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