Welcome

Welcome To Our Grade 4/5 Class Website!

I look forward to helping you and your child navigate the way forward in what I hope all will find an exciting year ahead.

Our website is a place you can come to find out what you want to know about units of study and homework expectations.  You will also find monthly newsletters here and they will be posted below daily homework assignments.  

Please know that you can contact me with questions about the curriculum or concerns you may have about your child's well-being.  The days are busy but I will respond by phone or e-mail as quickly as possible.  

You can contact me at flindalls@hdsb.ca

I look forward to working together with you to  make this a great year of learning and growing for your child.  I strongly believe our close partnership will have a significant impact on your child's success this year. 

Hello Parents

It’s been a good, “first full week” in Room 121.  The kids are becoming familiar with our classroom library and getting into the routines of reading quietly to begin our Literacy periods. They are doing their best to complete agendas each day and keep classroom materials in their places.  I am also proud of the efforts they are making to participate during lessons and work independently and quietly. 

I am enclosing a timetable for your reference at home, so you can remember Gym and Library days. In the near future, you will also find a copy of the timetable on the classroom website under the subtitle “More”  My Website 

This year, our school will take part in the annual Terry Fox Run on Friday, September 22nd, to continue Terry’s dream of a world without cancer.  If you are interested in making a donation, just click on the link to support our school’s fundraising efforts.  

Terry Fox Run - Glenview   Please be sure the kids come to school with sunscreen, hats and weather related clothing so they will be comfortable on that day.

We still have lots of nice weather ahead of us in the months of September and October, so for now we are having our Gym classes outdoors. (More news about what Gym classes will look like once  the cooler weather arrives coming soon.) Next week we will have visitors from Toronto Rock share their expertise regarding the game of Lacrosse with our students, thanks to arrangements made by our generous Parent Council. The children will need to have proper footwear on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon of next week. 

Most students have joined our Google Classroom but there are still a few who need to accept their email invitations.  Please take a few minutes over the weekend to become part of our electronic classroom. 

Feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have about our routines or expectations.  Hopefully the kids are coming home with positive news about the day and finding a little time to read in the evenings.  Thanks to all for filling out the “Raising Rising Stars” forms.  The information provided will help me to help your child have a great year and shine academically, socially and emotionally.  

I look forward to meeting all who will be able to attend the Open House on October 5th.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Sharon Flindall

September Newsletter

Dear Parents                                                                                     

Welcome to our Grade 4/5 classroom and the start of a brand new school year!  For those of you who do not know me, my name is Sharon Flindall and I have been happily teaching in the junior grades for 19 years.  I have three grown children and my favorite thing to do is to visit with them and their growing families.  Hobbies of mine include cooking, reading, gardening and crafting.  My husband and I also love nature and enjoy spending time together in the great outdoors.

Our first unit of study in Science is Rocks and Minerals in Grade 4, and Matter and Materials in Grade 5. Math classes will start with a review of addition/subtraction strategies to improve accuracy with larger numbers and mental math skills. Reading, writing and comparing larger numbers as well as place value will be the focus after that.  

In Literacy the children will be developing their stamina to read quietly and independently in the first few weeks.  We will also explore the differences between various genres (e.g., Mystery, Science Fiction, Biography, etc.) as I hope to encourage them to try new types of books and authors during their independent reading time at school, and at home. It is important that everyone has a book they will enjoy reading with them daily.  Students will bring home a reading log that should be filled out daily and returned to school at the end of the month.  

There may be some homework in Math or Word Study a couple of times a week, but there should never be more than 30 minutes of homework nightly.  For the most part, students will be given the time to complete their daily tasks in class. There will be times though when students may need extra reinforcement of concepts, or to complete work that is incomplete.  Sometimes there will be project work or tests to prepare for, as well. Please let me know if your child is finding the workload too much and we will adjust accordingly.

I am hoping that the children will read at home in the evenings, particularly when no other homework has been assigned. It would be wonderful if you could find the time to read together and discuss the content. This helps to develop critical thinking skills and an appreciation for stories and the lessons they hold.  Reading aloud is also beneficial to further develop fluency and oral expression.  In addition, research clearly shows that daily reading has a direct impact on student academic success.  Vocabulary and general knowledge increase, as does the stamina required to read for more sustained periods of time in higher grades. I hope we can work together to develop your child's daily reading habits and skills. I assure you the commitment will pay off if you can encourage your child to see the value in it. 

We will be using agendas this year so it will be important to check and initial them each day for reminders or assignments.  They have been ordered and should arrive soon.  We can only provide one free agenda to students each year so please guide your child to take good care of it.  You will also be able to check homework expectations on the classroom website which can be accessed using the staff link on the Glenview School Website:  Glenview Public School.  

We have a Google Classroom as well, which will be used to help the kids keep up during absences, or if learning needs to occur online again for any reason.  Students will also use the Google Classroom during class at times when we have access to the chrome books.   Please be sure your child accepts his/her invitation to join the classroom. This will be sent to them soon and most of the kids are quite familiar with it by now.   For those who need a refresher, students simply use their username and password to login to their HDSB school account and respond to the prompt to join.  

We will have QDF most days and will also try to spend some time outside learning, daily.  It is important that children come prepared for the weather, so they are comfortable outdoors.  Once our timetables are firmly established,  I will add this to the website.  I will also send home a hard copy of the timetable for you to keep on hand, as well. Our Gym days are still to be determined but we will have a weekly visit to the library on Monday afternoons.  

I will be sending along a “Raising Rising Stars” question form for you to fill out at your convenience. This, of course, is voluntary.  I find that parents are often happy to have the opportunity to share valuable nuggets of information or tips that will help me better understand or motivate their children. I would like to know how the kids are finding their first week and if they are showing any signs of nervousness or anxiety about their return to school. 

I hope you will always feel free to email me if you have any questions or concerns about anything going on in the classroom or your child’s well-being. The days are busy but I will get back to you as soon as I can. I hope each one of my students comes home happy and excited about the things they discover here each day.  I assure you I will do all I can to keep them engaged, safe, happy and inspired to offer their best in all subject areas.

I look forward to getting to know you as well as your children as the weeks and months go by. Our partnership will play an important role in the success of your child this year. Cheers to a safe, great year ahead!

Sincerely,

Sharon Flindall