Lethbridge School District No.

51
ÉCOLE AGNES DAVIDSON SCHOOL

Principal: Mr. Broc Higginson 2103 - 20 Street South

Vice Principal: Mrs. Megan Cummins Lethbridge, Alberta T1K 2G7
Phone: (403) 328-5153
Fax: (403) 320-1912

2019-2020

Dear Parents,

Bienvenue à la première année! Welcome to Grade 1 French Immersion!

My name is Mme Alex Westwood and I am so thrilled to be teaching your child

this year! This will be a wonderful year of discovering, exploring, creating and
learning in our class. To learn more about me, please visit
http://mmealexwestwood.weebly.com and select the Mme Westwood tab. I
look forward to working with you and your child to make Grade One a
wonderful experience!

Please read through the attached information flipbook. I suggest that you
keep the booklet and refer to it throughout the school year. Please also fill
out and return as soon as possible the parent volunteer form and child
information form

Sincerely,

Mme Westwood

Please sign and return this portion.

I have received and read the information in the “Welcome to Grade One
flipbook”.

Child’s name: ___________________________

Parent’s signature: _______________________

Please check if you are willing to be the parent rep for this class.
 PARENT INFORMATION NIGHT
Thursday, September 5th, 2019
at 7:00 pm.

Our Parent Information Night will begin with a meeting in the gym. Mr. Higginson
will address the parents and introduce all of the teachers in our school. He will
be able to provide you with general information about the school, answer any
questions you may have, and address any of your concerns. The teachers will
then proceed to their classrooms. At this time, you are invited to come and
take a better look around your child’s classroom. I will also be able to answer
any general questions about Grade One and our classroom routine.

Please refrain from asking specific questions in regards to your child’s progress
at the Parent Information Night. Any discussions about your child should be at
a scheduled, mutually convenient time, which I would be happy to schedule.

Before coming to the Parent Information Night, please ensure that you have
read the Back to School Booklet. If there is something you need clarified or
explained in greater detail, please come to the Parent Information Night. It’s
also a good opportunity for you to come and see your child’s classroom, meet
me and other Grade One parents.

-Mme Alex Westwood

 Scholastic Book
Orders
Dear parents,

I will be sending home French and English book order forms every
month throughout the school year. If you wish to place a book
order, please do so by the date indicated on the order forms.
Please select the book(s) that interest you and your child, check
the appropriate box on the order form and return it with a cheque
for the exact amount.

Scholastic has a new feature that allows you to pay online with
your credit card. Visit parentpay.scholastic.ca to pay with your
card, and then submit the order to me. To learn more, visit the
website.

All cheques are to be made payable to: Scholastic Canada Ltd. If

you order from more than one book order, you only need to make
one payment.

The first order will be placed on Thursday, September 20th. If you

wish to order from the September book clubs please have your
order to me before then. Books usually arrive at the school within
2 - 3 weeks.
Merci,
Mme Westwood
Mme Westwood’s
Grade One
Back to School
Booklet

2019-2020
CLASSROOM ATMOSPHERE
In our classroom, my goal is to nurture and inspire your child’s social,
academic and emotional development by providing guidance, support and
personal growth opportunities in a stimulating, caring and safe learning
environment. In our classroom, students will be encouraged to learn
cooperation, independence, problem solving, critical thinking, creation and
inquiry through a variety of independent, group and whole class projects
and activities. If ever you have questions or concerns regarding your
child’s education or wellbeing, please contact me as soon as possible.

Throughout the school year we will follow The 7 habits of The Leader in
Me to guide our learning, actions and decision making. To help create a
sense of community and leadership, students will play an integral role in
the operations of the classroom. Specific classroom routines, roles and
procedures will be posted in the classroom as well as the website and will
be established with the students in the first weeks of school.

As a French immersion teacher and bilingual citizen, I am passionate

about the acquisition of our second national language. I believe in
authentic language learning acquisition. In our classroom, this will be
fostered through authentic and real-life learning experiences that will
foster a sense of life-long understanding and appreciation the French
language and culture.

We will also be using the “Fill a Bucket” philosophy in our classroom this
year. The philosophy goes like this:

Everyone has an invisible bucket. It is filled with our happy

thoughts, feelings and our self-esteem. When you do
something kind to others you fill your bucket and our
bucket too. If you are mean, you are emptying their bucket
and yours.
A classroom bucket will be created and children will fill the bucket by
showing positive personality traits. As a class we will be rewarded
together for being kind individuals. We can discuss this more at parent
information night.

