Storm Days

I hope everyone is having a great new year! I missed the students last week as I only had the chance to see them Monday and Tuesday. With the two storm days and then being at home Friday with my feverish little guy, the week kind of got away from us. 

I know there are suspicions of another storm possibly coming later this week, but being that we've already missed some time, I would like students to keep watch over our google classrooms. It's possible I will be adding outlines for their upcoming tests in both French and Social studies. This will help guide them through their review that they have hopefully already started. 

As always , I thank you all for your support. 

Google Classroom

Parents, 

Students have recently been honest with me and have expressed that most do not check the blog on a regular basis. Because of this, I have been thinking of ways to engage students in their learning outside of the classroom and have decided to start a "Google Classroom" for each subject. Here, I will update their homework, add assignments (Some to be handed in online, others to me in person) and other updates. Students can also use this tool to interact with each other  (preferably in French) and ask questions , to me or to each other.  

If you are interested in getting updates for our google classrooms, please send me the preferred email to rcgallaway@edu.pe.ca. 

I have included a short video below for those who are not familiar with google classroom. 

Secret Santa- 7C

7C parents, 

In the past week, students have expressed interest in doing a secret santa gift exchange. They were given the option to take part or not- it was 100% optional. Today, the students who expressed interest picked names and, as a class, they agreed to a limit of $15.00. Students filled questionnaires to help their Secret Santa find them something within that limit. 

The gift exchange will take place next week, but I have told students they should come with their gifts Monday, December 16th. Most students decided to take part, but there were a few who opted out. 

I thought this would be a good way for students to unwind and have a bit of fun before the holidays and to celebrate all of their accomplishments this term. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. 

Verb Quiz

I am very impressed with students so far this year. For the past week, we have been focusing on three very important verbs, "être (to be), aller (to go) et Avoir (to have)". Students should know what these mean and how to conjugate them in French (I go, you go , he/she goes, etc). We had a pop quiz today (this will not count for marks) so students have an idea what they need to improve on for their quiz Tuesday. 

We are also focusing on asking questions. At this point of the year, students should be asking all of their questions in French. Most are doing a great job with this! Keep up the great work. 

Les sons

Monday, students will have their second quiz on base sounds. All the sounds they are expected to know are in their French scribblers. The pronunciation of these sounds is a very important skill. I encourage you to quiz your child this weekend to see if they're ready for their quiz! 

How to use a dictionary

This week, students have been completing activities that are helping them learn how to properly use their dictionary. This is a very important skill to learn since their dictionary will be their new best friend over the next few years. I encourage you to discuss this at home with your child...maybe ask them if they can show you the new skill they have learned! Once they have looked up a word, students should be able to tell you whether a word is masculine or feminine and also be familiar with the class it falls under (verb, noun etc.). They will be quizzed on this next week, along with their base sounds. 

Quiz time!

Students and parents, 

A reminder that if you're checking for homework on my blog, please click on ''les devoirs'' at the top of the page. This will bring you to the homework section. Students have a couple of quizzes coming up this week. Please check the homework page for more details. Don't forget that extra help is always available! 

Les sons et l'alphabet

Students have been working very well learning the alphabet and base sounds. These things are an important foundation in learning the French language. 

Yesterday and today, they were asked to search in books, on posters and in their dictionaries to come up with words to go with each sound. I was very impressed with their desire to learn and great teamwork. 

Just a reminder, that although we do not have much written homework at this point of the year, it is very important that students be reviewing in each subject matter every evening. 

My hope for you

Parents and students, 

September is already upon us and I was so happy to see the many bright and eager faces this morning. My hope for my students this year is that they develop a passion for the French language. I hope that they do the best they can and that they are patient with themselves. Learning a new language can be challenging but with the right attitude, anything is possible. 

Report cards and Interviews

Time is flying, I can't believe March is already upon us. Report cards were sent home today! I look forward to discussing results at upcoming parent teacher interviews tomorrow and Friday. 

Christmas break is coming!

Christmas break is almost here! Parents, please encourage students to keep up with their nightly review up until the last couple days of school. We do have a quiz and a test coming up so it is very important that students do not lose focus! 

7C parents- There will be a hypnotist at the school the afternoon of Friday December 22nd and students are asked to give $5.00 if they would like to watch. I will be collecting money starting tomorrow. 

Upcoming parent-teacher interviews

A reminder to parents that parent teacher interviews are coming up Thursday November 16th (evening) and Friday November 17th (day). I have sent home forms with my homeroom class with their interview times. If the time provided does not work for you, please let me know at your earliest convenience. Thank you! 

It's good to be back!

