Good Morning Division 11!

I hope you all had a great weekend and enjoyed the sunshine and some family time. I spent the weekend online shopping for my apartment move, walking my dogs and reading. When I was reading  I thought about how important it is to find a comfortable spot to read in my home. Since the weather is getting nice and because of a busy house with 5 adults and 2 dogs I found myself a cozy spot on the deck with a blanket. I hope that you are finding time to read at home as well! Feel free to send me a picture on Fresh Grade of your favourite reading spot.

 

Here is a picture of my cozy reading spot

 

 

 

 

**Remember when you post a picture or video on Fresh Grade to use your child’s student app or account on an internet browser. The parent app only allows for commenting.

We are going to focus on art, writing and reading. Today I would like you to…

1. Create a poster with your family that shares a positive message with people in our community. It can say something happy or can be a thank you to our essential service workers who are out in the community working hard. Once you have created the poster you can display it in your window/door or in the hallway of your building. Make sure your writing/drawing is big and clear so your neighbours and friends can see it if they are out walking. Once it is finished you can share your pictures on Fresh Grade.

 

2. Find a cozy spot to read with a sibling, parent, or your favourite stuffed animal. 

    

   This week I will be adding more resources/activities each morning and extra resources and handouts on the blog. Please feel free to send me an email if you have any questions.

   Hope you have a wonderful day!

Ms. Toor

Talk to your child about the importance of washing their hands after watching this video.

Question 1: What did you notice during the video?

Question 2: Why is this video an important tool to share with children their age?

Question 3: What are important times of the day or situations where you should wash your hands?

• Asking open- ended questions like “What did you notice?” or “What did you see?” Allow you to get their take on the experience and will offer you more insight into what they know, observed and still wondering about.
• You can even do this activity at home, please share videos or pictures on the post it on FreshGrade if you did this activity.

Task #1

• Familiarize yourself with the Classroom Blog
• Familiarize yourself with the Fresh Grade App (you will receive an email invite with an access code April 3)

I will begin posting daily activities next week

Stay tuned. . .

Ms. Toor

 

Hello Division 11 Families,

I have started reaching out and am enjoying hearing back and connecting with each of you via email and over the phone. I have loved getting to see the photos of all of you doing activities at home. It feels different teaching from home and not beginning the day as a community when I open the classroom door in the morning. I miss all of you and the relationships we have made is going to keep our connections strong. Let’s stay connected in the meantime using email, the blog and through phone calls. If you have any questions or need to get in contact feel free to send an email or if a phone call is preferred, we can arrange a time to have a conversation.

I have started this blog as a way to communicate and stay connected. On this site I will be sharing activities, resources, and some helpful tips to keep learning happening at home. We are going to start off slowly to allow everyone the time to familiarize themselves with navigating the blog. We are all learning together and as Division 11 understands, learning takes patience and time.

It will take me some time to get things organized for learning at home but for now I can hopefully answer some questions that might be on your mind:

• How can I get in touch with you?I will be working at home on school related things and tasks between 9AM to 3PM. If you send an email, I should answer pretty quickly. I am happy to answer questions or just chat, please don’t be afraid to contact me.
• When do we start?I will hopefully have this blog fully functioning by Monday, April 6 and have some activities you can complete each day.
• Do we have to use Epic!?I have added your child to our classroom on Epic!. It is not something you have to use along with Raz- Kids as libraries are currently closed. It is important to be reading at home everyday, as you know kids love it and it is important for literacy development. Please do not feel like you need to Read on Epic! everyday but some books for learning will be assigned on there to complete activities.
• Will there be a lot of screen time involved? My hope is to continue play-based learning at home similar to what we would do in the classroom. That will look different for everyone because we all have different materials and supplies at home, and THAT IS OKAY!
• What is FreshGrade and why did I receive an email to sign up? I have plans to create FreshGrade accounts for each student so that they can share photos and videos of their learning with me. Only the student, parent, and myself can see this information.
• Where can I find communication from you? I will be sharing communications here (the classroom blog) and through email.
• Do I need to schedule a full day 9-3 of school? No, learning at home will look different for everyone as all learning does. Realistically, 1-2 hours is all that will really get done. It is important to keep routines happening at home. For example, when children get up in the morning have breakfast, brush teeth, get dressed, discuss activities for the day etc. plan food and physical activity breaks. Be flexible, some activities might not get done, it might not be the right moment for the learning to happen. Children learn most when they are engaging in what they are curious about! If you follow their interest you will all have more fun.

Thank you for your patience as I learn new platforms and explore different ways of supporting you and your child learning at home. Remember we are going to start of slowly together as this is our first time experiencing this type of learning. I look forward to connecting with you more!

Thank you,

Ms. Toor