Hello 1D Families,

I hope everyone had a wonderful March Break! I look forward to reconnecting with 1D and hearing all about their adventures. It will be nice to have a 5-day school week to get settled back into our classroom routines. Please read below for important updates:

Fundations

We are continuing to work on Unit 10 in Fundations. Trick words introduced this week will be: how, now, and down. As we move towards sounding out 5 letter words, we are working hard to say our words slowly to ensure we are hearing and recording all five sounds. We will also discuss adding the suffix -s to 5 letter words.

Coupon Book Order Forms

Coupon Book Order forms will be sent home in your child's homework bag this week. This is an optional fundraising event. Payment must be made be e-transfer only using the e-mail address indicated on the form (no cash payments accepted). Order forms are to be returned to homeroom teachers on April 14, 15, and 15th. 

Easter Seals Fundraiser

Throughout the next few weeks, West Royalty will participate in several fundraising opportunities for Easter Seals. Easter Seals is an organization that focuses on enhancing the quality of life, self-esteem, and self-determination of individuals living with disabilities. Below are a few special activities planned at West Royalty Elementary:

• March 24-31: Candy Jar Guess: At noon recess, students can purchase ballots to guess how many candies there are in the candy jar. Ballots are $1.00 each.

• March 27th - Neon Dance: All students are encouraged to wear bright colors and we will have a school-wide dance party throughout the day. Students are asked to donate $2.00. 

• April 9th - Pie in the Face: Additional details coming soon!

Important Dates:
March 26 - Library books are due back

March 27 - Neon Dance - Easter Seals Fundraiser
April 3 - Good Friday (No school)
April 6 - Easter Monday (No school)
April 10 - Professional Development Day (No school)

As always, please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns

Take care,

Ms. Doyle

Hello 1D Families,

It's hard to believe we are into the last week of school before March Break. Thank you to everyone who was able to make it for parent-teacher conferences on Thursday/Friday. It was wonderful to be able to touch base and discuss your child's progress. I am proud of the accomplishments the students have made thus far! 1D has been working very hard to fill their marble jar. With only 8 marbles left, I suspect we will accomplish that goal before the end of the week. We will then vote as a class on how we would like to celebrate. If the celebration involves bringing something from home (ex: show and tell, pajama day, etc.), I will send out a separate e-mail to update you. Please read below for important information about the coming week:

Fundations

We will begin Unit 10 in Fundations this week where students are learning to segment and blend up to 5 sounds in a closed syllable word. We continue to introduce new vowel teams which students are applying directly to their reading. This week we will learn the oa, oe, ow, ou, and oo vowel teams. Trick words introduced this week will be: any and many. I will send home a letter this week outlining the concepts covered in Unit 10 as well as optional practice activities. 

Outdoor Clothing
Due to the fluctuating temperatures as we transition to spring, our playground can get quite wet/muddy. It is important that students continue to wear snowpants/splash pants and appropriate footwear during outdoor recess to accommodate the melting snow. It may also be helpful to pack an extra pair of mittens as they can become quite wet during first recess. In addition, please ensure your child has a set of extra clothes in their backpack incase of wet clothes, accidents, etc.

Easter Seals Fundraiser

Throughout the next few weeks, West Royalty will participate in several fundraising opportunities for Easter Seals. Easter Seals is an organization that focuses on enhancing the quality of life, self-esteem, and self-determination of individuals living with disabilities. Below are a few special activities planned at West Royalty Elementary:

• March 12th: West Royalty Croc Jibbitz Sale: Students can purchase West Royalty Croc Jibbitz for $5.00. A photo of the WRES Jibbitz can be found in the school newsletter. 

• March 12th - Wacky Tack Day: Pay a donation to Easter Seals and come wearing your wackiest tackiest ouftit! Plaid, Polka Dots, Stripes, Camo, TyeDye, Mismatch Socks ... we can't wait to see your crazy outfits!!

• March 24-31: Candy Jar Guess: At noon recess, students can purchase ballots to guess how many candies there are in the candy jar. Ballots are $1.00 each.

• March 27th - Neon Dance: All students are encouraged to wear bright colors and we will have a school-wide dance party throughout the day. Students are asked to donate $2.00. 

• April 9th - Pie in the Face: Additional details coming soon!

Important Dates:
March 11 - Library books are due back

March 12 - Wacky Tacky Day - Easter Seals Fundraiser
March 12 - Croc Jibbitz Sale - Easter Seals Fundraiser
March 13 - Be Seen in Green Day  (St. Patrick's Day)
March 16-20 - March Break (No school)

I hope everyone has a wonderful March Break and safe travels to those enjoying some time off the Island!

Take care,

Ms. Doyle

Hello Everyone,

Welcome to March! The students had a blast celebrating the 100th day of school on Friday and I thank you for your support and participation in helping make it a memorable celebration. We have a new student joining 1D this week - I know the students will do a fantastic job welcoming a new member to our classroom community. It is a four day week due to parent-teacher conferences on Thursday evening and Friday day. Please read below for important updates:

Math Homework

A new math homework log will be sent home for the month of March. A doubles fact sheet was previously sent home with students, providing a visual support to help students remember their double facts. It would be great if you could take a few moments in the evening to review the double facts with your child. These double facts become the basis for several addition strategies we will introduce over the coming weeks. Quick recall of double facts with answers to 20 will help to support the use of other addition strategies going forward.

Parent Teacher Conferences

Thank you to everyone for signing up for parent-teacher conferences. Since appointments are scheduled in 15-minute blocks, at the end of the interview, if more time is needed, I'll gladly follow-up with a phone call or book another time to meet. I look forward to chatting with you all about your child's progress!

Fundations

We will be wrapping up Unit 9 in Fundations this week and completing our end of unit assessment. The focus has been on identifying and marking up closed syllables as well as learning the sounds of a variety of vowel teams (ex: ai, ay, ee, ea, ey, oi, oy).

Book Fair
The Scholastic Book Fair will run from March 2-6! 1D will have the opportunity to attend the Book Fair on Monday, March 2nd. If you are interested in having your child purchase a book at school, please ensure you send in money in a bag/envelope on March 2. A book fair flyer went home last week which will give you an idea of available books and prices. If there is a particular book from the flyer your child is interested in purchasing, it would be great if you could write down the name of the book and send it in a bag/envelope with your child's money. Family purchasing will take place Thursday, March 5th from 3:00 - 7:00 pm and Friday, March 6th from 9:00 am - 12:00 pm.

Easter Seals Fundraiser

Throughout the next few weeks, West Royalty will participate in several fundraising opportunities for Easter Seals. Easter Seals is an organization that focuses on enhancing the quality of life, self-esteem, and self-determination of individuals living with disabilities. Below are a few special activities planned at West Royalty Elementary:

• March 4th and 12th: West Royalty Croc Jibbitz Sale: Students can purchase West Royalty Croc Jibbitz for $5.00. A photo of the WRES Jibbitz can be found in the school newsletter. 

• March 12th - Wacky Tack Day: Pay a donation to Easter Seals and come wearing your wackiest tackiest ouftit! Plaid, Polka Dots, Stripes, Camo, TyeDye, Mismatch Socks ... we can't wait to see your crazy outfits!!