I had a great year at home on maternity leave with my two boys but I am so grateful to be back for another year at East Wiltshire. I'm very happy to see that students had a great start to the year with Mr. Ward and I look forward to a smooth transition over the next few weeks. It's been a busy week so I would like to thank you all for your patience in getting my blog started. Just a reminder to parents and students that in order to check for homework on the blog, click on the "homework (les devoirs)" link at the top of the page. This main page will only be updated so often. 

This week, in Social studies we have started our Egypt module, in Health we have started chapter two which talks about making healthy lifestyle choices. In French we are reviewing the verbs that have been covered so far this year and students will have a test Friday to show me what they have accomplished! 

I've spoken with Natalie MacKinnon (resource) about coming into the class Monday to speak with students about study strategies and organizational skills. 

Please don't hesitate to contact me at any time if you have any questions or concerns. I look forward to getting to know your son or daughter! 

 

One week down!

It's hard to believe students have been hard at work for one week now! I am very impressed with the motivation that the new grade 7 groups are showing. Parents, if your child is feeling anxious about the first week, please take comfort in knowing that this is common and that if they work hard and keep up with the great attitudes, the anxiety will soon disappear! Please check the homework section for upcoming homework in my classes. 

Check out this video about the Late French Immersion program: 

Jour 2 !

Parents,

Most students did very well to turn in forms and fees. I am still however, missing a few forms and many fees. I would love to have these in as soon as possible. 

Bienvenue!

Welcome students and parents, 

We had a great first day! I had the privilege of meeting 7H , 7B and 7F today. We went over class expectations, rules, some useful french expressions and started our first assignment (7H). Late French Immersion students are to write their name on a sheet of paper and draw six things that describe themselves around their name.They are then to find the article and noun to describe their drawing by using a French/English dictionary. This will NOT be for homework; we will continue to work on this in class.  7F will have a different "get to know you" assignment that they will begin tomorrow. 

I was very impressed with the students today and hope to see the same amount of effort and motivation continue throughout the term. Please refer to the homework section for tonight's homework section to see what needs to be done for tomorrow.. .there are a lot of things to be signed and fees to be paid. 

Projet Passion

I am very excited to announce a project that students will be working on for the next 5-6 weeks. 

In English, it is called "genius hour" but in French, we will be calling the project "projet passion". Students will be choosing a topic that they are passionate about and will be developing a question that they will need to answer with research and activities. They are very excited to showcase their interests and passions to their classmates. The Final product will be their choice; they may do an oral presentation, create a  model, write a poem, a book, a song, a poster.... the possibilities are endless! My hope is that they will have fun but also learn something new, all while developing their abilities in the French language. The final presentations must show that effort was put into their project and must take 3-5 minutes to present. Hopefully some of their ideas will even be shared outside of the classroom to make the world a better place in some way. 

Students will get a couple of hours a week to work on their project in school but will also have some work to do from home. 

Same project ideas I discussed with the students: 
 - Creating a documentary to show the effects bullying has on adolescents
-  Making a product for children in hospitals and showing how it affects their overall mental health and mood in a positive way
- creating a website to showcase endangered species and what can be done to rectify the situation 

            Visit this website and this website for more ideas and inspiration 


Here are our goals: (Students will...)  

• Explore a topic they are curious and passionate about.
• Create something to show their understanding of that topic.
• Be able to present what they learned to the world around them.
• Realize that they have the power to affect their community in some way.

Here are some resources that I found in English to help parents understand the goals behind this project... keep in mind though... the students will be completing their projects in French! 

I am so very excited to see what ideas the students they will come up with. I have seen their potential since September and we have had a great year developing their knowledge of the French language. I think this will be a great way to showcase their skills! 

le mercredi 13 avril - Bring it on

Students enjoyed watching Bluefield's performance of "Bring it on" today. It was a fantastic show and a great way to kick off the day. Once we returned to school, students reflected on the experience by getting together in partners and writing a letter to their favourite character. 

Easter Seals 

Congratulations and thanks to everyone who helped our school surpass the goal set to raise a loonie per person.  Together we raised $1260 for Easter Seals.  Tyra McKeeman visited us this afternoon, and the grade seven had the pleasure to be there for the presentation.

le jeudi 7 avril

Students in 7H and 7B went to the library yesterday to get their first French books! They have started working on a reading log in class. I encourage them to read for 15-20 minutes a night as well as to continue with their regular subject review. It's hard to believe that we only have 3 months left of school! The students have been doing a great job at demonstrating their improvement in both reading and writing in the French language. They have come such a long way since September. 

Welcome back!

I hope everyone had a great march break! Students had the chance to share what they did over their break in detail today, practicing their usage of the past tense. We will have a French test Friday of this week. Please see the homework page for other homework.