Classroom Information
Welcome to Bearspaw School!
Welcome Parents and Students of 3J!
Teachers and staff at Bearspaw School are anticipating a fantastic start to another school year! Our grade three team is looking forward to having a very exciting and successful year. I would like to take this opportunity to further introduce myself, Ms. Dayna Johnson, as your child’s grade three teacher this school year.
Upon the completion of High School, a Fastball Scholarship directed me to the University of Jamestown, in North Dakota. There I completed my Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration. In 2000, I returned to Calgary and worked in the business community for two years before I attended the University of Calgary to complete my Bachelor of Education degree. I then began my teaching career in Airdrie, at Ralph McCall School, teaching grades 2, 3, 5/6 and 7/8. From there, I transferred to Nose Creek Elementary, in Airdrie, when it first opened. I enjoyed being part of a new and growing school community, teaching grade one there for ten years. However, with change comes growth and new experiences, in 2016 I transferred schools and became a grade one teacher, and now a grade three teacher, at Bearspaw School.
I am excited to get to know you and your family, I feel privileged to be able to spend my days in the company of your child. I anticipate many laughs shared, smiles spread, wonderful relationships formed, and academic advances in 3J this school year. Working together we will create a rewarding school experience!
I would like to introduce you to some routines and practices in my classroom.
Students will be expected to be cooperative, respectful, responsible, and safe while in class and at school. Allowing all teachers to teach and all students to learn will be an important part of the foundation of our classroom culture. Most minor incidents can be addressed on the spot. Sometimes a more serious incident requires documentation, consequences, parent contact and/or Administration involvement.
Basic school supplies will be supplied by the school. Please help to keep our classroom and desks clean and functional by leaving all extra supplies and toys at home. Backpacks are the right size if they are able to fit and zip up with an Agenda and lunch bag inside.
I hope that each student will be able to donate at least two boxes of Kleenex for our classroom. If you could please send the boxes with your child at your earliest convenience.
I would like to remind parents that Bearspaw School has a two-shoe policy; all students will be required to have a pair of proper indoor running shoes that do not leave black markings on our school floor. If sending shoes with laces, please ensure your child is proficient at tying.
Please send a set of headphones that your child can keep in their desk at school for use during our iPad and computer lessons. They will be returned at the end of the school year.
Students need to arrive to school with enough time to enter the classroom at the 8:20 bell, allowing them to be ready for instruction by 8:30. Arriving late to school disrupts the morning class routine and the learning of all students, beginning the day in a calm and organized manner is best for young students. If driving your child, please allow them to enter the classroom and unpack on their own. After 8:30 attendance will be completed, so students arriving late will need to go to the office to sign in. When picking up students please pre-arrange a meeting place where you may be located, this eliminates the anxiety for your child. If your child will be absent, please notify myself and the office.
Please ensure that your child is dressed appropriately for the weather every day. The weather is not always enjoyable but it is still valuable for students to have outdoor recess for fresh air and exercise.
Labeling all items of clothing (coats, shoes, boots, backpacks, lunch bags) will help limit the confusion around lost belongings.
Students will require a Peanut/Nut Free snack and lunch Monday through Friday. Sending a healthy snack and lunch helps to fuel your child’s body and brain. Please ensure that students have the appropriate cutlery needed and note that there is no access to microwaves. If ordering hot lunches, please ensure your child has a plate on that day. Students are encouraged to bring a water bottle, with a non-spill lid, to school. Juice boxes will be left for at lunch, in the lunch room.
Parents are welcome to send in a class birthday treat/snack (nut free) to help celebrate your child’s birthday. Please provide me a few days’ notice to make sure extra snack time will be provided. As well, if sending birthday invitations to be distributed at school, please put them in your child’s agenda pouch and I will distribute discreetly.
