible, please get other family members and friends to comment as well- thank you! Please talk to your child about the importance of EDITING their posts by checking spelling before they submit!!

- pledge forms have been sent out for the Much Music dance on Feb 10! Thank you in advance for fundraising for our school. Thank you to CSAC for organizing this event!

- students will be involved in a Music workshop on Monday all afternoon. Many thanks to Ms Colella for organizing!

- P.A. Day on Friday January 24.

- Hot Dog Day & Dress Down Day Friday January 31.

- there will be a Social Studies & Science Edmodo quiz done in class this week. Please ensure your child is reviewing for these quizzes by looking over our class handouts & Edmodo videos.

- We have moved on to Chapter 5- Measurement for Math. Students usually have some Math homework each night from the textbook, workbook or on Edmodo. A quiz & test will take place in the next couple of weeks.

- Please check out this great site with your child to help them with their Social Studies assignments & assessments on Canada's trading partners:  http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/places/find/

- Please look at the previous blog post, which outlines what we are covering for the month of January- thank you!

- As always, please check your child's Edmodo account once a week or more to keep track of what we are learning in class. We use Edmodo for every subject every week!


Thank you for reading!

Mrs Massaro

Happy 2014!

Hello students and parents and welcome back!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas, despite the ice storm! I wanted to thank you all for the thoughtful Christmas cards and the generous gifts- it is much appreciated!

We are all looking forward to a productive rest of the year and I hope that you all continue to check this blog often to ensure that you are aware of what dates are coming up and what we are learning in the class.

Some updates for the next month:

- In  Math, we are reviewing Chapter 4 Addition and Subtraction and moving on to Chapter 5 Measurement. Please encourage your child to practice each lesson by working on the corresponding lessons on Nelson Online- these activities are always posted on Edmodo. Students should also continue to go on Sum Dog as the games on this site reinforce the Math we are learning in class.

- In Language, we are continuing to work on Digital Citizenship in Media and students will be creating their own viral video about their digital footprint in the next month or so. In Reading, we are now looking at the comprehension strategy 'Asking Questions' and reviewing 'Determining Important Ideas' and 'Making Connections'. Students are given 30-60 minutes most days to read from their book bins during Daily Cafe and work on comprehension strategies and conference in small strategy groups with me. In Writing, students continue to conference with their peers and myself on the writing process.

I am very excited to announce that very soon, students will be creating their own personal blog entries through a great site- www.kidblog.org. I will be posting topics once a week and students will reply to these posts. Please check out your child's blog posts and comment if possible! This will encourage creativity and strong reading and writing skills for your child! A form regarding this site will be sent home this week- please sign and return back as soon as possible- thank you!

- In Science, students will be finally presenting their Biomes project using Blendspace presentation technology this week! I know the students have worked hard on this project, so I am looking forward to seeing the final results! Students worked on both self and peer evaluations earlier this week. We will continue with Biodiversity this month with a final test towards the end of January.

- In Social Studies, students continue to learn about Canada's connections to other countries, specifically in terms of trade. Your child will continue to complete Edmodo quizzes every 2-3 weeks on the recent lessons discussed in class. Please look out for weekly assignments that your child should be working on.

- In Health, we continue to look at what healthy living means and many discussions and assignments take place on Edmodo, so please check often.

- In Religion, we are looking at the virtue of courage this month and will be using the amazing puppets that the students made before the Christmas break to create short dramatizations of what courage means.

Finally, the students are presenting their New Year goals this Friday using an online presentation technology called Blendpace. We are officially on the technology train!!

Please check Edmodo at least weekly to make sure your child is completing all necessary work! As always, feel free to contact me if you have any questions!


Stay warm!

Mrs Massaro

Pre-Christmas Update!

Hello students & parents!

Christmas is just around the corner and we have been very busy these last few weeks wrapping up units and preparing for Christmas!

REMINDERS:

- Express Yourself is tonight at 7pm! Tickets are $2. Congratulations to all of our student performers!!

- Please note that I will be away on Friday at a workshop.

- Our class will be participating in an Art Workshop Dec 10, 16 & 17 in the AM. Students will be incorporating Art & Drama by making puppets.