• March 24-31: Candy Jar Guess: At noon recess, students can purchase ballots to guess how many candies there are in the candy jar. Ballots are $1.00 each.

• March 27th - Neon Dance: All students are encouraged to wear bright colors and we will have a school-wide dance party throughout the day. Students are asked to donate $2.00. 

• April 9th - Pie in the Face: Additional details coming soon!

Important Dates:
March 2 - Library books are due back

March 3 - Learning reports sent home
March 4 - Croc Jibbitz Sale - Easter Seals Fundraiser

March 5 - Parent- Teacher Conferences (evening only)

March 6 - Parent- Teacher Conferences - No school

As always, please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. 

Have a wonderful week!

Ms. Doyle

Hello 1D Families,

It's hard to believe we are into the last week of February! 1D enjoyed partaking in Winter Wellness on Friday as we had our local MLA, Gord McNeilly run a fitness session with the school. It led to a great conversation about the importance of physical activity and things we can do to keep our bodies moving! This week will have lots of excitement with the 100th day of school celebrations. Please read below for important information about the week:

Math Homework - 100th Day of School

The 100th Day of School is fast approaching! We will celebrate this milestone in lots of different ways in the coming weeks.  As part of our February math homework, students are asked to create/bring in one collection of 100 items which we will display in the classroom and share with our classmates as part of the 100th day of school.  The February homework log dedicates a few dates to work on this little project but your child can complete this task at a time that best suits your schedule. Students can show their creativity and use items they have around the house such as fruit loops, stickers, beads, pasta noodles, etc. We have been working on grouping objects by 5's and 10's to make our counting easier. Please send in your child's 100 item collection by Monday, February 23. If you have any questions about this project, please don't hesitate to reach out.

100th Day Celebration

Assuming we have no storm days between now and then, the 100th Day of School celebration will take place on Thursday, February 26. The students are encouraged to dress like they are 100 years old as part of our celebration. Students can be creative with this and do not need to go out and buy a costume. A notice was sent home in their homework bags last week outlining the celebration and some helpful ideas. Thank you for your support to make these milestones in our classroom exciting! 

• Note: If there is a storm day between now and Thursday, February 26 - the 100th day celebration would be postponed. I will send out a confirmation e-mail if there is a change to our 100th day celebration.

Parent Teacher Conferences

A reminder that the online booking platform for Parent-Teacher Conferences will be available for bookings starting February 16th at 9am. I look forward to chatting with you all about your child's progress!

Book Fair
The Scholastic Book Fair will run from March 2-6! 1D will have the opportunity to attend the Book Fair on Monday, March 2nd. If you are interested in having your child purchase a book at school, please ensure you send in money in a bag/envelope on March 2. A book fair flyer went home last week which will give you an idea of available books and prices. If there is a particular book from the flyer your child is interested in purchasing, it would be great if you could write down the name of the book and send it in a bag/envelope with your child's money.

Family purchasing will take place Thursday, March 5th from 3:00 - 7:00 pm and Friday, March 6th from 9:00 am - 12:00 pm. Our Librarian, Mrs. Read, is looking for volunteers to help ensure the book fair runs smoothly. If you are interested in helping at the book fair, please sign up using the link below and your child's class will be entered into a draw for a $50 credit to the book fair!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0544A5AA2EA6FAC43-62299127-march

Fundations

We will continue with Unit 9 in Fundations this week where students are learning about closed syllables. A closed syllable ends in a consonant and only has one vowel. The vowel in a closed syllable is short, as in the word "math" or "cat". Students will learn to differentiate between closed and open syllables. We will continue to review vowel team sounds (ai, ay, ee, ea, and ey) which students will gain familiarity with when reading.  

Important Dates:
February 23 - Students to bring in 100 item collections

February 25 - Pink Shirt Day. Staff and students are encouraged to wear pink to bring awareness to bullying.

February 26 - 100th Day of School Celebration - Dress like we are 100 years old (Postponed to Feb 27 due to storm day)
February 27 - Library books are due back

March 3 - Learning reports sent home

March 5 - Parent- Teacher Conferences (evening only)

March 6 - Parent- Teacher Conferences - No school

As always, please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. 

Have a wonderful week!

Ms. Doyle

Hello Everyone,

I hope you had a wonderful weekend! It was so nice to have the students back today after a longer than expected break away from the classroom. We kicked off our week with a Valentine's celebration at the end of the day - there was lots of excitement as students enjoyed sharing a little token with their classmates! Please read below for important information about upcoming events, activities, and celebrations: 

Sledding

Students in 1D will go sledding for their Phys. Ed. class on Thursday, February 19. Please check your child's homework bag for a permission form that was sent home last week regarding the sledding activity. Students without a signed permission form will not be able to participate in sledding. Please ensure you specify whether or not your child will be wearing a helmet. If your child's form indicates they need a helmet, you will need to send one in with them on Thursday as helmets are not provided by the school.

Math Homework - 100th Day of School

The 100th Day of School is fast approaching! We will celebrate this milestone in lots of different ways in the coming weeks.  As part of our February math homework, students are asked to create/bring in one collection of 100 items which we will display in the classroom and share with our classmates as part of the 100th day of school.  The February homework log dedicates a few dates to work on this little project but your child can complete this task at a time that best suits your schedule. Students can show their creativity and use items they have around the house such as fruit loops, stickers, beads, pasta noodles, etc. We have been working on grouping objects by 5's and 10's to make our counting easier. Please send in your child's 100 item collection by Monday, February 23. If you have any questions about this project, please don't hesitate to reach out.

100th Day Celebration

Assuming we have no storm days between now and then, the 100th Day of School celebration will take place on Thursday, February 26. The students are encouraged to dress like they are 100 years old as part of our celebration. Students can be creative with this and do not need to go out and buy a costume. A notice was sent home in their homework bags today outlining the celebration and some helpful ideas. Thank you for your support to make these milestones in our classroom exciting! 

Parent Teacher Conferences

A reminder that the online booking platform for Parent-Teacher Conferences will be available for bookings starting February 16th at 9am. I look forward to chatting with you all about your child's progress!

Fundations

We will start Unit 9 in Fundations this week. Students will be taught the rules for identifying a closed syllable. A closed syllable ends in a consonant and only has one vowel. The vowel in a closed syllable is short, as in the word "math" or "cat". Students will also be introduced to some vowel team sounds (ai, ay, ee, ea, and ey).  The trick words for this week are: say and says. An information letter outlining concepts covered in this unit and optional practice activities was sent home. 

Winter Reminders

With the cold weather upon us, it is important that students are appropriately dressed for outdoor recess. Children will go outside most days unless it is raining heavy or the temperature (including wind chill) is below -20 degrees. Please ensure students have hats, mittens, and snow pants for outdoor playtime. An extra pair of mittens in their backpack may also be helpful incase they get misplaced or wet during first recess. Having the appropriate outdoor clothing makes for a much more enjoyable recess for the students!

Important Dates:
February 19 - Library Books are due back
February 19 - 1D Sledding for Phys. Ed

February 20 - Winter Wellness Day → School-wide fitness session in the gym.

February 25 - Pink Shirt Day. Staff and students are encouraged to wear pink to bring awareness to bullying.