PARENT INVOLVEMENT
You are an integral part of your child’s learning. Please know that you are
welcome and encouraged to participate in scheduled classroom events and
activities. Parent volunteers will be scheduled and invited via the
classroom website, notes home and by the parent rep. For more volunteer
opportunities or other ways to support our classroom learning, please
read the information below and contact me.

VOLUNTEERING
Volunteers are always welcome and appreciated in the classroom. If you
would like to come and spend a morning, afternoon, or an hour in the
classroom, please come talk to me, send me a note, or give me a call at the
school. A day’s notice would be greatly appreciated.

PARENT REP
Our classroom is in need of a Parent Representative (Parent Rep). If you
are willing to give me a hand and be our Parent Rep, please let me know as
soon as possible. The Parent Rep’s responsibilities are as follows:
- help plan and organize food for various classroom parties. (He/she
would need to phone or email a different group of parents each
time, to see if they would be willing to supply a certain item for a
party. All parents are to be contacted and given the opportunity to
provide something at some time during the year.)
- help organize volunteers to accompany us and supervise a small
group of children on our field trip(s).
- be a contact person for our class. (The School Council will also ask
you to contact classroom parents if they are in need of volunteers
for special activities, such as Lunch-on-the-go.)
COMMUNICATION
I will be communicating by email for weekly news and special day
reminders. Please remember to check your email on a regular basis. I will
also be posting weekly updates and reminders via our classroom website:
mmealexwestwood.weebly.com.

PARENT COMMUNICATION
Please keep up to date and frequent the classroom website and your email
for the most current classroom news and learning updates. On the
website, curriculum information, classroom routines and procedures,
assignments and other information is available.
Upcoming events will be communicated through a paper-copy monthly
calendar which will also be posted on the website for viewing.

CONTACT INFORMATION
I value our partnership and welcome any insight. If you ever have
any questions or concerns regarding your child or school, please
let me know via a note in the agenda, an email or by phone. If I’m
not able to come to the phone (If I’m teaching or on supervision),
please leave a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Please
indicate to the secretary if the message is urgent or not. Drop-off and
pick-up times are often too hectic to discuss your child’s progress and/or
any important concerns you might have, but we would be able to make an
appointment to address and discuss matters at a mutually convenient
time.

School phone #: 403-328–5153

My school email address: alex.westwood@lethsd.ab.ca

HOMEWORK
A limited amount of homework will be assigned throughout the year. To
help develop your child<s literacy, I will assign weekly home reading. For
more information about home reading please refer to the information
sheet provided inside your child’s Home Reading duotang. Once our early
literacy and beginning phonemic awareness has been fostered in the
classroom and at home, I will be assigning a weekly spelling list to be
practiced at home. To help ensure your child has a strong foundation in
spelling, reading and oral communication, it is important that you practice
the home reading and spelling tests regularly with your child.

September
Grade one, and especially September of grade one, is a big year of
changes. New routines, full days in a school environment, a packed lunch,
recess and new friends to name a few. Many kids will also start up extra-
curricular activities that will keep them busy at night. As your child
adjusts to these new routines please keep in mind that they will most
likely need more sleep than last year. Your child may also eat more than
you expect. I would suggest packing a few extra healthy snacks and if
they don’t get eaten, they can always go home. In class we will be looking
at what is a healthy snack and hopefully get a few new ideas from fellow
classmates. Your child will most likely have a treat in their lunch and
they will be excited to eat it, however I will encourage them to pick the
healthier option for morning recess and save their treat. Please take the
time to talk to your child about healthy choices and get them involved in
packing their lunch.

I would like to thank you all in advance for your support, and I look
forward to a wonderful year!

ARRIVAL
The morning bell rings at 8:27 a.m. and signals the time that students
may enter their boot room. Students arriving between 8:15 a.m. and
8:27a.m. are to remain outside in a supervised area in the field or at the
playground. When the 8:27 am bell rings, the students may enter to boot
room, change their shoes, hang up their backpacks and coats and then
enter their classroom.

