FYI: Classroom Info

Student Materials

What do students need to be successful every day in class?

WATER BOTTLE - this should go home to be cleaned and refilled daily.
LITTERLESS LUNCHES (including a variety of snacks for both Nutrition Breaks) - WTT is a BOOMERANG LUNCH SCHOOL.
HEADPHONES - We will use technology on a regular basis, and students will need headphones to complete various tasks. These can be stored in their desk for the year. IF POSSIBLE, headphones with a mic option will support voice-to-text or video recording activities.
INDOOR SHOES - dedicated shoes that can be kept at school, ideally a closed toe running shoe that can be used for indoor gym.

Students are welcome to bring in their own pencil cases (with markers, pencil crayons, pencils, etc) however I ask that these items stay at school. I also recommend students dress in layers based on the weather conditions for the day - we will be in and out a lot during the day!

Students will not be using traditional paper planners as they have in the past. Updates will be shared via email or Google Classroom WELL in advance. Any other notices will come by paper slips (hopefully very few!).

Curriculum Connection

What do we get to learn in Grade 5? Please see the links below to the Ontario Curriculum if you'd like to know more about the overall and specific expectations we will cover throughout the year.

Language (updated in 2023) LINK to Ontario Curriculum
Mathematics (updated in 2021) LINK to Ontario Curriculum
Science (updated in 2022) LINK to Ontario Curriculum
Social Studies LINK to Ontario Curriculum
Health LINK to Ontario Curriculum
Drama LINK to Ontario Curriculum

Much of our learning will be intergrated across the different strands and subjects, I look forward to helping students find ways to show and explain their ideas! Sometimes this will be a written task, a conference, a presentation, a poster, or learning to use some digital tools! Students will have multiple opportunities and multiple ways to show their understanding of different subjects.

Students will receive feedback through rubrics and checklists, as well as conferences and comments on Assignments. At the end of every learning cycle or unit, students and families will get updates sharing a breakdown of learning based on the four sections of the achievement chart. This is used to determine an overall grade.

Knowledge and Understanding - What do you know about the topic? What specific facts or words can you use from this unit to show your thinking?
Thinking - Were you able to plan and organize your ideas to solve the problems? Can you use critical thinking and problem solving strategies as you learned?
Communication - Were you able to express your ideas or your information clearly in a written, visual, verbal, or other way?
Application - Were you able to take what you know and apply it in a new or different way? Can you make connections to what you know already and what you learned to show your thinking?

When rubrics, feedback, checklists, or other assignments come home please take the time to discuss the feedback with your child and return signed portion of the feedback. If at any time you or your child have questions, please reach out and we can discuss their progress.

GOOGLE CLASSROOM LEARNING: To help make sense of the numbers on Google Classroom, please use the image below to better understand how Google Classroom fits with the levels of the Ontario Achievement Chart. Google Classrom will show an overall/final level - students will have access to more detailed feedback in their assignment.

GOOGLE CLASSROOM PARENT SUMMARY: On Fridays, you can expect an email update from Google Classroom to see highlights of our learning online. This will include any assignments or posts from our classroom. This will also be where students will receive assessment feedback, including comments and number feedback. Look for an update later this month for the assessment breakdown on Google Classroom.

Assessment Chart Breakdown

Assessment and Feedback

Use the slide deck to review some important information about Assessment and Feedback in our classroom.

Feedback will be shared in a variety of ways, including orally through conferences and conversations, written on assignments, or recorded on check-bricks and assignments.

Students are encouraged to practice SELF ASSESSMENT where they reflect on their strengths and next steps in their own learning journey.

Hand Hygiene and Sanitizer

Part of our daily routine will be sanitizing and hand washing. Students will wash their hands when they come into the classroom from outside in the morning as well as before they eat at Nutrition Breaks. Sanitizer will also be available when transitioning to different areas around the school (like the gym, library, music, etc). If you are sending your student with their own sanitizer, please ensure it is unscented.

Nutrition Break

Please note: WT Townshend is a BOOMERANG LUNCH SCHOOL.

Please ensure students come to school with everthing they need for nutrition break (including proper clothing, outdoor shoes, cutlery, or water bottles) . As a reminder, peanut butter and nut products are not permitted in WRDSB schools.

FIRST HALF: Grade 5 students go outside for the first part of Nutrition Break. Please ensure students are dressed for the weather - with appropriate footwear, coats, hats, mittens, etc.
SECOND HALF: Students will wash their hands upon re-entry and eat their lunch in the classroom. This is also a great opportunity to go to the washroom or fill up a water bottles at one of the filling stations in the school.

Entry/Exit Routines

***If your student is sick or will be away from school, please contact the office attendance line by phone or email to report the absence.***

School begins at 8:40 every day. Students will be picked up outside by the teacher on our lines outside of Door 3 (at the back of the school). When students arrive at school, they are reminded that they cannot leave school property. Students will be given hand sanitizer before entering the building, and make their way to the classroom.

Students will begin to clean up their workstations (including plugging their Chromebooks in overnight, ensuring all materials are neatly back in their bins or mailboxes, and tabletops cleaned off) before being given hand sanitizer and asked to retrieve their belongings for dismissal. Students will be walked out to their lines for dismissal at 3:00 pm.

Students are encouraged to independently make their way to a meeting spot on or off school property with a walking buddy, sibling, or family member and to leave school property promptly.

Please refer to the WTT website for additional information regarding entry and exit routines. If you have any questions, please contact the main office.

HOMEWORK

I know families have a lot on the go! Homework is an important part of every child’s learning. Just as you would practice for hockey, piano, dance, or any other activity in which you hope to improve upon or excel at, you must also practice your learning skills daily. The most important homework that I give is to READ AT LEAST 30 MINUTES EVERY DAY. There will be NO formal reading log for students or families to fill out each night - I simply encourage you to make this part of your daily routine.

As the year progresses, students can introduce other tasks to their homework routine including Dreambox Math tasks, reviewing spelling and vocabulary words, and research connected to our learning in Science, Social Studies, and Genius Time or Passion Projects.

TEACHER CONTACTS

We are so lucky at WTT to have a variety of staff that will be supporting our learning.

Mme. Monica Tole - Core French Teacher
Mr. Mark Tinning - Physical Education Teacher
Mrs. Andrea Geiger - Music Teacher
Mrs. Shannon Korpan - Special Education Resource Teacher

We will also have a variety of other adults in our classroom including Education Assistants, Child and Youth Workers, Student Teachers, or volunteers. We are grateful to have such a wonderful group of people here to support our learning.

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