February 26 - 100th Day of School Celebration

March 3 - Learning reports sent home

March 5 - Parent- Teacher Conferences (evening only)

March 6 - Parent- Teacher Conferences - No school

As always, please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. 

Have a great week!

Ms. Doyle

Hello 1D Families,

I hope you had a lovely weekend! We have a 4-day school week this week with no school on Friday but we certainly still have lots happening in 1D. Please read below for this weeks important highlights:

Valentine's Day

On Thursday, February 12th, 1D will have the opportunity to exchange little Valentine's Day cards. This is entirely optional but I do ask that if your child participates, they respectfully include a card for each child in the class. We have 18 students in our class. A list of student names was previously sent home in your child's homework bag.  A reminder that any food items sent to the school must be peanut and nut free.

Math Homework - 100th Day of School

The 100th Day of School is fast approaching! We will celebrate this milestone in lots of different ways in the coming weeks.  As part of our February math homework, students are asked to create/bring in one collection of 100 items which we will display in the classroom and share with our classmates as part of the 100th day of school.  The February homework log dedicates a few dates to work on this little project but feel free to have your child complete the task at a time that best suits your schedule. Students can show their creativity and use items they have around the house such as playing cards, stickers, beads, pasta noodles, etc. We have been working on grouping objects by 5's and 10's to make our counting easier. Please send in your child's 100 item collection by Monday, February 23. If you have any questions about this project, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Sledding

Students in 1D will go sledding for their Phys. Ed. class on Thursday, February 19. Please check your child's homework bag for a permission form that was sent home on Friday regarding the sledding activity. The permission slip must be completed and returned for your child to be able to participate in sledding. Please indicate whether or not your child will be wearing a helmet. 

Fundations

We are continuing to work through Unit 8 with the review of blends and r-controlled vowels (ar, or, er, ir, ur). Trick words introduced this week are: her, number, over. We will complete our end of unit assessment towards the end of the week before moving onto Unit 9.

Important Dates:
February 9 - Library Books are due back
February 12 - Red and White Day to celebrate Valentine's Day

February 13 - Professional Learning Day - No school.
February 16 - Islander Day - No school.
February 19 - 1D Sledding for Phys. Ed

February 20 - Winter Wellness Day

February 25 - Pink Shirt Day. Staff and students are encouraged to wear pink to bring awareness to bullying.

Thank you for your continued support with your child's learning. Parent-teacher interviews are coming up next month, however; if you have any questions or concerns about how your child is getting along in the meantime, please don't hesitate to contact me. 

Have a great week!

Ms. Doyle

Hello Everyone,

Welcome to February! The students enjoyed making weather predictions last week for Groundhog day. It was mixed feelings in 1D between hoping for an early spring or 6 more weeks of winter. The weather these last few weeks has certainly made it feel like we have a bit more winter left on the Island. Please read below for important updates this week:

Valentine's Day

On Thursday, February 12th, 1D will have the opportunity to exchange little Valentine's Day cards. This is entirely optional but I do ask that if your child participates, they respectfully include a card for each child in the class. We have 18 students in our class. A list of student names was sent home in your child's homework bag last week.  A reminder that any food items sent to the school must be peanut and nut free.

100th Day of School

The 100th Day of School is fast approaching as Tuesday will be our 86th day in Grade 1! We will celebrate this milestone in lots of different ways in the coming weeks. The final date for our 100th day celebration may fluctuate due to potential weather related school closures. Please keep an eye out for future information on classroom activities connected to the 100th day of school.

Fundations

We are continuing to work through Unit 8. The focus is on blends and r-controlled vowels (ar, or, er, ir, ur). Trick words introduced wthis week will be: could, would, and should. Please continue to read and spell trick words with your child at home. This practice helps students to strengthen their trick word knowledge and supports application when reading and writing. 

Winter Reminders

With the cold weather upon us, it is important that students are appropriately dressed for outdoor recess. Children will go outside most days unless it is raining heavy or the temperature (including wind chill) is below -20 degrees. Please ensure students have hats, mittens, and snow pants for outdoor playtime. An extra pair of mittens in their backpack may also be helpful incase they get misplaced or wet during first recess. In addition, please check your child's extra change of clothes bag that was provided in September to ensure appropriate clothing items for this season are included. This can stay in their backpack to be used incase of accidents, wet clothing, etc. Having the appropriate outdoor clothing makes for a much more enjoyable recess for the students!

Important Dates:
February 9 - Library Books are due back

February 13 - Professional Learning Day (No school)
February 16 - Islander Day - No school.

February 25 - Pink Shirt Day. Staff and students are encouraged to wear pink to bring awareness to bullying.

Have a wonderful week!

Ms. Doyle

Hello 1D Families, 

It's hard to believe we are into the last week of January! As we begin to prepare for Term 2 assessments, it's amazing to reflect on the growth students have made over the last few months both personally and academically. I am very proud of all their hard work and I hope they are as well! Here is a look at what is happening in 1D this week:
 

Fundations

We will complete our Unit 7 assessment on Tuesday and jumpstart right into Unit 8 this week. In this unit, we will begin by learning about consonant blends. A blend is two consonants together in a word that each make their own sound. You’ll hear both sounds, but they blend together to be smooth! (ex: slip, brag, mask, etc.) Blends can be at the beginning of a word (ex: stop) or at the end of a word (ex: pest). An information letter for Unit 8 including optional practice activities will be sent home this week. 

Valentine's Day

On Thursday, February 12th, 1D will have the opportunity to exchange little Valentine's Day cards. This is entirely optional but I do ask that if your child participates, they respectfully include a card for each child in the class. We have 19 students in our class. I will send home a list of the names of students in our classroom this week.

Winter Reminders

With the cold weather upon us, it is important that students are appropriately dressed for outdoor recess. Children will go outside most days unless it is raining heavy or the temperature (including wind chill) is below -20 degrees. Please ensure students have hats, mittens, and snow pants for outdoor playtime. An extra pair of mittens in their backpack may also be helpful incase they get misplaced or wet during first recess. In addition, please check your child's extra change of clothes bag that was provided in September to ensure appropriate clothing items for this season are included. This can stay in their backpack to be used incase of accidents, wet clothing, etc. Having the appropriate outdoor clothing makes for a much more enjoyable recess for the students!

Important Dates:

January 29 - Library books are due back

February 13 - Professional Learning Day (No school)

Have a wonderful week!

Ms. Doyle

Hello Everyone, 

We have an exciting start to our week as we will be welcoming a new student in our classroom on Tuesday. That will bring us to 19 lovely learners in 1D. When I shared the news with the class last week, the kiddos were looking forward to meeting our newest classmate and teaching them all about West Royalty! We certainly have a welcoming and caring group of students. Please take a quick read below for important updates:

Fundations

We are into our third week of Unit 7 in Fundations. We are now focusing on adding suffix -s to words with a "-ng" and "-nk" glued sounds - thanks, rinks, honks, lungs are a few sample words. Trick words introduced so far in Unit 7 are: why, by, my, try, two, put. The students will be introduced to too, very, also, some and come this week. Please continue to review trick words with your child as this practice helps them to apply their knowledge of trick words when reading and writing.

