Dear Families,

Welcome back! I am so excited to begin another year of learning together in Division 3. This year will be a little different, as I will be job sharing with Ms. Johal, who many of you know already. Ms. Johal brings a wealth of experience and a warm, caring approach to her teaching, and I feel very fortunate to be partnering with her this year. For this school year I will be teaching on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays and Ms. Johal will be teaching on Thursdays until the end of April. For the months of May and June I will return to teaching the class full time.

Part of the reason for this job share is that I am in the final stages of completing my Master of Education, building on research I began three years ago within my graduate work. My research explores how students can use art and design processes to make their learning more visible and assessable and how we can help students further develop their metacognition and core competencies to deepen their overall learning.  I’ll also be continuing to collaborate with researchers from Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia on alternative assessment in the Applied Design, Skills, and Technology curriculum, a project that has been gaining recognition both locally and internationally.

Now that you know your child has been assigned to our class we would also like to invite you to our Meet the Teacher Open House on Tuesday, September 16th, from 3:00–5:00 pm. Families are encouraged to sign up for one of two sessions—at 3:00 pm or 4:00 pm—where you’ll hear more about what this school year will entail, have a chance to ask questions, and learn more about our classroom research project.

Please use the SignUpGenius link below to register for your preferred session:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0944AAAE23ABFBC61-44506846-meet 

We are looking forward to welcoming both new and returning families, sharing more about the exciting opportunities ahead, and working together to make this a meaningful and engaging year for your child.

Warm regards,

Crystal Smith & Shauna Johal