Report Cards & Student Led Conferences
Report Cards
Report Card season is upon us again. It feels like we were just here! This term flew by with lots of busyness, excitement, and learning.
While looking through your child’s report card, please keep in mind that report cards provide a snapshot of how your child is doing right now. It is not the sum of all the assignments they have completed. Nor is it a predictor of their future success as a student. It is our opportunity as teachers to formally communicate with you, as parents, about what we see in your child’s achievement and understanding at this point in time. In our class, the majority of our time is devoted to ensuring students have mastered the foundational numeracy and literacy skills they need in order to be successful in the intermediate grades and beyond. Students are regularly exposed to other curricular areas, but our emphasis is on numeracy and literacy.
Please be sure to sign into the My Education BC Parent Portal to access your child’s Term 2 Report Card.
Student-Led Conferences
In order to help you better understand what is going in with your child’s learning this year, we are going to be holding a different type of parent-teacher conference this Wednesday and Thursday. Your child has been collecting information throughout the term, and is preparing to present to you these efforts and achievements.
Students will be leading the conference and explaining to you what they have been doing in each subject area this term. We will also be at each conference to offer our perspectives on the work and to answer any questions you may have.
Students have worked really hard preparing for these conferences, so please try to attend. It is their chance to show you all the work they have done this year. Your input will be important for setting our learning goals for the remainder of the year.
Sign up sheets are posted outside the office. If you cannot attend at the designated times, please contact us so we can work out an alternate plan for your child to present their learning.
Un-Measurable Learning
Not everything that happens in a classroom is measurable and reportable on a report card. In fact, often the most profound and memorable lessons come from experiences that are simply un-measurable.The vision of Fort Langley Elementary is to develop successful learners through working together in a supportive environment. It is our desire to graduate students who are respectful, responsible, inclusive, and who contribute positively to the world they live in. Here are some highlights of our un-measurable learning this term:
Words of Life
Our class has struggled this year with kindness, both in our words and actions. At the beginning of February we read a book, called The Invisible Boy, about a boy who felt so unimportant to his classmates that he was practically invisible. We had a very heartfelt class discussion about times when we have felt invisible or unimportant. Students expressed empathy and understanding of how others have been made to feel invisible or unimportant by their words or actions. After this, students were encouraged to think about things they could say to their classmates that would help them feel important and valuable. The end result is a bulletin board filled with Words of Life, and a classroom full of students looking for ways to encourage their classmates.
Peace Circle
During the month of January, we had a special presenter come in once a week to lead our class in a Peace Circle. The goal of the Peace Circle to help students recognize and understand their emotions and frustrations and to provide strategies to calm down when they start to ‘climb anger mountain.’ During our times together, we noticed students had more empathy towards each other and were better at recognizing when a classmate was becoming frustrated. Our hope is that these experiences will be a good foundation upon which we can continue to build a more positive and caring classroom environment.
Buddies
Having buddy classes in a school helps to build bridges across the grades and create a sense of community and connectedness. Our class is fortunate enough to have two buddy classes. Our Big Buddies are Grade 6 students in Ms. McMitchell’s class. During our times with our Big Buddies, we benefit from their knowledge and experiences. Our Little Buddies are Grade 1 and 2 students in Ms. Harder’s class. Their class is part of the district Outdoor Education Program. When visiting with our little buddies, students have the opportunity to practice their leadership and respectful communication skills. In the middle of February we walked over to their Winter Base Camp at Brae Island. We had a great time exploring the trails and beach along Bedford Channel. Last Tuesday we returned to Brae Island and began a Collaborative Research Project. Together with their buddies, students will be researching an animal found in and around Fort Langley.
We have had a great year so far and we look forward to all the learning opportunities in store for us in the coming months!