Welcome to Grade 3!

 

Dear Parents/Guardians,                                                           September 4, 2020

Welcome to a new school year! I know this year will be different because of what is  happening in our world with regard to the pandemic, however, we will work hard to make it as normal as possible.  I am looking forward to working with you and your child this year in Grade Three.  Our classroom is in Portable #6.  This is my eighth year here at St. Anne and I am very happy to be a part of the St. Anne community.  Below is some important information to keep in mind as we begin our journey.  This is the only newsletter that I will be sending home this year.  All other newsletters and important information will be communicated through school messenger, which will go directly to your email. I will be posting some of our daily activities on Twitter if you would like to follow our class. My Twitter ID is @MrPouliot. There may be links to my blog occasionally when I send a message.  Due to our present circumstances, there will be no meet the teacher evening this year.

We are also very fortunate to have an Educational Assistant in our class this year. Her name is Ms. O’Connell, and she has been at St. Anne for a number of years. We are very fortunate to have her in our class! I have put a picture of her and myself at the bottom of this letter. 

Our French teacher this year is Madame Caminiti. Her Twitter ID is @MmeCaminiti, and her website is  https://sites.google.com/ocsb.ca/mmecaminiti2020-2021/home . We are all looking forward to a fantastic year!

First Day Procedures:

This year, parents will not be permitted on the yard for the first day this year. This will make drop off a little more stressful I am sure! The “Kiss and Ride” drop off area will be limited to students in Kindergarten to Grade 3 who are being driven only, so we would ask that if you are walking with your child that you drop them off at either the rear gate near the soccer field, or park on a side street and drop off your child at the side gate at the other end of the school (near Glen Meadows Circle). Our portable is Portable #6. All of the teachers will be in the yard that morning standing by the wall with a large class list so students can see their name. There will be many teachers in the yard that day, so please ensure your child knows their teacher’s name and portable number. If you wish, write it down on your child’s hand with a non-permanent marker so he/she can show it to a teacher if they have difficulty. All teachers will be on the yard that morning directing students, so your child will be safe! The best thing you can do is ensure that your child knows who his/her teacher is and their portable number. In our case, it is Mr. Pouliot in Portable 6. 

At the end of the day, please ensure that your child knows where they will be picked up (You can also indicate this on the information form linked below). The buses will not begin running until September 14th, so all students must be picked up for now. Students will be leaving either from the back gate (if you live towards the rear of the school) or the front side gate near Glen Meadows Circle (if you live near the front of the school). If you have a child in Kindergarten, then you are welcome to pick up all of your children at the kindergarten gate, which is the main gate by the parking lot. A teacher will walk the students to their gate at the end of the day. Please fill out the Student Information Form below to let me know which gate you will be picking up your child from. I will make sure that he/she meets you at that gate. We will be dismissing at 3:30 for now, since we are staggering dismissal to allow for greater physical distancing. 

School Supplies: (Please label EVERYTHING!) Labelling is of utmost importance this year as we would like to prevent the mixing up of items.  Children will be asked not to share their belongings with friends for any reason.  Please reinforce this message at home.

All children are kindly asked to bring in a reusable water bottle (no disposable plastic bottles please).  The water bottles will go home every night.  Please be sure to wash, refill and send them back to school each day.  Because of the circumstances with regard to the pandemic, children will not be able to drink from the water fountains at the school, however, they will be able to refill their water bottles.

Please send your child to school with one pair of shoes that can be worn inside and outside.  We will not be asking the children to switch shoes for now.  The shoes that they come to school with will be worn inside and outside.  Please make sure that they have shoes that they can run in, to use for recess and gym class.  Should it rain and they are wearing rain boots, please have them bring their shoes for class. Sorry!

The children will not be using cubbies for now.  All of the items that they come to school with will be kept at their desks.  Please send only necessary items with your child in order that their desk area remains neat, tidy and uncluttered.  The use of cubbies will be revisited later in the fall.

The following supplies are recommended for each child to bring to school every day in their own pencil case: 

⦁ 2 or 3 pencils 

⦁ an eraser 

⦁ colouring pencils or markers

⦁ a sharpener 

⦁ 1 dry erase marker

⦁ a pair of scissors

⦁ a small bottle of sanitizer (this can be refilled at school)

⦁ a small package of kleenex  

Because of the pandemic, the children will not be sharing any supplies, therefore they will need to have their own.  If it is not possible to supply any of the above items, please let me know and I will be more than happy to give your child what they need.

