In sha' Allah, you have had an wonderful summer and that this post finds you in the best of health and iman.
In just two short weeks school will be beginning.
If you are using a computer or laptop, make sure you have subscribed to this blog page to get the most up to date information. Check out the links on the right. They contain information and content that we use in the classroom. For tablet of smartphone users, you will need to scroll the page down to the bottom and click "web version". You will then see the links of the right to subscribe and see important documents.
The administration sent an e-mail a couple weeks ago with the supply list. In sha Allah, you have been able to find everything in the list. I tried to shorten the list as much as possible and only included the items we will be using on a regular basis. It is important that the students come with their materials during the first week of school as this is when we will be organizing materials, setting up binders, labeling everything, and practicing classroom routines, including how to store and care for our classroom materials so they will last all year in good condition.
Binders: I have asked for 1 binder. They only need to be the 1-inch binders. The binder will be used for organizing our classwork. Please make sure it is a hard-sided binder, not soft plastic.
Composition Notebooks: Please make sure to get the composition notebooks and not the metal spiraled single subject notebooks. Thank you.
Pencils: This one may have been a head-scratcher. "Why only yellow #2 regular wooden pencils, Sister Patti?" "What's the problem with mechanical pencils?" In my teaching experience, mechanical pencils quickly become a problem in the elementary classroom for the following reasons;
- lead runs out quickly or breaks often
- students don't have extra lead
- class gets interrupted by students exchanging and passing lead
- students borrow pencils, lose them, and now their friend is mad
- students argue over mechanical pencils
- students pull them apart and play with the parts during class and then don't have anything to write with.
- plastic pencils don't last, aren't recyclable, and contribute to landfill waste, something we try to cut down on as responsible global citizens
As a solution, pencils will be a community supply. Everyone will use the same ones. Mechanical pencils, printed pencils, etc. will not be used and will be sent back home with the student for use at home. I used this system last year with great success. Other community, or shared, supplies include; rulers, tape, glue, scissors, coloring utensils of all kinds, erasers, lined and construction paper.
Water bottles: Please send your child with a reusable water bottle, labeled with their name. Single-use plastic bottles are also a major source of landfill waste. In the classroom, their thin plastic makes them easy to tip over. Students also have the habit of punching holes in the caps, making them leaky.
In the next few posts, I will be explaining classroom routines and procedures in detail along with the rationales behind them. By giving you, the parent, as much information into how our classroom operates as possible, a stronger learning partnership is formed between school and home.
Don't forget to finish up those summer workbooks and Arabic packets and in sha'Allah I'll see you on August 26th!
Jazak Allah Khayr,
Sister Patti Picard
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