Penguins

Over the next couple weeks, we will be exploring penguins through a variety of different research tools. If your child has any penguin books they'd like to bring in to add to our classroom library (fiction or nonfiction), please feel free send them in with their names on the inside front cover. This will ensure that they are returned to their owner.

Math Game

Students had a math game listed on their homework log for Monday, January 19th. Although we didn't have school on Monday due to the snow day, I will send home a copy of the game incase students are interested in playing it at home. We will also be playing it in class on Tuesday so students will be familiar with how it works. 

Important Dates:

January 20 - Library books are due back

February 13 - Professional Learning Day (No school)

Have a wonderful week!

Thanks,

Ms. Doyle

Hi All, 

I hope you had a lovely weekend - it certainly was a real mixture of winter weather! We had a great first week back to school for 2026. I was so impressed with how quickly the students settled back in to the classroom routines and expectations - way to go, 1D! Please read below for important updates and information for this week:

Fundations

We are into our second week of Unit 7 in Fundations. Students will be introduced to reading and spelling words that have glued sounds ending in "-nk" such as pink, bank, honk, junk. Trick words introduced so far in Unit 7 are: why, by, my, try, two, put. Please continue to review trick words with your child as this practice helps them to apply their knowledge of trick words when reading and writing.

Penguins

Over the next few weeks, we will be learning about Penguins through a variety of different research tools. If your child has any penguin books they'd like to bring in to add to our classroom library (fiction or nonfiction), please send them in with their names on the inside front cover. This will ensure that they are returned to their owner.

Winter Reminders

Winter is here! It is a good idea to discuss with your child their dismissal plan in the event of an early closure. I have my list ready to go based on the information you provided in September; however, it is always helpful if they are aware of their early closure plan. Please review this with them to refresh their little minds. In addition, appropriate clothing for outdoor play is needed. Please make sure your child is ready for the weather by sending hats, mittens, coats, and snow pants to school each day.

Important Dates:

January 19 - Library books are due back

February 13 - Professional Learning Day (No school)

As always, please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns. 

Thanks,

Ms. Doyle

Hello 1D Families, 

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a fantastic holiday break and enjoyed some time with family and friends. I look forward to reuniting with the students and hearing all about their winter break adventures! Please read below for important highlights for this week:

Fundations

We will start Unit 7 in Fundations this week. The first week of this unit focuses on words with glued sounds ending in "-ng" such as ring, fang, song, lung. A Unit 7 information letter will be sent home in students homework bags outlining skills covered in this unit and optional at-home learning activities.

Homework
Homework is back up and running this week. We will review homework procedures in class and students will take home their weekly homework sentences as well as their monthly math homework log for January. Please ensure that your child's homework folder is being returned to school so that their new homework does not get lost in transition. If you have any questions or concerns about homework, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Winter Reminders

Winter is here! It is a good idea to discuss with your child their dismissal plan in the event of an early closure. I have my list ready to go based on the information you provided in September; however, it is always helpful if they are aware of their early closure plan. Please review this with them to refresh their little minds. In addition, appropriate clothing for outdoor play is needed. Please make sure your child is ready for the weather by sending hats, mittens, coats, and snow pants to school each day.

Important Dates:

January 19 - Library books are due back

February 13 - Professional Learning Day (No school)

As always, please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns. 

Thanks,

Ms. Doyle

Hello Everyone, 

It's hard to believe we are into our last week before the holiday break! The excitement is beginning to grow as we approach closer to Christmas. We will be trying to keep our routine as normal as possible in the classroom but we will certainly be sprinkling in some fun holiday activities throughout the week. This will be the last weekly update until January. Please take a quick read below for important information:

Fundations

We will be wrapping up Unit 6 in Fundations this week. This will be the last unit we complete before the holiday break. We will start off Unit 7 in Fundations when we return in the New Year. I will send home a parent package the first week in January which explains the content of Unit 7 as well as optional at-home activities. 

Homework

Given the busyness of the holiday season, students will not take home reading sentences this week. We will return to our regular homework routine in the New Year. 

Small Moment Writing
The students had a wonderful time celebrating their writing accomplishments on Thursday at our "Storyteller's Cafe". They enjoyed some hot chocolate while they shared their stories with their classmates in small groups or on the big screen with our class microphone. Lots of excitement! We had a chance to check out another Grade 1 classes stories as well and left some compliments to other writers. The students took their finished writing products home in their homework bag on Friday. They were very proud of their little books so please take some time to celebrate them at home and explore their writing pieces! We will be sending home the remainder of their small moment stories later this week. 

December Spirit Days

West Royalty will be having some themed days in December to celebrate the holiday season. As always, these theme days are entirely optional and are just a fun way to bring some holiday cheer into the classroom. Below is a schedule of the spirit days:

• Monday (Dec 15) - Holiday Hat Day

• Tuesday (Dec 16) - Red & Green Day

• Wednesday (Dec 17) - Jersey Day

• Thursday (Dec 18) - Holiday Sweater Day

• Friday (Dec 19) - Pajama Day

Important Dates:

December 15 - Holiday Hat Day

December 16 - Red & Green Day

December 17 - Jersey Day

December 18 - Holiday Sweater Day

December 18 - Library books are due back

December 19 - Pajama Day

December 19 - Last day of classes before Holiday Break

A big thank you for all your support to date. Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday break with family, friends, and loved ones!

Thanks,

Ms. Doyle

Hello 1D Families, 

We only have 10 school days remaining in the 2025 year - WOW! It will be an exciting week with 1D's holiday concert taking place on Tuesday and a writing celebration on Thursday. The students are looking forward to sharing their holiday performance with friends and family! Here is what is on the go in 1D this week:

Fundations

We are continuing with Unit 6 in Fundations where we are learning about the suffix -s (ex: dogs, ships, backs). Students are encouraged to identify the base word first (i.e. the word without the suffix), sound it out, and then add the suffix. They are grasping this concept quite well. Fundations trick words for this week are: who, what, when, where, there, here. 

Small Moments Writing
Students have been working hard over the last few weeks crafting many true stories about things that have happened in their lives. They've focused on telling their story in small steps and bringing their stories to life by making their characters move, talk, and feel. Students will choose their favorite story from their collection this week to publish. We will spend a few days editing our story and adding a cover page and author page. We will then take some time on Thursday to celebrate their hard work with a "Storyteller's Cafe". Students will get to enjoy sipping on some hot chocolate while sharing their stories with their peers. If you would prefer your child does not have hot chocolate/marshmallows, please let me know by Tuesday, December 9th.

Dental Forms

The Preventative Dental Program with Public Health is taking place at West Royalty Elementary. Please take a moment to fill out the NEW Dental online consent form, as soon as possible for your child. Here is the link: http://healthpei.ca/dentalconsent

Additional information about the Dental Program was provided in the November Newsletter.  

Food Drive - A Note from our Grade 4 Team

The grade four and four/five classes are organizing a non-perishable food, personal hygiene and infant care item drive to support our greater school community. We will be collecting items between December 1st and 13th. The classes are really excited about this initiative and want to show what a difference can be made when people come together for a great cause. Welcome donations would include things like non-perishable food items: (cans, pasta, cereal, sauces, etc.), as well as any personal hygiene items: (deodorant, shampoo, bodywash) and infant care items: (diapers, wipes, formula, pouches). We really appreciate your support in making this drive a success!

