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I would like to extend a warm welcome to this year’s Grade 6 & Grade 7 students and their families! I am looking forward to a wonderful year as we work together to help your child learn and grow in many different ways.
During the first few weeks of class, a considerable amount of time will be devoted to helping students learn routines and work within the guidelines of positive and responsible classroom behaviour. We will be working to create a safe and inclusive class community that will allow the children to feel safe enough to take risks with their learning and try out new skills.
Become A Part of Our Learning Community
Over the years, I have seen first hand the positive impact on student achievement that parent volunteers are able to provide. I extend an open invitation to any parent who would like to share their time in order to enrich our classroom programming.
Possible activities would include:
- reinforcing the teaching of reading strategies with individuals and small groupings
- providing enrichment and extra help to individuals and small groups in Math
- sharing any specific skills/strengths you possess with small groups of students (e.g., Visual Arts, Drama)
Please let me know if you are available to volunteer in the classroom, and how you wish to help. ALL Halton School Volunteers must have a valid police check.
Access to our Library Services
Students will have access to our library’s services and will be able to take out library books for interest and research once a week. It is important that books are returned before their due dates.
To check our library catalog, visit a database or check out great websites by grade:
To access most resources from home, students should use their computer login name & password.
Please visit our librarian’s website for the latest library news, special events and great links.
Gym and Daily Physical Activity
The students participate in gym activities every Monday and Thursday; however, we participate in physical activity every day, so students should be dressed in proper clothing and with appropriate footwear every day! Unfortunately, students not in proper foot attire (runners) on Mondays and Thursdays will be asked to borrow shoes from the shoe bin.
Lunches and Snacks
The school day has been structured to include two nutrition breaks consisting of outdoor recess followed by time to eat indoors.
We strive to have ‘litterless lunches’, meaning that any waste from lunches and snacks will be recycled or sent home. Reusable lunch bags and containers are strongly encouraged (e.g., yogurt in a snap-lid container instead of a ‘tube’). Students may also bring reusable labeled water bottles for their desks.
We are a nut-free school and there are many students in the school with serious nut allergies. Please ensure that your child’s snacks and lunch do not contain nuts. Nut substitute products are not permitted at school either (e.g., Pea-butter) as they may be mistaken for nut products. Please remind your child that they are expected to eat their own lunch and are not to share food with other children. This will help us protect the safety of all children with food allergies.
Donations of Classroom Supplies
I happily accept donations of tissues, paper towels, and resealable bags of any size. From time to time, I may request some other materials that we may need for our art work throughout the year!
Parent Communication
It is my goal to keep both students and parents fully informed of the expected learnings in each area of the curriculum and to communicate openly about each student’s progress.
Here are some ways I will provide parents with information:
Google Classroom - I encourage parents to sign up for Google Classroom. I will post daily any important notices and assignments for both student and parental review.
E-mail - I normally contact parents via email to address any academic or other concerns.
Telephone - I may need to get a hold of parents via telephone for urgent matters. Please make sure your home, work and mobile contact information is kept up to date via the main office.
In-person - I may ask parents to attend an in-person meeting. I encourage students to also attend these meetings. Regular parent-teacher conferences will take place in November.
Personal Agendas – Students will NOT be receiving school agendas. Students are encouraged to write down assignment due dates and important notes in their own personal agendas. Students are also encouraged to use the calendar feature in Google Classroom to manage assignments.
Newsletters – Newsletters will be sent home monthly. As part of our Language curriculum, monthly newsletters will be written, edited and published electronically and in writing. These newsletters will hopefully keep you informed of important class news and activities.
Contacting Me
Please feel free to contact me via email at machadoj@hdsb.ca. I check my e-mail daily. Alternatively, If you’d like to discuss anything of concern or interest over the telephone, please feel free to call me at 905 637-8297. If I am available, I will gladly take the call. If I am teaching, an office adminstrator can take a message and I will call you back as soon as possible.
Personal Devices
Students are encouraged to bring any technological learning tools that will assist them with their organizational research skills. Students are also encouraged to keep important notes and update personal calendars, using their devices. Please contact me if your child wants to bring in larger devices such as personal laptops or tablets so we can address storage and liability questions.
