Classroom Design

 Greetings Families and Caregivers,

I hope this message finds you all well.  I wanted to take some time to update you about the learning space that will be supporting the physical, social and emotional needs of your child throughout the school year.  My goal is to create space that is safe, welcoming and inclusive of all the learners in our Grade 2 class.
To begin, our classroom has been set up to provide a smooth flow between activities, group learning, and independent work.  The carpet area is where we gather as a whole class for lessons, discussions, read-alouds, community circles and check-ins.  Students will work at table groups with their classmates on math and science problems. They will move through the room to access various learning centres, including math, reading, an author’s nook, a creative and inquiry space.  Throughout the day, students will participate in small group instruction with me at our horseshoe table. This allows us to review or learn new concepts, provide additional practice, and support the development of skills and strategies. Lastly, our table can be easily divided to allow for independent work or bring them together for collaboration.  The physical set up encourages student choice, exploration and curiosity through inquiry, collaboration, communication, hands-on learning and time for reflection.  

Throughout the year,  your children and I will collaboratively create anchor charts and exemplars. Word and strategy walls will be developed and displayed for students to refer to during their learning.  Student work will be celebrated by being displayed, and written pieces will be published and added to our reading material for everyone to enjoy. Materials found in the reading nook and inquiries will be student-driven. I will listen to their questions, observe their interactions with our space, and develop an understanding of their interests. My goal is to reflect the diversity of our classroom community within our learning environment.  Additionally, materials will support topics and concepts we are currently covering, as part of the curriculum. 

As an extension of our indoor classroom, we will spend time each week outdoors exploring, investigating, learning, moving and connecting with nature.  It is essential that students dress appropriately for the weather as we will be regularly going outside for Phys Ed class, and for curriculum connections to math, art, science and health to just name a few.  Please ensure all community walk forms have been signed in the package of forms as there may be opportunities to expand into a community walk.  I will inform families through EDSBY and student agendas when we plan on participating in a community walk.

To support the emotional needs of the learners in our class, an additional space has been created, a ‘Chill Zone’ for students to use if they feel they need a space to self-regulate.  Students will be taught a variety of breathing and calming strategies throughout the year to support the use of this space. Students will also find fidget and sensory items, options to colour or read, and sound-cancelling headphones. Throughout the school year, students will engage in topics related to positive self-talk, developing a growth mindset, goal setting, and how to solve conflicts to further develop a positive and inclusive learning environment. 

Socially we will begin our day together on the carpet with an inclusion attendance question in which students will get to know their classmates and teacher better each day by finding common interests and learning about what makes each of us unique. The learning areas have been set up to encourage collaboration between students and students will often be invited to share their learning with a table partner and the class. However there will be scheduled time for independent work and reflection.

This is going to be an exciting year and I look forward to working alongside you.  You are the experts of your child and I encourage you to reach out at any time to share information that you think would be important for your child’s learning. 

 Parents and caregivers please ensure that you have subscribed to our classroom blog (https://msforsterlearninghub.blogspot.com/)to keep up to date with our school happenings.  The Administration staff will also send a weekly newsletter important dates, information and happenings around the school.  Students will be using their agenda daily to record important dates, information and homework. As well, on Google Classroom there will be a section that lists ways you can support your learner with their literacy and math skills together.  Please feel free to communicate through the agenda or EDSBY if you have any questions or concerns or would like to set up a meeting. When requested, I can set up a translator to support our communication and meetings if required.

  There are many opportunities for you to be involved in our school community, and I encourage you to participate. The Parent Council is always looking for members or individuals to support with events, hot lunches, and other activities. Please reach out to our principal, Mr. Kliman, if you are interested, and he will be in touch.  Volunteering on a field trip is another way to get involved, please let me know if you are interested. At the end of the month, we will be hosting our annual Curriculum Night, and I hope you can drop in to say hello and visit our classroom. I look forward to meeting you then. 

I look forward to meeting and collaborating with each of you this school year to best support the needs of your child.  Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns via EDSBY.

Sincerely,

Ms. Forster

Grade 2 Classroom Schedule

 Greetings Parents and Caregivers,

We are entering an exciting school year with lots of fun learning ahead of us. I want to take the opportunity to share with you some information about what a day and a week cycle will generally look like in Grade 2 for the 2024-2025 school year. Please refer to the attached Grade 2 schedule. At times, our schedule may need to change to accommodate learning activities and special events.  I will do my best to communicate this in advance through our updates and in the student agenda. In YRDSB, we follow a 5 day learning cycle and the days will shift after holidays and PA Days, so please keep your YRDSB calendar close by to refer to.   A reminder that recess is from 10:45-11:15 a.m., students will spend the first 10 minutes eating their snack in their classroom before heading outside.  Lunch takes place from 12:55-1:55 p.m. and students will remain in their classroom for the first 20 minutes to eat their lunch and the remainder will be spent outside. Please remember to dress your child appropriately for the weather, as they will be going outside for recess and when possible for outdoor learning opportunities.