It is very important that your child arrives at school on time. It is

disruptive for the other children and puts your child at a disadvantage
when he/she is late. If by chance your child is or must be late for school,
please notify the office. School times are listed in your child’s agenda
and on the school website.

DISMISSAL TIMES:
Dismissal time is at 3:32 p.m. On Friday’s dismissal is at 12.
For the first couple of days, you are welcome to accompany your child to
and from his/her class for the first few days. Once your child has
settled in the routine, we would like all parents to wait outside to pick
up their children, as this makes it easier to finish our day without
disruption.

AGENDA
Your child must bring his/her agenda to school each day in
their Agenda Bag. Messages and spelling and reading practice in your
child’s agenda will occur daily. Please take the time to empty your child’s
agenda bag and check for notes and completed school work. If you send
me a message, please write in the communication block for that day in
order to leave room for your child to write their message. Please read
through the information in the agenda. It contains a lot of information
about the school and school expectations. Please sign or initial the
agenda daily. I will also initial every morning as I check for messages,
and I will give a stamp or star beside the new message. Please keep the
agenda in the agenda bag to help keep it clean and dry.

ABSCENCES AND/OR CHANGE IN ROUTINES

As the school is transitioning to a new SafeArrival program,
please stay tuned for information on how to submit your child’s
absence and any other information. More information will be provided on
Meet the Teacher Night.
MONEY COLLECTION:
To facilitate money collection, we ask that you seal all money in an
envelope or ziploc bag and indicate what it is for (ie. Lunch-on-the-go,
book order, dragon days, etc.). Please make sure that you write your
child’s name on the envelope as well.

REPORTING:
There will be three reporting periods this year. The first one will involve
a parent/teacher interview after the report card goes home in November.
The second reporting period will be in March and will coincide with our
student celebration of learning. The last report card will go home on the
last day of school in June. Specific dates are listed in the agenda. If you
ever have any questions concerning how your child is progressing, please
give me a call and I would be happy to sit down with you or give you a call
in the evening.

LIBRARY:
The children will have a library period once a week. Please ensure that
library books come back to school on time, as overdue library
books mean no new books to take home. I encourage
you to read with your child daily, as this will greatly
help your child to develop an interest in reading.

GYM
Please ensure that your child has appropriate footwear (gym
runners) at school at all times. Please ensure also that if
your child cannot lace their shoes that they bring Velcro
shoes to school. If your child is wearing shoes with the
laces undone they will be asked to sit out of the activity until I am
available to help them. Sandals, crocs and dress shoes are not
appropriate footwear for any gym activities. If your child is wearing
inappropriate footwear they will either be asked to take their socks and
shoes off, or to sit out of the activity. Girls that wear dresses on these
days are encouraged to wear a pair of shorts under their dress so that
they can participate fully in gym activities.
TOYS AND OTHER VALUABLES
I understand that even the most inexpensive toy has value to a child. To
prevent heart break from loss or damage of these precious objects, toys
are not allowed unless if for a specific reason such as show and tell.
Sometimes toys are placed in backpacks for after school care or
activities. If your child needs to transport a toy to school, I would
appreciate it staying in the backpack. Your child will be responsible for
looking after any items he/she brings to school. If your child is playing
with a toy during class hours, he/she will receive one warning before the
toy is confiscated. If a toy is taken away, you will need to send a note in
order to get it back.

SCHOOL INFORMATION
For more information about our school, please check out the École Agnes
Davidson School Web site: http://ad.lethsd.ab.ca/

LOST AND FOUND

Please label your child’s outerwear clothing (jackets, coats,
gloves, hats, boots, etc.). The children are responsible for
looking after their own belongings. Lost and found bins are
located around the school.
 WHAT WILL BE TAUGHT IN GRADE ONE?
The following information provides you with an overview of what we will be
covered in each subject area in grade one. For more detailed information,
please check out our classroom website or this website:
http://www.education.gov.ab.ca/k_12/curriculum/bySubject/

FRENCH LANGUAGE ARTS

Students develop oral skills by:
 Being actively involved in speaking situations
 Correctly using the vocabulary related to a topic
 Focusing on the meaning of a message
Students develop oral comprehension by:
 Listening to short, illustrated texts in various subject area
 Learning to use basic listening strategies
 Interacting with others
Students develop reading comprehension by:
 Reading short texts and stories of approximately 50 to 85 words
 Reading texts whose content is related to their past experiences and
prior knowledge
 Reading texts that provide concrete, familiar information
Students develop writing skills by:
 Learning to construct sentences and short texts based on models
 Writing sentences to provide information and short texts to
represent their imaginary world

