Classroom News

5 UP News

Fall 2011

We are so privileged to have the opportunity to teach your children this year! We are looking forward to getting to know you and your child. We hope to update this website at least weekly with further information about upcoming events, homework and other matters of interest to you. 

Just a little about each of us:

Mrs. McGregor and Mrs. Schuurman teach grade five together; each of us is in the classroom about half the time.

This is Mrs.Audrey McGregor's fifth year teaching the fifth grade at TCS.  She is married to Charles, a firefighter.  They are raising two daughters, who go to school right here at Trinity!  The McGregors live in Burlington, and worship at Calvary Baptist Church.

Mrs. Carina Schuurman is married to Derek, who teaches Computer Science at Redeemer University College. They are blessed with four children.  Their oldest just moved to a dorm at Redeemer for his first year!  The next two attend Hamilton District Christian High, and the youngest is at Calvin Christian School in Hamilton.  They live in Hamilton, and worship at Immanuel Christian Reformed Church.  This is Mrs. Schuurman's third year teaching grade five.  She also teaches a few subjects in grade four, so many of you already know her!

Mrs. Schuurman teaches Bible, French, Art, Music, Science and Social Studies.  Mrs. McGregor teaches Reading, Writing, Math, Gym, and Technologies.

 A Bit About Homework

'If you plan to learn, learn to plan.'

The general rule for homework is to plan on about 10 minutes per grade per day.  This means that a grade 5 student can expect to do about 50 minutes of homework each day.  Obviously there are regular quizes or tests to study for, such as spelling or vocab quizes. 

We will learn about study habits at the beginning of the year.  The main idea is to study for a test or quiz a little each night, rather than 'cram' only the night before. 

We recommend that your child also spend about 20 minutes each evening reading something of any genre: novels, how-to articles, sports pages, the Bible.

This website will make things much simpler, we hope, but it is your child's responsibility to ensure that they have the materials needed for school and for homework.  And if your child has missed school for any reason, it is their responsibility to catch up on missed notes and assignments.

Grade Five Rules and Routines

We will be spending much time this week reviewing and practicing our classroom routines and expectations.  We want to share with you our classroom discipline approach. 

We have four main expectations of the students:

1. Students must show attentive listening in class.

2. Students are expected to participate in all learning activities with a positive attitude.

3. Students must demonstrate respect for their Heavenly Father, for each other, for all adults in the school and for personal and school property.

4. Students must be inclusive and be kind to all. No 'put-downs' are allowed.  Encourage one another, and build each other up.

Any time that a student is having difficulty with one of these expectations, they will receive a quiet warning.  After three warnings, they will spend some time with the teacher during recess.  If they have spent three such recesses, they will write a Problem Solving plan that will go home to  be signed by you, or we will give you a call.  After three such notes, they will go to the principal, where he will take it from there. 

We need you to be aware of these procedures, but it is not a pleasant way to end a newsletter.  Rest assured that the thing we love most about teaching is spending time with and getting to know your children! Feel free to contact us at any time by email, by writing in your child's planner, or by phoning the school.

Sincerely,

Audrey McGregor and Carina Schuurman.

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