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Welcome to Grade 6!

Dear Grade 6 SJA Students and Families,

            My name is Oksana Jaskolka and I am a fifth year teacher at St. Jude’s Academy. 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. You are receiving this email because I am your Grade 6 child’s teacher. My teaching partner is Marijana Haag. 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 apologise 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 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 electricity, air and flight, Canada’s First Nations and early European explorers, Canada’s place in the world, and Digital Citizenship. Most of our English language learning (oral & listening, reading, and writing) and art expectations will be learned through these 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.

St. Jude’s Academy Grade 6 Programme of Inquiry 2018 – 2019

Who we are The Exhibition

Where we are in place and time Title: To Bravely Go Where No One Has Gone Before Central Idea: Exploration has changed and will continue to change people’s lives.  Concepts: Causation, Change Lines of Inquiry: ·      First Peoples and their interaction with the environment ·      Early explorers  ·      The interaction between First Peoples and early explorers

How we express ourselves Title: Digital Citizenship Central Idea: Being knowledgeable and engaging in safe practices will enable you to deal with challenging social situations. Concepts:Perspective, Responsibility  Lines of Inquiry: ·      Digital literacy and ethics ·      Personal and inter-personal skills that promote positive interaction ·      Personal safety

How the world works Title: Flight Central Idea: Air has many properties that can be used for flight and for other purposes. Concepts: Function, Form, Causation  Lines of Inquiry: ·      The properties of air ·      The shapes that produce lift ·      Societal and environmental impacts of flying devices that make use of the properties of air

How we organise ourselves Title: Canada in the World Central Idea: As global citizens we have a responsibility to make a positive difference in the world. Key Concepts: Causation, Connection, Responsibility   Lines of Inquiry: ·      Our country’s physical, economic, political, and social links with other countries  ·      Interconnectedness of the world ·      The rights and responsibilities of global citizens

Sharing the planet Title: How Shocking! Central Idea: Society is responsible for how energy is used to sustain life.  Concepts: Form, Change, Responsibility Lines of Inquiry: ·      Characteristics of current and static electricity ·      Transformation of energy ·      The impact of energy production on society and the environment

Your child’s specialist teachers for this year are Mme. Stella for French, Mr. Orr for gym, and Mr. Oliver for music. Please refer to our class blog for links to the specialist teachers and more.

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 big group project called "The Exhibition". The exhibition takes place on Friday,May 3^rd, 2019. 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 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 notprovide 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 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 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.

5. YouTube accountto post videos. Your child is advised not to use their full name for privacy purposes. 

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. 

             

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 bused to and from the site. For now, all gym classes will take place at SJA.

SJA Student Policies 

Attached to this email you will find the SJA Parent and Student Handbook and the SJA School Code of Conduct. Please read them, sign the last page of the handbook (pg. 27) and bring it to your class teacher. This page is due in the agenda by Friday, September 14^th.

To help ensure students safety, parent volunteers are required to submit a clear vulnerable sector check. Please see the SJA Parent and Student Handbook for more information.

Orientation Evenings
We have scheduled two orientation evenings. This is also a good time for new families to pick up your FOB if you have not already done this. 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. If you have a child in kindergarten, please note that the orientation sessions are run differently for these classes. Refer to the email sent by the kindergarten teachers if this is applicable to you.

Monday, August 27^th: PYP 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 30 (near the recess door). There is no general session this year. You can meet your class teacher in their room and specialist teachers in the gym. 

Tuesday, August 28^th: Upper School Students Orientation (Grades 7 – 12), from 4 – 6 pm 
Students are invited to visit the school and participate in a scavenger hunt to collect their schedules, locate their classrooms, locks & lockers, meet their teachers, and more. Upon arriving at the school, students should report to the front desk to begin their scavenger hunt.

Tuesday, August 28^th: Upper School Parents Orientation (Grade 7 – 12), from 6 – 7 pm
Parents are invited to visit the school to meet the teachers and ask any questions they may have.

Hot Lunch Programme 

Please know that the website closes end of day Aug 31^st and is unable to reopen for September ordering. Please see the end of this email for more instructions. 

Homework

We will also 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 Make 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 on his/her first day of school. Please read and sign your child’s agenda every day, as important dates, announcements and homework will be included and updated each week. Students need to bring their agendas back and forth to school each day. This is another way of communicating with me. 

Upcoming Events

o  August 27 PYP Orientation, 5-7 pm 

o  September 3 Labour Day (No School) 

o  September 4 PD Day, IB Training (No School)

o  September 5 First Day of School, Term 1 Begins 

o  September 7 Spirit Day: House Colours Dress Up

o  September 20 Welcome BBQ

o  September 26 Casual Day

o  September 27 Terry Fox Run (PYP)

o  September 28 Orange Shirt Day (PYP)

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 polo shirts up until Thanksgiving. After Thanksgiving, students are required to wear their Oxford shirts, ties, jersey, and blazer.

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 left-side bar of 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 version of our daily class blog and will not miss out on any important information. Please click this link to visit my blog: https://sjajaskolka.blogspot.com

Food Allergies 

Please be advised that St. Jude's is 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 refrain from sending that item. Look for products with the nut-free label.

First Week of School

The first week of school is Neophyte Week. We will take some time to get organised 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. 

SJA Welcome BBQ:  

All families are invited to attend the BBQ event taking place on Thursday, September 20^th. 

After-Care Programme

Our school will be using a new After-Care app that will track attendance at our After-Care Programme. Please refer to the bottom of this email for more information.

Our School Library: 

Ms. Hayward, our Teacher Librarian, is looking forward to seeing all our returning students and meeting our new students to the school.  She has been busy over the summer cataloging all our books and will soon have our Library Computer system ready for signing out all the great books you'll want to read this year. This year our class will get regular library visits for story times, research and study skill sessions, and to borrow books. There will also be Recess Readers, Library Contests, and Book Fair! Don't forget to follow all things library on the library blog: www.sjalibrary.wordpress.com 

Please respond to this email with a "Got it"to let me know the email contact I have for you is correct. You are welcome to use this email address to correspond with me.

            

I look forward to seeing you at the Orientation Night on Monday, August 27^thbetween 5 and 7 pm and on the first day of school, Wednesday, September 5^th. Enjoy the last few days of summer until then.

Sincerely,

Ms. Jaskolka 

Hot Lunch Programme 

Please know that the website closes end of day Aug 31^st and is unable to reopen for September ordering.

Lunch payments are due no later than September 14^th.

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 1Logon to website http://mydigitalmailroom.com/sja - if you forgot your password or email used please contact bsmith@stjudesacademy.com

Step 2Across 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 3Across 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 1Go 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 2Across 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

After-Care Programme

Kinderlime

• 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. 
• 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. 

If you have any questions/comments regarding this new addition, please contact the Students Services Coordinator at bsmith@stjudesacademy.com