WELCOME TO ADVISORY 63!!!!

Hello Students and Parents!

Welcome to Advisory 63! The year is off to a good start - I'm really looking forward to the rest of it. We have spent much of the first couple of weeks getting used to “Middle School”, learning names, where things are, routines, expectations, the ”5 Practices”, locker combinations, and are now beginning to work in earnest.

One of the great benefits of Middle School is that students are exposed to not only more educational experiences such as Exploratories and Band, but they also benefit from the expertise of many different teachers. As your child’s Advisory teacher I am their main ”go-to” teacher and am with them every day for Advisory, science, socials, and language arts. As well, they receive instruction in math from Ms. Hendra, P.E. from Mr. Schroeder, their art exploratory from Ms. D’Angelo and band from Mr. Rawson and Mr. Lienard. You can see why it takes a few weeks for students to become used to new routines!

It’s a big change from elementary school to middle school. Many students find the numerous teachers, learning locker combinations, finding classrooms at the other end of the school, and the presence of our “big” grade 8’s, a bit intimidating. The first week of school allowed your child to become familiar with all grade 6 teachers including our French Immersion teachers, as well as exposing them to all other grade 6 students. Hopefully everyone is beginning to relax, but we as a Grade 6 team of teachers are very conscious that this is a big transition, and try to make things as easy as possible. If your child is still feeling stressed, please encourage them to let me know, or contact me yourself.

One of the best ways to know what is going on in our classroom is by using my blog, advisory63.blogspot.com. I try to keep it as current as I can and will keep students informed about upcoming dates and events, homework, and interesting news, and I also post links to relevant websites, etc. I don’t post every day unless there is something in particular such as homework or an upcoming fieldtrip, but I encourage your child to get in the habit of checking daily just in case and for yourselves to check a couple of times a week…it will keep you in the loop. If you need clarification of something, you can post a comment. Becoming a “follower” means every time I post, you’ll get an email alerting you that there is something new to read.

As well, please feel free to contact me at the school – I don’t always check my voicemail every day, so if it’s an emergency please leave a message with the front office, otherwise I will get back to you within a day or two of your leaving a voicemail. You can also email me at kkilpatrick@sd61.bc.ca. Please refrain from using the blog to discuss your child, as it’s an open forum.

Below, please read about some of the ways you can support your child and the Grade 6 English Track Green Team:

Snacks and Lunches
Thanks for providing nutritious snacks and lunches. Please help your child make healthy food choices, as children who eat nutritious snacks and lunches are able to focus during lessons and use their class time productively. I appreciate not having candies, chips or pop in the classroom, and please be aware the school has a “No Gum” policy that is strictly adhered to. We also encourage recyclable containers wherever possible.

Homework
There will be homework, however my concern is to see the students work in the classroom, how much they accomplish, how much support they need, what their work ethic is, etc. Generally, work not completed in the appropriate amount of class time will need to be finished in “Homework Club” or at home, and as the year progresses, assignments will be given that will partially need to be done at home in order to build good organizational skills. Homework Club is a great opportunity for students - it is run by Educational Assistants from 2:50 to 3:30 in the library every day except Friday - students can receive help and support with their homework, or just use it as a quiet place to get their homework done so they don't have to worry about it in the evening.

Assessment for Learning
I endeavour to give your children frequent feedback on their academic work. I believe in Assessment for Learning which means students are involved in goal setting and criteria building, and they will be given feedback either anecdotally or on a 1- 4 scale (4 = exceeding expectations, 1 = not yet meeting expectations), often through the use of a rubric made either by myself or in conjunction with the students. There is a great deal of research on Assessment for Learning, and it has been embraced by our district. If you would like more information I would be happy to chat with you about it.

Expectations
The students and I have brainstormed a set of class rules that all are expected to follow. Expectations are high that students will respect the rules, do their best work, set goals for themselves and use the “5 Practices” at all times. Some students will be using a "tracking log" to encourage and help them in using the "5 P's" all the time.

I’m looking forward to working with your wonderful children, and thank you in advance for your support of them and myself!