Greetings to families from last year and welcome to new families of Room 123!

I’d like to do a little introduction for the new members of the 123 community…apologies to those of you who know most of this already 😉

So…I’m Danielle!!! The author of this blog and the teacher of your children! I wanted to share a bit about myself and how I have used this blog in the past and my intentions for the future of the blog!

This is my third year teaching at Montrose. My first year was in 2010-2011. This is where I was able to have my very first teaching experience!!! After a one year term I went to Laura Secord (a.m.) and Weston (p.m.) to teach Nursery. I spent another 4 years at Weston teaching grades 1-3. I was very excited to return to Montrose last year. I had an amazing year and again felt so much at home in this community. It was always my dream to come back to Montrose and I’m honoured to teach at such an awesome school. Before becoming a teacher I was just a small town girl from Northwestern Ontario! My hometown is called Stratton…don’t bother looking it up on a map because it’s so small it’s hard to find!! I loved growing up in a small town because of the way the community supports each other. This is also one of my favourite things about Montrose School! I just love the community feel. I know that everyone is willing to extend a helping hand and support each other without hesitation!

Enough about me!!! Let’s talk about Room 123! One of our main goals is to develop a sense of community in our room. We take care of each other, ourselves, the class and our environment. We don’t have specific classroom jobs because we can all pitch in to help with what needs to be done. I think it helps develop a sense of ownership and pride 💜 We work hard and have fun!! We are learners who aren’t afraid to be risk takers and are willing to try new things because we know it’s safe to do so. There is no judgement of other people’s skills and we know there is always room to grow our own skills. We are makers. We are kind. We love nature!  We work to the best of our abilities and strive to be proud of the work we do. We are ALL learners!! We. Are. AWESOME! ! #BAM (Be Awesome Montrosians)

I try to update the blog weekly because I use it as a tool to communicate between home and school. It’s a place to share photos of what we have been up to (especially for those of you who aren’t able to come and see us during the day). It’s a place to explain concepts that may require more information. It’s a place to give reminders of important dates and activities. It’s a place to connect. I love hearing comments from you! Blogging is something new-ish to me (I started last year) and I’ve learned to really enjoy it!  As I type…I reflect on what we’ve done at school and through that reflecting process I really think about the needs of the students and how to plan as we move forward.  I hope you enjoy reading the blog. Feel free to share the link with family that would like to feel more connected to your child. I never show faces on the blog as it is a public site that anyone can find online. This year I intend to work more with students to post some of their writing on the blog (for those who are interested!)

FYI-

-Home Reading folders were sent home Monday. Please send them back to school each day. On Friday we will do our first Ask Me question!!

-Meet the Teacher is on Monday, September 25. I hope to see you there!!! Notes regarding dinner will be going home early next week

-September book orders are due on Tuesday, September 19. If you need help setting up Parent Pay please let me know

-Friday is International Dot Day. Please have your child wear dots to school (if possible)

-We will be doing Instagram again this year…information to be sent home soon!!!!

-We always welcome volunteers in the class. If you are interested please let me know! Some of our topics this year will include habitats, plants, soil, rocks and minerals. If you have an interest or are an expert on any of these topics…we’d love to have you in!!

Welcome/Welcome back…it’s as easy as 123 to be part of this amazing community of learners!!

Until next time!

Danielle