Friday, September 6th, 2013 Dear Students and Parents, Bonjour et bienvenue, hello and welcome to the 4FE

class at John English! We are off to a great start to the new school year. My name is Heidi Hehn and I am looking forward to a stimulating year of learning in our Grade 4 French Extended class. One of the most important factors in the success of a student is communication between parents and teachers. This newsletter is a rst step in that process. About Me This is my third year at John English JMS my fth year with the TDSB. Similar to the students, I studied in a French Immersion program in elementary school and high school. I have travelled extensively, studying in France and teaching both in Japan and Canada. I have a background in fashion and my other interests include language, music and dance. Back to School During these rst few weeks, the children and I will continue getting to know each other and establishing our classroom routines. John English is on a 5 day cycle and your child will bring home a copy of the timetable today to post at home. Each student must keep track of the correct day of the 5-day cycle and ensure that they have the books and equipment necessary for classes each day. I will be teaching all subjects, with the exception of Physical Education/Health taught by Mr. Poyser, Music taught by Mrs. McLeggon, Drama and Dance taught by Ms. Chow currently covering for Ms. Laruccia. I need to note that due to a variety of allergies in our class, I ask that families avoid bringing in food (to celebrate birthdays for example) unless otherwise indicated. Your cooperation in this matter is greatly appreciated. School Agendas To help students learn to organize their time and materials, they require a John English agenda. Thank you to all for the prompt payment for the cost of the agenda. This is an extremely important tool for them. The agendas daily completion and return to school is a homework expectation. In school, they will record the day of the cycle, upcoming events, homework assignments, due dates and equipment they must bring to school. The students will be writing on the left column of the agenda. Please feel free to write short messages on the right column or to place longer notes in the front pocket. You can help your child by checking their agenda each night to see what homework assignments are due and by going over the next days timetable with them. I will be checking all agendas daily and ask that parents/guardians also sign or initial the agenda daily. Lockers The students are not allowed to carry backpacks in school. A backpack, however, is a useful tool for carrying books to and from school each day. When they do their homework at night and immediately place the nished work in the backpack, they are less likely to leave assignments at home. All students are assigned a locker, however locks are not required nor recommended. If you already have a lock, it may be used providing that it is a combination lock and the school has a record of the combination. Keyed and laser locks are not permitted. It

is recommended that valuable and expensive items including phones, pagers, MP3 players and iPods be kept at home. If needed please encourage your child to keep their locker combination a secret. If someone who knows the combination opens their locker and something goes missing, there is no recourse for the teacher and student. The students are allowed to go to their lockers at entry times and recesses to make sure they have all they need for their classes. They are not allowed to go to their lockers between or during classes without permission. Supplies John English provides all necessary notebooks and folders. Students are expected to come prepared for class with their agenda, a pencil and an eraser. Other supplies, such as scissors, rulers, glue sticks, pencil crayons, markers, highlighters, pencil sharpeners (with a reservoir to catch the pencil shavings) and calculators are available in our classroom, but must remain in the classroom. If you wish to purchase these items for your childs personal use that is also recommended. I am asking that each student purchase: Two 1 inch binders (one for English/French and one for Math) Clothing Students are required by Mr. Poyser to have a change of clothing for Phys. Ed. classes and proper footwear. I should also mention that in our class, we occasionally sit on the oor or move in the classroom for activities. We also will have art activities at least once a week, which can be messy, as we all know. Your child may nd that comfortable, washable play clothes are best for EVERY day at school. Also, especially come the rainy and snowy weather, students MUST have a pair of indoor shoes AND outdoor shoes. Grade 4 - 2012/2013 Our Extended French Language Arts program will begin with basic communication skills and vocabulary building in French including colours and numbers as well as a back to school unit where students will learn words and phrases for everyday use in the classroom. In English Language Arts, we are beginning with a focus on the six main text forms: narratives, recounts, procedures, reports, explanations and expositions. We will be focusing on the recount text and will start a personal cube assignment later in the month. In Math, we will be utilizing the textbook Mathematics Makes Sense. Students will continue working on their addition, subtraction and multiplication strategies acquired in grade 3. Our rst unit this year will be on measuring time. In Science, students will begin with studying light & sound. Science is a hands on subject in which the students will be conducting experiments and learning about the scientic method. In Social Studies, the students will begin with a unit on mapping skills as well as Canadas Provinces and Territories. Later on in the year, students will be studying Medieval Times. Please note that in the French Extended program Social Studies and Visual Arts will be taught in French. Some Drama and Dance will also be integrated into the French Language Arts program.

Scholastic Book Orders I am pleased to offer families of 4FE the opportunity to order books through the Scholastic book orders. Today, you will be receiving a copy of the September student news for Club de lecture, Arrow and Interactive Learning included with this letter. I invite you to order books for your home libraries and/or school use in both French and English. If your family does not already have a copy, I strongly suggest purchasing a Bescherelle (listed on pg. 6 of Club de lecture) and a French/English dictionary (a visual one is listed on pg. 4 of Club de lecture) as resource tools for students to use for both reading and writing assignments/homework throughout their years of study in French. Simply send completed order forms and payment with your child to school and I will collect, place and distribute the orders. Please note that for ease of payment I ask that you send CHEQUES ONLY made out to Scholastic Canada Ltd. The September issues deadline for ordering is Friday October 4, 2012. I hope these preliminary details answer some of your questions. Further details regarding our homework routines will be forthcoming soon. In an effort to reduce the amount of paper used in our class and to effectively use technologies available to us, I will be posting further communications online. Please be sure to check out and bookmark www.classedemllehehn.blogspot.com. I look forward to working with you and your child in creating a successful learning experience. Any information you wish to share regarding your child is helpful so I ask that you take the time to complete the attached student information form and return it to me at your earliest convenience. Please note that Curriculum Night is on Thursday, September 19th. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to drop me a note in your childs agenda or email me at heidi.hehn@tdsb.on.ca. Sincerely,

Mademoiselle Hehn