- Students are working on Biome projects in groups on Edmodo, Blendspace (online presentation technology- www.blendspace.com) and in class. The project is due Dec 16 & presentations will take place Dec 17.

- As I had mentioned during interviews, our Guidance teacher Mrs Meffe has been working with our class each week for about an hour. This will continue for a few more sessions. Some of the topics include bullying, reporting incidents, being an upstander not a bystander. Mrs Meffe sent home an important pamphlet, which should be in your child's agenda- please sign this pamphlet by Monday- thank you! Please also talk to your child about the sessions they are involved in.

- Our class will be celebrating Christmas our last day of school prior to the break on Dec 19. My husband and I will be providing a full Christmas lunch for the students, which includes spaghetti with tomato sauce, garlic bread, juice/pop and a sweet dessert! This is our Christmas treat for the students. Students will not need to bring a lunch on Dec 19th, but they should still bring their regular snacks. Our class will also be participating in Secret Santa, which means that your child will secretly receive the name and wish list of someone in our class in order to purchase them a small, wrapped Christmas gift, approximately $5-$10 in value if possible. Your child will also receive a gift from someone in our class! In order for your child to participate in these events, please email me at evita.massaro@tcdsb.org and let me know whether you agree to allow your child to participate in the Christmas lunch & Secret Santa. If you have any concerns or questions, please feel free to contact me!

- Last day of school before the Christmas break is Dec 19th and the first day back after the break is Jan 6, 2014.

- Student Council will be selling mini candy cane grams for 25 cents each or 5 for $1.00 starting Monday. All proceeds will go towards the much needed Philippines cause. Thank you for your support!!


UPDATES:

- In Math, we have completed Chapter 3 on Data Management and I am currently marking the unit test. We have just started Chapter 4 on Addition and Subtraction, which also includes estimating and mental math. Students have been working in groups to work on collaboration and to demonstrate how when we work on the same questions, we may find different methods to arrive at the same answer!

- In Language, we continue with the use of Daily Cafe (stationed Language centres) and I have now been working with small strategy groups of about 4-5 students during each Language lesson teaching comprehension strategies like making a prediction, determining important ideas and making connections. We also continue to study Digital Citizenship in Media and discuss, view videos and work on assignments on issues like our online identities and copyright. Please check Edmodo weekly for your child's work in the Media folder! Students are also continuing the writing process by working on their mystery narratives. We are drafting and editing/revising at this point.

- In Social Studies, we are investigating Canada's trading partners by also looking at maps as to where these countries are and the products that are imported and exported. Students have been working on online Edmodo quizzes every 2-3 weeks, so please check for their results in the PROGRESS section on Edmodo! The students tend to have one Social Studies assignment per week, so please ask your child to see their homework.

- In Science, we are studying Biodiversity and the students have been working on small assignments and online Edmodo quizzes about the living kingdoms, vertebrates and invertebrates. Again, please check the Edmodo PROGRESS section to view how your child is doing. As I mentioned previously,  the students are currently working on a group project on biomes. The project requirements have been posted in the Science group on Edmodo so please take a look when you can. I have set up Edmodo biome groups so that they are able to work together online without having to worry about getting together after school. I also shared with the students a new and improved online presentation tool called Blendspace. It is similar to PowerPoint, but has more student friendly features and can be accessed online from any computer- no downloading needed! Please check it out at www.blendspace.com.

- In Art, the students are currently involved in a designing a new logo for Google with the theme being- 'if I could invent anything, I would invent....' I am truly impressed with the artistic and creative ability in the students' work!!

- We have studied the virtue peace in Religion and now we are focusing on charity for December. Students participate in drama activities linked to our virtues and Fully Alive. We are also discussing the Catholic Graduate Expectations.


Thank you for taking the time to read our blog update and please email me as soon as possible regarding our Christmas lunch & Secret Santa!

Mrs Massaro

Halloween is in the air!

Hi students & parents!

I apologize for the delay, we have had a very busy couple of weeks at school. Thank you for your patience!

REMINDERS:

- Halloween Dance-a-thon & dress down day will be this Wednesday! Many thanks to CSAC for organizing, Mr. Paul for DJing & our Student Council for helping set up! Thanks as well for the dance- a-thon donations brought in by students.

