Surprise!

Hi everyone,

We welcomed three new students to our class today. We hope that they enjoy being members of the Skelton-Barrett crew!

Happy Tuesday!
Mrs. Skelton Wright

Up and Coming...

Hi everyone,

We have had a great start to our school year!  Our students have settled in and we are ready to tackle grade 5 with a positive attitude!

Meet-the-Teacher night is coming up, and we're looking forward to meeting you.  On Thursday, September 28, we will be in our portables from 6:00-7:30pm, and we ask that you pop in to meet us both!  For the duration of Meet-the-Teacher night, there will be an opportunity to sign up for the November Parent Teacher conferences (this will be located in the Gym).  Miss Barrett and I run our conferences together, so that you can get the full scope of your child's learning.  That being said, we will not only have the evening of November 16 and the morning of November 17, but we will also have several other time slots available.  Our conferences will be around 10 minutes, instead of the typical 15, mainly due to the fact that we have twice as many.  If a longer meeting is required, we can certainly arrange something that works for all involved.

Current happenings at Fieldcrest:

• thank you to students who bought ice cream to help support countries affected by the hurricanes
• this week, students are invited to bring gently used clothing donations to be sent to those affected by hurricanes.  More information on other needed items will be given early next week.
• we are beginning our food drive. Please consider donating non-perishable food items, if you are able to do so.
• school-wide reorganization will happen on Tuesday, September 26. Fortunately, our classes are unaffected by any changes.

Looking Back....

On Friday, September 22, our students and staff recognized Orange Shirt Day. The following excerpt is taken from our SCDSB website, explaining the significance of the day:

On Friday, September 22, students and staff across the Simcoe County District School Board (SCDSB) are participating in Orange Shirt Day, wearing orange shirts and starting conversations regarding residential schools. The day is recognized nationally on September 30.
“As we move forward in the spirit of reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians, it is critical that we understand our history, which includes residential schools, and how it affects students today,” says Alison Bradshaw, Principal, Indigenous Education. “Orange Shirt Day is a great visual way to honour those who attended while educating our students.”
The Orange Shirt Day, Every Child Matters campaign is a commitment to ongoing reconciliation in Canada, and brings awareness to the former students of residential schools. Orange Shirt Day began in 2013 during the St. Joseph Mission Residential School Commemoration Project in Williams Lake, BC, when Phyllis (Jack) Webstad told the story of her first day at residential school as a six-year-old girl. Her new orange shirt, bought by her grandmother, was taken away from her. 

Looking Ahead...

Our annual, school-wide Terry Fox run (organized by Miss Barrett) will occur on Thursday, September 28, weather permitting.  Thank you to those families who have made contributions to our fund-raising efforts.

Enjoy the beautiful summer weather on this, the first official weekend of fall!

Mrs. Skelton Wright :)

Tech use in school

Hi everyone,

We attended an assembly run by our administrative staff yesterday and they highlighted, in detail, some of our school's expectations with regard to technology and personal/school devices.  The following is a summary of the message that students received yesterday:

• as soon as students are on school property, their personal technology is expected to be turned off and out of sight;
• if parents wish to contact their child, they must do so through the office, and the same expectation stands for the students - if they wish to contact a parent, they must have permission to use the classroom or office phone. Personal technology is NOT to be a communication method between parents, families, and students during the school day;
• technology is to be used only for instructional purposes and under supervision of a teacher or adult in the classroom;
• if students are caught using technology when they should not be, it will be confiscated.  The technology will be sent to the office and the student will have to collect it in the office at the end of the day.  Continued confiscations will result in a conversation/conference with parents and administration.
• students are never to be taking photos of classmates at school, and under no circumstance should pictures of classmates/schoolmates be posted online in any way. This becomes a privacy issue and is taken very seriously.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read this post.  Please consider following up with your child.  We appreciate your support in upholding these expectations at Fieldcrest.

Mrs. Skelton Wright :) 

Thank you

Hi everyone,

Thank you for a great start to the school year!  Our class appreciates all donations of tissues and paper towel - I think we're stocked up for a while now!

Just a friendly reminder of a few things:

• please join us on REMIND - this is where you'll get the most up-to-date information about our class (please see the PARENT section of the blog)
• students need to have indoor running shoes for the cleanliness of our portable, and for gym class
• school-wide reorganization will be on September 26, based on the number of registered students at Fieldcrest.  While we hope that our students are NOT moved, there is a possibility of that happening. Information will come home with your child prior to September 26 if they are moving classrooms.
• Meet-the-Teacher night is Thursday, September 28.  I'm looking forward to meeting you all! Miss Barrett and I will both be available to meet all families of students that we teach.

We have changed our format for assemblies this year.  Instead of one assembly per month, there will be one assembly every two months, to recognize 2 character traits.  If your child will be receiving an award, we will send you information so that you can (hopefully!) arrange to be there. The assembly scheduled for October will be held on Friday, October 27 at 11:45.  The character traits are "caring" and "cooperation".

As per our assembly today, there are a few new school rules that students are asked and expected to follow:

• no gum on school property
• hats off upon entering the building
• technology is to be used ONLY under the direct supervision of the teachers
• students are NOT to be leaving backpacks by the portables in the morning, as there is no supervision on that side of the yard; they are to go to the West yard and wait for the first bell.  Once the first bell has rung, they may make their way to the portable.

Please subscribe to our blog - occasional updates and photos will be posted throughout the year.

Thanks!  Have a great day,
Mrs. Skelton Wright

Famous Failures

Our students enjoyed discussing this video in class on Friday - perhaps you'd enjoy it, too!  We had several ask if we could watch it again, but we had a time constraint, so I'm uploading it here so that students and families can watch it.  An incredible video about people who persevered, despite difficulties, negativity, and hardships.

Welcome to Grade 5!

Hello students and families!

Welcome to the 2017-2018 school year!  

My name is Mrs. Stephanie Skelton Wright and I will be your child’s homeroom teacher this year.  This is my 18th year of teaching at Fieldcrest, and I love this school and community.  During the upcoming months, Miss Barrett and I will be sharing teaching responsibilities for your child.  I will be teaching Math, Science, Visual Arts, Drama, and Phys. Ed., while Miss Barrett will be teaching Language, Social Studies and Health. Students will travel between our two classrooms to receive instruction. 

While our school provides many supplies for your child, we welcome donations of tissues and hand sanitizer.  Students are also required to have a  pair of indoor shoes (preferably running shoes, as these will also be used for gym).

Fidget toys (including, but not restricted to, spinners and cubes) and technology are discouraged for the first few weeks of school, as we want our students to socialize, get to know one another, and develop a close classroom community. Please encourage your child to keep these items at home unless indicated in the agenda or through our REMIND messages (for details, please see the handouts that were sent home in your child's agenda on the first day of school).

Please be aware that Tuesday, September 26 is our board-wide staff and class reorganization.  There is a chance that our class may change by that day and that students may be reassigned to different classes.

Thursday, September 28 is our Meet-the-Teacher night from 6:00-7:30 - please join us! 

Thank you for your support!

I’m looking forward to a great year with your child!

- Mrs. Skelton Wright -