Dear
Parents and Students,
Welcome to
the 2018-2019 school year. My name is
Kim Cook and I am delighted to be your child’s grade 2 teacher this year. This is my second year at Royal Oak School. I
love the community and school family here at Royal Oak. And am excited to be a
part of a dynamic learning community where students and teachers grow, learn,
create and discover together. I have
been teacher for over twenty years.
Prior to coming to Royal Oak, I taught grade 1/2 at Colonel Walker
School. I’ve also taught preschool, kindergarten,
grade 1 and special education classes.
My husband
and I just celebrated our 25th anniversary this summer and I have
two wonderful grown children, Josh and Beth, who are pursuing post-secondary
studies here in Calgary. We also have a furry family member named Toby who
loves to explore the various pathways and off leash areas around Tuscany, where
I live. In my free time I love to read, cook,
hike and canoe. My family is in the
process of building an off-grid cabin in BC so my summer was filled with a
variety of construction projects at the lake and some fun times together
playing on the water.
The first weeks of school will be spent getting
to know each other as individuals, classmates and learners. As a team, we will
develop classroom guidelines in order to help us understand how we will
interact with others and with our environment. This year we will be exploring
the question, “How do our stories connect?”
This question will guide us as we look at a variety of dynamic
communities within Canada, explore our past and examine our role in a diverse
society. It will also guide us in
examining more closely the natural world around us and how we fit in an d experience these natural wonders. In Grade 2 we work independently, in pairs,
small groups, and as a whole class. We design,
build and test our questions and ideas in Inquiry. We read, share and
tell our own stories as well as listen and seek to understand each other and
the world around us. We have lots of fun while engaging our minds.
For learning
to be personally relevant, connected and meaningful, grade 2 students are
encouraged to adopt a flexible mindset.
To bring to life cross curricular competencies such as problem solving,
creativity, and critical thinking and to support literacy and numeracy
development throughout student learning experiences, tasks are designed to
invite all students into a personal and collaborative inquiry. This approach allows each student to develop
attitudes, skills and knowledge that support the developmental growth of
competencies.
To spark
inquiry, students are encouraged to ask I
wonder questions. Their wonderings inform the investigations
that follow and new understandings, meanings and knowledge are built and then
communicated with others. This leads us
into looking at the world around us more closely and develops our methods of
inquiry and enables students to develop their disciplinary literacy within the
inquiry process.
Assessment
is a continuous process and pursued through a range of practices including:
observation, anecdotal records, portfolios in IRIS, conversations, and work
samples. Formative assessment, assessment for learning, is part of
the continuous interaction between the student and the teacher and is designed
to assist students and teachers by checking learning to decide what to do
next. It guides instruction and the
development of learning tasks.
Summative
assessment, assessment of learning,
is a comparison at a particular moment in time between individual student
achievement and the learner outcomes of the Alberta Programs of Study and/or
appropriate individual program goals.
Students
are expected to be engaged in assessing their own learning process. They
must be able to:
- •
Gather evidence of their learning: knowledge, skills and
progress.
- •
Understand their progress in relation to learning outcomes
- •
Reflect upon ways they learn best and develop personal strategies
- •
Make decisions about next steps
- •
Communicate with parents and teachers on an ongoing basis about their
learning.
This year we will be communicating our learning
and classroom events through our classroom blogs. You may access it by clicking on the link
below or by going to our school website, clicking on Teaching and Learning at
the top of the page, then clicking on Classes and Departments, then scrolling
through to find my name under the Grade 2 heading.
I can’t wait to see you and I am looking forward
to sharing the 2018-2019 school year together!
When you arrive at the school on Tuesday the
teachers will meet you on the compound to direct you to which door you will be
entering through.
See you soon!
Sincerely
Mrs. Cook
Learning Leader/Teacher, Royal Oak School
t| 403-777-6279