- Halloween costume day will be on Halloween- Thursday October 31st. Just a reminder that students are not to wear or bring in graphic & inappropriate costumes/props- thank you! There will also be a staff costume contest, which the Student Council is organizing. The winning teacher will win a Walmart gift card for their class! A gentle reminder that students should not be bringing in edible treats but rather non edible treats for their classmates if they wish.

- Achievement Day is this Thursday on Halloween in the PM. Students are allowed to bring personal electronics, movies, games but must take care of their own belongings.

- On Tuesday, the students will have their Math chapter 2 final test. Students should be very proud of their accomplishments in Math so far!

- Book Fair will take place November 11-15th. Thank you to our Librarian, Mrs Nicolucci!

- Progress report cards will go home November 12th!

- There will be a school mass on November 14th.

- Parent teacher interviews will take place the evening of Thursday November 14th & the morning of Friday November 15th. I will be sending home a sign-up form soon!

- Thank you again for sending exact change for pizza & subway orders! It makes organizing the $ for the office much easier!


MONTHLY UPDATE:

- In Math, we are finishing up chapter 2 on Numeration. Students did very well on their quiz and should be ready for their test this Tuesday! This week, we will be taking information from the Edmodo polls on Digital Citizenship and graphing the results. We are trying to connect Math to all subject areas whenever possible as we know Math is part of everyday life. These graphs will be displayed outside the classroom and you will be able to take a look at them during interviews.

The students are now completely engaged with Sum Dog! Please encourage your child to use this site often as the skills they learn in class are reinforced through game. So not only are they learning, they are enjoying Math at the same time! I am able to adjust their skill & grade level so that they are challenged to learn more. www.sumdog.com

- In Language, we have been very busy learning all of the Daily 5 stations. The students now are involved in these stations each week:  Read to Self, Read to Others, Listen to Reading and Work on Writing.
 
During the Read to Self and Others stations, the students have been learning about the comprehension strategy Determining Important Ideas and have been working on this strategy based on their current readings.

During the Listen to Reading station, the students have an opportunity to visit Tumble Books through the Public Library and listen to stories that they choose. This helps them develop their fluency in reading.

During the Work on Writing station, students have begun learning about and working on the writing process for mystery narratives. Students have brainstormed and created outlines for their own personal narrative.


We have also been focusing on Digital Citizenship in Media by discussing the digital footprint we want to leave behind. We must teach students how to be a part of this growing digital world, by teaching them cyberbullying, internet safety, internet privacy, safe searching and giving proper credit to online sources.

Please watch these videos on Digital Citizenship with your child to start a conversation about the digital footprint they want to leave behind:

 

Our Daily 5 stations



Student working on brainstorming & outline for mystery narrative



Student working on outline using brainstorming notes for mystery narrative



Listen to Reading station

Listen to Reading station

Please check out this site with your child as we will be looking into signing up & sharing our creative writing:  http://lendmeyourliteracy.com/  Please watch the video & explore the site!


- In the Social Sciences, we continue to explore Canada's trading items with different trading countries in Social Studies and we are investigating the 5 kingdoms of life in Science. Please check the Edmodo Social Studies & Science groups for videos, discussions and assignments.

- In Health, we are looking carefully at what it means to be healthy by exploring healthy food options. Please check the Health Edmodo group for discussions and assignments.

- Our virtue for October is Gratitude and the students have been working on various activities about gratitude in their notebooks and on Edmodo in the Religion group.


Thank you for checking the blog! Have a wonderfully spooky week!

E. Massaro :)

Curriculum Night & Delicious Apples!

Hello students & parents!

We have a very busy week ahead!  Please read below for our week events:

- On Thursday, I will be at a Technology Workshop, but the students will be prepared for their day with the supply teacher.

- Curriculum Night will take place this Thursday from 6-7pm! I hope that most of you will be able to attend as I would like to meet you & briefly go over Edmodo & our plans for the year. Please email me at evita.massaro@tcdsb.org confirming that you are able to attend- thank you!

