Dear Grade 6 SJA Families,
I am happy and excited to inform you that I am one of the Grade 6 teachers for this academic year at St. Jude's Academy. You are receiving this email because I am your child’s Grade 6 teacher. My teaching partners are Mrs. Haag & Ms. Jaskolka. We wish you a warm welcome to this very busy year. We hope that you have had a restful summer and are now eagerly looking forward to getting back to school. We apologize for the length of this email but hope that it will answer questions that you may have.
I will be responsible for teaching your child their core subjects of English Language, Math, and the 6 Units of Inquiry (UOI). The bulk of your child's school day will be around these three areas. The inquiry units are usually structured around social studies and science concepts. In this year's inquiry units, we will be learning about energy, air and flight, Canada’s First Peoples and early explorers, Canada’s economic activities, and personal ethics, values and safety. Most of our English language learning (oral & listening, reading, and writing) and art expectations will be learned through the UOIs. We are always looking for guest speakers that will visit the classroom. Please let us know if you have a connection to a specialist that would be able to visit our class to talk about this year’s UOIs, e.g. an electrician, a pilot, etc. Please note that any volunteers are required to have a current vulnerable sector check on file at the school.
St. Jude’s Academy Grade 6 Programme of Inquiry 2019 – 2020
Who we are
The Exhibition
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Where we are in place and time
Central Idea: Exploration has changed and will continue to change people’s lives.
Concepts: Causation, Change, Perspective
Related Concepts: Adaptation, Truth, Impact
Lines of Inquiry:
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How we express ourselves
Central Idea: Being knowledgeable and engaging in safe practices can enable people to deal with challenging social situations.
Concepts: Perspective, Responsibility
Related Concepts:
Values, boundaries, Initiative
Lines of Inquiry:
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How the world works
Central Idea: Air has many properties that can be used for flight and for other purposes.
Concepts: Form, Function, Connection
Related Concepts: Properties, System, Relationships
Lines of Inquiry:
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How we organize ourselves
Central Idea: Connections, policies, and resources impact a nation’s economic activities.
Key Concepts: Causation, Connection
Related Concepts: Impact, Networks, Systems
Lines of Inquiry:
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Sharing the planet
Central Idea: Society is responsible for how energy is used to sustain life.
Concepts: Form, Change, Responsibility
Related Concepts: Properties, Transformation, Citizenship
Lines of Inquiry:
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Your child’s specialist teachers for this year are Mme. Stella for French, Mr. Orr for Gym, Mr. Oliver for music, and Ms. Hayward is our librarian. You can also find these links on my blog.
Mme. Stella: https://stjudesfrench-stella.blogspot.com
Mr. Oliver: https://mrolivermusicclass.blogspot.com
Mr. Orr: https://tysonorr.blogspot.com
Ms. Hayward: https://sjalibrary.wordpress.com
Grade 6 is the culminating year of the IB (International Baccalaureate) PYP (Primary Years Programme). This year provides students the opportunity to showcase their learning, skills, and actions from JK to this year through a project called the exhibition. The exhibition takes place on Friday, May 1, 2020. All students and families at SJA are invited to attend and celebrate this day with the Grade 6 classes. Be sure to mark your calendars for this exciting event as your child will value your attendance and support during the day and evening presentations. Many of the tasks that students do in our inquiry units during the year will be geared towards equipping them with the skills needed to do well in the exhibition.
Students will not be purchasing their own school supplies again this year. There are a few things that SJA will not provide but that your child will need this year.
1. Devices: Students will need a laptop for projects and research. Smart phones/iPads/tablets/cameras will occasionally be needed for some projects/tasks. Students and parents will be notified through agendas and the blog about when we will need devices in the classroom and how they will be used. Laptops should ideally have software such as Microsoft Office as we often use Word, Publisher, Power Point, and Excel in class. If your device does not have this software, your child can work online using Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides instead. Students will also need access to video creating software such as Movie Maker or iMovie.
2. Gmail account. Parents, please help your child set up an account, and watch your child practice signing in and out of the account to ensure they can do this successfully. Have them record their username and password in a safe place in case they forget these. We will be using Google Docs in class to work on assignments (spreadsheets, word processors, slideshows, etc.) and to share and collaborate on tasks.
3. USB (Please label it).
4. Prezi account (Visit https://prezi.com/to sign up for a free account). Keep the username and password in a safe place (optional).
5. YouTube account to post videos. Your child is advised not to use their full name for privacy purposes. Also, disable comments on their account.
6. Pencil Case.
As an IB school we value character development, an attitude of being a life-long learner, and showing action as a result of learning. The IB Learner Profile Attributes represent some of the traits we value at SJA. We strive to provoke our students to ask big questions - the kind you cannot google the answer to. We encourage students and families to celebrate stories of action with us. If you see your child taking the initiative to ask questions and find answers on their own, please let me know. Send me an email or a picture that describes what your child is doing.
SJA Student Policies
Attached to this email you will find the St. Jude’s Academy Family Handbook2019-2020and St. Jude’s Academy Code of Conduct. Please read them, sign the last page of the handbook and bring it to your class teacher. This page is due in the agenda by Friday, September 13th.
Orientation Night
We have scheduled two orientation evenings. The first is for Lower School families and the second for Upper School families.
We have scheduled two orientation evenings. The first is for Lower School families and the second for Upper School families.
This is also a good time for new families to pick up your Fob if you have not already done this. See Kaitlyn at the reception desk. Fobs will give you access to the school building from 7:30 am – 8:45 am, and again from 3:45 pm – 6:00 pm.
