October 29/20

 Hi Everyone,

I hope you all enjoy Halloween on Saturday.  I realize that it will look different for many of you this year but it sounds like there are lots of exciting plans in the works!  Have fun!

Updates/Reminders/Thank you's

*please send a recess snack, lunch and a reusable water bottle as usual tomorrow.  We will have a few snacks at our party later in the day.

*students are welcome to wear costumes but we will be going outside at recess/lunch and for our Thriller dance

*Monday will be PJ day.  Children are welcome to wear their pajamas to school that day.

*an email was sent home yesterday about the art cards.  If you are ordering, please fill out the back and return.  If you are not ordering, please send back anyway as we will add these to our memory books.

*everyone will have a Reader's Workshop book in their bag by the end of the day tomorrow.   This can be identified as it has a post-it in it.  Please practice this book over the weekend as your child will be presenting this books (with their group) on Monday or Tuesday

*thank you again to Aiden, Carys, Olivia and Adam for providing the snacks for tomorrow's party

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Amanda Roberts

October 22/20

 Hi Everyone,

I hope you have all been having a good week.  It looks like good weather for our upcoming weekend so I hope everyone has the chance to get outside and enjoy it.

As I'm sure you are all aware, there have been 3 nearby schools added to the Fraser Health list of school exposures (Allouette Elementary, Edith McDermott Elementary and Maple Ridge Secondary).  It has been my experience that Scout troops, soccer teams etc. can often include children from a variety of schools.  I thank you for your continued support in keeping your children home if they are feeling unwell.  Your children have been very cooperative with the hand washing/sanitizing that we do numerous times a day and I keep the door open to improve air circulation but many of the health and safety protocols that are encouraged  in the community are not expected/possible in schools. 

Our Halloween celebration will be taking place next Friday, October 30th.  Students are welcome to wear costumes that day.  We will be going outside for recess/lunch so I encourage students to wear a set of clothes underneath if possible. Please send a lunch/waterbottle as normal as we will be having our party snacks later in the day.

The number next to your name indicates the snack that I am requesting you send in.

1. Chips (individual bags, please)

2. Fruit snacks

3. Sweet treat (such a mini candy bar-no lollipops, please)

4. Juice boxes

*****For the Halloween party, please send in your contribution on Wednesday, October 28th.  I will need to purchase any items that are not brought in by this date****.

Halloween Party

 1. Aiden

2. Olivia B

3. Carys

4. Adam

*Please do not send any additional items to be shared with the class this year 

*Reminder that tomorrow is a NID.  There is no school for students.

*A big thank you to Noah's mom for making playdough for the class to enjoy

*Over the next week, your child will be getting an extra book in their planner bag.  You will be able to identify this reader's workshop book by the post-it inside.  Please have your child practice this nightly, they will be presenting this (as part of a group).  

*Scholastic catalogues were sent home this week.  This year, all orders will be delivered directly to your home but our class will still get credits which we can use to purchase new books.  This is a great way to expand our classroom library.  Our class code is on the catalogue.

*I sent home a RAZ kids letter yesterday.  You only need to send in the bottom portion if you are unable to access the site/information yourself. I am happy to help connect you if you are having difficulty.  I am unable to send home levelled book bags this year due to Covid but I am hoping you will be able to access books appropriate for your child via this site.  

*Our leaf people turned out great!  I had to send the extras home because we don't have compost bins in our room at this time

*We had our last Pow Wow dance session today.  Ask your children to show you some of their moves!

November 2-PJ Day. With Halloween and the time change we thought this would be appreciated by everyone! :) 

November 5-Retakes. Please put a note in your child's planner if you would like them to have retakes.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Mrs. Roberts

October 16/2020

 Hi Everyone,

I hope you all enjoyed you Thanksgiving weekend!  I was grateful that there was some sunshine to visit with a couple of elderly family members outdoors.

We have been thinking about Halloween and how we can have a small celebration in our classrooms while still following the health and safety guidelines.  With this in mind, we have come up with the following solution.  Each family will be asked to send pre-wrapped snacks to one party this year.  Please see the schedule below.  To assign your item/party I just went down the class list and gave each family a number.  We currently have 16 students who will be attending school on Halloween day.  These numbers will likely change as the year progresses so I will inform you of the number of students before each party.

We will celebrate Halloween on Friday, October 30th.  Students are welcome to wear their costumes to school that day.  

The number next to your name indicates the snack that I am requesting you send in.

1. Chips (individual bags, please)

2. Fruit snacks

3. Sweet treat (such a mini candy bar-no lollipops, please)

4. Juice boxes

For the Halloween party, please send in your contribution on Wednesday, October 28th.  I will need to purchase any items that are not brought in by this date.

Halloween Party

 1. Aiden

2. Olivia B

3. Carys

4. Adam

*****Please note: the number next to your name is the treat you should bring from the list above****

Christmas Party (date TBA)

1. Noah

2. Avery

3. Capri

4. Ellery

Valentine's Day Party

*****Please note: the number next to your name is the treat you should bring from the list above****

1. Zoe

2. Callum

3. Sam

4. Kaidjal

Year end party (date TBA)

*****Please note: the number next to your name is the treat you should bring from the list above****

1. Leland

2. Holden

3. Vivian

4. Kinsley

*I am looking for a parent volunteer who would be willing to make some playdough for the class.  Please email me at amanda_roberts@sd42.ca if you are able to do this.  Thank you!

*a reminder that next Friday, October 23 is a Professional Development Day.  There is no school for students on that day

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Amanda Roberts

October 9, 2020

 Hi Everyone,

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!  I realize that this year's holiday is going to look a little different for everyone but I hope you are all enjoy the weekend.  