- On Friday, the students will be celebrating our first Achievement Day of the year! Please note that the students are allowed to bring in personal electronics, boardgames etc, for use IN our classroom, not outside of our classroom. Also please note that the students are responsible for their personal electronics and belongings. Students will receive free time according to the amount of badges they have received on Edmodo. Each badge is equal to 10 minutes of free time. We will be celebrating Achievement Day once a month!

- On Friday, as a treat, the students will be welcoming Fall by enjoying a delicious apple from a local farm (YUM!) and participating in other Fall activities.

REMINDERS:

-  Our 'Joseph' trip is Thursday October 10th in the AM! Please ensure the students have breakfast as we will not have an opportunity for morning recess snacks.

- P.A. Day Friday October 11th & Thanksgiving Day is Monday October 14th.

- Math Ch. 1 test is tomorrow! Please look out for the results next week.

- There will be construction taking place in our schoolyard soon, so for this reason, our dismissal and arrival procedures will be changed starting this week to prepare the students. During the morning recess from 8-8:30am, students will remain in the hallway area outside of our classroom as the field is not used during this time and the yard will be under construction. In terms of entry into the school after recess and dismissals, students will be asked to line-up near the field and we will enter or leave the school by the stairwell near the Community Centre.

- It would be greatly appreciated if you could provide exact change for pizza orders and any other times we need to collect money. Thank you!!

- Food Bank @ Richview Baptist Church (1548 Kipling Avenue) every Sunday 2:30-4:30pm for any families in need. Food Bank items include fresh vegetables & fruit, milk, canned goods, pasta, rice and other items at NO COST. Please share the news!

WEEKLY UPDATE:

- In Math, we have completed Chapter 1 and will have the test tomorrow. We reviewed for the test today and most students feel that they are ready for the test. Good luck students!!

Class 'Success Criteria' for how to create graphs

- In Language, we continue to work on Daily Cafe, specifically the Read to Self station. The students also worked on reading prompts and responses about the story of Terry Fox. They will continue to work on these responses often about books they are reading. The students also practiced how to 'check for understanding' after reading a page. Today, we introduced the Read to Others station. I was very impressed with how well the students did with this station! They also seemed to really enjoy this station as they get to read with a partner.

 

 

 

*** Parents, please check each subject group in your child's Edmodo account as there are many items posted for students to work on, particularly in Media, Religion and Math. Thank you for your support!!


Thank you for reading and have a great week!

Mrs Massaro

Happy Fall!

Delicious, local apples! The students will be enjoying these on Friday!

Curriculum Night 2013!

Hello students & parents!

As many of you already know, Curriculum Night is this Thursday October 3rd,   6-7pm!

I am hoping that you are all able to make it as I will be briefly discussing the curriculum for the year, handing out a curriculum package and demonstrating how Edmodo works!

I would really appreciate it if you could confirm whether you plan to attend by emailing me at evita.massaro@tcdsb.org. Thank you!!

Hoping to see you this Thursday! Please note that a more detailed blog update will be posted about last week and this week soon.

Thank you,

Mrs Massaro

Welcome Fall!

Hello students & parents & all things pumpkin!

We have now completed 3 weeks and the students are getting more used to our daily routines. This week, we introduced Social Studies and Science, in addition to Language, Math and Religion, which we began the first couple of weeks. You will find that most of our work for the Social Sciences is done through Edmodo, so please check Edmodo often with your child. Many of the reminders below are from last week's post as they still apply, but there are a few new ones so please read through:

REMINDERS:

- There will be construction taking place in our schoolyard beginning September 30th, so for this reason, our dismissal and arrival procedures will be changed starting this week to prepare the students. During the morning recess from 8-8:30am, students will remain in the hallway area outside of our classroom as the field is not used during this time and the yard will be under construction. In terms of entry into the school after recess and dismissals, students will be asked to line-up near the field and we will enter or leave the school by the stairwell near the Community Centre.

- It would be greatly appreciated if you could provide exact change for pizza orders and any other times we need to collect money. Thank you!!

- Our school Terry Fox walk will take place this Thursday. Thank you to those who have donated $2! Please ensure your child has returned their permission form for the walk- I have written a reminder in the agendas of those students who need to return this form still.

