Grade 5 & 6 Room 103
September 9, 2024
Grade 5/6 Overview
As a community of learners, students at Robertson School are expected to be responsible, respectful, and safe.
Dear Families,
Welcome to a new school year at Robertson School! We are excited to introduce ourselves—Mrs. Tania MacKenzie and Ms. Ashley McLennan-and to share that our classrooms will be closely collaborating throughout the year.
Our goal is to guide and nurture your child's critical thinking through inquiry-based learning. This approach allows students to explore various subjects by focusing on both global and local topics of interest. By doing so, they’ll have the opportunity to develop and showcase their understanding through individual and small-group projects and presentations.
Students will demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways which allow them to explore multiple intelligences such as: visual-spatial, linguistic-verbal, logical-mathematical, bodily-kinesthetic, naturalistic, and musical.
Outdoor education will also be an integral part of our program, offering land-based learning experiences across all subjects. Please ensure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather, whether it’s rain, snow, or sunshine.
Our expectation is that rooms 101 and 103 will be safe and supportive environments where every student feels valued, respected, and welcomed. We believe that this positive atmosphere will help build self-esteem, encourage independence, foster risk-taking in learning, and allow your child to form healthy relationships with both peers and adults.
We look forward to a fantastic year of learning and growth together!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Tania MacKenzie and Ms. Ashley McLennan
English Language Arts
English Language Arts is integrated into all subject areas. Students will focus on the development of fiction and non-fiction reading comprehension strategies in class and are encouraged to continue practicing these strategies during nightly home reading. To improve writing proficiency, students will participate in the writing process from draft to a published piece through explicit instruction focusing on narrative, persuasive, and information writing. Students will participate in whole-class discussions, independent reading with conferences, read-alouds, novel studies with small-group book talk, creative writing, and quick writes.
Mathematics
Our goal for the Mathematics program is to allow students to engage in mathematics through exploration, discovery, and solving meaningful problems in a real world context. Mathematics encourages the development of critical thinking, creative thinking, logical thinking, problem solving, data analysis, and collaborative interaction with peers. Our Mathematics program focuses on the development of multiple math strategies in order to solve problems in a variety of ways. Students will work at vertical whiteboard surfaces in random groups to explore math problems to promote engagement, team-work skills, and academic risk-taking. Students will also participate in Math Talks to share ideas and strategies.
Science and Social Studies
Students will explore, investigate, and solve scientific problems through inquiry projects and the design process. Critical thinking skills will be developed through the investigation of Canadian history as well as local and global topics of interest and explore possible solutions through the lens of a democratic citizen. Students will work as individuals and in group settings to establish essential questions, conduct research, discuss and refine ideas, and share their learning.
NOTES:
Attendance:
Students line up outside with their classroom at 8:50 am and are to leave the school property at 3:25pm. Use Safe Arrival to enter absences otherwise guardians will receive a phone call from the automated system. Contact Robertson School if you are unfamiliar with the system.
Reminders:
- As per the new government mandate, students are not allowed to have cell phones at school. If a student does bring a cell phone, it is to be given to the classroom teacher in the morning and will be returned at the end of the day.
- Dress for the weather (outdoor learning and recess)
- Indoor and Outdoor shoes are required
- Gym clothes to be left at school
- Reusable water bottle
- School supply money ($40.00) and 2 tissue boxes are due the first week of school unless arrangements have been made with the classroom teacher
- Communication will take place through SeeSaw and email
Tania MacKenzie