December Spirit Days

West Royalty will be having some themed days in December to celebrate the holiday season. As always, these theme days are entirely optional and are just a fun way to bring some holiday cheer into the classroom. Below is a schedule of the spirit days:

• Monday (Dec 15) - Holiday Hat Day

• Tuesday (Dec 16) - Red & Green Day

• Wednesday (Dec 17) - Jersey Day

• Thursday (Dec 18) - Holiday Sweater Day

• Friday (Dec 19) - Pajama Day

 
Holiday Concert

1D's December Holiday Concert will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 9th at 11:30am in the Multipurpose Room. Parents/guardians are welcome to attend the performance - I look forward to seeing you there! Please note, if there is a snow day on Tuesday, the concert would then take place on Wednesday, December 10th at 11:30am.

Important Dates:
December 9 - 1D Holiday Concert @ 11:30am

December 11 - Library books are due back

December 15 - Holiday Hat Day

December 16 - Red & Green Day

December 17 - Jersey Day

December 18 - Holiday Sweater Day

December 19 - Pajama Day and Last day of classes before Holiday Break

As always, please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns. Have a great week!

Thanks,

Ms. Doyle

Hello Everyone, 

Welcome to December! It's hard to believe we only have three weeks left of school before winter break. I look forward to seeing many of you at 1D's holiday concert next week. The students have been working hard to perfect their performance and I know they are excited to share it with friends and family. Please read below for key updates and upcoming events:

Fundations

We completed our Unit 5 check-in on Friday and will begin Unit 6 in Fundations this week. This unit focuses on suffixes. Students will learn how to identify a base word and read/spell words with the suffix -s. The new trick words introduced this week will be: are, were.

Dental Forms

The Preventative Dental Program with Public Health is taking place at West Royalty Elementary. Please take a moment to fill out the NEW Dental online consent form, as soon as possible for your child. Here is the link: http://healthpei.ca/dentalconsent

Additional information about the Dental Program was provided in the November Newsletter.  

Food Drive - A Note from our Grade 4 Team

The grade four and four/five classes are organizing a non-perishable food, personal hygiene and infant care item drive to support our greater school community. We will be collecting items between December 1st and 13th. The classes are really excited about this initiative and want to show what a difference can be made when people come together for a great cause. Welcome donations would include things like non-perishable food items: (cans, pasta, cereal, sauces, etc.), as well as any personal hygiene items: (deodorant, shampoo, bodywash) and infant care items: (diapers, wipes, formula, pouches). We really appreciate your support in making this drive a success!

Holiday Celebrations

With the excitement of the holiday season approaching, we are beginning to incorporate some festive activities into a variety of curriculum areas. If your family celebrates a specific holiday during this time of year and/or into the new year, please let me know as I would love to incorporate those celebrations into our classroom discussions and activities. 

December Spirit Days

West Royalty will be having some themed days in December to celebrate the holiday season. As always, these theme days are entirely optional and are just a fun way to bring some holiday cheer into the classroom. Below is a schedule of the spirit days:

• Monday (Dec 15) - Holiday Hat Day

• Tuesday (Dec 16) - Red & Green Day

• Wednesday (Dec 17) - Jersey Day

• Thursday (Dec 18) - Holiday Sweater Day

• Friday (Dec 19) - Pajama Day

 
Holiday Concert

1D's December Holiday Concert will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 9th at 11:30am in the Multipurpose Room. Parents/guardians are welcome to attend the performance - I look forward to seeing you there!

Important Dates:

December 1 - Library books are due back
December 9 - 1D Holiday Concert @ 11:30am

December 15 - Holiday Hat Day

December 16 - Red & Green Day

December 17 - Jersey Day

December 18 - Holiday Sweater Day

December 19 - Pajama Day and Last day of classes before Holiday Break

Have a great week!

Thanks,

Ms. Doyle

Hello 1D Families, 

Thank you to everyone who was able to attend parent-teacher conferences this past week. It was great to be able to connect and discuss your child's progress this term. It's hard to believe we are entering our last week of November! Please read below for what is happening in 1D this week:  

Fundations

We are starting Unit 5 of Fundations this week which is a week-long unit. This unit introduces the glued sounds /am/ and /an/. If all goes as planned, we will be completing our Unit 5 check-in on Friday. Keep an eye out for the parent information letter will be sent home with your child on Monday.

Picture Retakes
Picture retakes will take place on November 26th. If you would like your child to have a picture retake, please send me an e-mail no later than Tuesday, November 25. Students will only get a picture retake if they were absent on the original day of school pictures or if you have e-mailed me to indicate your child needs their photo taken.

Outdoor Clothing

As the temperatures begin to drop, please ensure you are sending your child to school with the appropriate clothing items for outdoor recess. It is helpful to have students store a spare hat and mittens in their backpacks incase of unexpectedly cold days. Due to the fluctuating temperatures and rain, the playground can get quite muddy. If students do not have snow pants and/or splash pants, there is a chance they may get dirty at recess. Please include a spare change of clothes in their backpack as an option. 

Holiday Concert

For parents to be able to plan ahead, Mrs. Zinck has announced that 1D's December Holiday Concert will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 9th at 11:30am in the Multipurpose Room. Parents/guardians are welcome to attend the performance - I look forward to seeing you there!

Important Dates:
November 26 - Picture Retake Day (please e-mail me if you would like your child to have a retake done)
December 9 - 1D Holiday Concert @ 11:30am

Have a great week!

Thanks,

Ms. Doyle

Hello 1D Families, 

I hope you enjoyed your weekend! Although it is only a 4-day week due to Parent Teacher Conferences happening on Friday (no school), we still have lots on the agenda! Please take a moment to read important updates of what is happening in 1D this week:

Picture Retakes
Picture retakes will take place on November 26th. If you would like your child to have a picture retake, please send me an e-mail no later than Tuesday, November 25. Students will only get a picture retake if they were absent on the original day of school pictures or if you have e-mailed me to indicate your child needs their photo taken.

Book Fair

1D will have the opportunity to attend the Book Fair on Monday, November 17. If you are interested in having your child purchase a book at school, please ensure you send in money in a bag/envelope on November 17. A book fair flyer went home last week which will give you an idea of available books and prices. If there is a particular book from the flyer your child is interested in purchasing, it would be great if you could write down the name of the book and send it in a bag/envelope with your child's money. Parents will also have the opportunity to visit the book fair during parent-teacher conferences on November 20th from 3:30-7:00pm and November 21st from 9:00am-12:00pm. 

Outdoor Clothing

As we approach the middle of November and temperatures begin to drop, please ensure you are sending your child to school with the appropriate clothing items for outdoor recess. It is helpful to have students store a spare hat and mittens in their backpacks incase of unexpectedly cold days. Due to the fluctuating temperatures and rain, the playground can get quite muddy. If students do not have snowpants and/or splash pants, there is a chance they may get dirty at recess. Please include a spare change of clothes in their backpack as an option.  

Fundations

We will be wrapping up Unit 4 this week with our unit assessment planned for Thursday. Students will then move into Unit 5 where we look at the glued sounds /am/ and /an/. I will send home an information letter for Unit 5 next week.

