Division 1

This week in gym, we focused on collaboration and communication. Students worked in teams to build a physical code that would allow their leader to safely guide them through an obstacle course of their own design. Students learned about working in teams, keeping each other safe, and respecting one another.  After much giggling, many tumbles, and a great deal of innovation, most of the groups made it safely to the end of the courses!

This week, our class discussed important values within the classroom. After agreeing upon numerous key concepts, students set to work individually or in small groups, to design their own classroom contract. Today, we voted on which design would be our contract for the year.

Above is our online classroom contract. This can be a reminder for students at home to think of their values in the classroom. Below is a collage of our contracts made by the students. It was a a wonderful jump start into artistic creativity and many students demonstrated their talents in planning and executing projects on their first days at school.

Dear Parents and Guardians of Division 1,

I am amazed at the school community this first week! The students are keen and ready to learn new skills and ideas. Now that we have settled into our new classroom, there are some pieces of information that I would like to share.

First of all, I am a firm believer of technology in the classroom. Your child may have mentioned that there is a Virtual Reality (VR) kit installed in the classroom. For the past two years, I have been working with the Burnaby School District to spearhead VR development for education. This year, my goal is to start building strategies to help teachers embed VR practices into education. I have warned the students that it is a tool, not a toy, and if it should become too much of a distraction to their learning, that it will be immediately removed. Hopefully this will not be the case as the District is moving towards integrating VR technology.

Secondly, as these students are moving into an era of regular technological application and innovation, I support students completing assignments in flexible forms. Students are encouraged to bring their own personal electronic devices to school for projects and they will be locked in a cupboard during any time they are not being used. They will also be needing to reference our classroom blog from home to help reduce wasted paper. The blog will have educational resources, activities, long-term homework assignments, and additional information for parents. The blog can be found at http://sd41blogs.ca/neumanne/

Additionally, I am a strong advocate for experiential and outdoors education. Over the course of this year, we will be going on numerous fieldtrips which extend our learning. To help with this, please purchase a compass card for fieldtrips and keep it pre-loaded. I do my best to keep field trip costs to a minimum and taking public transit is an ideal way to do this.

Finally, I have been in correspondence with a classroom teacher in northern France. The class abroad is keen to practice their English skills through pen pal form this year. We will be writing letters and mailing them overseas several times this year. I will be checking each and every letter before they are sent, and when they are received, to ensure that they are safe and appropriate.

Thank you for your support and please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns about any of the topics above.

Sincerely

Mme Neumann

Elixa.Neumann@burnabyschools.ca

Dear Parents and Guardians of Division 1,

Welcome back to another year at Sperling Elementary! My name is Mme Neumann and I am very excited to be returning to Sperling. I am thrilled to be your child’s teacher and I am looking forward to a year of discovery, innovation, and adventure, while learning about your child and the life that surrounds them inside and outside of school.

Over the past two years, I have focused on teaching a wide range of advanced learners and integrating technology through collaborative learning. I am hoping that my experience teaching the BETA Minischool program at Alpha Secondary will enhance my ability to guide students transitioning into high school next year and prepare all students for a new generation of innovation and technology.

I look forward to working with you and your child, to engage and explore this year’s curriculum at Sperling.

Sincerely,

Mme Neumann