Welcome to
Grade 4B!
I hope you
all had a fantastic summer. I most certainly did! My name is Thea Arandia and I
am one of the Grade 4 teachers for this upcoming school year. I am very excited
to be working alongside your child as this will be my first year teaching Grade
4. I currently reside in Mississauga, therefore if you see me taking a stroll
at a nearby park or shopping at the mall, don’t hesitate to say hi!
Blog/Agendas/Specialists
I will be
teaching language, math and of course the Units of Inquiry (UOI)! Our new room
is room 14. I invite you to check out my blog on a daily basis at http://arandiagr4b.blogspot.com On my blog you will be able
to see what your child did that day, homework, weekly spelling words, important
dates, the Grade 4 schedule, and as well as other items. My blog will be
updated on a daily basis. Mme. Stella will be teaching French, Mr. Oliver will
be teaching music, Ms. Hayward will be our librarian and Mr. Orr will be
teaching Phys. Ed. Daily agendas will also be filled out by each student and are expected to be signed by parents/guardians on a nightly basis.
Uniform
From
September until Thanksgiving, students are able to wear the summer uniform,
which consists of grey pants/shorts/skirts, navy socks, and the white polo
t-shirt. From Thanksgiving until after Easter, students are required to wear
the winter uniform, which consists of grey pants/skirts, navy blue
socks/tights, a white button up long sleeve shirt, a tie, a long sleeve
sweater/sweater vest, and the blazer. Students must wear their blazer during
assemblies, to and from class during transitions, and of course during field
trips. Black dress shoes are also required, as is a house colour tie to wear on
Fridays. Black shoes must be polishable and there should not be a lot of
detail. Black running shoes will not be accepted. The SJA gym uniform consists
of navy blue sweatpants/shorts, a SJA gym shirt or house shirt, white socks,
and proper running shoes. It is recommended that all students keep their gym
uniform in a bag. Please label all
pieces of the uniform.
**All uniform
pieces must be purchased through Alpa and Multiform Canada. Uniform violations
will be sent home to students who do not have the proper uniform pieces.** Alpa
can be reached at alpa@multiformcanada.ca.
Students who are not in proper uniform, will receive a uniform violation.
Units of Inquiry and Other Subjects
Grade 4 is a big
year for students as we prepare them for Grade 5. Majority of the tasks that
they will be doing will be done independently this year, such as the Science
Fair and Oral Presentations, where the Grade 4s write and memorize a persuasive
speech. We will continue with our weekly spelling lessons and tests,
International Day, Spelling Bee, Arts’ Night, and our Christmas Concert. Our first
Unit of Inquiry will be “How We Organize Ourselves”(we will learn about the
various provinces, territories and regions of Canada). Our other Units of Inquiry are Light and
Sound (which will tie into the Science Fair), Religion Rules, Rock Road (Rocks
and Minerals) and Artist Society. You can find out more about our Units of
Inquiry and SJA’s Program of Inquiry on my blog. As of now, our first novel
studies in the first term will be Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Montgomery. Please
be reminded that UOI summative work is to be completed in class only, unless
otherwise stated, and that all work is to be completed by the student only. Gym classes for students in Grade 3 and up will take place at
the new SJA Athletic Centre on alternate days of the 6-day cycle.
Construction at the new site is delayed. Once the site is ready, students will
be bussed to and from the site. For now, all gym classes will take place at
SJA.
Trips
In Grade 4
there are a few trips and in-class sessions that students will have the
opportunity to participate in, on top of our UOI units. **Please note that
trips may change throughout the year, however you will be advised of the
changes well in advance should changes occur**
Homework
Homework is
given on a nightly basis and is expected to be completed by the following day,
unless other wise noted. I do understand that life does get in the way of
homework being completed, but it should not become a habit. If homework is not
completed, students will miss a recess or gym to get caught up. Math will be
given on a nightly basis and spelling on Mondays, if it has not been completed
in class. The students will be given until Thursday of each week to complete
spelling activities. Other language and UOI homework may also be given at
times. I do my best to mark and return assignments/tests within 3-5 days of
completion, so please feel free to review with your child any work that has
been completed and sent home.
Hot Lunch Program
Ms. Yustin is
taking over the hot lunch program from Ms. Bancud. All hot lunch orders can be
done online. Payments can be sent to the school via cash or cheque. I will send
reminders about the final day that you can order lunch and when the payment is
due.
The
online website is now open for September order and will close off at the end of
day on Aug 31st and is unable to reopen for September ordering.
Lunch payments are due no later than September 14th.
Below are the instructions for returning families:
*if you have a sibling joining SJA this year please keep in mind you can
only use one email per child.
Step 1 Logon to website http://mydigitalmailroom.com/sja - if you forgot your
password or email used please contact bsmith@stjudesacademy.com
Step 2 Across the top menu bar you will see several options, please
scroll over MY ACCOUNT, Change grade and teacher to reflect new year. Select
SAVE
Step 3 Across the top menu bar you will see several options, please
scroll over MANAGE LUNCH, a drop-down menu will appear, select ADD NEW LUNCH
FORM.