Holiday Concert

For parents to be able to plan ahead, Mrs. Zinck has announced that 1D's December Holiday Concert will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 9th at 11:30am in the Multipurpose Room. Parents/guardians are welcome to attend the performance - I look forward to seeing you there!

Important Dates:
November 17 - 1D Book Fair Visit
November 18 - Learning Reports sent home
November 20 - Parent-Teacher Conferences (evening)
November 21 - Parent-Teacher Conferences (all-day) - No School
November 26 - Picture Retake Day (please e-mail me if you would like your child to have a retake done)

Have a wonderful week! I look forward to chatting with many of you on Thursday and Friday. 

Thanks,

Ms. Doyle

Hi Everyone, 

I hope you all had a great weekend. It is another short week in 1D with Monday being a Teacher Administrative Day and Tuesday being Remembrance Day. The students spent some time last week learning about Remembrance Day. We created beautiful poppies out of tissue paper as a sign of respect for what others have done, and continue to do, to allow us to live safely in our country. 

Please read below for important updates for the upcoming week:

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Parent-Teacher Conferences will take place on November 20 (evening) and November 21 (all day). The online booking platform can be found on the school website and was available for bookings as of Monday, November 3 at 9am. The booking system will close on Wednesday, November 12 at 3pm. If you haven't signed up, please do so before it closes on Friday. I look forward to seeing you all and chatting about your child's progress!

Book Fair

1D will have the opportunity to attend the Book Fair on Monday, November 17. If you are interested in having your child purchase a book at school, please ensure you send in money in a bag/envelope on November 17. A book fair flyer went home last week which will give you an idea of available books and prices. If there is a particular book from the flyer your child is interested in purchasing, it would be great if you could write down the name of the book and send it in a bag/envelope with your child's money. Parents will also have the opportunity to visit the book fair during parent-teacher conferences on November 20th from 3:30-7:00pm and November 21st from 9:00am-12:00pm. 

Picture Retakes

Picture retakes will take place on November 26th. If you would like your child to have a picture retake, please send me an e-mail no later than Tuesday, November 25. Students will only get a picture retake if they were absent on the original day of school pictures or if you have e-mailed me to indicate your child needs their photo taken.

Fundations

We continue to work through Unit 4 in Fundations with a focus on bonus letters. We will introduce the glued sound /all/. Students will learn that when tapping the /all/ sound, they use one tap with two fingers because the sound is "glued" together. We will introduce the following trick words this week: you, your, they and I. It is beneficial for students to review these new words and previous trick words as part of their nightly homework routine. Being able to recognize trick words independently will allow students to make gains in their reading and writing.

Homework
Although it is a short week, I will still be sending home our nightly reading homework to maintain a consistent routine. Students can spend Wednesday night reading all of the sentences once. On Thursday night, students can read all the sentences again and choose one sentence to illustrate their comprehension.

Holiday Concert

For parents to be able to plan ahead, Mrs. Zinck has announced that 1D's December Holiday Concert will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 9th at 11:30am in the Multipurpose Room. Parents/guardians are welcome to attend the performance - I look forward to seeing you there!

Important Dates:
November 10 - Teacher Administrative Day - No School
November 11 - Remembrance Day - No School
November 12 - Library books are due back
November 17 - 1D Book Fair Visit
November 18 - Learning Reports sent home
November 20 - Parent-Teacher Conferences (evening)
November 21 - Parent-Teacher Conferences (all-day) - No School
November 26 - Picture Retake Day (please e-mail me if you would like your child to have a retake done)

As always, please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

Thanks,

Ms. Doyle

Hi Everyone, 

I hope you enjoyed the first weekend of November and the extra hour of sleep we gained when clocks rolled back!  We only have three school days this week due to the PEITF Convention. Please take a few moments to read through the reminders for this upcoming week.

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Parent-Teacher Conferences will take place on November 20 (evening) and November 21 (all day). The online booking platform can be found on the school website and will become available for bookings on Monday, November 3 at 9am. The booking system will close on Wednesday, November 12 at 3pm. I look forward to seeing you all and chatting about your child's progress!

Fundations

We will begin Unit 4 in Fundations this week and an information letter will be sent home on Monday. This unit introduces students to reading and spelling words with bonus letters. Bonus letters are f, l, and s and are letters that are doubled at the end of a word when followed by a short vowel (ex: miss, tell, buff). Students will learn that although these words have an extra letter, the bonus letter does not make a sound (ex: miss has 4 letters but only 3 sounds).

Homework
Although it is a short week, I will still be sending home our nightly reading homework to maintain a consistent routine. Students can spend Monday night reading all of the sentences once. On Tuesday night, students can read all the sentences again and choose one sentence to illustrate their comprehension. Since it is now November, a new monthly math sheet will be included in students homework duotangs this week. I appreciate your continued support with nightly homework. The additional practice at home helps to reinforce the concepts we are learning in class.

Holiday Concert

For parents to be able to plan ahead, Mrs. Zinck has announced that 1D's December Holiday Concert will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 9th at 11:30am in the Multipurpose Room. Parents/guardians are welcome to attend the performance - I look forward to seeing you there!

Book Fair

West Royalty is excited to host the Scholastic Book Fair from November 17th - November 21st. Students will have an opportunity to visit the Book Fair at a scheduled time and date during school hours (stay tuned for 1D's date and time!). Parents will also have the opportunity to visit the book fair during parent-teacher conferences on November 20th from 3:30-7:00pm and November 21st from 9:00am-12:00pm. 

Mrs. Read, our librarian, is looking for volunteers to help support with the Book Fair during the week of November 17-21. If you are interested in volunteering, please use the following link to sign-up for a volunteer time slot: Volunteer Sign-up Sheet. 

Outdoor Clothing
We have been spoiled with warm temperatures this Fall; however, there has been a shift in temperature the last few days. Please monitor the weather and ensure that your child is coming to school dressed for the cooler temperatures.

Important Dates:
November 6 and 7 - PEITF Convention - No School
November 10 - Teacher Administrative Day - No School
November 11 - Remembrance Day - No School
November 12 - Library books are due back
November 18 - Learning Reports sent home
November 20 - Parent-Teacher Conferences (evening)
November 21 - Parent-Teacher Conferences (all-day) - No School

As always, please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

Thanks,

Ms. Doyle

Hi Everyone, 

I hope you all had a lovely weekend. It sounded like the Halloween Dance was a huge success - I anticipate many exciting stories to be shared on Monday! For anyone who wasn't able to attend, 1D will have a chance to visit the "Haunted Woods" tomorrow.

We have a couple short school weeks ahead of us due to the PEITF Convention, a Teacher Administrative Day, and Remembrance Day. Nonetheless, we will keep things as routine as possible in the classroom. I will be working through some individual student assessments over the next few weeks in preparation for Term 1 learning reports that will be sent home towards the end of November. 

Please read below for important updates of what's happening in 1D:

Book Fair

West Royalty is excited to host the Scholastic Book Fair from November 17th - November 21st. Students will have an opportunity to visit the Book Fair at a scheduled time and date during school hours (stay tuned for 1D's date and time!). Parents will also have the opportunity to visit the book fair during parent-teacher conferences on November 20th from 3:30-7:00pm and November 21st from 9:00am-12:00pm. 