The month of September will be spent getting to know your child and establishing routines and classroom culture. Volunteer opportunities will occur on an as needed basis throughout the school year, please feel free to let me know if you are interested as they arise. Classroom and Field Trip volunteers must have a current Criminal Background/Vulnerable Sector background check and a Confidentiality form complete and on file in the Office.
I will be offering Book Orders every month this school year. You will be able to find the due date in your child’s Agenda message or on the brochure. In order to streamline this procedure, parents are required to order and pay online by 8:30 AM on the due date. Cheques and cash will not be accepted. If students have a Free Book Pick Coupon it may be used online as well. After you place your order, I will automatically get a copy of the name/order for me to access for distribution of the book orders, once it arrives.
Students will have one Library period per week. Students will check out two books and they will be due back the following week, to either return or renew. Watch the Agenda for a message on what day will be our Library day.
Just a reminder that Monday thru Thursday student dismissal is at 3:00, Friday there is an early dismissal at 2:00!
As an early elementary grade, reading continues to be an important focus. Along with this focus, comes our Home Reading Program. We know the more reading children do, the more quickly they will develop as readers. It is often recommended that beginning readers spend at least 20 minutes reading each day at home, in addition to reading activities completed at school. Please record the minutes your child has read at home on that day, on the correct Monthly Calendar, in their Agenda. Parents must initial each of the daily reading minutes completed. At the end of the month, please total the daily minutes read for that month and provide that total on that Monthly Calendar. Students are expected to participate in the class home reading program. Your child’s monthly reading minutes will help our class reach set class reading goals and achieve our reading celebrations. If we work together as a community of learners, we will enjoy reaching our goals! Your child can read any reading material. Choosing reading material as close to your child’s reading level as possible, as often as possible, is best. Your child can read aloud and have you listen and support them in using reading strategies or they may read independently. Reading material can be from your home book collection, school library, or public library. Feel free to contact me if you need assistance in acquiring appropriate reading materials. Students may start recording their reading minutes on the September Calendar in the Agenda after the first day of school! Sight word practice also counts as reading! Regularly throughout the school year, I will read with students and assess their decoding strategies, sight word knowledge, comprehension, expression and fluency.
Word work will be done regularly throughout the school year. In class we will examine words, learn spelling patters, and how to correct spelling mistakes. Spelling skills will be taught and reinforced during most daily writing activities.
I would like to highlight important information that is in the Bearspaw School Student Agenda: Homework assignments cannot be provided for extended absences as students miss the instruction and teachers adjust assignments as learning progresses. Students absent for extended periods of time are likely to have assignments, projects, and exams missing which will affect their overall progress and report card. Please note, I will do my best to work with your child, as needed, during class hours, as they return from absences. Homework may be sent home, as needed, if I am unable to accommodate your child during class hours.
I believe that the Agenda is an essential communication tool. The Agenda will be the primary source of daily contact between home and school. Students will be writing messages in their Agendas, on the left-hand side, daily. You can look for information and topics of study in our Agenda message. Another important feature of our Agenda is the pouch at the front. This is where I will be directing students to put important items such as newsletters, schoolwork and additional notes for you. Please feel free to send me information using the pouch or by writing in the Agenda on the right hand side of the appropriate week. I would appreciate if the parents initial the Agenda each day, allowing communication to flow with certainty, and empty the Agenda pouch as needed. With Agendas being monitored at home and at school, it will ensure the communication lines remain open during our school year.
I will be using the Agenda (student written messages on left side, class glue-in messages and my individual student messages on right side, pouch at the front of the Agenda) as my primary tool to contact families regarding class events and any concerns that may arise. Additional monthly newsletters will also be sent via email. If you have any concerns or questions over the course of the school year, please contact me. A note in your child’s Agenda, a phone call to # (403) 239-9607, or an email to dajohnson@rockyview.ab.ca will reach me. Additional information about the school and grade three may be found on the school website http://bearspaw.rockyview.ab.ca . I look forward to a wonderful grade three school year!
Sincerely,
Ms. Dayna Johnson