MATH
Students will develop an understanding of the nature of mathematics
through specific knowledge, skills and attitudes among and between strands.
 Identify, create and compare patterns.
 Count to 100 in a variety of ways.
 Compare, recognize and estimate numbers to 20.
 Add and subtract whole numbers where the maximum sum is 18
 Demonstrate an understanding of measurement as a process of
comparing.
  Describe the characteristics of 3-D objects and 2-D shapes, and
analyze the relationships among them.

SCIENCE
Within the following units, the students will:
Creating Colour:
 Learn to distinguish and describe colours, and work with a variety of
materials to create, modify and apply colours
 Learn that different materials have particular properties, and that
the properties and interactions of materials have to be taken into
account when they are used for a specific purpose
Seasonal Changes:
 Learn about interactions among different parts of the environment,
and the recurrence of change as part of a cycle
 Describe seasonal changes, and interpret the effects of seasonal
changes on living things
Building Things:
 Select materials to use, and gain experience as they cut and shape,
fold, pile materials on top of one another and join parts
 Learn to look at objects that are similar to what they are trying to
construct, and begin to recognize the component parts that make up
the whole
Senses:
 Learn about the function of their senses and how they are cared
for
 Learn how senses could be damaged and how one’s ability to sense
things may differ from those of other people and other living things
 Learn to sharpen the use of their senses and describe as accurately
as possible the information that their senses provide
Needs of plants and animals:
 Develop skills for describing and classifying what they see
 Explore how living things survive, what they need and how their
needs are met
  Become aware that groups of living things have some common needs,
and that different animals and plants meet those needs in different
ways
 Learn about their own responsibility in caring for living things
 Describe some common living things, and identify needs of those
living things

SOCIAL STUDIES
Within the following units, the students will:
My World: home, School and Community
 Value self and others as unique individuals in relation to their world
 Value the groups and communities to which they belong
 Examine how they belong and are connected to their world
 Determine what makes their communities thrive
 Distinguish geographic features in their own community from other
communities
Moving Forward with the PAST: My Family, My History and My
Community
 Appreciate how stories and events of the past connect their families
and communities to the present
 Analyze how their families and communities in the present are
influenced by events or people of the past

MUSIC
The focus of the music program will be enjoyment and appreciation.
Children will have the opportunity to respond to music through singing,
instruments, movement, dance and directed listening. Attention will be
given to beat, rhythm, pitch, dynamics, tempo, patterns, identifying
instruments and basic theory.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION
While participating in a variety of physical activities such as dance, games,
types of gymnastics and individual activities, the students will:
  Demonstrate basic skills
 Perform simple movements
 Demonstrate body and space awareness
 Identify healthy nutritional habits
 Describe how physical activity makes you feel
 Identify and demonstrate etiquette and fair play
 Display a willingness to play cooperatively with others in large and
small groups
 Show a willingness to participate regularly
 Demonstrate effort while participating in various activities
 Show a willingness to listen to and follow directions

ART
The aim of the art program is to enable students to learn visual arts
skills and concepts, to interpret and communicate with visual symbols, to
appreciate the cultural aspects of art, and to relate art to everyday life.
The students will:
 Use media and techniques with an emphasis on exploring and
applying methods in drawing, painting, print making, sculpture,
fabric arts and computer graphics

HEALTH AND LIFE SKILLS

Through the Leader in Me and Kids in the Know programs, the students
will:
Personal Health
 Demonstrate positive hygiene and health care habits
Safety and Responsibility
 Describe actions to use in unsafe or abusive situations
 Determine reasons for and apply safety rules at home and at school
Understanding and Expressing Feelings
 Recognize and demonstrate various ways to express feelings
Interactions
 Identify the characteristics of being a good friend
Group Roles and Processes
 Work cooperatively with a partner
Learning Strategies
 Define a goal and recognize that setting goals helps accomplish
tasks
Life Roles and Career Development
 Recognize interest, strengths and skills of self
 Demonstrate an awareness of the ways in which people perform
responsibilities in the community
Volunteerism
 Select and perform volunteer tasks in the classroom