Mrs. Read, our librarian, is looking for volunteers to help support with the Book Fair during the week of November 17-21. If you are interested in volunteering, please use the following link to sign-up for a volunteer time slot: Volunteer Sign-up Sheet. 

Outdoor Clothing
We have been spoiled with warm temperatures this Fall; however, there has been a shift in temperature the last few days. Please monitor the weather and ensure that your child is coming to school dressed for the cooler temperatures.

Fundations

We will wrap-up Unit 3 in Fundations this week and students will complete their end of unit check-in on Friday. I will send an information letter for Unit 4 home next week.

Homework
I appreciate the time you are taking at home to help support your child's learning. This week students will take home a math game as part of their weekly homework. The math game can be found in the "Math" pocket of their yellow homework duotang. You will need dice to play this game. If you do not have dice at home, I have linked Virtual Math Manipulatives on our Student Links page where you can access dice online. Please ensure your child brings back their yellow homework duotang as well as their black homework bag each day. If you have any questions or concerns about homework, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Important Dates:
October 29 - Library books are due back
October 31 - Dress in Orange and Black day (No costumes for K-2)
November 6 and 7 - PEITF Convention - No School
November 10 - Teacher Administrative Day - No School
November 11 - Remembrance Day - No School
November 18 - Learning Reports sent home
November 20 - Parent-Teacher Conferences (evening)
November 21 - Parent-Teacher Conferences (all-day) - No School

As always, please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

Thanks,

Ms. Doyle

Hi Everyone, 

Thank you to all for getting the field trip permission forms and fees returned on Thursday/Friday - it was a quick turnaround time and your support is very much appreciated! I look forward to starting off our week with our Apple Picking adventures and I know the students are quite excited as well! We are back to a regular 5-day week in 1D. Please read below for important updates:

Battery Blitz

Our school's Battery Blitz is ongoing. Students can bring in batteries that families want to dispose of.  If sending batteries in, please make sure that these items are placed inside sealed plastic/ziploc bags before putting them inside of kitbags.  

Halloween Dance

The Halloween Dance will take place on Friday, October 24th from 6:00-7:30pm. All students must be accompanied by an adult. The cost is $5 per child. Funds will go towards supporting the Core French program here at West Royalty School. An order form was sent home in child's homework bag last week. Tickets will not be available for purchase at the door. For those who have already sent in money to purchase a ticket, your order form was returned in your child's homework bag last week with an orange ticket attached. Please check your child's homework bag for purchased tickets to ensure they do not get misplaced throughout the week.

School Pictures
Students had their school pictures taken on Friday. A QR code was sent home with each child in their homework on Friday. This QR code is how you will be able to see the proofs for your child's pictures and place an order of the photos.

Fundations

Students wrapped up Unit 2 last week and completed their end of unit assessment on Thursday. We are moving onto Unit 3 which focuses on teaching students to read and spell with common digraphs. A digraph is when two consonants stick together to make one sound (ex: wh, sh, ch, th, ck).  A Unit 3 information letter was sent home with optional practice activities if you are looking for some additional practice at home. Trick words introduced this week are: to, into, we, he, she, be, me.

Important Dates:
October 41 - Library books are due back
October 24 - Halloween Dance (6:00-7:30pm)
October 31 - Dress in Orange and Black day (No costumes)

As always, please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

Thanks,

Ms. Doyle

Hi All, 

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope everyone was able to enjoy some time with family and friends this weekend. Due to the Thanksgiving holiday on Monday, we have another four day week. Please take a moment to read below for important weekly updates:

Field Trip - Apple Picking

All Grade 1 classes will be visiting a local farm to learn about apples and enjoy some apple picking! The field trip will be on Monday, October 20th (Rain date: October 22). The cost is $6 per student. A permission form will be sent home this week with more details - please keep an eye out for the form in your child's homework bag. 

Halloween Dance

The Halloween Dance will take place on Friday, October 24th from 6:00-7:30pm. The cost is $5 per child. All students must be accompanied by an adult, however, adults do not need to purchase a ticket this year. Funds will go towards supporting the Core French program here at West Royalty School. An order form was sent home in students' homework bags on Monday. Please send in ticket orders as soon as possible. Tickets will not be available for purchase at the door.

Battery Blitz

We have started our school's Battery Blitz where students can bring in batteries that families want to dispose of.  If sending some in, please make sure that these items are placed inside sealed plastic/ziploc bags before putting them inside of kitbags.  

Fundations

We are moving right along with Unit 2 in Fundations. Students are getting lots of exposure to tapping sounds which helps them when reading and spelling new words. This week's trick words are: is, his, of. A copy of these words were sent home in the Unit 2 letter for Fundations. It is great to practice these words at home as it helps students to master reading and writing trick words. We talk lots in class about how these words are "tricky" and can't be tapped out. 

Important Dates:
October 17 - Fall School Pictures for Grade 1 students
October 20 - Grade 1 Field Trip - Apple Picking
October 21 - Library books are due back
October 24 - Halloween Dance (6:00-7:30pm)
 

I look forward to another great week in 1D! Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Thanks,

Ms. Doyle

Hello 1D Families, 

I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend! A big thank you for the donations to the Terry Fox fundraiser. West Royalty surpassed their goal of raising $1,500. Way to go, WRES! This will be a 4-day week for students as teachers have a Professional Development day on Friday.  Please read below for what's going on in the classroom and any other important updates.

Homework

Thank you for your support with our first week of homework! I enjoyed going through the students reading folders on Friday and seeing the illustrations that supported their comprehension of our weekly sentences. Please continue to return your child's yellow homework duotang to school each day. After completing my initial reading assessments, we have started working in our reading small groups. Periodically, you may notice a short decodable passage being sent home in your child's yellow folder. This is a story/passage that we have read during small group time and can be practiced again at home. If you have any questions about the homework process, please send me an e-mail. 

Fundations

We will continue Unit 2 this week in Fundations. Students are learning to tap out sounds to help them read and spell words. We have been working on tapping and blending consonant-vowel-consonant words (CVC). Students will also be introduced to trick words this week. These are words that often do not follow the conventional rules and patterns of spelling. Frequent exposure and practice with trick words will help strengthen students' ability to apply their knowledge of trick words when reading and writing. The trick words this week will be: the, and, a. 

Battery Blitz

We have started our school's Battery Blitz where students can bring in batteries that families want to dispose of.  If sending some in, please make sure that these items are placed inside sealed plastic/ziploc bags before putting them inside of kitbags.  

Important Dates:
October 9 -  Library books are due back
October 10 - Professional Development Day - No School
October 13 - Thanksgiving - No School
October 17 - Fall School Pictures for Grade 1 students

Have a great week!

Ms. Doyle

Hi Everyone,

It's hard to believe our first month in Grade 1 is already complete and we turn the calendar over to October this week. I am so pleased with the student's hard work this past month as it's a big transition getting used to their new classroom routines and expectations. It was lovely to be able to celebrate their success with a pajama day on Friday - they enjoyed being comfy and cozy in class! Please read below for this week's highlights:

Homework

We are excited to have our homework program up and running this week. Creating a love for reading is important for nurturing lifelong learners, and we are committed to creating a safe space where your child can learn, grow and develop a passion for literacy.