Wednesday, August 28th: Lower School Orientation (JK – Grade 6), from 5 pm – 7 pm
Parents and students are invited to visit the school, meet their teachers, see the classrooms, and ask any questions they may have. My room number is 31 located on International Street. You can meet me in my room and specialist teachers in room 29. If you have any questions about bussing, Wynne Fitness and/or uniforms you can visit room 28. Be sure to visit the gym for an exciting basketball presentation!
Thursday, August 29th: Upper School Orientation (Grades 7 – 12), please see the invitation attached for specific times and details.
Hot Lunch Program
Please know that the website closes end of day Aug 30th and is unable to reopen for September ordering. Please see the end of this email for more instructions.
Homework
We will get working right away because the year will fly by as it always does. Students should expect to have math homework every day. Students will be working out of the Math Makes Sense textbook. These must be returned to school each day, as we will work on math every day. It is my goal that all work (except math) be completed in class. Students who do not complete work during class time will be asked to use their recess time to get caught up. If the work is still incomplete, students will need to complete it as homework.
Agendas
Your child will receive an agenda. Please make it a habit to read and sign your child’s agenda, as important dates, announcements, and homework will be included and updated each day. Students need to bring their agendas back and forth to school each day. This is another way of communicating with me.
Upcoming Events
- August 28 Lower School Orientation, 5-7 pm
- September 2 Labour Day (No School)
- September 3 PD Day, IB Training (No School)
- September 4 First Day of School, Term 1 Begins
- September 6 Spirit Day: House Colours Dress Up
- September 13 Terry Fox Run
- September 19 Welcome BBQ
- September 20-27 Fall Fundraiser
- September 24 and 25 Bake Sale
- September 25 Casual Day
- September 30 Orange Shirt Day (Lower School)
Uniform
Grade 6s will come to school in uniform each day. They will change into their black dress shoes in the building. They will change into gym clothes for gym class, and then back into their uniform for the remainder of the academic day. Students may wear their summer uniform up until Thanksgiving. After Thanksgiving, students are required to wear their winter uniform. Please refer to the Family Handbook for more information.
Blog
Please visit the class blog daily, as it is a way to stay connected, see what we did during the day, or to find important dates and homework. The blog will tell you the units we are working on, what we do in class daily, homework and assignments, test dates, school events, and other important information. On the blog, you will see a tab, “FOLLOW BY EMAIL”, where you are able to enter your email address. In doing this, you will receive an email of my blog every time I post, and you will not miss out on any important information. Please click this link to visit my blog:
Food Allergies
Please be advised that St. Jude's strives to be a nut free facility. When purchasing items for your child's lunch, please read the packages carefully. If the label says, "may contain nuts", please do not send that item. Look for products with the nut-free label. Any item that contains or may contain nuts will be removed for the safety of our students.
First Week of School
The first week of school is Neophyte Week. We will take some time to get organized in our classroom, get to know each other, become familiar with the layout of the building and boundaries during recess, our schedule, and play some house games. We end the week with Spirit Day where students come to school dressed in their house colours.
A NOTE FROM THE LIBRARIAN, MS. HAYWARD
Hello! I hope everyone has had a great summer and is excited for back to school. I am looking forward to a great third year in the St. Jude's Academy Library.
We accomplished a lot last year in the library. We catalogued over 2,300 books in our collection. We had successful Recess Readers sessions. We started our LIT Club (library helpers). Our Enchanted Forest Book Fair was a huge success allowing us to get over $2,400 worth of new books and resources for the library. The Library also held some fun contests. And, of course, we checked out a lot of books for the voracious readers at SJA.
I hope to continue all these things and more.
SJA Welcome BBQ:
All families are invited to attend the BBQ event taking place on Thursday, September 19th. More information about this event will be available at the orientation evenings and during the first week of school.
Kinderlime
New Parents
- You have been sent an email to sign up with a pin
- Please download the FREE Kinderlime app via APP Store, Google Play etc. Or Visit the website https://www.kinderlime.com <https://www.kinderlime.com/>
Complete MUST HAVE information about your child(ren) on APP/Website
- Phone number(s)
- Updated pick up permissions
- 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.
- You can also choose to pay monthly through the app/website.
- 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.
Returning Parents
- Update the MUST HAVE information about your child(ren) on APP/Website
- Phone number(s)
- Updated pick up permissions
- Allergy/Medication information
- If you have not already done so we strongly suggest you set up automatic payments through the app/website to ensure you will not incur late fees for monthly invoices.
If you have any questions/comments regarding this new addition, please contact the Students Services Coordinator at bsmith@stjudesacademy.com
Hot Lunch Program
· Please know that the website will be closed at 3pm on Aug 30th and is unable to reopen for September ordering.
· Lunch payments are due no later than September 13th, after this date it will begin to collect interest.
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.
Step 1 Go to website http://mydigitalmailroom.com/sja
· 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
I look forward to seeing you at the Orientation Night on Wednesday, August 28that 5 pm and at the first day of school, Wednesday, September 4th. Enjoy the last few days of summer until then.
Kind regards,
Steven Conte, OCT
Grade 6 Teacher
Steven Conte, OCT
Grade 6 Teacher
St. Jude's Academy
IB World School
2150 Torquay Mews
Mississauga, Ontario L5N 2L8
T. (905) 814-0202
F. (905) 814-0299
W. www.stjudesacademy.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/StJudesAcademy2
Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/pages/St-Judes-Academy/392663204140440
2150 Torquay Mews
Mississauga, Ontario L5N 2L8
T. (905) 814-0202
F. (905) 814-0299
W. www.stjudesacademy.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/StJudesAcademy2
Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/pages/St-Judes-Academy/392663204140440
