Dear Parents and Guardians,

Welcome to another school year at Manordale PS. Our class this year is a grade 3/4 split of 20 students, 8 of whom are in grade 3 and 12 in grade 4. After 7 years in Victoria, B.C., I am delighted to start a new year in Ottawa. I am from Lac-St-Jean, Quebec, and I've lived in many cities across Canada, from Halifax to Victoria. I've been a French teacher since 1990 and many of those years were spent at Connaught PS, a vibrant multicultural school in Ottawa. Sending an email to pierre.renaud@ocdsb.ca would be the easiest way to reach me but you can also send a note in your child's agenda or leave a message on my voice mail.

Class Schedule

The school timetable is not completely finalized. I will be teaching most of the subjects except for English Language Arts, which will be taught by Mrs Piers, in the afternoon, Monday to Thursday from 1:20 to the end of the day, and Friday from 1:20 to 1:40.
Attendance

I appreciate when you let me know by email when your child is going to be absent. However, it is important that you still contact the office to let them know. If your child will be missing school for any planned period of time, please notify me in writing (either by email or by sending a note to school with your child) outlining the dates she/he will be away.

Home/School Communication

Please feel free to contact me by email at pierre.renaud@ocdsb.ca. Thank you to those who signed up to join our newsgroup (http://groups.google.com/group/manordale). I view e-mail as a means to improve and facilitate the flow of information between students, parents, and ourselves. I hope that we will all use the system to convey supportive and constructive comments. Should you need to contact me about any concerns e.g. issues with field trips, homework, seating arrangements, etc. I would prefer that you leave a message on my voice mail, or send a note in your child's agenda. Thank you for your understanding.
Agendas

All students from grades 2/3EFI to 6 have received a student agenda to establish positive communication between home and school. Please help your child get into a routine of bringing the agenda home each evening and please sign it after you read the note. Please send in a voluntary contribution of $8 towards the cost of the agenda. Please make cheques payable to Manordale PS.

E-pals

In an effort to maintain an open line of communication between students and teachers, I would like to use ePALS, the "world's largest online classroom community and leading provider of student-safe email" ( http://www.epals.com/). ePALS accounts can only be used to send messages WITHIN the ePALS community. As spam has become a wide-scale problem on the Internet, this feature prevents spam, keeping what's in your child's mailbox relevant to the ePALS experience. One of the great features of this site is the Monitored Email, which allows me to ensure that messages are safe and appropriate. Messages with attachments and/or questionable language will have to be pre-approved by M. Renaud. Unflagged messages will reach their recipients automatically, but keep in mind that I get a copy of every message that is being sent and received. I will not hesitate to deactivate an account that is used inappropriately.

Use of French and reward system

Developing oral language skills and vocabulary in French is an important part of the French Immersion curriculum. Students are expected to speak French in class at all times (except during recess, lunch, English Language Arts, and special events). In order to encourage students to use their French language skills, students will be given a small amount of "play money" with the opportunity to earn more for speaking regularly in French. Every second Friday, students can use this money to purchase recycled items that other students have brought from home in a class auction. Not only does this system promote the use of French in the classroom, it also reinforces basic Math and computation skills.

Homework

Students may have work to complete at home. Students should be able to complete these tasks independently; however, they can benefit from a quiet place in which to perform these tasks and the supervision of an adult or older sibling to ensure that homework is completed. Assigned homework and due dates are recorded on the chalkboard - students will write this information in their agendas at the end of the day. Homework will not normally be assigned on weekends. As a rule of thumb, your child should not spend more than 30 (grade 3 students) to 40 (grade 4 students) minutes completing homework per evening; please advise me if this is not the case. If your child is unable to complete her/his homework for any reason, please let me know by writing a note in your child's agenda or by sending me an email. In the event that your child has completed all her/his tasks at school and has no homework, students should be reading for a minimum of 15 minutes per evening.

Class Materials

Thank you for purchasing and sending your child's school supplies to class this past week. Please note that the following items are also suggested (as with all supplies, please ensure that they are labeled with your child's name):
Dictionaries: I usually let students use on-line dictionaries, but print dictionaries will be useful since access to a computer is very limited for now. They also develop important dictionary and alphabetic skills. If your child already has a French-English/English-French dictionary, please have her/him bring it to school. If not, the Larousse Pocket Dictionary (ISBN: 2035420105 - approximately $10) is a handy reference to purchase and which your child will be able to use in the coming years. Another good one is "Larousse Student Dictionary" (ISBN: 2035420555 - approximately $10)
Felt tip pens/markers: A few felt tip pens are useful for art and other projects.
Report Cards and Conferences

Parents and guardians will receive three reports concerning their child's progress throughout the year. If your child is finding a particular activity or curricular area to be a challenge, I will let you know so that you may work on the concept with her/him at home. In addition to our first conference in December, there will be another Parent-Teacher conference time set up in the spring. Should you wish to discuss an issue with me outside these dates, feel free to set up a time to meet with me by either phoning the school office or emailing.

Water Bottles/Snacks

Students are encouraged to bring water bottles to school and are permitted to keep them on their desks during class time. Since spills and accidents do occur, juice and other drinks are allowed at recess and lunchtime only. As learning takes a great deal of energy, students may also eat fresh fruit and vegetable snacks at their desks throughout the day.
Field Trips

Field trips are an important part of the school curriculum and provide enriching experiences for all learners. I will try to have a few curricular-related field trips throughout the year and will advise you well in advance if there are any costs associated with these activities.
Digital Pictures

I would like to take pictures of the students throughout the year, that I could share with the families using online services. By default, all albums will be Private and will be invisible to guests trying to browse the personal URL. Note that when I share albums via email, any recipient of that invitation could view that album even if it is set to Private. Uninvited guests who have not received a sharing email from you will not be able to see it. Please advise me immediately if you do not want your child to appear in these albums.

Volunteering

Parent volunteers are most welcome in the classroom once routines are well established. Please advise me if you have a particular interest, skill, or hobby that you would like to share.

Classe Partenaire / Buddy Class

Mme Lacasse has agreed to be our "buddy class" for the year. In the coming months, students will be matched with an younger "ami(e)" from Mme Lacasse's Grade 1 class with whom we will do primarily literacy activities. Having a "buddy" contributes to the students' literacy skills, helps younger students feel part of the school community, and gives a chance to older students to be friends and role-models, both in the classroom and outside at recess.

Routines, procedures and expectations

Be Considerate:
· Listen carefully
· Raise your hand if you wish to speak to the class
· Maintain eye contact and give your full attention to those speaking
· Maintain good listening posture
· Show respect to others
· Be kind with your words and actions
· Work quietly

Be Prepared for Lessons:
· Pencils sharpened prior to lessons
· Have all necessary equipment at school daily
· Try to follow directions the first time and if you are unsure, ask for clarification
· Do not disturb others who are working
· Use washrooms during class breaks (Recess/Lunch)

Be Conscientious and Responsible:
· Work and play safely
· Present work neatly to the best of your ability
· Label your work (Page, Title, Name, Date)
· Hand in homework on time.

Merci!
M. Renaud