For reading homework, you will find weekly sentences that are aligned with the skills taught in class (e.g., letters taught, short a sound in words, vowel teams, etc.). Encourage your child to read these sentences independently, but be available to support them if they get stuck on a word. We have included an instruction sheet called 1.2.3 Draw in your child’s homework folder that explains your child's nightly reading routine. We spent last week practicing our homework routine during reading time so students should be familiar with the process. 

For math homework, you will find a numbers chart and number line to help support math activities at home throughout the year. A monthly math sheet will be included in their homework folder with quick review activities to complete each night. 

I value your partnership and encourage you to reach out if you have any questions or concerns. I am are here to support you and your child every step of the way.

Fundations

As of this week, we will have reviewed the letter formation and sound for all letters of the alphabet and will wrap up our first unit of Fundations. Students will complete a Fundations assessment on Wednesday and we will begin Unit 2 on Thursday. I will be sending home an information letter with students on Thursday that will outline skills covered in Unit 2. 

Important Dates:
September 29 - Orange Shirt Day at WRES to recognize the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
September 30 - National Day for Truth and Reconciliation - No School
October 1 -  Library books are due back
October 10 - Professional Development Day - No School
October 13 - Thanksgiving - No School
October 17 - Fall School Pictures for Grade 1 students

Have a great week!

Ms. Doyle

Hello Everyone,

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and enjoyed the sunshine! As the weather is starting to cool off in the morning, first recess can be a bit chilly. Please ensure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather. It is helpful for students to have a pair of splash pants in their backpack incase of rain. See below for important information about the week:

About Me Bags

The students are really enjoying taking some time in our day to present their All About Me Bags. It is providing an opportunity for students to share about themselves, display their creativity, and allows for classmates to ask questions to further expand on their knowledge about their peers. If your child has not sent in their All About Me bag, please send it in as soon as possible as we will continue to take time to share throughout the week. 

Homework

We will be starting homework next week - September 29th. Please be on the lookout next week for information regarding homework routine and expectations. For now, I have been sending the students home with their homework bags each night. Some days the bags may be empty but this will get students into the routine of taking them home and returning them back to school each day. In 1D, students house their weekly work in an individual file folder. Throughout the week, they have several opportunities to work on any unfinished work in their folders. Most Fridays, I will send home the material from their folder in their black homework bag. It will include both finished and unfinished items for the week. This will provide parents with an opportunity to see some of the content and curriculum outcomes being covered in class, provide a small snapshot of how your child is progressing, and allows for an open discussion if you notice that work is not being finished during class time. This work does not need to be returned to school.

Terry Fox Run

The school's Terry Fox Run takes place on Thursday, September 25th at 2 PM (rain date: Mon, Sept 29th). If possible, students are asked to bring in a $2 donation.  Alternatively, students/families can donate on our Terry Fox fundraising webpage: https://schools.terryfox.ca/WestRoyaltySchool

Important Dates:
September 25 - Terry Fox Run/Walk
September 30 - National Day for Truth and Reconciliation - No School

Have a great week!

Ms. Doyle

Hello 1D Families,

I hope you all had a lovely weekend! Thanks to many of you who were able to attend the Meet the Staff event this past Tuesday. It's great to be able to connect early on in the school year, get acquainted with the routines of Grade 1, and explore your child's classroom! For those of you who were not able to attend, a slideshow highlighting important information can be found under  the "Meet the Staff" page on our google site.

Marble Jar
Students are beginning to master the routines and expectations of the classroom which will be helpful as we start to explore more of the Grade 1 curriculum. We are working hard to fill our marble jar in 1D which is used to highlight positive moments in our classroom - it could be someone sounding out a tricky word, our class demonstrating excellent classroom routines, a student being kind to another, etc. These positive moments earn us a marble towards our jar and once filled we will get to choose a classroom celebration! I look forward to many marbles being added again this week!

About Me Bags

We have been spending time getting to know one another and building relationships in 1D. As part of getting to know one another, I have placed an "About Me" activity in your child's black homework bag for this week. Once the activity is completed, please send it back in and your child will have a chance to share with their classmates. All items sent in from home for the activity will be returned back home with your child.

Headphones and Change of Clothes

If you have not done so already, please send in an inexpensive pair of headphones for your child to keep at the school to use during technology time. A reminder to also send in a change of clothes that students can leave in their backpack incase of accidents that may occur throughout the year.

Terry Fox Run

The school's Terry Fox Run takes place on Thursday, September 25th at 2 PM (rain date: Mon, Sept 29th). If possible, students are asked to bring in a $2 donation.  Alternatively, students/families can donate on our Terry Fox fundraising webpage: https://schools.terryfox.ca/WestRoyaltySchool

Important Dates:
September 25 - Terry Fox Run/Walk
September 30 - National Day for Truth and Reconciliation - No School

Have a great week!

Ms. Doyle

Hello 1D Families,

We had a fantastic start to our Grade 1 year and I look forward to our second week together in 1D! The students are having great success with settling into our new classroom routines and expectations. This week we will continue to focus on refreshing our previous curriculum knowledge, getting to know our new classmates, and building our classroom community. I can already tell that we have a very kind and caring group in 1D!

Student Information Forms

Student information forms were sent home on Thursday of last week. Please review the information forms, update information as needed, and return the forms back to school by Monday, September 8th. 

Headphones and Change of Clothes

Throughout the cycle we will have technology time where students will benefit from having a set of headphones for instructions, interactive activities, etc. Please send in an inexpensive pair of headphones for your child to keep at the school to use during technology time. Our first time using the chromebooks will be Wednesday, September 10th. A reminder to also send in a change of clothes that students can leave in their backpack incase of accidents that may occur throughout the year.

Meet the Staff
Our "Meet the Staff" night will be held on Tuesday, September 9th. Parents will begin by meeting in the gym at 5:45pm. Teachers will then host two duplicate information sessions at 6:00-6:20pm and 6:30-6:50pm. This will be an opportunity for parents to see our classroom and learn a bit about the schedule and routines in 1D. The sessions will be held directly in our 1D classroom which is located in the Grade 1/2 wing of the school. Our classroom is at the end of the hallway on the right-hand side. 

Fundations

The students will begin the Fundations program this week and an orientation notice will be sent home in your child's homework bag. Many of the students had exposure to Fundations in Kindergarten and we will quickly pick up right where they left off. We will be working through Unit 1 this week and I will be sending home a Unit 1 introductory letter with some suggested activities to support your learners at home. Please note that these home activities are optional. 

Notes from the Office
Our school Terry Fox Run/Walk is fast approaching. It will take place at 2pm on Thursday, September 25th (rain date: Mon, Sept 29th). We ask students to bring in a $2 donation or more if they wish to. If any families wish to donate online, the foundation has provided the following link to our fundraising page: schools.terryfox.ca/WestRoyaltySchool

Important Dates:
September 9 - Meet the Staff Night
September 30 - National Day for Truth and Reconciliation - No School

Have a wonderful week!

Ms. Doyle