*Don’t forget to select payment method BEFORE ordering
Below are the instructions for new families:
**If you have more than one child you will need to use different email
addresses for each child. Only one child can be registered and ordered for
under a single email address.
Select register an account
Select grade
Select class
Select teacher
Enter in student information
Accept terms and conditions and
select Register
Repeat for additional students.
Step 2 Across the top menu bar you will see several options, please
scroll over MANAGE LUNCH, a drop-down menu will appear, select ADD NEW LUNCH
FORM.
*Don’t forget to select payment method BEFORE ordering
Kinderlime – is our new online app for aftercare. Please see below the instructions
on how to register.
·
You will receive your logon information via email on file by Tuesday
August 28th.
·
Please download the FREE Kinderlime app via APP Store,
Google Play etc. Or Visit the website https://www.kinderlime.com
·
Complete MUST HAVE information about your child(ren)
on APP/Website
o
Phone number
o
Updated pick up permissions
o
Allergy/Medication information
·
We strongly suggest you set up automatic payments
through the app/website to ensure you will not incur late fees for monthly
invoices.
o
You can also choose to pay monthly through the
app/website.
o
Through the app/website you will be able to digitally
access monthly break downs (printed copies will not be available)
·
View App/Website daily to see sign in/out times.
If you have any
questions/comments regarding this new addition, please contact the Students
Services Coordinator at bsmith@stjudesacademy.com
A few other key items:
A few other key items:
· Orientation Night is Monday, August 27 from 5-7 PM. It will
be in the new Grade 4 classroom (Room 14).
· All SJA families are required to
purchase a key fob. This will allow you to enter the building at the side door
between 7:30-9:00 AM and then again from 3:45-6:00 PM. The key fob is a $40
deposit and you can see speak to Dawn about ordering one. New families who are
in need of a FOB, please see Andrew at reception during Orientation Night.
·
Morning Kiss and Ride is not affected.
- Daily early dismissal procedures have been cancelled. Parents will still be able to pick up their child/ren for
appointments. Please notify you child’s teacher as these events occur.
Dismissal for Grades 2-6 will be in the gym, as it was last year. Please
be reminded that all parents are to remain outside until 3:30 PM, when the
doors open for dismissal.
· Microwaves will be used only for
students in Grade 3 and up. The microwaves are intended to warm up food, so
please refrain from sending meals that need to be cooked, such as frozen
dinners. Please also ensure that you are sending everything your child may need
for their lunch, such as condiments, utensils, and plates for microwavable
meals if applicable. We will no longer be handing out plates, bowls, cutlery,
and condiments, as they are strictly for those who order hot lunch.
· As for our birthday policy, as you will
see in the Student Handbook to please refrain from sending in food related
items. If you would like to send in something, a book with your child’s name can
be added to the library or a loot bag with pencils, erasers, notebooks, etc.
can be sent home with students.
· A kind reminder that we are a peanut
and nut-free school. Please avoid sending in items, which ‘may contain.’
· All parents/guardians that would like
to volunteer for field trips or activities in the school must provide a current criminal record check.
August/September Dates
· Monday, August 27 is Orientation Night from 5-7 PM. All specialist teachers and Ms. Alpa
will be in the gym for Orientation Night.
· Thursday, August 31 is the last day to order September lunch.
· Wednesday, September 5 is the first day of school.
· Week of September 5-7 is Neophyte Week with Friday, September 8 being our first house color
spirit day. Please dress in your house color: orange, blue, or green! All
teachers should have a list of student houses, so if you are unsure of your
child’s house, please ask!
· Friday, September 14 is when September lunch payments are due.
· Please join us for our ‘SJA/Oakwood
Welcome Back BBQ,’ happening on Thursday,
September 20 from 4-6PM. This is a great opportunity to connect with
teacher and friends.
· Wednesday, September 26 will be our first Casual Day. Students will be allowed to dress down if
they have paid the $20 casual day fee.
· Tuesday, September 26 and Wednesday, September 27
will be our first bake sale of the year. We will be responsible for hosting the
bake sale in January. Please be reminded that all bake sale items must be peanut and nut free. Please also avoid ‘may contain’ items.
· Thursday, September 27 will be our Terry Fox Run.
· Friday, September 28 is Orange Shirt Day, a day where we remember and pay tribute to those
who were forced to attend residential schools.
Please find
attached a copy of the SJA Parent/Student Handbook, SJA Code of Conduct, the
Grade 4 daily schedule, the 2018/2019 school year calendar and a flyer
regarding our Welcome Back BBQ. Please take the time to carefully review each
attachment and then sign and print off the last page of the SJA Parent/Student
Handbook and return to me no later than Friday,
September 14, 2018.
I apologize
for the information overload! I look forward to seeing you all on Monday,
August 27. If any questions arise in the meantime, please do not hesitate to
contact me.
Enjoy the
rest of your summer!
Ms. Arandia