Updates/Reminders/Thank you's

*If you have not already done so, please send in some dry leaves for our autumn art project

*Wednesdays/Thursdays are our 'Forest Fun' days.  Please ensure that your children are appropriately dressed for this activity as we will be heading our rain or shine.

*Any gently used books/leftover craft supplies are always welcome.  A big thank you to Noah and his family for sending in new Geronimo Stilton books to add to our collection

*Just FYI, I rarely have time to check my email during the school day.  If you have any time sensitive information to share with me, please email me the night before, write a note in your child's planner or phone the school and leave a message for me (604) 465 9331

*Please send in inside shoes, sketchpads and any other school supplies if you have not already done so

*Also, please complete all of the online consent forms via the parent portal

*This week's Poetry and More duotang contains a 'Gratitude Scavenger Hunt'.  We hope that you enjoy doing this as a family this weekend.  We did our own forest scavenger hunt this week so everyone should be warmed up and ready to go! :)

Enjoy your long weekend!

Amanda Roberts

October 2, 2020

 Hi Everyone,

I hope you have been able to get outside and enjoy the sunshine this week!  We have been very grateful to get outside and do some learning activities in the sunshine!

Updates/Reminders/Thank you's

*Please collect some fall leaves this weekend (15-20 small/medium sized each would be great).  These are for an upcoming project.  Please send the dry leaves in a labelled baggie or envelope, we will begin our art project as soon as everyone has brought some in

*I have included our class Scholastic number in the previous post for your reference.  The books you order, will be delivered directly to your home this year

*Please send in your signed, green verification form, planner money and complete the online consent forms if you have not already done so

*Just a reminder that the green 'Poetry and More' duotangs should be returned to the class each Monday.  Several students had still not returned them by today so I had these individuals write their name on today's poems and asked them to add them to their duotang when they got home.  Thank you for your support with this as we will be using these as a shared reading resource.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Amanda Roberts

September 25/20

Hi Everyone, We had a busy week in Division 10 which included our Terry Fox Run.  Your children were troupers and did the walk/run in the rain (just like Terry did! ).  We are getting used to the routines of being back in school and new friendships are developing (which I always love to see happening this time of year). 

September 18th, 2020

 Hi Everyone,

Welcome to our classroom blog.  I will be posting weekly updates here that I hope will keep you informed as we navigate the school year together.  Please feel free to contact me at amanda_roberts@sd42.ca if you need clarification on any items included here.  There is always a lot of information to share every September but this one, as we all know has it's own unique challenges.  I am happy to share that your children are starting to adjust to the new routines of being back and school and have been very patient about all of the extra hand washing/sanitizing.  I am sure they are exhausted by the time they get home!

Updates/Reminders/Thank you's

*reusable masks have been ordered by the district and will be distributed to those who indicated they wanted them once they arrive.  In the meantime, I do have some disposable masks that I can hand out.  Please indicate in your child's planner if you would like one of these.

*it is currently mandated that masks are optional in schools, I am not enforcing the use of masks or reminding students to put them on due to this fact.  If you would like your child to wear a mask at school, please encourage them accordingly. I am personally choosing to wear a mask/faceshield whenever possible.

*Thank you for your patience as I slowly meet all of you.  Normally I would have shaken everyone's hand and invited you to come in so that your child could share their new classroom.  While we are not allowed to invite parents in at this time, please feel free to come over say hi at the end of the day

*we had our first fire drill of the year yesterday, your children handled this beautifully.  I was so impressed!

*today you will see your child's 'Poetry and More' duotang'.  There is a letter inside that outlines the use of this book.  Please ensure your child bring's it back each Monday.  Thank you!

*it is common (especially in September) for students to forget their planners/homereading books.  I often hear 'my mom (or dad) forgot to put it in'.  I have explained to your children that this is not mom/dad's job :) The backpack is where their planner/books live and they should put these items straight back into their backpack once you have read together and the planner has been signed (I know how busy mornings can be).

*most supplies have now arrived at the school.  Thank you!  If you have not already done so, please send them in.  Some key items that have not yet arrived for some students are 1) 2 Extra large baggies (really important this year) 2) Personal headphones/earbuds 3) Sketch pads (we will be using these a lot as part of our outdoor learning 4) Inside Shoes 

*please pay $7.00 for the student planners via the parent portal if you have not already done so.  Thank you!

*just a reminder that Fairview has a 'take in, take out' procedure for garbage this year.  Students are not allowed to leave anything at the school at this time (this includes compost/recycling) 

*please ensure that you send a full, labeled, reusable water bottle to school to decrease water fountain usage.  Thank you!

*the current procedure for picking up/dropping off students who have an appointment is happening via the office.  If you let me know that your child has an appointment/needs to leave for any reason, I will send them to the office to sign out and meet you at the front door (they can sit on the bench while they wait)

*If you have not already done so, please send in your blue 'getting acquainted form'. These provide a lot of useful information

*we will be doing a talley/graph about our birthdays on Monday.  I will have this information handy but have asked each student to learn this as part of their homework this weekend

*we plan on doing the Terry Fox Run on Wednesday, September 23rd.  Please ensure your child has outside running shoes and is dressed for the weather. This will be happening rain or shine and will occur around the field/forest.  

*picture day is this Thursday, September 24th

*the weather is going to start to change next week.  We will continue to go outside regularly, rain or shine.  Please ensure that your child has appropriate clothing and a change of clothes.

*I will also be continuing to leave the door/window open to increase air circulation and ask that your child has an extra layer at school in case they get cold

Thanks so much!  Have an excellent weekend!

Amanda Roberts