School Supplies Wish List: (Optional)

We greatly welcome additional supplies for class use:

⦁ Kleenex - small individual packages if possible

⦁ Baby Wipes/disinfecting wipes - There is no access to water in the portable, so these come in handy to clean dirty hands.  They work well to clean whiteboards as well!

⦁ Ziploc Bags 

Thank you in advance!

Lunches and Allergies:

All students need to bring a lunch with at least 3 snacks.  Healthy snacks are encouraged and children will be asked to eat their healthiest snack in the morning.  Please refrain from sending your child to school with food containing nuts.  Remember to check all packaging for this ingredient as we have students who are highly allergic to nuts.  To keep students safe, students are not permitted to share food with others.  

Classroom Website: 

The address for our classroom blog is: www.grade3pouliot.blogspot.com

All important information will be found on this website.  You do not need to check it regularly, as I will send you an email each time I update it. Be sure to look at all the pages of the website, especially the homepage which will have my Twitter feed (@MrPouliot).  You can follow me on Twitter if you have an account, but you do not have to have a Twitter account to see the Twitter feed through the class website. You can also get to the class site through St. Anne's website by going to Our Schools and clicking on my name.

All future monthly newsletters will be emailed to you through school messenger, and will also be posted on my blog.  (there will be no more paper copies sent home). School Messenger will send you an email directly. 

Communication:

All students were sent home with an agenda.  Please check and sign the agenda nightly and have your child return it each day in the Ziploc bag provided.  Any notes or other information to be sent home will be placed in this bag.  You may use the agenda to share any questions or comments with me and I will do the same.  If you have a private concern, you can call the school and leave a message for me: (613) 271-0308.  I will get back to you as soon as I can.  I feel that communication between parents and teachers is of utmost importance in providing the children with a successful learning environment.  Please don't ever hesitate to contact me.  

Student Information Sheet:

Please click  this link and fill out the student information form. This will greatly assist me in getting to know your child a little better, and will let me know where you would like to pick up your child. Thank you!

Homework:

Homework will begin in October once we have settled into our daily routines.  It will be assigned on a weekly basis and it will follow our learning goals.  Homework will be shared electronically with the children.  It will be due each Friday and will be submitted electronically.  More information regarding homework will be provided closer to October.

Recycling:

Being in a portable is wonderful, but it also has its challenges.  Because we don't have access to water in our classroom, the children are unable to rinse out their plastic containers.  In turn, the containers cannot be put into the blue bin and end up in the garbage.  I ask every year that the children bring these recyclables home.  This year, this will be a school wide routine as we are trying to reduce the amount of activity and movement happening in the school.  As well as recycling,  to reduce the amount of movement within the classroom, children will be asked to bring all garbage from lunches and snacks home. This will include cores, peels and recyclables with food remaining inside.  Please provide a container/bag that your child can fill and put back in his/her lunch bag to bring home.  If you forget to pack a container/bag that your child can use to collect his/her garbage and recycled items,  I will provide your child with a plastic bag for that day.  I apologize for the inconvenience and thank you in advance for your cooperation with this process!  

Masks:

As I’m sure you are all aware, face masks are not mandatory in Grade 3, but are highly encouraged.  If you decide to send your child to school with a mask, please have them practise wearing it at home and putting it on and taking it off.  Also, please let me know if it is important for you to have your child keep the mask on all day.  Face shields are a good idea as well, however, they are not an alternative to a face mask.  It may protect the wearer, but does not prevent droplets from spreading to others.

I hope that your child's experience in Grade Three will be a happy and positive one, despite the unique challenges that we are facing today.  I have been able to separate the desks (seat to seat) approximately one and a half meters.  All children will be facing forward and will remain in their seats for most of the time in the classroom.  Please remind your child the importance of remaining in their seats and the necessity to social distance from the other children.  I will reinforce this at school as well.

Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.  I will do my best to alleviate any worries or concerns that you may have.  Thank you in advance for your support and I look forward to a great year with you and your child.

Sincerely,

 Mr. Pouliot