- Curriculum Night is OCTOBER 3rd, 6-7PM! Unfortunately, the BBQ has been cancelled due to the construction. Please try to attend Curriculum Night @ 6pm!

- Dress Down Day is September 27!

- P.A. Day Friday October 11th & Thanksgiving Day is Monday October 14th.

- On Edmodo, there will be posts in every subject each week. Please note that there will be a weekly Media assignment to complete online and most other subjects will have weekly discussions and assignments so please check often!

- Nelson Online: students are to complete an online Nelson activity for Math most nights. These activities correspond to the lesson taught in class. I will post the Nelson links in the Math group on Edmodo.

- The students are now on Mangahigh, which is an amazing Game Based Math site! The challenges and games are linked to the ON curriculum. Your child was given a user name/password and will work on challenges each week in class and hopefully at home. So if you notice your child enjoying online Math games at home, this is a good thing!

- NUT FREE ZONE: parents, please ensure your child does not come to school with any nut products as we have a few serious nut allergies at our school. Also, please do not send your child with edible treats for the class, even if it is for their birthday, instead, if you wish to bring a treat for the class, please bring non edible items- thank you so much for your support!

- Uniforms: parents, please ensure your child is wearing the proper uniform at school. As the weather gets cooler, please make sure your child is dressed warmly in uniform appropriate colours- thank you!

- Food Bank @ Richview Baptist Church (1548 Kipling Avenue) every Sunday 2:30-4:30pm for any families in need. Food Bank items include fresh vegetables & fruit, milk, canned goods, pasta, rice and other items at NO COST. Please share the news!

WEEKLY UPDATES:

- The students are working towards their individual badges for great behaviour as we will be celebrating these badges during our Achievement Day at the end of the month. The students are also aware of our Strike System, which means that each month, students have a warning and 3 strikes available and if all are used by the end of the month, then parents will be notified and consequences will follow such as privileges taken away. Students can receive strikes for actions such as homework incompletion, inappropriate behaviour and not following school and class procedures. At the start of a new month, all previous strikes are removed and students have a fresh start.

- In Language, we continue to work on the DAILY CAFE, particularly the Read to Self station. I am super impressed with my students as they are doing really well with this station and they are building their reading stamina! We had a big honest discussion about what we sometimes don't like about reading and we tried to figure out ways to solve these problems so that we enjoyed reading more. The students are becoming very independent at choosing just right books for their book bins and logging what they have been reading on their reading log sheet.

The FAV reading spot in the class!

Busy reading!

Trying to solve reading problems!

- In Media, we continue to explore DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP through videos about being kind online and avoiding and reporting cyberbullying. We watch videos in class and on Edmodo on being a kind digital citizen and students discuss and work on assignments about this through Edmodo.

- In Math, we are completing Chapter 1- Patterns in Mathematics this week. Students had a quiz this past week so please look for a quiz to sign this week. Students should be on Nelson Online and Mangahigh most nights reviewing lessons in class through online practice and games!

- As mentioned previously, we have started Social Studies and Science this week! In Science, we are studying Biodiversity and the students watched an excellent 'Bill Nye the Science Guy' video all about biodiversity, which the students really enjoyed! In Social Studies, we looked at mapping and are beginning our unit on Canada's Interactions with the Global Community.

- In Religion, we are reflecting on the virtue Hospitality and what it means to be hospitable. The students are working on an 'I am from' poem and recently completed a letter to Terry Fox.

Popsicle treat on a hot Friday!

Thank you for reading our weekly blog post! Please remember to 'follow by email' on the blog so that the new blog updates are emailed to you- thanks!
Enjoy your week,

Mrs Massaro

Back in School Mode!

Hello students, parents & cooler weather!!

We are back in school mode and have officially started Edmodo! I am so happy that my students love going on Edmodo and are enjoying learning in a 21st century kind of way.  If you haven't done so already, please check out the Edmodo 'how to' videos, which can be found in a previous post on this blog so that you familiarize yourself with Edmodo and how it works. Parents, please also check your child's Edmodo account often so that you are aware of the work your child is doing online- thank you!

REMINDERS:

- Edmodo:  2 Media discussions and 1 Media assignment on Digital Citizenship is due tomorrow. I have extended the due date so that students who were unable to go online this weekend can work on these items in class tomorrow.

