I am thankful for a long weekend. I really needed some time to get caught up on marking. You see, I am coming from an environment where the pace was very different. Currently we are moving through material faster than I have ever done before and that seems to come with a lot of assessment: both formative and summative. Formative assessment helps me to know where the students are at and provides valuable feedback as we go through and "FORM" the learning journey together. Summative assessment shows what they have learned at the culmination of the learning activities. It is a learning process for me and I need to find a good balance between assessment, activities, family time and life outside of work. You should find a number assignments being returned this weekend because I have an extra day to balance family and work. Please take the time and read the comments together - they have been provided to add ways to help improve as we move forward. There are comments in Google Classroom and comments on the actual assignments that have been submitted.
Enjoy your family this weekend. Sneak in a little homework time if you can so that they stay ahead of everything or catch up before quizzes and the the next set of assignments that head their way.
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One month is in the books! It is in the dayplanner book, the digital planner book, a notebook, e-mails, Tweets and lots of web updates to both the Biodiversity page and the Language page. I wish you could see ALL of the great things that have been shared this month - the marking for all of it is going to be fun!
I hope that you find Classroom Guardian e-mail updates coming to you so that you can see what has been happening on that secure platform. The summary is supposed to include missing work, class activity and upcoming assignments. We have had some trouble getting all students added to the class lists and I know that HDSB is going through some troubleshooting with parent emails. I don't know what the summaries will look like, but am interested to see. It is together that we can help everyone through this school year, learn some stuff and develop some useful skills for success. I have seen growth in many as they transition into middle school and know that there are great things ahead. Some students are still struggling with work completion. Please check Google Classroom and the webpage for information on what has been shared and what is expected. There has been a lot of class time provided to work on various tasks, however, some seem to have gotten sucked into the void that is the "Internet" or "FRIENDS" and haven't worked as well as they could have. We are figuring out our place here at Centennial and now that we have the first month down and know a little more of what to expect, we can make more gains in this area. Bring on fall days, sweater weather and long weekends! October is here. If I needed a sign that summer was almost over, I got one today with the eclipse.
Today is the first day that they have allowed us back into the school. Before this, they were waxing, cleaning, sorting and organizing. Check out my clean blackboards, fresh floors and desks! Some of the desks are raised on platforms to create standing desks. This is called "Flexible Seating" and I have a few options around the room. Students will find ball chairs, stools, regular chairs, and chair cushions to help them find the best learning environment possible. If they want to curl up in a corner - I have a few lap desks. As I sit here over the next two weeks, I will soak in the fresh wax smell, and think about programming. One thing is certain, I will greet students at the door with a smile and a hello. Growth mindset and developing a positive view of being a learner will be the underlying theme for all the students that walk through this door. Attitude is a little thing that makes ALL the difference - together we will prove this. I know these words are currently just being put out into the digital universe, but I hope you have found it and are following along. Please feel free to comment and follow us on social media: Twitter, Instagram and maybe even Snapchat if I can get the kids to show me how it works.
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AuthorWhile Mrs. Colquhoun will do the initial postings to this blog, it is our vision that the students take ownership and run this blog to keep you up to date on what is going on. Archives
October 2017
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