Our school day begins at 9:05 a.m.. As in previous years students may enter the school and their classroom up to 15 minutes before our first bell at 8:50 a.m..  Students will start our day with a ‘soft entry’, this allows students to unpack their bags, organize their materials and have time to engage in a quiet activity such as, drawing/colouring, working on a class puzzle, reading, etc..  Students are able to ease into their school day in a way that best suits their needs.
On the whiteboard each day, there will be a daily visual schedule of the cycle day for students to refer to. In addition, the learning activities for each block will be posted.   To start our day, students will participate in a morning meeting to review our schedule and any changes that may need to occur for that day. Also, when students enter the classroom, they will do a Zones of Regulation check-in to see how everyone is feeling to start our day.  Please feel free to communicate with me via EDSBY to let me know of any thing that needs to be brought to my attention to better support your child on any given day.
Each day, students will start their day by spending at least 60 minutes learning math, as required by the Ministry of Education.  Math blocks will often be structured using the three-part lesson (minds-on, action phase and consolidation/practice) and are used to introduce and review math concepts. Through these stages of the lesson students will be engaged in a variety of learning activities, including mini-lessons, hands-on activities with manipulatives, demonstrations, collaborative problem-solving and math games.  Throughout the year, games and activities that support mathematical learning for your child at home will be posted on our blog. 

Our literacy block will be 100 minutes each day, as required by the Ministry of Education. As students enter the room, there will be a prompt for students to write or draw about or they will participate in ‘talk and turn’ with a partner.  These activities are created to build by making connections with our classmates and to further develop oral language skills, brainstorming and writing skills. During the literacy block, a variety of activities will be covered.  At least 30 minutes will be dedicated to direct reading instruction, including the use of UFLI for explicit instruction in foundational reading.  Next, the class will participate in a whole class modelled or shared mini-lesson.  After the mini-lesson, students will work in small groups or individually based on skill, interest and need. This work may include shared, guided or independent practice and application of a focus area from the mini-lesson, such as a specific writing form.  Some days we will have the opportunity to repeat this cycle and explore a second focus of the literacy curriculum, such as reading comprehension or media literacy.  At the end of each block, students will have the opportunity to share, reflect on, and consolidate their learning. Please note that students will have the opportunity to go to the library throughout the week at various times during our literacy block to exchange books.

Each day, students will spend 40-60 minutes learning about Science or Social Studies, allowing for flexibility and cross-curricular connections when possible.
Drama will be taught and reported on during the first term, and Dance will be taught and reported on during the second term.  There is a dedicated period each cycle for instruction. However, learning will be linked to other subject areas. If more time is required for the creative process, Drama or Dance activities will be integrated into various subject areas. Visual arts activities are found on Day 3 and 5 of the cycle. Whenever possible, visual arts will be integrated into other subject areas to represent their learning through artwork.

Throughout the school year, there will be opportunities to develop a cross-curricular approach among subject areas. This means that two or more subject areas will be taught and assessed together in relation to each other.  Often this will be linked to an inquiry based learning task. For example, students might use the writing process to develop an informational card about adaptations for a specific animal or create and present oral presentations about cultures and traditions in social studies. This allows students to explore their learning in more depth and have the time to represent their understanding in a variety of ways and to also build on their transferable skills including collaboration, critical thinking, innovation, global citizenship and sustainability etc..

We are lucky to have Mr. Nana teach physical education and health each cycle to our class. He will be teaching physical education on Day 2 and 4 and health on Day 5. Students are reminded to wear proper footwear and clothing (loose fitting clothes e.g., t-shirt, shorts, jogging pants, leggings) to ensure movement isn’t restricted and all children will be able to fully participate in all activities. 

Students will have Ms. Arcand for music for 100 minutes per cycle. Students will have music on Day 1 and 4 and will be going to Room 120 for this class.
Daily Physical Activity (DPA) has been scheduled into our cycle on the days that we do not have physical education class with Mr. Nana. It is mandated by the Ministry of Education that students should participate in at least 20 minutes of physical activity each day. Thus,  DPA has been scheduled on the days that they do not have phys ed. On Day 3, Mr. Riha will lead the students in their DPA session.  In addition, body breaks will be used at transition times during the day, as required to support students in being able to move their body to enhance their learning. 

Learning about learning skills and work habits will be embedded throughout the day and cycle to support students in developing the necessary skills to be a successful student. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me via EDSBY to set up a call or meeting.

Sincerely,

Ms. Forster