- Nelson Online:  students are to complete an online Nelson activity for Math most nights. These activities correspond to the lesson taught in class. I will post the Nelson links in the Math group on Edmodo.

- The students are now on Mangahigh, which is an amazing Game Based Math site! The challenges and games are linked to the ON curriculum. Your child was given a username/password and will work on challenges each week in class and hopefully at home. So if you notice your child enjoying online Math games at home, this is a good thing!

- NUT FREE ZONE:  parents, please ensure your child does not come to school with any nut products as we have a few serious nut allergies at our school. Also, please do not send your child with edible treats for the class, even if it is for their birthday, instead, if you wish to bring a treat for the class, please bring non edible items- thank you so much for your support!

- Uniforms:  parents, please ensure your child is wearing the proper uniform at school. As the weather gets cooler, please make sure your child is dressed warmly in uniform appropriate colours- thank you!

- Terry Fox Walk:  thanks to Ms. Huntley, we will be participating in a Terry Fox Walk on September 26th!  We are asking for a $2 donation- thank you. Please return the permission form by this week.

- Dress Down Day is September 27!

- Food Bank @ Richview Baptist Church (1548 Kipling Avenue) every Sunday 2:30-4:30pm for any families in need. Food Bank items include fresh vegetables & fruit, milk, canned goods, pasta, rice and other items at NO COST. Please share the news!

- Curriculum Night/Family BBQ:  October 3rd, 4-6pm. Please try to attend!

- P.A. Day Friday October 11th & Thanksgiving Day is Monday October 14th.


WEEKLY UPDATES:

- As mentioned above, we have officially started Edmodo! The students are learning about Digital Citizenship for Media, by viewing videos about how we should strive to be online:  being kind online, being safe online, knowing how to search online and how to be a good digital citizen.

Please check out this video on the ups and downs of a digital world. The students' Media assignment is on this video:

Using Edmodo in the classroom

- In Math, we have begun Chapter 1- Patterns in Mathematics. Students are using Nelson Online and Mangahigh, which are both online sites for Math, to help them reinforce the lessons taught in class.

 

Our Math Word Wall, which we are constantly adding to

Mangahigh multiplication challenge with another school- the students loved this!

Students taking charge of the tech in our class for a Math lesson!

- In Language, we have launched our DAILY CAFE, which is our Language program for the year. In the Daily Cafe, students visit different Language stations:  Read to Self, Read to Someone, Listen to Reading, Work on Writing and Word Work. While most students are at their chosen Language station, I work with small strategy groups and conferencing one on one for Language development.

This past week, the students and I discussed how to choose JUST RIGHT books, rather than too easy or too challenging books. The students chose their own books for their book bins, which they were really excited about. We also discussed the different ways we read books. Towards the end of the week, we discussed out first Daily Cafe station- READ TO SELF. I am super proud of my students as they did well with this station, especially for their first time!

 

Finding your own spot for Read to Self

Your own desk for Read to Self

 

OTHER PICTURES:

Getting ready for our Terry Fox Walk!

Religion activity on our kaliedoscope of feelings within us

Thank you so much for taking the time to read the blog! Please remember to 'follow by email' on the blog so that the new blog updates are emailed to you- thanks!

Have a wonderful week,

Mrs Massaro

Edmodo 'how to' videos!

Hello students & parents!

Please check out the following videos on how to use Edmodo. I will be showing these videos to the students in class, but it would be a good idea for the students to watch them again at home with their parents, so that both students & parents understand how to use Edmodo. As always, feel free to contact me if you have any questions about Edmodo!

 

EDMODO SETTINGS & PROFILE

 

 

EDMODO POSTING REPLIES:

 

 

 

EDMODO ASSIGNMENTS:

 

 

 

 

EDMODO PLANNER 

 

 

 

EDMODO PROGRESS

 

 

 

EDMODO POLLS

 

 

 

EDMODO BACKPACK

 

 

 

EDMODO DIGITAL CITIZENS

 

 

 

EDMODO SMALL GROUPS

 

 

 

EDMODO APPS

 

Thank you for taking the time to view these videos!

Mrs Massaro