Dear Grade 6 SJA Students and
Families,
I
am happy and excited to inform you that I will be teaching the Grade 6 class
for the 2017/2018 academic year at St. Jude's. I wish you a warm welcome to this
very busy year. I hope that you have had a restful summer and are now eagerly
looking forward to getting back to school. I apologise for the length of this
email, but I hope that it will answer questions that you may have.
I will be responsible for teaching
your child their core subjects of English Language, Math, and 6 Units of
Inquiry (UOI). The bulk of your child's school day will be around these three
areas. The inquiry units are usually structured around social studies and
science concepts. In this year's inquiry units we will be learning about electricity,
air and flight, Canada’s First Nations and early European explorers, Canada’s
place in the world (including trade), and Digital Citizenship. Most of our
English language learning (oral & listening, reading, and writing) and art expectations
will be learned through the UOI. We are always looking for guest speakers that
will visit the classroom. Please let me know if you have a connection to a
specialist that would be able to visit our class to talk about this year’s
UOIs, e.g. an electrician, a pilot, etc.
St. Jude’s Academy Grade 6
Programme of Inquiry 2017 – 2018
|
Who we are
The
Exhibition
|
|
Where we are in place and time
Title: To Bravely Go Where No One Has Gone Before
Central Idea: Exploration
has changed and will continue to change people’s lives.
Concepts: Causation, Change
Lines of Inquiry:
·
First Peoples and their interaction with the environment
·
Early explorers
·
The interaction between First Peoples and early explorers
|
|
How we express ourselves
Title: Digital Citizenship
Central Idea: Being knowledgeable and engaging in safe
practices will enable you to deal with challenging social situations.
Concepts: Perspective, Reflection
Lines of Inquiry:
·
Digital literacy and ethics
·
Personal and inter-personal skills that promote positive interaction
·
Personal safety
|
|
How the world works
Title: Flight
Central Idea: Air has many properties that can be used
for flight and for other purposes.
Concepts: Function, Responsibility
Lines of Inquiry:
·
The
properties of air
·
Flying
devices that use the properties of air
·
Societal
and environmental impacts of flying devices that make use of the properties
of air
|
|
How we organize ourselves
Title: Canada in the World
Central Idea: A nation’s foreign policies influences how it interacts
on the international stage.
Key Concepts: Causation, Connection
Lines of Inquiry:
·
Our country’s economic, political, social, and physical links with
other countries
·
The role and impact of our significant people and leaders in the
world
·
Our role in the international community
|
|
Sharing the planet
Title: How Shocking!
Central Idea: Society is responsible for how energy is
used to sustain life.
Concepts: Form, Change, Responsibility
Lines of Inquiry:
·
Characteristics
of current and static electricity
·
Transformation
of energy
·
The impact
of energy production on society and the environment
|
Grade 6 is
the culminating year of the IB (International Baccalaureate) PYP (Primary Years
Programme). This year provides students the opportunity to showcase their
learning, skills, and actions from JK to this year through a big group project
called "The Exhibition". The Exhibition takes place on Friday, May 4, 2018. All students and families at SJA are invited to attend
and celebrate this day with the Grade 6 class. Be sure to mark your calendars
for this exciting event as your child will value your attendance and support
during the day and evening presentations. Many of the tasks students do in our
inquiry units during the year will be geared towards equipping them with the
skills needed to do well in The Exhibition.
Students
will not be purchasing their own school supplies again this year. There are a
few things that SJA will not provide
but that your child will need this year.
1. Devices:
Students will need a laptop for projects and research. Smart phones/iPads/tablet
cameras will occasionally be needed for some projects/tasks. Students and
parents will be notified through agendas and the blog about when we will need
devices in the classroom and how they will be used. Laptops should ideally have
software such as Microsoft Office as we often use Word, Publisher, Power Point,
and Excel in class. If your device does not have this software, your child can work
online using Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides instead. Students will also need
access to video creating software such as Movie Maker or iMovie.
2. Gmail
account. Parents, please help your child set up an account, and watch your
child practice signing in and out of the account to ensure they can do this
successfully. Have them record their username and password in a safe place in
case they forget these. We will be using Google Docs in class to work on
assignments (spreadsheets, word processors, slideshows, etc.) and to share and
collaborate on tasks.
3. USB (Please
label it)
4. Prezi
account (Visit https://prezi.com/
to sign up for a free account). Keep the username and password in a safe place.
5. YouTube
account to post videos
6. Pencil
Case
As an IB
school we value character development, an attitude of being a life-long
learner, and showing action as a result of learning. The IB Learner Profile Attributes
represent some of the traits we value at SJA. We strive to provoke our students
to ask Big Questions - the kind you cannot Google the answer to. We encourage
students and families to celebrate stories of action with us. If you see your
child taking the initiative to ask questions and find answers on their own,
please let me know. Send me an email or a picture that describes what your
child is doing.
