See the tree in every acorn.

About Me

Welcome to another school year at St. Francis of Assisi! I am looking forward to teaching and being a part of your child’s Grade 3/4 school year experiences. I have been teaching for about 20 years, mostly with the Ottawa Catholic School Board. My first teaching assignments ranged from an isolated northern Quebec, a Montessori school, and a school for students having very serious needs. My wife Eve and I have two boys. Olivier is 11 and Emile is 13 years old. My motto is "See the tree in every acorn" because students remind me of how that tiny acorn that may get overlooked has the potential to grow into the mighty oak. If we believe in students and nurture that excitement of learning, there's no telling what mighty oaks they may become!

Monday, 30 March 2015

I am finally finding the time to update our class blog since getting back from March break! We are looking forward to sharing our Hunger Luncheon in the gym this Thursday - if you have a form to participate or volunteer, please send it in ASAP.

In Religion we continue discussing Lent and the sacrifices Jesus made(Grade 3) and how people in the world follow his role today (Grade 4). Have your child share his or her favourite Jesus story or even try finding a modern day story of sacrifice in the news! In Math the grade threes are finishing up our unit on Measurement : Calendar and clock time, temperature, mass, and capacity. The students are having greatest difficulty with elapsed time (see this Monday's homework). A generl review will be given and reviewed at home before the test next Tuesday. Our Language study of descriptive texts is nearing an end. We have deconstructed and reconstructed texts, as well as focus on specific descriptive language, using the theme of popcorn. Mmmm!  This week students will begin writing a descriptive text of their choice! Our Science units (Grade 3 "Structures - Strong and Stable" and Grade 4 "Pulleys and Gears") are well underway. I will try to post pictures. Students are always encouraged to analyze results and connect them to real life. For example, Grade 3s cou;d look for small and big structures (pencil holder and bridge) and describe them (man-made, encloses, strong by shape but light by material); Grade 4s had a lot of fun trying to build makeshift pulleys to save people in imaginary situations (those poor Lego people!). Look for pulleys used in life (clothesline, bike chain (special kind), old tuning dial on radios, gym machines).  In Health we are looking at examples of dangerous and addictive substances. We are also completing our portrayals of dangerous situations, peer pressure situations for Grade 4s in particular (especially bullying). As we put our schoolwide W.I.T.S. program into practice, Grade 4s are also applying what they know of passive, assertive, and aggressive responses to situations. It's amazing how much progress the class has made with guarding, movement, decision making, and passing in Basketball. These team skills are useful in many types of play. In Art  we are applying our focus of lines by making double-image pictures through folding paper accordian-style.  

Have a wonderful Easter!
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