Dear Families of Division 1 Students,
I am excited to welcome you and your child to Grade 7—our final year of elementary school! This is an important milestone as we work together to prepare students for high school, and I am looking forward to building a supportive, engaging, and positive learning environment in our classroom community.
September is a time to establish classroom routines, set expectations, and foster relationships among students. My goal is to create a space where each child feels valued and encouraged to succeed. Every student is unique, and I aim to accommodate the variety of learning styles in our classroom by designing lessons that provide engagement and a challenge.
Myself and Ms. Kim Ward team teach many of our subjects together. This means that we will both be assessing your child in different subject areas. Learning how to navigate working with multiple teachers is also part of our effort to prepare students for high school. Our approach to assessment will be varied and designed to capture a broad picture of each student’s progress. We will observe students’ interactions, behaviors, and contributions during class activities. Other key components of assessment include:
- Samples of students’ work to showcase their understanding and application of concepts
- Student-teacher conferences to provide personalized feedback and goal-setting
- Use of ministry and district standards to ensure that learning outcomes align with performance expectations
- Criteria developed with students, encouraging them to take ownership of their learning process
- Student self-evaluation, where students will reflect on their progress and identify areas for growth
Throughout the year, we’ll focus on building key skills through the curriculum’s Core Competencies, which include intellectual, personal, and social/emotional development. These competencies help students engage in deeper, lifelong learning both in school and beyond.
Some of our teaching goals for this year include:
- Promoting curiosity and encouraging thoughtful questioning
- Developing students’ metacognitive skills, or their ability to reflect on their own learning
- Integrating First Peoples’ principles of learning into our lessons
- Meaningfully incorporating technology to enhance learning and communication
- Building self-awareness and strategies for navigating challenging situations
- Promoting cultural respect and understanding in our diverse classroom community
We would really appreciate if you could fill out a quick survey for us about your child to help us better understand your goals for them and their learning styles linked below. If you have completed it already we thank you for your important feedback!
Survey link: https://forms.gle/hbxhMjQmMDc7M3R37
A timetable for the year has been sent out. This will give you an overview of your child’s daily schedule and help us work together to promote organization and responsibility. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, concerns, or information you’d like to share. The best way to contact me is through email (danielle.ramen@burnabyschools.ca) but I’m also available for phone calls, virtual meetings, or in-person appointments.
This year promises to be one full of growth, exploration, and preparation for the future. I am eager to work alongside you and your child as we embark on this exciting journey together!
Sincerely,
Ms. Danielle Ramen
Ms. Danielle Ramen