There
are some changes happening at SJA this year.
- Please note that afternoon
Kiss and Ride has been canceled. The new dismissal procedures can be
found in the SJA Parent and Student Handbook attached to this email. The new
procedures will also be explained at the orientation evening next week.
- Daily early dismissal has
been canceled.
Parents will still be able to pick up their child/ren for appointments
that take place during school hours. Please notify you child’s teacher as
these events occur.
- Daily routines will run on a 6-day cycle. Please keep the attached calendar for your reference. Following the class blog and checking your child’s agenda will help you keep track of this cycle.
Please
take time to review the handbook and code of conduct with your child (attached).
Once you are done, please print out, sign, and return the last page of the
handbook by Friday, September 15th.
The first
week of school is Neophyte Week. We will take some time to get organised in our
classroom, get to know each other, become familiar with the layout of the
building and boundaries during recess, the new schedule, and play some house
games. We end the week with Spirit Day where students come to school dressed in
their house colours.
We will also
get working right away, because the year will fly by as it always does.
Students should expect to have math homework every day. Students will be
working out of Math Make Sense Practice and Homework books. These must be
returned to school each day, as we will work on math every day. It is my goal
that all work (except math) be completed in class. Students who do not complete
work during class time will be asked to use their recess time to get caught up.
If the work is still incomplete, students will need to complete it as homework.
Grade 6s
will come to school in uniform each day. They will change into their black
dress shoes in the building. They will change into gym clothes for gym class,
and then back into their uniform for the remainder of the academic day.
Students may wear their polo shirts up until Thanksgiving. After Thanksgiving,
students are required to wear their Oxford shirts, ties, jersey, and blazer.
Families
of students in Grade 1 to 6 are invited to attend an SJA PYP Orientation Night on
Monday, August 28. You may meet your
children’s class teachers in their rooms from 5 - 6 pm. Specialist will be in
Gym 2. Many teachers have changed rooms over the summer. You will find me in
room 8. This would be a good opportunity to ask questions that you may have. It
is a great time to pay you $40 deposit and receive your FOB if you don’t
already have one. FOBs will give you access to the school building from 7:30 am
– 8:45 am, and again from 3:45 pm – 6:00 pm. If you have a child in
kindergarten, please note that the orientation sessions are run differently for
these classes. Refer to the email sent by the kindergarten teachers if this is
applicable to you.
I invite you
to visit my class blog at http://haagsja.blogspot.ca/
and sign up as a follower. As a follower you will receive the daily class blog
as an email. The blog will tell you the units we are working on, what we do in
class daily, homework and assignments, test dates, school events, and other
important information.
The SJA Parent Guild invite your family, friends
& students to join us for a fun-filled afternoon at the SJA Back
to School Kick-off on Saturday,
September 16th! Come meet, eat and be merry with all our staff,
teachers & parent guild. Order forms will go home with students on
September 7th. We look forward to seeing you as we start off
the new school year!
Please
respond to this email with a "Got it" to let me know the email
contact I have for you is correct. You are welcome to use this email address to
correspond with me.
I
look forward to seeing you at the Orientation Night on Monday, August 28th
at 5 pm and at the first day of school, Wednesday, September 6th.
Enjoy the last few days of summer until then.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Haag
PS. Please see below for
information on the HOT lunch program at SJA.
Welcome new
families and welcome back old friends! It is that time of year again . . . you
got it BACK TO SCHOOL! With that being said our HOT lunch program is back
online and ready for you to place your order for the month of September. Please
know that the website closes off end of day Aug 31st and is unable
to reopen for September ordering. Please ensure you get your orders in as soon
as possible! We have some new options featured on our menu please keep your eye
out for those! Lunch payments are due to homeroom teacher or
reception no later than September 8th, 2017.
Below are the instructions for
returning families:
*if you have
a sibling joining SJA this year please keep in mind you can only use one email
per child.
Step 1 Logon
to website http://mydigitalmailroom.com/sja - if you forgot your password or email used
please contact bsmith@stjudesacademy.com
Step 2
Across the top menu bar you will see several options, please scroll over MY
ACCOUNT, Change grade and teacher to reflect new year. Select SAVE
*Don’t
forget to select payment method BEFORE ordering
Below are the instructions for
new families:
**If you
have more than one child you will need to use different email addresses for
each child. Only one child can be registered and ordered for under a single
email address.
·
Select
register an account
·
Select grade
·
Select class
·
Select
teacher
·
Enter in
student information
·
Accept terms
and conditions and select Register
Step 2
Across the top menu bar you will see several options, please scroll over MANAGE
LUNCH, a drop-down menu will appear, select ADD NEW LUNCH FORM.
*Don’t
forget to select payment method BEFORE ordering
