Ms. Barrington's Newsletter

Monday (No School):

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

• October 1st- November Hot Lunch Orders Open

• October 9th- Leader in Me Family Night

• October 10th- Parent Council Meeting (9:00 am)

• October 11th- No School (Staff PLF #2)

• October 14th- No School (Thanksgiving)

• October 16th- Popcorn Money Due

• October 18th- Popcorn Day

• October 20th- November Hot Lunch Orders Due

• October 22nd- Picture Day

• October 25th- No School (Staff PLF #3)

• October 31st- Classroom Celebration

• October 31st- Halloween Costume Parade

• October 31st- Diwali Begins

• November 1st- No School (Institute Day)

Absences or Late Arrivals: Please email: cgabsences@fmpsd.ab.ca if you are aware that your student will be absent or late. For early pickups or changes to pickups, families should contact the office via phone.

CG Gear: Our online store is up and running for the year. Check out https://christinagordon.entripyshops.com/ to order school clothing. There is a wide variety of styles, logos, and colours to choose from!

Hot Lunch Program: Hot Lunch ordering for the month of November is now open. Ordering will be open from the 1st to the 20th of each month in order to order for the following month. When placing your order you may notice a button to Volunteer for Hot Lunch days. Please consider volunteering to help sort and organize Hot Lunch from 11:30 am-12:30 pm. This program will not continue to run without the support of parent volunteers. To place your order click on the following link (https://christinagordon.hotlunches.net) and refer to the instructions below (Digital Take Home Folder). If you have any questions you can contact our Hot Lunch team at cgshotlunch@outlook.com.

Seesaw: Please make sure that you connect to Seesaw to receive important updates from your student and myself. We will post to Seesaw to share their learning with you. I will also send you messages and reminders through Seesaw that families need to be able to see. Seesaw is private. You’ll only see posts created by your child or their teacher. Our classroom Seesaw will be updated several times a week and it is important the ALL families connect to be informed of our classroom activities and of their students learning. A letter was sent home in the Take Home Folder that contained a QR Code to assist you in connecting. If you need another copy, please let me know and one will be provided to you. Families can also follow the following steps:

From Your Smartphone

1. Download the free Seesaw app for iOS or Android

2. Tap, “I’m a Family Member”

3. Tap, “Create Family Account”

4. Scan this QR code using Seesaw’s built-in QR code scanner

5. Create your account

From Your Computer

1. In a web browser, go to: https://app.seesaw.me/s/158-798-647

2. Choose your child from the list

3. Create your account

4. Once you’re approved by Ashley Barrington, you’ll get access to Seesaw

Already Have an Account?

If you’ve used Seesaw before or have more than one child using Seesaw, follow these steps:

1. Sign in to your account in the Seesaw app or on the web at https://app.seesaw.me

2. Click on your profile icon, click “+Add Child’s Journal” button, then scan the QR code above

Scholastic Book Orders: Ready to discover the characters and stories your kids love? With expertly curated selections, plus the chance for our class to earn rewards with every order, Scholastic Book Clubs is here for your family to boost your student’s reading joy and create moments of quality time you can share together! Families can shop the September/October Digital Flyer at: scholastic.ca/bc/digifyers. Help your child discover the pure joy of reading when you use our Class Code: RC171346. Every order benefts our classroom, helping us to earn FREE books and resources that every child can enjoy. Thanks for your support!

Home Reading and Book Bags: Your student will be bringing home self-selected texts each week to read to/with you. The texts will come home in the special Book Bags. Students should read or be read to for at least 20 minutes each day. Please do not expect your student to read every text independently. Students are self-selecting texts that are of interest to them, to further their love of reading and learning. Exploring self-selected texts together is a shared reading experience. Students should read to/with you for 20 minutes each night. Here's how you do it:

1. Create reading rituals and read together every day.
2. Snuggle up close (elbow to elbow, knee to knee).
3. Talk about the pictures and ask questions.
4. Share different kinds of texts.
5. Read with expression and enthusiasm.
6. Read favourite books again and again.

Please remember to return Book Bags to school each day. Students will self-select 1-2 classroom books for the week on Wednesdays. Students will self-select 1-2 school library books for the week on Wednesdays. Students will bring Books Bags home to read throughout the week. Our book collection is limited. Parents/guardians will be asked to replace any lost/damaged books.

Student Login Cards: Student Login Cards were sent home in the Take Home Folders last week. These cards contain the student's Clever and Google Apps for Education login information so that students can have at home access to programs such as: Reading Eggs, Mathletics, Tynker, and Go Noodle. It also contains the class code for Epic! and Tumblebooks. Please keep your student's Login Card somewhere safe so that it does not get lost. If you do require another copy of the Login Card throughout the year, please let me know and another copy will be sent home.

School Council AGM: We are once again seeking some committed parents to be a part of our School Council. The School Council is an extremely important advisory group that we count on as a school to help us create the best learning environment for your child. It is essential that we maintain it. We will be looking for a new Chair at this time as well as some other executive members. The time commitment for each of these roles is possibly 2-3 hours per month, including the monthly meeting of the School Council. If you are willing to help us out by assuming the chair, or putting your name forward for any other vacant positions, please contact Mr. Thorne (richard.thorne@fmpsd.ab.ca). Our next School Council meeting is next week on Thursday, October 10th at 9:00 am in our School Library (Learning Commons). Please note the change in time from previous meetings. For various very valid reasons, many associated with the realities of family life, we have found it difficult to get parents to attend evening meetings in the past. The change in time reflects an attempt to reach out to more parents who may have the time to commit to this very important group. Important information below:

• The School Council Resource guide (link here) defines School Councils as follows: "School councils are structured groups of parents, principals, teachers, secondary students and community representatives who work together to effectively support and enhance student learning. They provide a means for members of the school community to consult with and provide advice to the principal and the school board."
• School Council Chair: It is expected that the school council chairperson will be a parent of a student attending the school. The chair should be someone who can work collaboratively and knows how to organize both programs and people. The chair should actively encourage others to become engaged in meaningful ways. Typical chairing duties include:
• chair all meetings of the school council
• coordinate with the principal to establish meeting agendas
• ensure that the operating procedures are current and followed
• be the official spokesperson of the school council
• ensure there is regular communication with the whole school community
• stay informed about school board policy that impacts school council
• comply with the School Councils Regulation by providing the school board with an annual report that summarizes the school council’s activities for the previous school year, including a financial statement relating to money, if any, handled by the school council Chair’s
• Relationship with the Principal: The chair‘s role is key to the success of the school council. An important responsibility is regular and ongoing communication with the school principal. This relationship of mutual trust and respect must be nurtured and supportive of common goals for the learning community.
  

Ashley Barrington, Grade 3 Teacher

Pronouns: she/they

Christina Gordon School | Website: https://christinagordon.fmpsdschools.ca/

106 Parsons Creek Drive, Fort McMurray, AB T9K 0B4
Telephone: (587) 276-2017 | Email: ashley.barrington@fmpsd.ab.ca

CG Twitter: @ChristinaGFMPSD | CG Instagram: @christinagfmpsd

Website: www.ashleybarrington.com | Twitter: @MsBarringtonCG | Instagram: @msbarringtoncg